Are you thinking of switching jobs/careers?

[Lunar]

I'm trying to get out of my crappy retail job since I just got a degree but lately I've been fooling around with writing apps and mobile games. pretty much any job/career involving technology I wouldn't mind, it just sucks that I'm part of the 50% of my graduating class that hasn't found a job yet

The job search scenatrio itself is stressful. It's hard for new grads to find jobs mostly due to lack of work experience, but their most recent education could prove beneficial for a company in the long run. Many companies just want immediate gratification rather than investing the time and money to train someone. It's unfortunate, but don't give up Ceez!

[Bowyn Aerrow]

Wow, I didn't expect this much input, thanks y'all for chiming in!

I'm sort of at a crossroad in life, where I start to have the proverbial "existential crisis" mentality. I've dabbled in IT as a junior network admin for a couple years now. But I'm starting to get tired of it. I mean I like technology and everything, but I hate the long work hours and the stress of constant updating you have to do. Change in the IT industry is infamously volatile. It's like as if you're on call for the rest of your life. I find myself losing interest in the field as I'm starting to wonder whether it's sustainable in the long run...Working long hours while finding time to pursue other interests. Is it normal to be occupied so completely by your job?

So recently I'm thinking of switching to more traditional careers like Accounting or Nursing. Those are pretty much surefire careers that won't make you starve in the long run, I believe, regardless of the economic situation. Another benefit is that I could pursue my interests (and there are lots!) while working, without having to worry about the $$$. I hate to work for money but I find myself on the verge of accepting this reality and making some changes.

What do you think about these 2 careers? What should I be aware of?

I know of starving accountants and starving nurses.

If you didn't like the long hours of IT, then you will not like the very long hours in the medical field. You also will not mind the patients with lack of patience as their stress will become your stress.

Accountants are being replaced by technology. Fewer and fewer small businesses are going with an account as in a human being and are using software and big business accounting firms that process their clients via computer.

Medicine (Nursing, doctors, pharmacists, EMT, etc.) are witnessing a fast pace change of the medical arena in every aspect. Everything is changing, and to be a 'good' nurse you need to go back to school again and again in order to keep up with the latest innovation that doctors will be using.

Like it or not any and all jobs have stress, many have long hours (especially those that you go to school to do).

[Sylph]

Well... The only things I've ever considered myself good at, is Music and Animal Husbandry/Care...

I've been doing Music for 18 going on 19 years now [though realistically, probably 14, going on 15 years, as I started at about 4], so that's pretty much what I know the absolute best, but a close second, like .5% less than music, is my knowledge of Animals and Animal Care, so I've always considered only these two subjects as my main areas of interest and possibly careers.

Currently, I work as a ZooKeeper at our local Zoo/Aquarium, and take lessons with our resident Veterinarian, who happens to also be the Head Curator. I seem to have a proclivity for Animal Medicine, but oddly not for Human medicine[which is just as well, since there are like hundreds of doctors here, but not many Vets, even less specialized ones]. So I've taken to the idea of maybe becoming a Veterinarian[not sure if I want to specialize or not], and in the event that I do, I'll probably wind up back in a Zoo, as I prefer to actually interact with the animals, and not just have some random animal come to me. So in essence, I suppose I'll be a ZooKeeper & Veterinarian.

But I also want to keep with my Musician-ship, as it's literally something I grew up with and is integral to my personality/persona. I can get a Degree in probably 3-4years[while Veterinary Medicine takes about 4-5years], but it's not absolutely necessary, unless you want to teach/compose for a major production or anything else that requires someone else interacting with your music/musicality.

I work at the Zoo during the day and afterward I play music, sometimes while I'm working, and I play for my Family off and on.

So for now, I'm quite content as I've got my two loves in co-harmony, but I know sooner or later, I'll have to invest more in one than the other, but I know I'll always have both under my belt.

So until that time comes, I won't be switching :p .

Although, I do love educating people, and people say I would make a good teacher... but I wouldn't want to be confined to doing paperwork 50% of the time . I'm what some call a "Free Spirit" :biggrin: .

[OrphanPip]

Ah well I have a degree in microbiology and immunology and worked in various lab positions, from research on urinary infections to simple technical work in veterinary hospitals, where I started as a receptionist and assistant before uni.

However, I grew to dislike it, at the same time I continued in school doing a BA just because I liked that more. At the moment I'm going to grad school full time studying cultural studies and literature. I'm not much of a career planner, I just float around doing what's interesting for the moment. It's not like I have to worry about sending kids to college, I just have to be able to feed myself.

Edit: My mother was an accountant though, she used to work for Dupont's Canadian HQ, she got some pretty nice perks from the job, like a fully paid trip around the Soviet Union because Dupont's dealings with the USSR went through Canada.

[TryingNewThing]

@ceez: yeah indeed, it can be quite stressful at times. I work at a medium sized company here and we have around 10 full-timers with the rest being part-timers. The lack of full-time staffs really put a lot of extra work on our shoulders. Also, I don't mind doing regular maintenance or project work but any position that deals directly with user support has the potential to be stress-inducing. I constantly get questions like "I just poured water on my keyboard, what do???" I hate it when they interrupt while I'm in the middle of something. I mean, some of the questions are really dumb but you still have to deal with them as professionally as possible

@Bowyn Aerrow: It's very true all jobs have stress and require continuous education. But still I believe the changes in IT far outpaces the other fields, at least during the last decade or so and very likely into the coming decade(s). The computer my parents bought for me 10 years ago is antique now (and may very well worth a lot of money 20 years later). One other point is that once you acquired the relevant professional designation, which always requires a university degree, it's very difficult to lose your job. Whereas some guy with some work-related IT experience and a bunch of certs can replace you easily down the road, especially when they're more familiar with newer technologies.

@QueenOdi: I Have considered becoming an organic farmer before lol. I love nature and will always find opportunity to get out there and enjoy the sun, the wind, the earth. Unfortunately, it doesn't make enough money. And there're a few things I wanna possess before turning 30

@OrphanPip: yeah, it's more important to do something that you enjoy...or at least that can earn more money AND THEN you can do what you really enjoy in spare time Oh did she like her job?
I'm taking a few accounting courses via distance ed. now while working full time. (I study on the weekends.) I've sort of made up my mind that I'm either going for CGA or CPA. Jumping into a new career is gonna be exciting :biggrin:

[warmpixels]

I'm in a dead end job with nowhere to go except out the door, and I have to keep working at it, because there's no other option available yet. my coworkers are all idiots, my staff only take breaks from their bickering long enough to stab me in the back, and the streessssss oh god it literally cracks my teeth.

I am changing jobs very soon, but my almost 10 year career in administration is simply not going anywhere beyond middle management with just high school education, and I can't go back to school just yet because I'm supporting myself.

[Mr. Not So Lonely]

HI all As I retired at the ripe old age of 38. I have changed my career a few times. now at 52 I can pass on this tid bit of advice..................


If you love what you do you never never go to work

[Jay]

I love my current job, colleagues and its surroundings. I have a good and stable income.

But admittedly one part of me would like to resign and expand my career. I frequently asked successful people (financial and career wise) with same questions - "How did you plan your career? Should I just allow the wind to take me anywhere it goes or should I create a thorough plan?"

Answers varied. But most of them agreed that I need to make a move whilst I am still young. It's better to take a risk in career whilst you are still young.

As much as I love digital based design, I much more prefer handcraft design and making gift baskets. I adore cooking. I love industrial and interior design. I dream of mixing all of them into one. I love the idea of running a small based business that can provide jobs for people. I like the idea of taking care of people under me. My current colleagues teach me that colleagues can be more than just colleagues. They can be your close friends and second family members. That's what I'm aiming for and hopefully more.

But a wise decision shouldn't be based upon dreams. You have to consider the economy, your finance, your situation and surroundings. Hence why I think it is best for me to postpone my goal for now.

My future career is on hold but I still continue to jot down ideas for it. No rush. Take a small step at a time.

[OrphanPip]

@OrphanPip: yeah, it's more important to do something that you enjoy...or at least that can earn more money AND THEN you can do what you really enjoy in spare time Oh did she like her job?
I'm taking a few accounting courses via distance ed. now while working full time. (I study on the weekends.) I've sort of made up my mind that I'm either going for CGA or CPA. Jumping into a new career is gonna be exciting :biggrin:

Just seeing this now, sorry for the late response. My mother did seem to like her accounting job, though she was never a personal accountant. She started as an auditor and eventually ended up as a comptroller, she studied commerce at Sir George Williams University (now Concordia U. where I got my B.A., so we share an alma mater).

[Blue]

I was forced to quit the job I loved over diabetes, was looking for a new one but, once you get diesel in your blood, there's no other job that would pay what driving does for me, nor any other job I would even remotely enjoy. So, I'm pulling my 401K and, part of my savings to pay for stem cell therapy and hope it cures my diabetes, at least to the point I don't need insulin and, can drive again.

I'd rather risk that than take a lower paying job I hate. Now pay me a good bit more, and I'll put up with nearly any job, but that isn't going to happen for me, so I'm doing all I can to get back on the road.