Career Change? Any of you do it?

[Saurian]

OK... I slept on it, that didn't help, but I'll do the best I can right now, so here goes...

Mingez... While any work is work, and no matter how much you love it, there will be days that you simply do not want to go in, there is a significant difference in this, and hating your job... Look deep within yourself. When you wake up in the morning, do you dread going to work, to the point where you have to spend an extra hour in the morning psyching yourself just to get out the door and in the car? While you are at work, do you enjoy it, or do you dread having anyone come up to talk to you, because they're probably going to complain about something... If either, or both of the above apply, you need to get out... In my experience, by the time I had gotten to that point (and it had a lot to do with being held accountable for the actions of my roomie, being taken for granted something fierce, and having people that I had to train, being head of my department, hired in at more than I was making), I was dangerously close, even envisioning just walking out and not looking back, whether I had another job or not...

Re: advice... I don't know... I wanted to get out of the foodservice industry, while cooking is one of my passions, assembly-line-answer-to-a-printer food production is something I am tired of... Instead, I got even more mired in it in a different place... If there's any advice I can give you, and I'm sure you already realize this, but it is this... Don't ever bet on a sure thing... The 40+ hour job, working outdoors, make your own schedule that I was banking on turned into 15 hours of work over the course of a week, that I still have not been paid for. Secondly. There is no reason whatsoever that you can't be looking for jobs while you are employed... Anyone who'se worth working for will let you put in a notice at your current job before you start working for them... I have found that it is MUCH easier to get a job if you are working, than if you are unemployed...

I am afraid that is all the help that I can give you. Just remember, no matter what you are doing, take time off to enjoy things... Defeats the purpose of having a Jeep if you can't ever get time off to use it (I know, trust me, I didn't get it for the gas mileage)...

RE: anything else, decipher my first post as best you can, and best of luck to you... I believe that good things eventually happen to good people, somewhere, far, far down the road :mrgreen: ... You will be no exception.

 

[Tug-n-pull]

RE: Cruise, A/C, ABS Electrical Problems

Over the past year I have gone from Business owner as an Auctioneer to Dump Truck driver to Chef to Over the road Truck Driver. I guess you just have to do what you have to do. I am not wise enough to be of any help but I can wish you luck! tug

 

[southtj]

I think we all go through it Mingez. I am currently. I quit my job in sales last year because I HATED HATED HATED it. Did I say that I hated it? I did. I am 38 and all my jobs in the past I was the computer "go to" guy when things went wrong so I decided it would be fun to get paid for it. I'm in school now. I've got my A+, Net+ and am persuing my MCSE, CCNA and a few others.

So, I got no advice just know that many many other people do the exact same thing in their lives.

Good luck pal.

 

[Sparky-Watts]

RE: I got stiffed...(Part Deux)

I hear ya Mingez. When I read your list of "needs" for a job, I immediately thought of Paramedic. I loved that job, had fun, made good money, helped people in their time of need, and at the end of the day, usually felt as though I'd accomplished something worthwhile. It was also the most stressful job I ever had and the most rewarding at the same time. Due to some personal problems and health limitations, I had to quit in 2000, after 10 years in the business. I still jump when I hear the tones on the scanner for our ambulance, and often get called to assist them at accidents. I was a trauma junkie, didn't care much for the medical calls.

Now I'm 40, unemployed, and looking. Problem is, there isn't much I'm qualified for that's open. Plus, not many companies anymore will hire long-term employees after the age of 35-40. My wife is 50, and her company is doing everything they can to run her out of her job, because she's one of the highest paid hourly workers they have, she's got 5 weeks vacation, and is costing them a mint in 401k bonuses and other perks for her longevity. If she loses her job, she stands no chance of getting another that will pay anything over poverty level. I'm already in that boat myself. Anything I look for is only paying at poverty level, and as Saurian said, living from paycheck to paycheck isn't the way to go, especially at my age. At the rate I'm going, I will have no retirement to fall back on other than social security, and I don't want to get started on what's happening with that now.

So, through all this rambling, my advice would be either start your EMS training (you can usually get your EMT at night while working days, then once you have that and some experience, you can get Paramedic) now, or think long and hard before leaving a good-paying job that has some security in the long run.


Jessica Alba's house husband?!? I'm IN!!!!!!!

 

[judge09]

Need help with wiper alignment

Since when is 31 too old. You have another 20-30 years of a working life ahead of you. If you need to go back to school for 2-3 years to get that training and piece of paper to get the job that will make you happy isnt that worth 30 years of a great working life. As sad as it is, of us most spend more time at work than at home so you HAVE to like what you do. I cant give you any insight on what job to take because I dont know you personally. But invest that extra time in education if it gets you to where you want to be.

 

[LadyJeepFreak]

Mingez

Everyone has said so much here I couldn't possibly top anything already stated but I'll give it my go.

Well, you know were the same age. I also had these same ideas and thought in my head last year when I finished my associates degree and tried to figure out what I was going to "do" in life and what other degrees I was going to need to get there. I still haven't got off the pot and done anything about it yet myself. I keep putting it off. I would love to continue my schooling but like you, I need funding or financial aid and I already know that my employer is not going to fund anymore schooling.

My current job which is a long term management position has NOTHING to do with my degree or the area I want to study now. So, you can see my mental mush is somewhat like yours! I have my own huge decisions to make. When yours are successfull, make sure to remind me so I can stop freaking out myself.

Isn't it wierd to be in your 30's? I don't feel old at 30 but sometimes it worries me when it comes to career planning, remember when we thought we'd never be thirty? Now were thirty and still haven't "Grown Up" but we are looking so far out and ahead it's scary. If you don't look ahead these days your chances of being a street bum living under a bridge someday are very high. I know neither of us are willing to chance that but between work, school, vacation, and retirement planning how do we make the right decisions about the future?

You really do have alot of skills and talents from what we know of you and what you have listed. Sometimes with creativity, you can apply a certain skill to a job by bending it to make it fit that job. Perhaps in the long run, you should just find the job and fit your talents to it instead of vice versa.

In looking at all your lists and goals, I didn't see the specific jobs that you think your interested in. What are they? The medical field is huge. Once you figure out what jobs you admire the most, cross off the ones with obvious education requirements you can't meet and go from there.

Compare the job descriptions left to your own goals list and see how they pair up and then figure out the skills you need for that job.

Whatever you do, I wanted to commend you for doing it and making the change or even moving towards it. I know how much guts it takes. Good Luck!

Lady

 

[mud4feet]

RE: I

.............remember when we thought we'd never be thirty? Now were thirty and still haven't "Grown Up".............

Lady, that never stops (thank God!) I'm past 50 now and still haven't "Grown Up" - wouldn't have it any other way.

 

[randomjeeper]

RE: Chat room Sunday at 9:00 est

i just got my emt certification in early january and since then i've moved and gotten a job (not related to emt) so i don't have any experience with it, unlike sparky. what i can tell you is its a big step (aka peoples lives) so there is a lot that goes with it (mentally, etc).
i thought about shadowing or just riding along with an ambulance to get a real feel of what it is like (and if i could do that type of thing), but thats been put on the back burner for now.
if its something you want to do go for it! if you realize its not for you, at least you've learned some things .

 

[jps4jeep]

Re: boston , buried--working link now

YOUR 31?

I will soon be changing career's, teaching is great and satisfying, but I can't raise a family on the welfare style wages!