need a new career

alafairnadia

what do you recommend? i don't want to be in school for 100 years nor do I want to make less $$. but, while I have a new job, I just have no interest in going insane for people anymore. things I like: poker, wine, food, not being in debt, vague amounts of technology. please provide your awesome advice.

carmen

I like my job most of the time (this last week was not a good indicator as I'm currently working as we speak..er...type.) I'm a functional consultant for a microsoft ERP program (google ERP for more info.) Basically, companies hire my firm to implement this software and we go in, learn what they do, teach them what our stuff does and customize the software or change their practices to make the best fit for them and the program. Its active problem solving 24/7 and is very stimulating. However, it can be really stressful (client deadlines, people bitching, etc) and HIGHLY political (we try to stay out of it but consultants always get dragged into company bs.) That said, I work from home 75% of the time, the money is pretty good and it's a career that's actually mentally difficult and dynamic (meaning it changes by the day.)

It is tech related, though, which some people don't like.

alafairnadia

I hear you. I'm working now. I'm not intellectually stimulated, however, and I'm overwhelmed to a degree I have trouble handling. I don't have, say, one or two major projects at a time. I have 10-20, 7-12 of which are active on a daily basis. I also get a lot of walk in work in my office. it just makes me ill - while the work isn't boring, the stress level is too high for me to deal with and I'm just sick of it. it is tech related which is okay - I do database work related to electronic discovery for law firms/clients.

flux

I am a pharmacist and would highly recommend the field. School is 6 years and quite intense, but well worth it. Additionaly, the years will fly by. If you currently have a BS degree then pharmacy school is only 4 years. You will graduate with a PharmD degree (doctor of pharmacy).

The pay is really good and you will have many options. I worked for CVS for 2 years and am currently working in a hospital with my old professors and classmates.

My job involved checking for medication errors made by the new medical residents. Many mistakes are caught and corrected each day. You finish you workday feeling that you have make a big difference and play an important role in patient care.

The pharmacy union is amazing. Your health care costs are covered 100% (no co-pay) and you don't need a referal for a specialist. Additionaly they will pay to send your kids to camp, help with citizenship status, and pay for continuing education. You get a month worth of vacation. A week worth of personal days. Every holiday you get off, and lots of sick days (I can be sick for the next 3 months and get full salary).

I work from 8am till 4pm. I get two 15 minute coffee breaks and a 1 hour lunch break. When I get home I don't feel like I have been working at all. The rest of the day is free for me to do as I wish.

Average salary is over 100k/year.

Well worth the 6 year investment to know that your future is secure no matter where you go. you can even retire and work 1-2 days a week and still get paid more then most people get in a week.

There is a huge pharmacist shortage now and skilled pharmacists are in great demand. Some places offer a 25k sign on bonus and even new cars (BMW 328i for Connecticut pharmacists).

.........Before you know it, the 6 years are behind you and you have a wonderful future ahead.

MOD

Chica I'm there with you, as you may have heard.
You know there are a couple of museum curators at my job that used to be lawyers. Have you thought of working in the arts? Also, you probably have business savy. Have you thought of starting your own shop/bar/whatever.

I'm kinda looking at that as an option. Need a building with a retail space on the bottom though. Yes, I have some backers in the works! Look at me, I'm the biggest dork! :jocolor:

jocelyn

Mamacita, where do you work? I'm looking into going into something museum or library-related.

Alafairnadia, there are a lot of jobs in the wine/spirits/beer/food industry that a lot of people don't know about. For starters I would suggest doing a keyword search for "wine" on indeed.com because I believe I saw some jobs posted recently.

like this one:
http://jobview.monster.com/GetJob.aspx?JobID=72009089

but there are others and not necessarily tech-related.

idlewild

Maybe a Vegas or Monte Carlo croupier?

ninemonthsout

Subject: Re: need a new career

alafairnadia wrote: what do you recommend? i don't want to be in school for 100 years nor do I want to make less $$. but, while I have a new job, I just have no interest in going insane for people anymore. things I like: poker, wine, food, not being in debt, vague amounts of technology. please provide your awesome advice.

I think you're headed in the right direction by being really honest about your interests. The people that love what they do usually find a career by accident when pursuing something they are naturally interested in. At least that's what Oprah says. :?

I pretty much love my job (I guess), but I just don't feel like it's the best fit. It's like being in a relationship and nothing's really "wrong", but I'm getting a little bored and this dude just isn't my soul mate. I've been thinking about the next thing for over a year now, but can't quite come up with it...I'm good at lots of things, but not exceptionally good at any ONE thing.

My other issue is that I've been really turned off by consumerism- which is a bit of a conflict when you're in advertising. You've inspired me to get off my ass and really do some digging to find my niche. I actually fantasize about living in the country and knitting and gardening to sustain my lifestyle, but I don't like the idea of being cut off from urban living full time. That fantasy usually comes when the idiots are honking their horns RIGHT outside of my window.

doctorj

I used to love those "Could this be the right career for you?" pamphlets we had in the guidance/counselling center at school. One of them was about becoming a religious leader. I always thought that sounded pretty neat. Better than the one about becoming a garbage technician. No prior experience or lengthy courses necessary, the hours are pretty flexible, it's a business that does well in hard times, you can start by working from home, and you can write your own rulebook. Though you'd need the right personality for it, and you'd have to like working with all sorts of people.

livetotravel

Follow your heart and acquire the skills necessary to do that. I have the best job in the world and can't wait to go to work every day. It's in the non-profit sector and is both service and advocacy centered. I am continually driven by my passion for the mission. I left bullshit corporate America over 20 years ago, took a hit on pay, and have never looked back - and am now compensated competitively with my for-profit peers.

Non-profits need people with passion and skills - especially tech skills, research skills, critical thinking skills, and the ability to write well and articulate their thoughts.

If you are passionate about an issue consider finding those non-profits that serve the need. Take a look at http://www.idealist.org/

Just a thought. Good luck.

armchair_warrior

open a brothel , since the emperors club close. I think the city is now full of rich man, with no where to throw their monies. and now are doing their wives :shock: :shock: :shock:

what ever you don't become a professional poker player.

alafairnadia

why not? I'm pretty good. could be a decent tournament player.

armchair_warrior

do you flinch when you lose tons of money? if you don't than you could be a very good at it or just lose everything hehe.

alafairnadia

armchair_warrior wrote: do you flinch when you lose tons of money? if you don't than you could be a very good at it or just lose everything hehe.

I don't play cash games in casinos - kinda gets rid of the whole flinching thing.

armchair_warrior

hey can you do immigration law??? thats pretty easy and there is a ton of illegals.

open you own little firm.

caaahyoko

After my office did some work with BAM recently, I would definitely recommend it as a place to work. All the people I met were cool, and there are a ton of different types of jobs from event planning, to budgets, to contracts, to technical stuff. They have about 200 employed on a regular basis. One girl I talked to said its easy to move up the ladder and to switch jobs there. If I weren't nice and cushy at my job, I would hop over there in a second.

alafairnadia

AW: I actually did immigration law for awhile a long time ago. the problem is the research support needed. immigration law changes on a daily basis based on decisions made by administrative law judges. you kinda have to live it to do it correctly. but. thanks for reminding me to pay my dues to the texas bar!

caaahyoko: thanks! I'm exploring a few things right now. current job still nightmarish but hoping I can make some progress with folks today/tomorrow re: either fixing it or chilling it out. but until then I'm tolerating an eye twitch and figuring out if my parents' land in ecuador is viable for grape growing.

armchair_warrior

noob law question. you pass your bar in texas can you do law here?

alafairnadia

armchair_warrior wrote: noob law question. you pass your bar in texas can you do law here?

I can do administrative law and apply for permission to do federal law. otherwise, I'd have to pass the NY bar. blech.