Future=Education-(MoneyxTime)?

September 9, 2009 9:44 AM

My life as a word problem: what is the best, smartest way for someone to change career fields, or increase their range of career options, given limitations of knowledge, time, money and sanity?

I've seen variations on this question, but answers never seem specific enough beyond "go back to school", and I am very much in need of specific ideas.

Background: I have a BA in Useless with a GPA of 2.8, which took me 7 long years to achieve thanks to a talent for depression and totally collapsing under stress that I discovered in my early twenties. Not a unique story, I understand, so like a lot of people who didn't shine in college, I'm now facing a directionless future.

Present day: I'm 28, and have been working as a secretary-type for three years, long enough to know that I am not suited for office work and the business world at all. My job makes me increasingly unhappy, and I really need to go into something else.

Limitations: little experience, poor academic record, credit card debt, and the aforementioned stress and depression. Varying combinations of these rule out graduate programs, switching jobs or moving away or doing something completely amazing like the Peace Corps.

Options: I do work for a university, which provides me with a big tuition break on classes, should I choose to take them (the downside of that being that I have to stay in my job). I know I am interested in the sciences and medical fields, though I don't have much knowledge aside from a few bio and anatomy classes, so it's difficult to decide on a set career path from that. I do want to find a job/career where I can be useful, have practical skills and a lot of options to move around, which is unfortunately far too vague to build a plan around.

So, it would seem like I should go back to school, but how? As a post-baccalaureate student, which would take years on a part-time basis, and require me to stay in my job while taking out loans to pay all the fees (I am poor, poor, poor)? As a non-admitted student, to save money? I suspect this would limit my options for getting involved in research or getting to know professors who could provide recommendations later on. Should I look into vocational training at the local community college instead?

Ultimately, I want to leave where I'm living and working as soon as possible, so I need to get moving. But my prior bad experience with college puts me in high-anxiety mode as soon as I start trying to sort through the possible plans, and I'm terrified of picking a course of action that turns out to be a stupid waste of time and money.

Any wise people out there know what the smart thing to do when it comes to starting over with your education and life? Advice, speculation and especially personal experiences are welcome - there is no one in my life who seems to be able to help, and I'm getting a little panicky trying to sort it out on my own.

posted by missix to education (12 comments total)

Ok, question: what kinds of things do you like to do? I don't mean in terms of making a hobby into a livelihood (although I suppose that's always one path), but more in the sense of giving you an idea of the kind of work you might find fulfilling. Say, for example, if you like running marathons, you could conceivably be drawn to kinds of work that require solitude and lots of focus. If you like crafts or cooking, perhaps a trade, or at least more tactile work would suit you.

Stop focusing on what you don't like. What do you like? Use that as your springboard for options to explore, and keep your mind open to looking into areas you might not have otherwise considered.
posted by LN at 10:09 AM on September 9

What about starting out taking night courses towards a diploma at a technical college? Yes, they cost, but you can try to find a program where you can pay for your courses one by one. Take out more loans if you must. Find a website that lists a whole bunch of careers and the schooling required to start out in them. Governments tend to publish these. Choose your shortest, cheapest route to a diploma that will get you a job in a field closer to what you are really interested in. X-ray Technician comes to mind. Baby steps. Work for a while at this new job, make some money, re-evaluate and take the next step. Eventually, you will get somewhere you'd like to be.

This is what I'm doing. I'm 29 and also did a university degree in Useless. There are many, many of us out there. Good luck!
posted by kitcat at 10:26 AM on September 9 [1 favorite has favorites]

There are quite a few career paths in medicine that only require a certificate of some sort (pharmacy technician, x-ray technician, etc.). These would get you out of the office and into a hospital, if that's one of your goals. Depending upon what your degree is in, you might have already met some of the requirements and can maybe knock the rest out for free while you hold down your university office gig.

I'm with LN that you need to specify what you do like as well as what you don't, since you're looking for feedback.
posted by wheat at 10:29 AM on September 9

As a biophysics scientist working in a hospital, I feel obliged to point out that if what you hate about office work is 9-5 days, pointless paperwork, feeling underpaid and understimulated, and sitting behind a desk playing petty politics, medical science still has that. A *lot* of that.

If at all possible, I would recommend taking some time to work in a lab or in a hospital generally. Get to see what life would be like post-study before taking on loans. Being a medical scientist is very different from being a student, and the implied mental stimulation of the discipline may be enough to get you through hard times, but not the day-to-day annoyances if it really isn't your style.
posted by Cuppatea at 10:43 AM on September 9 [1 favorite has favorites]

You said you were interested in the medical field - what about getting a certification to be a low-level medical worker, deciding if you like it, and if you do, pursuing a higher-level position?

For instance, many places offer training to do something (relatively) easy, like phlebotomy. It doesn't take long, and the school you work for may offer a continuing education program that you could do inexpensively. As you are deciding if you like the field, you could use the income to pay down your debt.

If you want to delve further into the medical profession, you could move on to nursing, PA, MD/DO....
posted by Spaizy at 11:34 AM on September 9

Thanks for the replies! As for the interest in medicine, while college sucked in general, I remember clearly that I really enjoyed an anatomy and physiology class I had taken (the labs even used cadavers, which was neat), as well as a class on sensory physiology (brains are even neater). In retrospect I should have just majored in Biology, but I was "better" at liberal arts type things, so I went that route. Unfortunately, languages, literature, etc. are fun for me like crossword puzzles are fun - nice, but not something you'd base a whole career around.

My mother is an RN as well, so while her stories make nursing sound like a nightmare, I've always really admired her practical skills - being able to help out in emergency situations and understanding medical issues that come up within the family, among other things. Honestly, I've thought a lot about being a physician's assistant (I think an actual MD is probably pie-in-the-sky at this point), but I worry that I don't have the stress coping skills to make a go of it. The incredible applicability of the skills though - anywhere you go, you will be useful - is really appealing.

Cuppatea, thanks for the reminder. One thing I'm having trouble doing is separating the idea of a job from what the reality of the job would be, so it's always good to get down-to-earth advice. What I'm seeing a lot of in the replies as well is that it's better to get experience through work or a vocational program to get a solid idea of what I'd like, rather than to actually go back to college and get a whole new degree.
posted by missix at 11:40 AM on September 9

Another option that would cost you absolutely nothing other than your time would be to volunteer. Spend a couple of Saturdays helping out at a clinic or any other type of place that interests you. This might help you figure out if the stress level is something you can handle before you start to shell out piles of cash to take classes.

Best of luck to you.
posted by YFiB at 11:50 AM on September 9

Do you like kids? I think a post-BA teaching certificate for teaching K-12 usually takes about a year to complete if you go full time, so probably 2 years if you go part time while you continue to work at the university.
posted by Jacqueline at 12:33 PM on September 9

LEARN FUND RAISING!!!

You already work for a university so this is an easy progression. You will probably start as a development associate at 35 and then move to asst director at 44 and then the sky's the limit. Remember, you won't know if you don't ask!
posted by parmanparman at 1:25 PM on September 9

[...] thanks to a talent for depression and totally collapsing under stress that I discovered in my early twenties.

Have you considered addressing these issues first? If you had a better toolkit/skillset for coping with stress and depression, you might be better equipped to handle whatever it is you ultimately decide to undertake, and you would also obviously be much more likely to succeed. Hammer out your issues then take on new challenges, rather than simply taking on a new challenge and hoping the old issues don't return.
posted by axiom at 6:49 PM on September 9

Seconding axiom's idea... Make your first priority getting help for depression and learning/practicing stress management. At the same time, you can start researching possible career paths and what they really entail. It won't come together all at once, but it might be prudent to spend a year or so fortifying your coping skills and researching your next significant path in life.

And if you're doing these things outside of work, it will probably be easier to slog through your job for a while longer.
posted by jenmakes at 8:15 PM on September 9

Thirding axiom. Don't launch any big plans until you start working on your depression and understanding your history of self-sabotaging. Just reading your post made me feel a bit edgy!
I get that you are feeling stuck, but try transitioning to a new path slowly and mindfully. Maybe, along with some therapy, get yourself a coach or mentor to help you plan and budget.
Practically speaking, it sounds as though sticking out your current job and taking advantage of the tuition discount might be among your smartest options. I think if you were feeling better (and it is very realistic to expect that if you seek help, you will find relief from your struggling and pain) you would be able to cope with your present dissatisfaction knowing that it's a utilitarian step in the solid plan you will develop for moving on.
posted by hellboundforcheddar at 9:00 PM on September 9