Changing careers without going back to school?

December 27, 2008 4:51 PM

CareerFilter: Any advice on undertaking a career change when going back to school is not an option?

A bit of background: I'm 29 years old and currently work as an Audio Assistant (A2) and Audio Operator in live television. Freelance pays well, but the hours are completely unpredictable and there's little-to-no possibility of getting a full-time position in the near future, since most of the major broadcasters in Canada have recently gone through major layoffs. At this point in my life, I need some stability in my career and a steady paycheque, neither of which are provided by my current vocation. I'd also like to move in a direction which could lead to full time work, since I may want to start a family in the next few years and, in Ontario, you must work full time for a continuous year to qualify for Employment Insurance maternity leave benefits.

I've worked in the technical side of television since I left high school (without a diploma). I went to University of Toronto (Spanish and Latin American Studies) for two years as a mature student, but I could not afford to continue my studies because my availability for work was heavily impacted by my class schedule. (I still carry a fairly large amount of debt from that attempt to educate myself.) I feel that I would have enjoyed studying something more vocational, rather than cultural studies theory; however, at the time, I was still feeling pressure from my family to get a university degree.

I don't know what sort of career I'm looking for... I'm technically savvy, but I'm not really an expert in anything other than TV-specific audio. I'm very analytical, a competent and creative problem-solver, and I often notice things and make connections that other people don't. I'll be checking out some of the books found this mefi thread to try and figure out what path I should take, but I'm having a hard time convincing myself that anyone will want to hire me without a proper education. It's starting to keep me up at night.

Do I have to go back to school (read: further into debt) to make a career change? Are there any resources (Toronto/Ontario/Canada) that can help me through the transition? Any advice from the hive mind is welcome.

posted by kaudio to work & money (5 comments total)

"I don't know what sort of career I'm looking for..."

If you have no idea about what kind of job you want going back to school will simply waste your time and money. Seriously. Right now there is absolutely no reason to leave behind what you have learned and the working relationships you have formed in exchange for some vague feeling and a pile of debt.

It sounds like you have a successful freelance career. If that is true you have more valuable skills than anyone coming out of any school. Not only technical and on the job but in client relationships, project and personnel management.

Work those angles and try to find a job in the business you know and enjoy. Even though there are layoffs in your industry, you as a seasoned veteran actively working with these people are in an excellent position to exploit those into full-time work.

Do the people you're working for know that you want a full-time job? They might simply assume you prefer being a freelancer.

Many people make the expensive mistake of thinking they need more school when what they really need is more initiative.
posted by Ookseer at 5:56 PM on December 27, 2008 [2 favorites has favorites]

In Toronto, you can call 211 (or visit www.211toronto.ca) for information about/referrals to community services, including services like employment resource centres and career counselling. Many of these programs are free (though often limited to unemployed people or youth (under 24)). When there is a fee, there's often a sliding scale involved.

In Ontario, many services are now coordinated by Employment Ontario - the link goes to their education and training section.

Service Canada (federal level) also has a website with information about training and careers.
posted by eendje at 6:44 PM on December 27, 2008

A big chunk of the reason you want to avoid school seems to be cost related: Have you checked out cheaper and easier schools than the local big university? It would make a lot of sense to look into something that you can afford both in terms of money and time, if you'll still have work obligations and low cash flow for the foreseeable future.

A community college education isn't worth as much as a university education, but it very well be plenty to get your foot in the door in some new field or enough to get you into a better paid position where paying a university's tuition and your preexisting student loans is a more achievable goal. Most people that I know who've been through a community-college paid something between $0 and $5000USD for the entire thing. Also, if these places work like they do in the States, you may also be able to transfer in your university credit hours to earn a quick two-year degree prior to completing a real BS.

Again, these are a perfectly fine way to jam your foot in the door, either through getting another chance to demonstrate your academic acumen to talk a university's financial aid department out of scholarship money or getting the experience needed to get a gig that'll pay enough that you can bear the burden of the student loans for a university. I can't vouch for them, but if you're still in the Toronto area, the Centennial Colleges may be worth checking out.

That said, it sounds like you have enough skill that I'd have given serious thought to hiring you when I was working for a now non-existant cable company - We were really big on getting people that had demonstrated some technical competence, but that we'd be able to train from the ground up on our own tech. Shifting into that field would give you added experience with satellites and, possibly, a bridge into IP networking and a number of other new sets of technology. Other firms in other industries work the same way, as do most militaries. Put enough feelers out, both directly and through the career development programs mentioned above (and, if you're eligible, the University of Toronto's), and you might be able to find someone willing to train you on-the-job.
posted by MrZaius at 7:30 PM on December 27, 2008

The best way to transition into a new field without school of some kind (a training program or degree) is the 2-step. So, let say you decide that the insurance industry is the place for you. The first step is to find a technical job in the insurance industry that uses the skills you have developed in audio production. (Maybe in-house videos for an insurance industry training company.) From there, you explore options within that industry and make a transition within the industry.
posted by hworth at 3:57 AM on December 28, 2008

Internships can be a good way to get experience and check out a career. I don't know your fields exactly, but you may be able to find a part time internship that can give you good references and a peek into where you might want to work further. You could find a place that looks promising, offer yourself to them for some amount of time, and then make sure to take it seriously so that they'll want to help you move along to a permanent position in their own or sister company. I've had a few jobs that technically required college degrees but I got through working alongside people and proving my value in the field. Internships have the added bonus of letting you meet people, hear the industry gossip, and otherwise get a sense of whether the job is the right fit for you.
posted by lorax at 11:43 AM on December 28, 2008