Change careers, but to what
Whenever I read an article on how to change careers, the first item is usually "figure out what you want to do." That's my stumbling block. I don't know what else I want to do. I've been in my field for 10 years, and I'm good at what I do, but I'm burned out and don't make much money. I've taken career assessment tests, and they all point to the field I'm currently in! How else can I figure out what other career paths may be viable alternatives for me?
What other areas within your current field are viable options to you. You don't neccessarily need to jump from (for example) "doctor to lawyer". You can change your field of medicine from "internal to psychiatry". If you are in a sales position, you might change from door to door encyclopedias to business to business copy machines. You may be in the top of your field with nowhere to go as far as the particular area you have hosen but check out what other types of jobs are open to you. If you need to take a few night courses to get the educational aspect of the area, then do it. Check with your company's human resources department because they may even have a plan for tuition reimbursement for employees who want to stay within the industry and company but learn how to do other things connected with the industry. The other part of this is fo you to think about what you WANT to do. What is it that interests you. What have you always wanted to do but didn't or couldn't. Once you figure that out. Seek ways to accomplish this new career goal.
My dilemma is just the opposite. I know what I want to do, (and I have experience) but I'm stuck in a dead-end going nowhere job because I don't have a specialized degree (I, too, am of a generation where a degree wasn't a necessity, and experience counted) Without the money to go back to school, I feel like I'm sinking fast. Sometimes it takes a little soul searching, being honest with yourself and prayer. It took me a little while figuring out what career I want to go into. I knew that I did not want to use my Sociology degree because the money was not all that great and I wanted to be rewarded well for my hard work. At one point, I thought I wanted to fix hair and maybe own a Salon but ruled that out because I didn' t want to be on my feet all day. Then I thought I wanted to go into Project Management but realized that I didn' t want to do any traveling. Finally, I figured it out...........I am going into HR Managment....I enjoy people, I have a little experience in HR and the field pays well. I think I have found my nitch.
I am in a similar situation. I was laid off from my job on Oct 10th and I am still feverishly looking for opportunities. But, like you I really am not sure what I want to do now. I am 35 and I have a B.S. in Business Management. I was selling mortgages before I was let go and I know I want to get away from the stress of commission based sales. I've taken personality tests and it's given me some ideas, but the biggest challenge I've seen so far is that I don't have enough experience for these certain types of positions.
I too am in the mortgage industry and was just formally noticed two weeks ago that our department will be closing right before the Christmas holiday. I have been a loan processor for 3 years and took the job right out of college because it was the only position I was offered after a string of temp jobs that were going nowhere. I took advantage of the company' s tuition reimbursement program and am happy to say that I will have my Master' s Degree in Decemeber but haven' t had nearly enough time to find another position. I' m struggling with deciding to take a dead end job to pay the bills until I can find something else or going for a full-time job search until I find an internship or position more suitable to my qualifications. Neither of my degrees are in finance so it will be a complete career change for me but I am excited. Now I just need to find an employer that is willing to give me a chance! My situation is very similar to yours only it is aggravated by the situation of immigration, that is, moving to the USA from Russia. I' taught ESL for about 20 years in my country and experienced the same "being-burnt-out" feeling. I was thinking about changing a career when I came to the US but after a whole year' s long effort to find a job I understood that it is my working and education background that are worth something. I know how to teach and how to be a real helper to those who need support and encouragement. Of course, you can start learning or working from a zero level if you are really ready to start a new page in your life. But then you' ll have to be ready to spend not less, but most probably more than one year to get new education and start working from an entry-level position. There' s one more solution - become an entrepreneur, which means that you can start a small business where your talents and interests will be realized. Oh, I forgot to say, that I have found my dream job - teaching ESL at CalState East Bay! The year' s break helped me to understand that I love my profession! May be you also need to take a break in your career just to think and reevaluate things. I' d start with seeing a career counselor. My thought is that when you take these tests, you may be falling into the trap of answer what you KNOW versus answering what you WANT. A career counselor can help you with that. Also, a career counselor can show you a number of related fields and point out how you can use your existing strengths in other industries. They can talk to you and help you work out what you like or don' t like about your current field. Your local community college should have one or check your phone book. Well don' t ever do what I did. I was working as a Receptionist in a physicians office over 5 years and we had a huge turn over in our staff and things went down hill from there. My boss asked me if I was looking for another job and I was too honest and told him that I was. Soon after that he told me that He had someone else lined up for my position. He never told me I was fired but told me he didn' t want me to stay to orient the next person. I applied for unemployment and they told me that I was not eligible for compensation because "I quite." I have been applying for jobs now for 4 months and have had only 1 interview. I do have one tomorrow but it' s part time. At least it' s something. I have no formal education just years of experience. And I am fast approaching fifty! Sometimes I wonder if my age is a factor. No insurance, no income. It' s not good. I never know what to do as far as new and different occupations. | |
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Career Tips
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