dilemmaI am currently a project manager with an architectural art glass company. The company has experienced rapid growth (without the means to handle it), and the position has become way too hectic for the pay scale. Even with a substansial raise, I do not feel it would make me happier or that things will turn around. I worked my way up from the bottom (no experience, started in samples and shipping & receiving). My previous work experience before that was a painter / contractor. I believe i have the ability to do mostly anything, but lack the piece of paper to back it up. I need to find something to take advantage of my skills, but it needs to be a more laid back environment as I feel like I am an unhealthy 25 years of age due to stress. The problem is, I do not even know where to begin to look. I look at work as what it is, a job, so I do not have to convince myself to love what I do. I just want realistic expectations and comparable pay. Is there anything I should focus on in the $40K / year range while trying to escape project management???? what do you want 2 do? That is a big part of the problem. I can not think of ANYTHING that sticks out as somethng I would want to do for the rest of my life. I just know that the current position is a dead end, and I am uncertain how my skills can translate into other positions. You don' t have to pick a new job for the rest of your life. Start with seeing a career counselor. Your local college or the yellow pages will have some. They can do testing to see what your skills, abilities and interests lend themselves too. They can provide suggestions on related careers you may not have considered and then they can assist with your resume, interview skills, etc. Then talk to your doctor about your ability/inability to handle stress. At 25 in the kind of job you' re in, you shouldn' t be this worked up. You can learn a lot of simple techniques to manage yourself better no matter what job you' re in.
You' re awfully young to be so burned out. But you' re also young enough that you can train for a whole new career. You might try some career testing, but often these tests are no help at all. The first one I took years ago showed me with the highest scores in a Business/Clerical category, so I went to school to become a secretary. I couldn' t get a job as a secretary because everyone was hiring people with experience only. In returning to school later, I had an internship working in an office and found that I would have been extremely unhappy in a secretarial position. I have taken other tests such as these that have never been much help. For the most part they are very vague and don' t really give you an indication of particular jobs or even particular industries in some cases. The largest area hiring is the health field. Nursing in our area is paying about $40 an hour, and our area is in an extreme recession. If like me, you could never be a nurse, there are quite a few other things out there, such as x-ray techs, lab techs, pharmaceutical techs, etc. Some of the tests may show if you have abilities for these areas. Another area that will be doing a lot of hiring in upcoming years is the federal government. Many federal, and state governments as well, and the IRS, has many older workers and a very large flux of retirees is expected to be taking place. For myself, I don' t see too much of a chance of hiring of someone who would be in their late 50' s, but chances are you have a quite long work life yet ahead of you. Check out government sites and other resources to find out what skills you need for these jobs. | |
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Career Tips
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