In Search of Career Inspiration

January 7, 2013 7:24 AM

Straightforward question. I have the following ideas about what I would like out of job, but is there actually a career that can tie them all togther?

Thinking about a change of direction. I would like a job that (mostly) ticks these boxes, and I am simply looking for some inspiration about what line of work might do that as my thinking on the subject has gone a bit stale. In no particular order:

1. Varied (perhaps casework of some kind)
2. With, and having a positive impact upon, other people
3. An element of professional training
4. Reasonable wage (sorry - I realise this is enormously subjective)

By way of background, I am 28, in the UK, educated to master's level and currently working for an environmental think tank/research institute.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

Long live MeFi!

posted by fishingforthewhale to work & money (5 answers total)

Teaching?
posted by EndsOfInvention at 7:34 AM on January 7

Do you mind if I ask in what ways your current work is failing to tick those boxes? I know nothing about environmental research, but it sounds varied and positive...

My mum makes a good living as a social researcher, specialising in qualitative social policy. It's certainly varied and puts her into contact with fascinating people, conducting interviews and focus groups and the like. She also sidestepped into it from a related field (law and probation service). The downside is that contracts come from cash strapped ministries and charities, and bids for contracts are often undercut by university departments and their free armies of research students. Still, worth a look.
posted by dumdidumdum at 7:40 AM on January 7

Librarian at an Academic Library?
posted by Blake at 8:17 AM on January 7

Support/research team for an asset manager of environment-related charities. You'd want to work with larger organizations that have more custom requests and unusual holdings/properties to research and advise about. You'd probably want to fall just a bit behind the first level of phone-answers but not so far in the back as to be working on the system as opposed to the varied applications of the system, though structure and degree of variety would depend on the firm.

I also suggest working for a geological firm, one that uses its powers for preservation rather than to okay development and fracture mining. I'm imagining a kind of supporting of the geologists this time, but again, in a position that connects you with clients rather than keeping you in the back copy-pasting reports or working on a document system/library.
posted by michaelh at 8:34 AM on January 7

Nursing fits the bill. Every day is different working in a hospital, but you get to help people, you need specialized knowledge and skills, and (at least where I live) you make a decent amount of money.
posted by vytae at 1:40 PM on January 7