Looking for advice...I am about to turn 30 and I am looking to get out of the insurance business. I have been in the business since I graduated college 7 years ago. It wasn't what I wanted to do, just what was available at the time - and now what I have experience in. I just don't have a passion for it and it affects my work. It's a good business and you can make a good living doing it - if you like it. I do not. Like many others that are pondering a career change - my problem is that I have no idea what I want to do. I have taken a million personality and career tests...well 4, but regardless - they all tell me that because of my personality I should be in sales blah blah blah. That's terrific, but I don't want to do that. Sure I have "transferrable skills" but no experience in anything else - unless you count manning a mean cash register part-time when I was in college . I have a B.B.A. in Business Management and an M.B.A . People and leadership skills are my strengths. All that is great - but I am not sure what to do with it! I have always wanted to run my own business, but I don't have any particular talents (excluding fantasy football) that I could turn into a product or service. I have looked into a bunch of different fields so far - hotel/hospitality management, writer, HR management - but so far - nothing. Suddenly I am not so young anymore and I'm starting to panic. Oh, did I mention I am getting married too? Yup, add that to the list! I never thought I would be in this position at 30. Any advice or thoughts would definitely be appreciated.... thanks! Are you sure you don' t want to be in sales or is it insurance sales that you don' t want to do? A good fit if you' d consider sales is something like Edward Jones. If they' ll take you (they' re very fussy), they' ve got a fabulous 2 year training program then great money and wonderful perks. It can be a nice shift from insurance into a broader arena and you can specialize in the sort of clientele you' d like to have. If that really doesn' t do it for you, then have a read of something like What Color is My Parachute. It may help you to think in different directions from what you have been doing all along. That may be why your testing comes out sales. You' re answer what you know versus what you want to do. (Insert Huge-mongous Sigh) Okay, listen here, you broken down-ready for the rocking chair-older than dirt 30 year old. Get your head away from that mindset of you are old and can't pick up your life and put it back on the right track. You don't like the insurance biz - that's fine, I don't like insurance sales people. I think they scare the patooties out of you to get you to purchase stuff you don't need. You don't like sales in general - that's fine. I don't like sales people. I think they are pushy and intrusive and the majority of them scare the patooties out of people to get them to purchase stuff that is not necessary. Personally, if I enter a store and an employee says "can I help you" and I say "no, thanks, I am just looking" and that person follows me around making suggestions or trying to "direct" me to an item or items that the store is trying to unload, I will the store. There are, as a matter of fact, some stores that I refuse to go back to because of the pushy floor sales people. Discuss this with your fiance. Get her input. Figure out what you both want out of life and go that direction. When I read your post, a lot of it looked similiar to my situation. First, you need to take a deep breath because if you' re only 30, your life could be much worse. I worked in sales for about the same length of time as you (including financial products at one time) and I' m a little bit older than you. I did very well in sales, but never had a passion for "sales" or atleast not a passion for the products I sold. The career assessments said the exact same thing. I am trying to get back into management or possibly someday own my own business as well, and I am having a tough time identifying exactly what area to pursue. Like yourself, my strengths are people and leadership skills (I worked in management prior to my sales career, and I have a degree in Hotel Management). The reality is, unless I open my own business, no matter where I go, I' ll probably have to work my way up the ladder from near the bottom. Identifying you career is not something you will do overnight. Those that have been fortunate enough to find their careers probably had several years of various outside factors influencing their decision and didn' t even realize it. The career assessments are only a starting point. They are not the end all, be all. Look at the things you enjoy doing and see if there are careers that match up with those things or if you can create a business out of those things. If you' re looking to open your own business, you may want to talk to someone at the SBA (Small Business Administration) in your area and see if they can help you out with ideas, what' s needed in the area, etc. Magazines like Entrepreneur or other small business magazines may be something you want to read to see if anything ignites a spark. Maybe some of these companies have job openings where you can help grow their business. Good luck in your search, and stop worrying. You' ll figure it out. | |
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