I'm not Jarod, but I wanna live like him.
July 17, 2009 6:40 PM Subscribe
My superpower is the ability to rapidly attain competency in skills and processes with an absolute minimum of instruction or oversight, with an additional secondary power of optimizing processes. My kryptonite is doing the same thing twice. For what careers might I be perfect?
I'm an extreme autodidact, having taught myself a number of skills I've been assured could only be taught by an experienced instructor--I'm certain I would have benefited from instruction, but it wasn't necessary. I can count on one hand the number of times I've said, "I'm going to build a $foo" and failed because I couldn't learn the skills necessary. I've reverse engineered relatively complex machinery from a publicity photograph and a press release. One of my specialties is elegant jerry rigging.
On the other hand, having learned how to do a thing, doing it repeatedly sucks the soul right out of me. So, learning to lay up fiberglass and building one boat? Sounds awesome. Three boats at the same time? Even better! One boat a week for the next six months? No thanks.
I'm formally trained as a software engineer. I also have a fair amount of experience teaching, and really enjoy it. For further psychological background, see this post and others in the same thread.
I have some other careers I'm considering. But, before I start up school again to get credentialed in something, I though I'd ask the hive. Ya'll probably know of something I'd never have even considered.
I'm an extreme autodidact, having taught myself a number of skills I've been assured could only be taught by an experienced instructor--I'm certain I would have benefited from instruction, but it wasn't necessary. I can count on one hand the number of times I've said, "I'm going to build a $foo" and failed because I couldn't learn the skills necessary. I've reverse engineered relatively complex machinery from a publicity photograph and a press release. One of my specialties is elegant jerry rigging.
On the other hand, having learned how to do a thing, doing it repeatedly sucks the soul right out of me. So, learning to lay up fiberglass and building one boat? Sounds awesome. Three boats at the same time? Even better! One boat a week for the next six months? No thanks.
I'm formally trained as a software engineer. I also have a fair amount of experience teaching, and really enjoy it. For further psychological background, see this post and others in the same thread.
I have some other careers I'm considering. But, before I start up school again to get credentialed in something, I though I'd ask the hive. Ya'll probably know of something I'd never have even considered.
i am a financial reporter and find i must learn different complex concepts and topics week after week, but every week is largely different
the constant, though, is writing
posted by Salvatorparadise at 6:44 PM on July 17, 2009
the constant, though, is writing
posted by Salvatorparadise at 6:44 PM on July 17, 2009
Programming. Good programmers never do things more than once, and if they have to perform a repetitive task they either create a tool to do it, or get the junior to do it.
posted by mattoxic at 7:00 PM on July 17, 2009 [3 favorites]
posted by mattoxic at 7:00 PM on July 17, 2009 [3 favorites]
Response by poster: mattoxic: I am a programmer. And, I think, quite a good one. But, I don't like the corporate software culture (marketing-directed timelines + marketing-directed engineering), and I'm having a lot of trouble getting my private consultancy to actually, you know, make money. If I could get more projects where my clients actually paid me at the end, I wouldn't be considering a career switch.
posted by Netzapper at 7:19 PM on July 17, 2009
posted by Netzapper at 7:19 PM on July 17, 2009
Mattoxic has it. Also, management consulting, if you don't mind selling your soul to satan.
posted by jenkinsEar at 7:19 PM on July 17, 2009
posted by jenkinsEar at 7:19 PM on July 17, 2009
Good programmers never do things more than once
It may not be the same exact thing but it can definitely be the same kind of thing. Also, he said he was formally trained as a software engineer, so I would imagine he's pretty familiar with what's involved in programming.
posted by delmoi at 7:21 PM on July 17, 2009
It may not be the same exact thing but it can definitely be the same kind of thing. Also, he said he was formally trained as a software engineer, so I would imagine he's pretty familiar with what's involved in programming.
posted by delmoi at 7:21 PM on July 17, 2009
Consulting. Consulting is very different from that pseudo-employee contracting stuff. It's like fighting forest fires. You parachute into a company in trouble or needing critical help on a project. You fix whatever needs fixing -- one week to six weeks -- and then you move on to the next emergency.
Each job is about something new in which you may not have expertise so you have to learn fast and figure things out on your own. You need the confidence to not be intimidated by complex stuff that your clients have been working on for years. It's like cramming for the final exam for that class you blew off the entire semester and need to read the entire textbook the night before. You would probably enjoy it and you'll never get bored.
posted by JackFlash at 7:32 PM on July 17, 2009 [1 favorite]
Each job is about something new in which you may not have expertise so you have to learn fast and figure things out on your own. You need the confidence to not be intimidated by complex stuff that your clients have been working on for years. It's like cramming for the final exam for that class you blew off the entire semester and need to read the entire textbook the night before. You would probably enjoy it and you'll never get bored.
posted by JackFlash at 7:32 PM on July 17, 2009 [1 favorite]
Have you ever considered sysadmin work? Every day there's some new knot to unravel, even in (maybe even especially in) monolithic corporations.
posted by JaredSeth at 7:44 PM on July 17, 2009
posted by JaredSeth at 7:44 PM on July 17, 2009
> But, I don't like the corporate software culture (marketing-directed timelines + marketing-directed engineering), and I'm having a lot of trouble getting my private consultancy to actually, you know, make money.
Have you considered substituting customers for clients?
That is...
a) figuring out what the market needs (or wants), but doesn't have;
b) putting together a small team; then,
c) building an app, which you can proceed to sell.
You want a mass market, but one that's willing to pay, and pay quickly?
Build stuff for web marketers.
Just go on sites like warriorforum.com, the digitalpoint forums, getafreelancer.com, and elance.com-- you'll find both direct requests for specific apps, and even better, lots of generalized griping from which you can infer an unaddressed need.
You want to make a lot of money, quick?
Figure out how to create a wrapper for ebooks (in particular, PDFs) that a) limits their use to a single computer (or single IP) and, more importantly, b) works on Macs.
posted by darth_tedious at 7:59 PM on July 17, 2009
Have you considered substituting customers for clients?
That is...
a) figuring out what the market needs (or wants), but doesn't have;
b) putting together a small team; then,
c) building an app, which you can proceed to sell.
You want a mass market, but one that's willing to pay, and pay quickly?
Build stuff for web marketers.
Just go on sites like warriorforum.com, the digitalpoint forums, getafreelancer.com, and elance.com-- you'll find both direct requests for specific apps, and even better, lots of generalized griping from which you can infer an unaddressed need.
You want to make a lot of money, quick?
Figure out how to create a wrapper for ebooks (in particular, PDFs) that a) limits their use to a single computer (or single IP) and, more importantly, b) works on Macs.
posted by darth_tedious at 7:59 PM on July 17, 2009
Best answer: business process reengineering
there are some jobs out there doing this
posted by humanawho at 7:59 PM on July 17, 2009
there are some jobs out there doing this
posted by humanawho at 7:59 PM on July 17, 2009
Have you considered working for a pimp an IT consultancy? I did for ~20 years and made great money with tons of different challenges.
posted by torquemaniac at 9:06 PM on July 17, 2009
posted by torquemaniac at 9:06 PM on July 17, 2009
Considered ITIL certification?
Every implementation is different, but the framework needs to be understood first.
It may appeal to your IT background and apparent penchant for processes.
It typically involves managing change, and that may appeal to your teaching/coaching skills.
Regards
Matt
posted by matholio at 10:29 PM on July 17, 2009
I have a similar thing going on to you, netzapper, and the Job I've enjoyed the most is as an editor - new things to read and fix every day, hopefully on a variety of subjects to keep your mind continually engaged.
posted by Jon_Evil at 10:33 PM on July 17, 2009
posted by Jon_Evil at 10:33 PM on July 17, 2009
Best answer: Hmm. You need a job as a problem-solver.
A friend of mine does this. He has a couple of casual/consultant roles - one as a logistician for a major international emergency medical-aid delivery / humanitarian crises response organisation, and another as occasional director for one-off campaigns run by a well known international environmental group. He also does odd-job stuff, often involving programming (his hobby) for one ethical lobby group or another. All pretty well paid. His other hobby is rock-climbing. He's a INTP too.
According to my friend, one way to break into his problem solving field is to find organisations / businesses / people who have problems / challenges that appeal to you. This is easier if you are passionate about something in the social world because you can find organisations who promote your chosen cause and offer to address some of their challenges / problems. If you are as capable as you say, before you know it, you are a logistician working out how to build a refugee camp for 100,000 in three weeks in a 3rd world country warzone supported by a big-name parent organisation. He says it is fun and he has the added drive of being passionate about the aims of his employer. He also says there are quite a lot of work/contract opportunities available for problem solvers in the larger, broader NGO human rights, environmental and social change organisations. You just need a good practical (not academic) CV.
Alternatively, find a country retreat with a large workshop and excellent internet connectivity and become an inventor / freelance problem solver.
Please let me know what you do in life. You'd make a great fictional character, Netzapper.
posted by Kerasia at 3:44 AM on July 18, 2009 [1 favorite]
A friend of mine does this. He has a couple of casual/consultant roles - one as a logistician for a major international emergency medical-aid delivery / humanitarian crises response organisation, and another as occasional director for one-off campaigns run by a well known international environmental group. He also does odd-job stuff, often involving programming (his hobby) for one ethical lobby group or another. All pretty well paid. His other hobby is rock-climbing. He's a INTP too.
According to my friend, one way to break into his problem solving field is to find organisations / businesses / people who have problems / challenges that appeal to you. This is easier if you are passionate about something in the social world because you can find organisations who promote your chosen cause and offer to address some of their challenges / problems. If you are as capable as you say, before you know it, you are a logistician working out how to build a refugee camp for 100,000 in three weeks in a 3rd world country warzone supported by a big-name parent organisation. He says it is fun and he has the added drive of being passionate about the aims of his employer. He also says there are quite a lot of work/contract opportunities available for problem solvers in the larger, broader NGO human rights, environmental and social change organisations. You just need a good practical (not academic) CV.
Alternatively, find a country retreat with a large workshop and excellent internet connectivity and become an inventor / freelance problem solver.
Please let me know what you do in life. You'd make a great fictional character, Netzapper.
posted by Kerasia at 3:44 AM on July 18, 2009 [1 favorite]
Any kind of trouble-shooting role. Internal auditing might be a good fit for you.
I have a similar capacity to learn new stuff very quickly. At the moment, I'm using it in the field of workplace training and assessment. Even though I'm doing "the same thing", I'm doing it in different fields. I can be training and assessing customer service one time, OHS the next, and something totally different the time after that. I also find that the legislative requirements regarding inclusivity make every training group different - even if I'm delivering the exact same qualification, adapting the course for the needs of the individuals in the training group is a constant mental challenge.
posted by Lolie at 9:44 AM on July 18, 2009
I have a similar capacity to learn new stuff very quickly. At the moment, I'm using it in the field of workplace training and assessment. Even though I'm doing "the same thing", I'm doing it in different fields. I can be training and assessing customer service one time, OHS the next, and something totally different the time after that. I also find that the legislative requirements regarding inclusivity make every training group different - even if I'm delivering the exact same qualification, adapting the course for the needs of the individuals in the training group is a constant mental challenge.
posted by Lolie at 9:44 AM on July 18, 2009
Go into visual effects. No two shots are the same. Programming is a big bonus.
posted by milinar at 11:57 AM on July 18, 2009
posted by milinar at 11:57 AM on July 18, 2009
Response by poster: Fixer.
Oooh. Shiny.
But, how does one get such work? I was under the impression that "fixing" was usually carried out by people with vast networks of political cronies. Other than moving to DC and becoming a barfly, how could I pull this off?
Or, do you mean "fixer" as euphemism for "hitman"?
posted by Netzapper at 12:11 PM on July 18, 2009
Oooh. Shiny.
But, how does one get such work? I was under the impression that "fixing" was usually carried out by people with vast networks of political cronies. Other than moving to DC and becoming a barfly, how could I pull this off?
Or, do you mean "fixer" as euphemism for "hitman"?
posted by Netzapper at 12:11 PM on July 18, 2009
A "green" energy startup could be profitable if money really does start getting funneled into the field by the government. Maybe you could even do the startup-selloff cycle a few times before getting too bored.
FWIW, a little birdy working on his engineering PhD told me he gets the feeling solar is about 10 years away from being viable, but wind is ripe for the picking.
posted by olaguera at 10:00 PM on July 18, 2009
FWIW, a little birdy working on his engineering PhD told me he gets the feeling solar is about 10 years away from being viable, but wind is ripe for the picking.
posted by olaguera at 10:00 PM on July 18, 2009
No, not necessarily as hitman. You're right that you'd have to build a network to become a fixer, but think of this as a startup investment. You never know all the interesting discussions you might get into when you represent yourself as "a person with special talents".
posted by arimathea at 7:37 PM on July 23, 2009
posted by arimathea at 7:37 PM on July 23, 2009
think tank.
you make up ideas, get to follow them through then can drop them as the next project comes.
but, if you go into that world you hit the whole political networking full on. Can be avoided if you manage to make enough of a name for yourself so that's its your work that talks for you, rather than your "acquantainces"
{currently interning at a London thinktank}
posted by litleozy at 2:57 PM on August 16, 2009
you make up ideas, get to follow them through then can drop them as the next project comes.
but, if you go into that world you hit the whole political networking full on. Can be avoided if you manage to make enough of a name for yourself so that's its your work that talks for you, rather than your "acquantainces"
{currently interning at a London thinktank}
posted by litleozy at 2:57 PM on August 16, 2009
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by LSK at 6:42 PM on July 17, 2009