How did you start your career?
April 4, 2013 11:43 PM Subscribe
What are entry-level jobs in your field? What was your first job, and what steps brought you to where you are today? Help me figure out how to start my career.
I just graduated with a B.A. in Communication and I'm having trouble figuring out what kinds of jobs to apply for. I keep seeing jobs that sound interesting and that I think I'd be good at, but are too senior for me. For example, maybe I think I'd like to be a financial analyst, but what is the entry-level equivalent to that position? How do you go from "I have a degree but no specialised work experience" to "I'm an expert and/or recognised professional in my field"?
I was looking at this thread (http://ask.metafilter.com/226931/What-is-your-job-like-really) and I see jobs that sound interesting, but way out of reach. Please tell me how you started your career and what steps led you to where you are now. I'd like to hear from a wide range of professions.
If it helps, I have strong analytical, research, writing, and logical reasoning skills. My ideal job is one where I'm accountable to a team, but working relatively independently, and have complex but concrete tasks to resolve (as opposed to sales, generating completely original ideas, etc). I like helping people, but "hustle" and networking not so much. Job descriptions that sound interesting: compliance consultant, "something in finance", corporate communications/PR, editing/proofreading, technical writing, business analysis, urban planning, and anything else you can think of along those lines.
I just graduated with a B.A. in Communication and I'm having trouble figuring out what kinds of jobs to apply for. I keep seeing jobs that sound interesting and that I think I'd be good at, but are too senior for me. For example, maybe I think I'd like to be a financial analyst, but what is the entry-level equivalent to that position? How do you go from "I have a degree but no specialised work experience" to "I'm an expert and/or recognised professional in my field"?
I was looking at this thread (http://ask.metafilter.com/226931/What-is-your-job-like-really) and I see jobs that sound interesting, but way out of reach. Please tell me how you started your career and what steps led you to where you are now. I'd like to hear from a wide range of professions.
If it helps, I have strong analytical, research, writing, and logical reasoning skills. My ideal job is one where I'm accountable to a team, but working relatively independently, and have complex but concrete tasks to resolve (as opposed to sales, generating completely original ideas, etc). I like helping people, but "hustle" and networking not so much. Job descriptions that sound interesting: compliance consultant, "something in finance", corporate communications/PR, editing/proofreading, technical writing, business analysis, urban planning, and anything else you can think of along those lines.
How did you start your career?
Take the best job offer you receive. Show up on time. Work seriously. Look for better job. Repeat as necessary until you fall into a gig that suits you. One's career is really the result of the limited choices which are available during periods of unemployment or job dissatisfaction. With the exception of some doctors I know, I know very few people whose careers have always been one thing.
My simplified career path was: programmer - fired - hardware designer - laid off - chief engineer - bankruptcy - licensing director - quit - independent analyst - still going strong. Hardly a straight line and what I am doing today is nothing that I imagined when I started out.
The reality is that any job can be an entry level job to some other career.
This.
A general rule of thumb is that the best way to find a job is when you already have a job. It is really less important what that job is than where it might take you. When in doubt, take the job that pays you the most money.
posted by three blind mice at 12:55 AM on April 5, 2013 [1 favorite]
Take the best job offer you receive. Show up on time. Work seriously. Look for better job. Repeat as necessary until you fall into a gig that suits you. One's career is really the result of the limited choices which are available during periods of unemployment or job dissatisfaction. With the exception of some doctors I know, I know very few people whose careers have always been one thing.
My simplified career path was: programmer - fired - hardware designer - laid off - chief engineer - bankruptcy - licensing director - quit - independent analyst - still going strong. Hardly a straight line and what I am doing today is nothing that I imagined when I started out.
The reality is that any job can be an entry level job to some other career.
This.
A general rule of thumb is that the best way to find a job is when you already have a job. It is really less important what that job is than where it might take you. When in doubt, take the job that pays you the most money.
posted by three blind mice at 12:55 AM on April 5, 2013 [1 favorite]
Bachelor of Arts (English / Philosophy) --> Waiter --> Mail room --> Assistant manager mail room --> Managing small call center --> Business Analyst --> Business Development Manager --> Software Engineer
So.. none of that really makes sense does it? I think I got promoted quite quickly straight out of college because the company I worked for was this logistics outsourcing company that was actually awful to work for but was growing really quickly. So huge staff turnover and stretched resourcing for the win.
Switching to Business Development was kind of an accident. I was interviewed for a different job than the one I thought I was turning up for. But it sounded cool and they liked me. Did that for 5 years. Lots of global travel. Ultimately quite unsatisfying work.
Then more recently I taught myself to program, built a few projects. Talked to some people and got a job at a startup.
But yeah, three blind mice's advice is spot on. Turn up, be competent, be nice to people. Keep in touch with people. Do make sure that your employer understands you are ambitious (some people aren't) so that they know to throw opportunities your way.
posted by aychedee at 1:27 AM on April 5, 2013
So.. none of that really makes sense does it? I think I got promoted quite quickly straight out of college because the company I worked for was this logistics outsourcing company that was actually awful to work for but was growing really quickly. So huge staff turnover and stretched resourcing for the win.
Switching to Business Development was kind of an accident. I was interviewed for a different job than the one I thought I was turning up for. But it sounded cool and they liked me. Did that for 5 years. Lots of global travel. Ultimately quite unsatisfying work.
Then more recently I taught myself to program, built a few projects. Talked to some people and got a job at a startup.
But yeah, three blind mice's advice is spot on. Turn up, be competent, be nice to people. Keep in touch with people. Do make sure that your employer understands you are ambitious (some people aren't) so that they know to throw opportunities your way.
posted by aychedee at 1:27 AM on April 5, 2013
My career path has been: bachelor degrees in MIS and English > programmer > technical writer. My MIS degree got me the programming job, and my English degree caught the attention of a technical writer in my company. When he decided to move into QA, he recommended that our bosses discuss moving me into the tech writing role. It worked out, and I've been climbing steadily upward in tech writing ever since.
My brother's career path has been more interesting: associate degree > mail room > IT support (hooking up printers, etc.) > IT operations > software developer.
For me, the keys were diverse education, diverse interests, contacts throughout the company, and a healthy dose of luck. For him, the keys were being friendly, reliable, and eager to take on new tasks. I think we both have a genuine enthusiasm for our work that made our employers more willing to put us in roles that we didn't have previous experience in.
posted by neushoorn at 1:44 AM on April 5, 2013
My brother's career path has been more interesting: associate degree > mail room > IT support (hooking up printers, etc.) > IT operations > software developer.
For me, the keys were diverse education, diverse interests, contacts throughout the company, and a healthy dose of luck. For him, the keys were being friendly, reliable, and eager to take on new tasks. I think we both have a genuine enthusiasm for our work that made our employers more willing to put us in roles that we didn't have previous experience in.
posted by neushoorn at 1:44 AM on April 5, 2013
For me, it was student ----> intern -----> admin assistant ----> temp ---> freelancer ----> digital marketer ----> marketing manager. FWIW, I studied journalism, so my skill set was probably similar to yours.
I found my first real job by networking: going to events in my city and meeting people, who introduced me to people, who introduced me to people who hired me. It takes time, and it's sometimes exhausting to go to four professional networking events a week, but it was worth it for me.
posted by third word on a random page at 1:45 AM on April 5, 2013 [1 favorite]
I found my first real job by networking: going to events in my city and meeting people, who introduced me to people, who introduced me to people who hired me. It takes time, and it's sometimes exhausting to go to four professional networking events a week, but it was worth it for me.
posted by third word on a random page at 1:45 AM on April 5, 2013 [1 favorite]
Part-time IT work > B.A. in Psychology > Contract job in IT > Full-time job in IT > IT manager > IT director > marketing assistant > marketing strategist > brand strategist > brand consultant > MBA > MBA intern > management consultant > entrepreneur.
The single most important thing that I have learned – and that I share with the students I mentor – is that you always need to be thinking about the next step when you take the current step. You don't need to think about the entire future, but you need to be aware that ideally there will be a progression to your career.
Small companies offer the amazing opportunity to rise quickly – especially if they are growing companies. I come from a family of entrepreneurs, and have spent the majority of my career in SMEs. At one company, I started as a junior staff member when there were 30. Three years later, I was a senior staff member in a company of 150. That was explosive growth and very good for both my title and my income.
What it did not do was create a path for me into the corporate environment, for the skill sets required at small and large companies are very different.
At the time I took the job with the SME, I also had an offer from a large multinational. The difference was that the SME offered a higher starting salary by about 50%, and much more opportunity in the short-term.
A good friend of mine from college went to a multinational and started out with a much lower salary and initially had a much slower career progression. In three years, I want from Junior Web Fellow to Director of Technology. In three years, he went from Junior Analyst to Senior Analyst.
Fifteen years on, we have completely different lives and careers. I have worked with a variety of SMEs, in a variety of roles. He has continued on the track and is now a Junior Partner.
When we started out, there was not a huge material difference. He worked 9 to 6, I worked 7 to 10. He wore a suit and sat at a desk. I wore flip flops and inside-out t-shirts. We got together on weekends and went camping.
Over time, there becomes a huge difference. I tried for a while to join multinationals after grad school, but there was never a fit. Without some corporate pedigree and having advanced through the process in some measurable way, there's just not an alignment of my experience and their job offer. The skill set can be right on, but it's the culture and fit where the interface breaks down.
Similarly, many people that I know who went corporate want to leave their corporate jobs and go somewhere more entrepreneurial – and most have a very hard time doing it. Corporates have systems, structures, and processes. They are designed to help people maximise the results within their role. SMEs often do not have that same structure. Over time, one's working process and expectations perhaps become more engrained than one realises.
What I tell the students that I work with – and my own family members – is that if there's no strong orientation in a specific direction, it may be the best idea to go to a large company for a few years and gain that experience. Choose the best one you can find – the role really doesn't matter – and get a few promotions and a few raises. You'll always have that on your CV and it will enable you to better traverse both hierarchies in the future.
SMEs operate on a very lean basis. Capabilities are often first, and fit is often second. Corporates operate in the opposite. They often have their choice of candidates that are equally qualified, so fit the comes first, and capabilities second.
The other thing to mention is that there is no perfect job, and you will create your own opportunities. You will have the chance to get involved in different things of the course of your career, to meet new people, and take new roles. What I've seen over time is that people are happiest when they do what they are best at, not what they like the most. If you are a detail-oriented person, but have fantasies as a strategist, you may well struggle. If you are a big-picture person who decides you want to go to law school, you may also struggle.
At the end of the day, choose a company that you would like to work for, based on your own criteria. Some people like a healthy work/life balance and don't care about prestige of the brand. Other people want that brand name, and don't care what it entails. The answer is very personal – and only you are going to have to live with the decision.
The last thing I'll say is you'll know when you are in the right place. You'll feel what in psychology is called "flow", where you feel truly alive and connected. This is an important thing to recognise and accentuate. It can indeed become the guiding force for your career path.
For me, when I was an IT director, I enjoyed working with technology, but the company's needs were fast outpacing my skills. If I was going to continue in that role, I needed to dedicate myself to further education in that area. Simultaneously, the opportunity came along to do a marketing project for the company. I did really well at that marketing project. I had so much fun doing it, and the results were great.
Then, I went to a focus group on a whim, and was enamoured with the process. I couldn't believe that was a real job. That people get paid really well to do. I talked to the chap running it for a long time afterward, and really liked what I heard.
I wrote my resignation letter from the IT position not long after, and moved to San Francisco to become a marketing strategist. Two years later, I was conducting my own focus groups and having a wonderful time. Flow.
Then on a whim, I followed a hunch about going to India to study sustainable development. There, I met an amazing couple who changed the way that I saw the world. I returned to San Francisco, and a few years later, it was time to write the next resignation later...
posted by nickrussell at 4:10 AM on April 5, 2013 [15 favorites]
The single most important thing that I have learned – and that I share with the students I mentor – is that you always need to be thinking about the next step when you take the current step. You don't need to think about the entire future, but you need to be aware that ideally there will be a progression to your career.
Small companies offer the amazing opportunity to rise quickly – especially if they are growing companies. I come from a family of entrepreneurs, and have spent the majority of my career in SMEs. At one company, I started as a junior staff member when there were 30. Three years later, I was a senior staff member in a company of 150. That was explosive growth and very good for both my title and my income.
What it did not do was create a path for me into the corporate environment, for the skill sets required at small and large companies are very different.
At the time I took the job with the SME, I also had an offer from a large multinational. The difference was that the SME offered a higher starting salary by about 50%, and much more opportunity in the short-term.
A good friend of mine from college went to a multinational and started out with a much lower salary and initially had a much slower career progression. In three years, I want from Junior Web Fellow to Director of Technology. In three years, he went from Junior Analyst to Senior Analyst.
Fifteen years on, we have completely different lives and careers. I have worked with a variety of SMEs, in a variety of roles. He has continued on the track and is now a Junior Partner.
When we started out, there was not a huge material difference. He worked 9 to 6, I worked 7 to 10. He wore a suit and sat at a desk. I wore flip flops and inside-out t-shirts. We got together on weekends and went camping.
Over time, there becomes a huge difference. I tried for a while to join multinationals after grad school, but there was never a fit. Without some corporate pedigree and having advanced through the process in some measurable way, there's just not an alignment of my experience and their job offer. The skill set can be right on, but it's the culture and fit where the interface breaks down.
Similarly, many people that I know who went corporate want to leave their corporate jobs and go somewhere more entrepreneurial – and most have a very hard time doing it. Corporates have systems, structures, and processes. They are designed to help people maximise the results within their role. SMEs often do not have that same structure. Over time, one's working process and expectations perhaps become more engrained than one realises.
What I tell the students that I work with – and my own family members – is that if there's no strong orientation in a specific direction, it may be the best idea to go to a large company for a few years and gain that experience. Choose the best one you can find – the role really doesn't matter – and get a few promotions and a few raises. You'll always have that on your CV and it will enable you to better traverse both hierarchies in the future.
SMEs operate on a very lean basis. Capabilities are often first, and fit is often second. Corporates operate in the opposite. They often have their choice of candidates that are equally qualified, so fit the comes first, and capabilities second.
The other thing to mention is that there is no perfect job, and you will create your own opportunities. You will have the chance to get involved in different things of the course of your career, to meet new people, and take new roles. What I've seen over time is that people are happiest when they do what they are best at, not what they like the most. If you are a detail-oriented person, but have fantasies as a strategist, you may well struggle. If you are a big-picture person who decides you want to go to law school, you may also struggle.
At the end of the day, choose a company that you would like to work for, based on your own criteria. Some people like a healthy work/life balance and don't care about prestige of the brand. Other people want that brand name, and don't care what it entails. The answer is very personal – and only you are going to have to live with the decision.
The last thing I'll say is you'll know when you are in the right place. You'll feel what in psychology is called "flow", where you feel truly alive and connected. This is an important thing to recognise and accentuate. It can indeed become the guiding force for your career path.
For me, when I was an IT director, I enjoyed working with technology, but the company's needs were fast outpacing my skills. If I was going to continue in that role, I needed to dedicate myself to further education in that area. Simultaneously, the opportunity came along to do a marketing project for the company. I did really well at that marketing project. I had so much fun doing it, and the results were great.
Then, I went to a focus group on a whim, and was enamoured with the process. I couldn't believe that was a real job. That people get paid really well to do. I talked to the chap running it for a long time afterward, and really liked what I heard.
I wrote my resignation letter from the IT position not long after, and moved to San Francisco to become a marketing strategist. Two years later, I was conducting my own focus groups and having a wonderful time. Flow.
Then on a whim, I followed a hunch about going to India to study sustainable development. There, I met an amazing couple who changed the way that I saw the world. I returned to San Francisco, and a few years later, it was time to write the next resignation later...
posted by nickrussell at 4:10 AM on April 5, 2013 [15 favorites]
In advertising, marketing, and sales, taking any position in the industry and just placing the word "Jr.-", "Assistant -", "Associate -" or "Coordinator" in the title implied entry-level, asked for "1+ years of experience" which usually meant they'd hire someone if they had good intern experience somewhere.
For example, jobs like "Marketing Coordinator", "Marketing Assistant", "Assistant Account Executive", "Marketing Associate", "Jr. Analyst", or "Sales Coordinator", all imply entry-level work that will be heavy on the admin but also on learning in general.
posted by windbox at 4:38 AM on April 5, 2013 [1 favorite]
For example, jobs like "Marketing Coordinator", "Marketing Assistant", "Assistant Account Executive", "Marketing Associate", "Jr. Analyst", or "Sales Coordinator", all imply entry-level work that will be heavy on the admin but also on learning in general.
posted by windbox at 4:38 AM on April 5, 2013 [1 favorite]
B.S. in Organizational Leadership led to entry level job in inside sales / customer service for a large paper manufacturing company, which led to a quick promotion into the 2 year management training program. Got dumped back into inside sales to cover an opening after somebody quit, and never left sales. Got my MBA at night, taught myself HTML in 1995, and that led to a business development job for a web start up in 1996. I've been working in sales in software or web stuff ever since.
posted by COD at 4:42 AM on April 5, 2013
posted by COD at 4:42 AM on April 5, 2013
I started out as an Executive Asst in a manufacturing company at 20 after having some office jobs since I was 16. After 4 years I moved to an EA role in a large financial services firm. From there I went into IT project management. I do not have an IT background but working for a very Sr VP as her assistant gave me a ton of exposure to other VPs and they saw that I worked hard, was a quick learner and knew how to get things done. The skill set transferred well into project management. The key for me was getting into a large enough company that there would be room to grow without having to leave. Since I have gotten strong reviews, it's been easy enough to move into new, larger roles here because I have a track record. My company is more likely to take a chance on a internal candidate with strong reviews but maybe a bit less experience than an unknown candidate with a few more years experience. This has happened relatively quickly. Once I came to my current company, I did 1.5 years as an assistant, moved into the PM role and then got promoted again 1.5 years after.
The advice above to show up, work hard, and demonstrate you are ambitious and want to take some stretch is essentially what I did and it worked well for me
posted by polkadot at 5:13 AM on April 5, 2013 [1 favorite]
The advice above to show up, work hard, and demonstrate you are ambitious and want to take some stretch is essentially what I did and it worked well for me
posted by polkadot at 5:13 AM on April 5, 2013 [1 favorite]
find an organization you are interested in and temp temp temp. Say yes to every assignment and do it well etc. etc. -- make contacts, get known, work hard, esp. to human resources hiring managers etc.
posted by mrmarley at 5:28 AM on April 5, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by mrmarley at 5:28 AM on April 5, 2013 [1 favorite]
I have a BA in communication. I went unpaid intern --> paid intern --> press secretary for a political campaign --> field assistant for a grassroots nonprofit --> staff assistant for a grassroots field political organization --> writer/researcher/jack of many trades for a nonprofit --> press officer for a nonprofit.
When I graduated, I planned on working for a few years, then going to get a master's degree in journalism. I still haven't and I no longer plan to.
posted by kat518 at 6:01 AM on April 5, 2013 [2 favorites]
When I graduated, I planned on working for a few years, then going to get a master's degree in journalism. I still haven't and I no longer plan to.
posted by kat518 at 6:01 AM on April 5, 2013 [2 favorites]
BA in English and History > legal assistant at a software company* > business analyst at the same software company > product manager at another software company > quality assurance specialist at the first software company.
I figured out pretty soon after starting as a legal assistant that I didn't want to go into law, but I loved the company and wanted to stay there, so I asked if I could be shuffled somewhere else. After working as a BA, I wanted to move up; there was nowhere to go, so I applied elsewhere. While working the other job, I realized that I really, really wanted to do QA, and here I am.
Keep in mind that the requirements listed for most jobs are a list of things that the hiring managers would like. They're not set in stone. I'm not qualified (on paper) for any of the jobs I've had, but fit and enthusiasm make up for all manner of sins.
Don't disqualify yourself from jobs; apply for everything. Let them do the rejecting. It hurts you not at all to apply for a job and be turned down, but you will never get the jobs you don't apply for. So don't psych yourself out of applying.
* I got my first job because I babysat one time for the kids of owner's best friend. I got the job at the other software company because of a guy I met at a party.
posted by punchtothehead at 6:03 AM on April 5, 2013
I figured out pretty soon after starting as a legal assistant that I didn't want to go into law, but I loved the company and wanted to stay there, so I asked if I could be shuffled somewhere else. After working as a BA, I wanted to move up; there was nowhere to go, so I applied elsewhere. While working the other job, I realized that I really, really wanted to do QA, and here I am.
Keep in mind that the requirements listed for most jobs are a list of things that the hiring managers would like. They're not set in stone. I'm not qualified (on paper) for any of the jobs I've had, but fit and enthusiasm make up for all manner of sins.
Don't disqualify yourself from jobs; apply for everything. Let them do the rejecting. It hurts you not at all to apply for a job and be turned down, but you will never get the jobs you don't apply for. So don't psych yourself out of applying.
* I got my first job because I babysat one time for the kids of owner's best friend. I got the job at the other software company because of a guy I met at a party.
posted by punchtothehead at 6:03 AM on April 5, 2013
I answered an ad in the paper for a 30-hour per week, $6.00 per hour customer service job. (To put this in perspective, it was 1984 in San Francisco.)
The job was for MCI, then an ancillary phone company that you had to dial access numbers and personal codes to use.
I started as part-time, got promoted to full time. I took the swing-shift so I could return to school and finish up my BA. (which they paid for.)
Then I got promoted and moved to Major Accounts in San Jose. I was a Billing Specialist, I did reports on ancient IBM AT computers with those HUGE floppy disks. I used Borland database software. I would go out and deliver invoices to customers that were printed out on those Continuous Stationary pages.
This was the birth of the Modern telecommunications industry. I took classes, learned about WATTS lines, point-to-point data (9.6k anyone?) Then I worked on a team servicing the nacent Internet (circa 1988). Remember Prodigy? I installed data circuits to make it work. People paid $7 PER HOUR to use the service, which was mostly bulletin boards.
Then I moved to Florida, got a job in Customer Service with BellSouth, the local regional phone company. (It was called Southern Bell.) It was 1992, and lucky me, I got to deal with Hurricane Andrew. I took some career testing through the union and the company and was approached to take an MBA. The company paid, so I did (reluctantly).
After I graduated, I was offered a job in Sales, which I took to like a duck takes to water. I had TONS of advanced telecom experience and I sold whatever there was to sell. In 1996 we started the DotCom Boom, and everyone wanted to be an Internet Service Provider. YAY!
Then I moved back to MCI, became a Field Marketing Manager in Pittsburgh, then Back to Florida to sell Video Teleconferencing equipment and services. Things started looking bleak in 1999, WorldCom has acquired MCI, people bailed and things started to stink. People made sales for services at unsupportable prices and were REWARDED for it! I was asked to do unethical things, I got nervous. I started looking.
Then I got recruited to AT&T in 2000 to sell Data Communications in Miami to Latin American customers, most of whom were Airlines or Banks. Then 9/11 happened and that was the end of that. Then Enron and MCI imploded in accounting scandals. I lost hundreds of thousands of retirment dollars.
I decided to leave telecommunications and so I sought a teaching position, which I readily found. I taught English and Debate for 2 years in one of the roughest high schools in the country.
Then I was offered a position with BellSouth in Nashville, so we sold the house and moved. I worked in Nashville for 18 months, then got transferred to Atlanta. I worked with Pittsburgh based customers who had significant presence in the South, so Alcoa, US Steel, Westinghouse, PPG, etc. I traveled, toured steel mills, aluminum manufacturing, nuclear fuel rod plants and the caustic chemicals plant. Good times. (I had to burn my clothes after these visits.)
Then BellSouth got acquired by AT&T, so my job changed somewhat. I supported enormous customers, but from my basement at home. I could do my job in about an hour each day. The writing was on the wall.
Dec 2008 I was laid off from AT&T, along with 16,000 of my breatheren. I got a great buy-out which gave me breathing room to take a much lower paying job, but one where I could learn an awesome new skill: Salesforce.com Administration.
I was at my first job for 2 years, then they moved the position to Chicago, so I got a new job, where I am now.
I just got back from Access class, I'm an Expert in Excel and I'm pretty darn good with Salesforce.com
If my journey can impart anything to you it's this, take every opportunity to learn anything new. Be incredibly flexible, you can't conceive of what your job will be in 5 years, because technology moves so quickly that it's impossible to imagine.
Don't be afraid to ditch a 25 year career in favor of something new.
Also, you never know what one little dinky job can do for you. When I took that first part-time customer service job I said to myself, "It'll do until something better comes along."
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 6:59 AM on April 5, 2013 [1 favorite]
The job was for MCI, then an ancillary phone company that you had to dial access numbers and personal codes to use.
I started as part-time, got promoted to full time. I took the swing-shift so I could return to school and finish up my BA. (which they paid for.)
Then I got promoted and moved to Major Accounts in San Jose. I was a Billing Specialist, I did reports on ancient IBM AT computers with those HUGE floppy disks. I used Borland database software. I would go out and deliver invoices to customers that were printed out on those Continuous Stationary pages.
This was the birth of the Modern telecommunications industry. I took classes, learned about WATTS lines, point-to-point data (9.6k anyone?) Then I worked on a team servicing the nacent Internet (circa 1988). Remember Prodigy? I installed data circuits to make it work. People paid $7 PER HOUR to use the service, which was mostly bulletin boards.
Then I moved to Florida, got a job in Customer Service with BellSouth, the local regional phone company. (It was called Southern Bell.) It was 1992, and lucky me, I got to deal with Hurricane Andrew. I took some career testing through the union and the company and was approached to take an MBA. The company paid, so I did (reluctantly).
After I graduated, I was offered a job in Sales, which I took to like a duck takes to water. I had TONS of advanced telecom experience and I sold whatever there was to sell. In 1996 we started the DotCom Boom, and everyone wanted to be an Internet Service Provider. YAY!
Then I moved back to MCI, became a Field Marketing Manager in Pittsburgh, then Back to Florida to sell Video Teleconferencing equipment and services. Things started looking bleak in 1999, WorldCom has acquired MCI, people bailed and things started to stink. People made sales for services at unsupportable prices and were REWARDED for it! I was asked to do unethical things, I got nervous. I started looking.
Then I got recruited to AT&T in 2000 to sell Data Communications in Miami to Latin American customers, most of whom were Airlines or Banks. Then 9/11 happened and that was the end of that. Then Enron and MCI imploded in accounting scandals. I lost hundreds of thousands of retirment dollars.
I decided to leave telecommunications and so I sought a teaching position, which I readily found. I taught English and Debate for 2 years in one of the roughest high schools in the country.
Then I was offered a position with BellSouth in Nashville, so we sold the house and moved. I worked in Nashville for 18 months, then got transferred to Atlanta. I worked with Pittsburgh based customers who had significant presence in the South, so Alcoa, US Steel, Westinghouse, PPG, etc. I traveled, toured steel mills, aluminum manufacturing, nuclear fuel rod plants and the caustic chemicals plant. Good times. (I had to burn my clothes after these visits.)
Then BellSouth got acquired by AT&T, so my job changed somewhat. I supported enormous customers, but from my basement at home. I could do my job in about an hour each day. The writing was on the wall.
Dec 2008 I was laid off from AT&T, along with 16,000 of my breatheren. I got a great buy-out which gave me breathing room to take a much lower paying job, but one where I could learn an awesome new skill: Salesforce.com Administration.
I was at my first job for 2 years, then they moved the position to Chicago, so I got a new job, where I am now.
I just got back from Access class, I'm an Expert in Excel and I'm pretty darn good with Salesforce.com
If my journey can impart anything to you it's this, take every opportunity to learn anything new. Be incredibly flexible, you can't conceive of what your job will be in 5 years, because technology moves so quickly that it's impossible to imagine.
Don't be afraid to ditch a 25 year career in favor of something new.
Also, you never know what one little dinky job can do for you. When I took that first part-time customer service job I said to myself, "It'll do until something better comes along."
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 6:59 AM on April 5, 2013 [1 favorite]
I didn't know if I wanted to go to grad school (and figured you shouldn't go to grad school unless you know why you're there), so I took an entry-level research assistant job in an area i wasn't necessarily fascinated by, but where I learned a lot about how to run a research program, prepare a journal article, analyze real data that's a lot messier than I ever saw in a classroom, etc. I hung out in that job probably a year or two longer than optimal because it was easy, and fun, and that's not such a terrible thing to have done, but eventually I really had learned everything I was going to learn there. (I had also done some part-time classwork and learned that A) I can't do work and school at once and B) once in the working world, I really did not have the drive to go back to the classroom.)
I decided to take those skills and move to the next step, of finding a way to apply them to a research area that felt meaningful and interesting to me. Applied to some other research jobs within the same university, where I knew my related institutional knowledge would be a plus, and moved into an autism program at a more senior level than my previous job. The work was fascinating; the environment was awful. Two steps forward, one step back. But I stuck it out for a couple of years, again learned as much as I could, and eventually the environment became so awful I had to leave even without a next step lined up.
I don't recommend that but in this case it worked - because I'd done excellent work there, some people in another related research program called me the moment they heard I was free and tailored a position for me to get me to come work for them. That was a nearly-perfect position and I stayed there several years, during which I took on lots of different responsibilites and explored some areas related to, but not exactly, what I was doing for the main part of my job. This included some volunteer service in things that weren't strictly my job (like volunteering for another University's IRB) but my employers and I agreed that it was professional development for me and gave me expertise I could bring back to work, so I was able to do this on work time and with work support. I also learned during this time that compliance, and management, was really more where my heart lay than the participant-running, data-crunching part of research.
So when the grant funding ran out, I took a flying leap and pulled together my work experience, that volunteer experience, and some personal connections, and flung myself at a few jobs that I probably technically was a little underqualified for, related to research compliance. I talk a good game and I had great references, and so I made it into one of those positions.
I'm there now and although there's always frustrating stuff, I'm happy as a clam. I anticipate being at this job for a long time and I think there'll be a lot for me to learn. And I intend to keep doing what I've been doing all along - keep learning, and volunteering for, things somewhat outside of my actual job duties, so I continue to find out what else I am good at and enjoy, and can find ways to tailor my job to fit me perfectly as I move up in seniority.
posted by Stacey at 7:26 AM on April 5, 2013
I decided to take those skills and move to the next step, of finding a way to apply them to a research area that felt meaningful and interesting to me. Applied to some other research jobs within the same university, where I knew my related institutional knowledge would be a plus, and moved into an autism program at a more senior level than my previous job. The work was fascinating; the environment was awful. Two steps forward, one step back. But I stuck it out for a couple of years, again learned as much as I could, and eventually the environment became so awful I had to leave even without a next step lined up.
I don't recommend that but in this case it worked - because I'd done excellent work there, some people in another related research program called me the moment they heard I was free and tailored a position for me to get me to come work for them. That was a nearly-perfect position and I stayed there several years, during which I took on lots of different responsibilites and explored some areas related to, but not exactly, what I was doing for the main part of my job. This included some volunteer service in things that weren't strictly my job (like volunteering for another University's IRB) but my employers and I agreed that it was professional development for me and gave me expertise I could bring back to work, so I was able to do this on work time and with work support. I also learned during this time that compliance, and management, was really more where my heart lay than the participant-running, data-crunching part of research.
So when the grant funding ran out, I took a flying leap and pulled together my work experience, that volunteer experience, and some personal connections, and flung myself at a few jobs that I probably technically was a little underqualified for, related to research compliance. I talk a good game and I had great references, and so I made it into one of those positions.
I'm there now and although there's always frustrating stuff, I'm happy as a clam. I anticipate being at this job for a long time and I think there'll be a lot for me to learn. And I intend to keep doing what I've been doing all along - keep learning, and volunteering for, things somewhat outside of my actual job duties, so I continue to find out what else I am good at and enjoy, and can find ways to tailor my job to fit me perfectly as I move up in seniority.
posted by Stacey at 7:26 AM on April 5, 2013
When I finished my MSc in International Relations, I had little work real experience (a few "Research Assistant, Co-op Student" job titles and that's it. Less than year. I started by just applying for any job that I felt I could do when I read the description and that I didn't think I'd hate (which for me, meant not having too much dealing with the general public, so that excluded reception). Nearly every job I applied for wanted 5 years experience, but I just ignored that because everyone told me that no one actually expects to get that.
The one I was successful in getting was an Operations Analyst job a local financial institution. I'd never had any particular interest in the financial world, but some things like reading budget documents, legislation and regulation helped me and it was really good experience to help the bank develop the processes to comply with regulation. It was there that I discovered privacy law compliance and found a niche profession that felt relevant and provided opportunity for growth. My primary goal when I started was to get experience that could be measured in years rather than months, and I stayed there for two years before moving to the provincial government. I was stupid and underpaid because I didn't know anything about salary negotiations, but I was able leverage the experience and make significant salary gains when I moved on.
The lesson I think you can get from this is that you never know where you'll find something to be passionate about. If you'd told the me 8 years ago that I'd discover something cool and socially relevant while working at a bank, I'd have thought you were daft. But there it is. So be very open.
The only thing I caution against being open to is unpaid internships. Taking assignments that are low paying for growth and experience? Great. Slavery? Shameful in all circumstances. It's not surprising to me that so many who do this seem to stuck in unpaid work for years. If you look hard enough, reach out to enough people and are flexible for location of work, there will always be a paid job. Don't sell yourself short.
posted by Kurichina at 7:31 AM on April 5, 2013 [2 favorites]
The one I was successful in getting was an Operations Analyst job a local financial institution. I'd never had any particular interest in the financial world, but some things like reading budget documents, legislation and regulation helped me and it was really good experience to help the bank develop the processes to comply with regulation. It was there that I discovered privacy law compliance and found a niche profession that felt relevant and provided opportunity for growth. My primary goal when I started was to get experience that could be measured in years rather than months, and I stayed there for two years before moving to the provincial government. I was stupid and underpaid because I didn't know anything about salary negotiations, but I was able leverage the experience and make significant salary gains when I moved on.
The lesson I think you can get from this is that you never know where you'll find something to be passionate about. If you'd told the me 8 years ago that I'd discover something cool and socially relevant while working at a bank, I'd have thought you were daft. But there it is. So be very open.
The only thing I caution against being open to is unpaid internships. Taking assignments that are low paying for growth and experience? Great. Slavery? Shameful in all circumstances. It's not surprising to me that so many who do this seem to stuck in unpaid work for years. If you look hard enough, reach out to enough people and are flexible for location of work, there will always be a paid job. Don't sell yourself short.
posted by Kurichina at 7:31 AM on April 5, 2013 [2 favorites]
I'm a librarian. Here's how I got here:
Student workstudy at college library
Part-time bookstore clerk
Full-time bookstore keyperson
Received BA in Sociology
Assistant manager at bookstore
Manager at bookstore
Evening/weekend supervisor at college library
Library assistant at a large university library
Library specialist at same large university library
Used tuition assistance employee benefit at large university to get Master of Library Science
Librarian!
posted by rabbitrabbit at 8:15 AM on April 5, 2013 [1 favorite]
Student workstudy at college library
Part-time bookstore clerk
Full-time bookstore keyperson
Received BA in Sociology
Assistant manager at bookstore
Manager at bookstore
Evening/weekend supervisor at college library
Library assistant at a large university library
Library specialist at same large university library
Used tuition assistance employee benefit at large university to get Master of Library Science
Librarian!
posted by rabbitrabbit at 8:15 AM on April 5, 2013 [1 favorite]
I think the most concise answer to this question is figure out a career path that is interesting to you and get any job you can at any company that is within that field. The most essential step is getting in the door. Once you're there, show them what you can do. Having people with established careers who see your potential and want to help you succeed is where it all starts.
Once you're in the door, do whatever you're doing exceptionally well - take any task you get and do it at 110%, make friends, be cooperative, helpful and humble. I can't tell you the number of times I was told my attitude set me apart - specifically the attitude that no task is below me. Take pride in every piece of work you do, no matter how menial and thankless, and people will respond to that and give you more. I've continued to use this tactic my whole career and it works at every stage. Your job description is whatever crosses your desk. Maintain that attitude and you will be unstoppable.
Seconding those who suggest small companies. I also made great headway at a place that was pretty thankless but gave me a ton of experience. Most people couldn't hang so there was tons of turnover, creating a fast promotion path. I doubled my salary in 3 years.
posted by amycup at 8:22 AM on April 5, 2013 [1 favorite]
Once you're in the door, do whatever you're doing exceptionally well - take any task you get and do it at 110%, make friends, be cooperative, helpful and humble. I can't tell you the number of times I was told my attitude set me apart - specifically the attitude that no task is below me. Take pride in every piece of work you do, no matter how menial and thankless, and people will respond to that and give you more. I've continued to use this tactic my whole career and it works at every stage. Your job description is whatever crosses your desk. Maintain that attitude and you will be unstoppable.
Seconding those who suggest small companies. I also made great headway at a place that was pretty thankless but gave me a ton of experience. Most people couldn't hang so there was tons of turnover, creating a fast promotion path. I doubled my salary in 3 years.
posted by amycup at 8:22 AM on April 5, 2013 [1 favorite]
I am a business analyst.
I got here by:
Doing a very basic mass data entry job to earn money for beer.
Being Unemployed for a very long time.
Getting a data entry job for a train company because I had a lot of back rent to pay.
Moving into a warehouse job in that same company (because it paid better)
Becoming an expert in Rail analysis (Because I could use a computer and had "Rail Experience")
Becoming a Business Analyst (Because I was an experienced analyst)
posted by Just this guy, y'know at 8:43 AM on April 5, 2013 [2 favorites]
I got here by:
Doing a very basic mass data entry job to earn money for beer.
Being Unemployed for a very long time.
Getting a data entry job for a train company because I had a lot of back rent to pay.
Moving into a warehouse job in that same company (because it paid better)
Becoming an expert in Rail analysis (Because I could use a computer and had "Rail Experience")
Becoming a Business Analyst (Because I was an experienced analyst)
posted by Just this guy, y'know at 8:43 AM on April 5, 2013 [2 favorites]
My "career" path went like this: maintenance dept at high school > McDonald's crew > McDonald's assistant manager > general manager at a computer store > field technician repairing computers, printers, servers and network gear.
Each spot led to the next in a sort of logical way, but at the time, they were all just chance and/or "what can I do with the skills I have" decisions.
I think one of the things that got me the field tech job was the fact that as a manager, I knew how to manage resources and time to get a job done. And that I had a food service license: proof that I could pass certification tests.
One thing that has helped me at so many things in life was building experience in multiple areas. As a 16 year old kid doing that maintenance job, I learned how to do tons and tons of mechanical things. A short list of the things I was taught in the couple years there: metalwork, painting, ceramic tile installation, repairing steam pipes, installing doorknobs, replacing window panes, mopping floors, mowing lawns, cutting sod, building a baseball field, driving a truck, cleaning boilers, filling beverage machines, installing drop ceilings, replacing light fixtures, striping athletic fields and how to operate a telephone operators station.
At McDonald's, I became a manager in part because I had experience with all that stuff- skills that are valuable in the restaurant field. In that job I learned how to repair HVAC equipment, replace blower fans, repair most of the equipment, fight fires (literal and figurative), investigate a food bourne pathogen(*), deal with insane people, cook eggs and build out a new restaurant.
Bam- next job was a guy looking to expand his operation by opening a new store, and I had what he needed.
So I guess the advice is to not worry *too* much about the career, and just build competence at things. The more things you are good at, the easier it is to get good at the next new thing. Yes, you have to continually improve and think about long term professional development, but equally important is to immerse yourself in what you are currently doing and really get into the guts of it. It may sound trite, but hard work pays off. Maybe not as well as we would all like, but you are better off doing something slightly different than your career field and getting good at it, then just putting in the minimum at some crap job in your field.
If you don't know what you want to be when you grow up, just pick something general and see what happens.
(*) Nothing dangerous- just a soft serve machine that consistently tested close to the limits on some kind of bacterial issue, despite our fastidiousness at maintaining the thing. We never served product that was not safe.
posted by gjc at 9:20 AM on April 5, 2013
Each spot led to the next in a sort of logical way, but at the time, they were all just chance and/or "what can I do with the skills I have" decisions.
I think one of the things that got me the field tech job was the fact that as a manager, I knew how to manage resources and time to get a job done. And that I had a food service license: proof that I could pass certification tests.
One thing that has helped me at so many things in life was building experience in multiple areas. As a 16 year old kid doing that maintenance job, I learned how to do tons and tons of mechanical things. A short list of the things I was taught in the couple years there: metalwork, painting, ceramic tile installation, repairing steam pipes, installing doorknobs, replacing window panes, mopping floors, mowing lawns, cutting sod, building a baseball field, driving a truck, cleaning boilers, filling beverage machines, installing drop ceilings, replacing light fixtures, striping athletic fields and how to operate a telephone operators station.
At McDonald's, I became a manager in part because I had experience with all that stuff- skills that are valuable in the restaurant field. In that job I learned how to repair HVAC equipment, replace blower fans, repair most of the equipment, fight fires (literal and figurative), investigate a food bourne pathogen(*), deal with insane people, cook eggs and build out a new restaurant.
Bam- next job was a guy looking to expand his operation by opening a new store, and I had what he needed.
So I guess the advice is to not worry *too* much about the career, and just build competence at things. The more things you are good at, the easier it is to get good at the next new thing. Yes, you have to continually improve and think about long term professional development, but equally important is to immerse yourself in what you are currently doing and really get into the guts of it. It may sound trite, but hard work pays off. Maybe not as well as we would all like, but you are better off doing something slightly different than your career field and getting good at it, then just putting in the minimum at some crap job in your field.
If you don't know what you want to be when you grow up, just pick something general and see what happens.
(*) Nothing dangerous- just a soft serve machine that consistently tested close to the limits on some kind of bacterial issue, despite our fastidiousness at maintaining the thing. We never served product that was not safe.
posted by gjc at 9:20 AM on April 5, 2013
Graduated with a liberal arts degree.
Spent a lot of time languishing.
Went back for some post bacc courses.
Got part-time admin job for a Property Tax service. Appeal season ended, got laid off.
Took job as legal secretary, considering "maybe I'll go to law school?!"
Realized the work was too emotionally draining (family law, CPS cases will break your heart), started applying like crazy.
Finally fell into tax by answering an ad for a small company "Do you like to travel? Be a contract Auditor!" In fact I did like to travel. I had no accounting experience, but I said that I was strong on law and could learn the numbers. In a larger company, I don't think they'd take the chance. In a tiny company, impressing the supervisor worked.
posted by politikitty at 9:23 AM on April 5, 2013
Spent a lot of time languishing.
Went back for some post bacc courses.
Got part-time admin job for a Property Tax service. Appeal season ended, got laid off.
Took job as legal secretary, considering "maybe I'll go to law school?!"
Realized the work was too emotionally draining (family law, CPS cases will break your heart), started applying like crazy.
Finally fell into tax by answering an ad for a small company "Do you like to travel? Be a contract Auditor!" In fact I did like to travel. I had no accounting experience, but I said that I was strong on law and could learn the numbers. In a larger company, I don't think they'd take the chance. In a tiny company, impressing the supervisor worked.
posted by politikitty at 9:23 AM on April 5, 2013
I graduated with a BA in Communications, I'm guessing from the same place you did, judging by your profile. I'm now a senior communications officer with one of the largest non-profits in Canada.
I finished my degree in the mid-90s, so things have probably changed some in that time, but I think the advice is probably still good.
While I was doing my undergrad I did a ton of volunteering in the field I was interested in. In my case, that was social justice, so I volunteered with the PIRG on campus. I did basic volunteer-y things like answering phones, putting up posters, greeting newcomers. I then did a couple of work-studies with them, and so had experience that was slightly more professional (plus a line on my CV). Eventually, I served on their board of directors, no pay, but management-like experience. I specifically took on the communication portfolio, such as it was, doing public relations-like things. (Also went on the CV.)
I graduated into a recession, and there were no jobs to speak of. I'd been accepted to the MA, but was taking a couple semesters off after the BA, since I thought I might be sick of school. I ended up going to grad school solely for the TA work, since I knew it was a job, however low-paying, and because it would get the student loan people off my back. (And give me something else for the CV.)
While I was a TA, I volunteered with my union as a shop steward and doing communications-y type stuff. After about a year, I ran for and won one of the paid executive positions. Did more PR-type stuff, but also wrote a ton, did contract work, worked with the media, etc. Eventually I dropped out of grad school, and took a second job as a research assistant with the employment equity committee of one of the faculties.
As those two jobs were coming to an end, I applied for a communications officer position with a good sized national non-profit and got it. The ad for that job came through the School's alumni or recent grads or whatever e-mail list run by the undergrad secretary.
TL;DR--while I was still in school I did a ton of volunteering in my field of interest. That's where I actually learned all the skills I use in my job today. I did small contract jobs, also in my field, also while I was in school. By the time I graduated I had experience relevant to my area and a degree that people seem eager to hire.
Clearly you've already graduated so you can't do exactly what I did, but you can still do some volunteer work. Another option to consider is the post-bacc in Communications. I know someone who did this several years after finishing a different degree, with the specific goal of getting into broadcasting. She did several co-op semesters with the CBC and ended up being hired as a segment producer after she finished. The co-op jobs pay, so you should be able to do this without incurring debt. If you have to take on debt to do it, you'd have to very certain you were going to get work experience that would put you into a paid position very quickly after graduating, otherwise it's a waste of time and money and you'll be right back where you are now.
posted by looli at 9:40 AM on April 5, 2013
I finished my degree in the mid-90s, so things have probably changed some in that time, but I think the advice is probably still good.
While I was doing my undergrad I did a ton of volunteering in the field I was interested in. In my case, that was social justice, so I volunteered with the PIRG on campus. I did basic volunteer-y things like answering phones, putting up posters, greeting newcomers. I then did a couple of work-studies with them, and so had experience that was slightly more professional (plus a line on my CV). Eventually, I served on their board of directors, no pay, but management-like experience. I specifically took on the communication portfolio, such as it was, doing public relations-like things. (Also went on the CV.)
I graduated into a recession, and there were no jobs to speak of. I'd been accepted to the MA, but was taking a couple semesters off after the BA, since I thought I might be sick of school. I ended up going to grad school solely for the TA work, since I knew it was a job, however low-paying, and because it would get the student loan people off my back. (And give me something else for the CV.)
While I was a TA, I volunteered with my union as a shop steward and doing communications-y type stuff. After about a year, I ran for and won one of the paid executive positions. Did more PR-type stuff, but also wrote a ton, did contract work, worked with the media, etc. Eventually I dropped out of grad school, and took a second job as a research assistant with the employment equity committee of one of the faculties.
As those two jobs were coming to an end, I applied for a communications officer position with a good sized national non-profit and got it. The ad for that job came through the School's alumni or recent grads or whatever e-mail list run by the undergrad secretary.
TL;DR--while I was still in school I did a ton of volunteering in my field of interest. That's where I actually learned all the skills I use in my job today. I did small contract jobs, also in my field, also while I was in school. By the time I graduated I had experience relevant to my area and a degree that people seem eager to hire.
Clearly you've already graduated so you can't do exactly what I did, but you can still do some volunteer work. Another option to consider is the post-bacc in Communications. I know someone who did this several years after finishing a different degree, with the specific goal of getting into broadcasting. She did several co-op semesters with the CBC and ended up being hired as a segment producer after she finished. The co-op jobs pay, so you should be able to do this without incurring debt. If you have to take on debt to do it, you'd have to very certain you were going to get work experience that would put you into a paid position very quickly after graduating, otherwise it's a waste of time and money and you'll be right back where you are now.
posted by looli at 9:40 AM on April 5, 2013
Also, in case it's not clear, the volunteering I did was because I was an activist and interested in that stuff. It's only looking back on it all that it looks like, HEY, SMART PLAN. It took until I was thinking about running for the union position that it occurred to me, Hm, this is an actual career path, if I do this, then I'll probably be able to do that....
When I was between the BA and MA, though, and staring down the possibility of NO JOB EVER there was a lot of despair and anger that my degree had taught me nothing about where to get a job or what I would even be able to do.
posted by looli at 9:45 AM on April 5, 2013
When I was between the BA and MA, though, and staring down the possibility of NO JOB EVER there was a lot of despair and anger that my degree had taught me nothing about where to get a job or what I would even be able to do.
posted by looli at 9:45 AM on April 5, 2013
My college had a relationship with a one-woman literary agency close by, and I had nothing else lined up, so I applied for an internship there and got it (I was probably the only applicant). The internship itself was nothing to write home about, but the agent knew a ton of publishers, and she was kind enough to ask several of them if they were hiring assistants. One of them brought me in for an interview and I walked out their new editorial assistant. (This job paid absolutely nothing, and I had to move two hours away on short notice, but I was glad to have it.) I stayed with that company for six years, moved up the editorial ranks, and even moved across the country to start a new office. This was almost ten years ago and now that I have some perspective, I realize how lucky I was to have landed that EA job.
One thing I learned at the publishing company is that if you're able to put in some unpaid time, internships often lead to jobs (bottom-ranking jobs, but jobs all the same). Publishing folks are more than happy to use their connections to help out the kid who spent six months reading through hundreds of over-the-transom manuscripts to find the rare publishable gem.
posted by prior at 10:55 AM on April 5, 2013
One thing I learned at the publishing company is that if you're able to put in some unpaid time, internships often lead to jobs (bottom-ranking jobs, but jobs all the same). Publishing folks are more than happy to use their connections to help out the kid who spent six months reading through hundreds of over-the-transom manuscripts to find the rare publishable gem.
posted by prior at 10:55 AM on April 5, 2013
English BA --->semi-clerical job at Smithsonian (referred by politician) --->researcher job at publisher of popular books sold by mail --->job at newspaper (answered want ad) ----> job at PBS affiliate (moved with husband in grad school, one of his friends told me about the job) and the rest is my career as a freelancer in film and TV. I've also had side jobs as a writer, working in antique stores, selling vintage California pottery at swap meets, helping a pal with her estate sale business, writing CD-rom and video game scripts, being a media blogger and so on. Every one of those weird little side tracks has helped me in my "real" work.
And when I've needed work, I put the word out to the universe. Referrals come from all sorts of places. Now, I'm pretty established and turn down more jobs than I take, but it didn't use to be that way.
posted by Ideefixe at 11:26 AM on April 5, 2013
And when I've needed work, I put the word out to the universe. Referrals come from all sorts of places. Now, I'm pretty established and turn down more jobs than I take, but it didn't use to be that way.
posted by Ideefixe at 11:26 AM on April 5, 2013
I can sum up my advice for you in one word: Intern. If you want to work in a given field or at a given company, intern. I interned at a newspaper while I was in college and then they happened to need a paid newsroom assistant and hired me. When I graduated, they hired me as a reporter. I'm no longer a reporter, but my work as a reporter helped me pivot to a more secure career. It all started with interning.
In my new career, we'll say it's an organization called XYZ, I managed a team of interns. One of them worked hard, never gave us any attitude or acted like the tasks we gave her were beneath her, and she would do literally anything we asked. When I moved on and up in my career to a new project and I needed to hire a deputy, I immediately thought of her. After our project ended, another colleague of mine from XYZ hired her. After that project ended, another colleague of mine hired her. She wrote me an email to update me on her new job and said, "Interning at XYZ was the best decision [she] ever made." Clearly, that wasn't all of the interns' experiences. One kid was late frequently, thought he was smarter than the work we gave him and didn't take instruction well because he insisted he could handle what we gave him, even as he did stuff wrong. When another organization called us asking what we thought, we of course had to tell them to hire someone else.
I see interns hired all the time as long as they put in the effort, are cooperative, enthusiastic and make it clear they are interested. The single best thing you can do is work for free somewhere if you really want to work there. Maybe there are places where you can get hired and start an amazing career path straight out the gate, but I feel like to get in the really good places, you'll probably need to prove yourself first.
The added benefit of interning is that you'll probably get an idea of the various positions within a field, what the work requires and whether you are actually interested in investing your time on starting your career path there. I interned somewhere before the newspaper and I hated it. Glad I figured that out before I committed to a career.
posted by AppleTurnover at 7:29 PM on April 5, 2013 [1 favorite]
In my new career, we'll say it's an organization called XYZ, I managed a team of interns. One of them worked hard, never gave us any attitude or acted like the tasks we gave her were beneath her, and she would do literally anything we asked. When I moved on and up in my career to a new project and I needed to hire a deputy, I immediately thought of her. After our project ended, another colleague of mine from XYZ hired her. After that project ended, another colleague of mine hired her. She wrote me an email to update me on her new job and said, "Interning at XYZ was the best decision [she] ever made." Clearly, that wasn't all of the interns' experiences. One kid was late frequently, thought he was smarter than the work we gave him and didn't take instruction well because he insisted he could handle what we gave him, even as he did stuff wrong. When another organization called us asking what we thought, we of course had to tell them to hire someone else.
I see interns hired all the time as long as they put in the effort, are cooperative, enthusiastic and make it clear they are interested. The single best thing you can do is work for free somewhere if you really want to work there. Maybe there are places where you can get hired and start an amazing career path straight out the gate, but I feel like to get in the really good places, you'll probably need to prove yourself first.
The added benefit of interning is that you'll probably get an idea of the various positions within a field, what the work requires and whether you are actually interested in investing your time on starting your career path there. I interned somewhere before the newspaper and I hated it. Glad I figured that out before I committed to a career.
posted by AppleTurnover at 7:29 PM on April 5, 2013 [1 favorite]
P.S. I ran out of editing time, but the other bonus of interning is that it's easier to find an internship than a job. So if you really aren't sure what you want to do, rather than wait a year searching for that job you thought you wanted but may hate, you can two like 2-3 internships within a year and really get a feel for what kind of field/company you want to work for.
Unless you are really desperate for money. Then go for the paying job, I guess. I just think in the long-term, working for free is the way to go.
posted by AppleTurnover at 7:36 PM on April 5, 2013
Unless you are really desperate for money. Then go for the paying job, I guess. I just think in the long-term, working for free is the way to go.
posted by AppleTurnover at 7:36 PM on April 5, 2013
I studied engineering, and out of my cohort, we ended up in vastly different industries and functions for no identifiable reason. We all basically applied to just anything and everything out there listed as job vacancies, and companies either called us in for an interview or not, for really no clear reason. I'm working in manufacturing, whereas others are working in supply chain, design, purchasing, accounting etc. We're spread out across consumer goods, foods, sub components for helicopters, investment/finance, just anything and everything.
As for myself, when graduation rolled around, there were two job offers which were intriguing. One company was doing the hard sell, saying they were growing internationally with opportunities to go abroad. The second company didn't push any sort of hard sale or long-term potential, but simply increase the salary offer 20% versus the other company. Graduating with $28k in student loans, I went with the company that had the highest salary. Thereafter, after a few years of thinking I'd be stuck in a small village in the corner of the United States for the rest of my life, I ended up getting moved abroad- which was totally unpredictable- for expanding the business in new countries, and worked abroad in over half a dozen countries, and moving up very quickly in the company. Something totally unimaginable had I tried to predict it a few years earlier coming out of university.
Basically, you really have no idea what will happen. The best advice I can give is to (1) apply for ANYTHING that has a glimmer of interest to you, even if you are not qualified with 3-5 years of experience as listed, and (2) take the best offer for your current 2-4 year life plan of circumstances for family, friends, finances, and hobbies. Don't worry too much about 5+ years onward, things will fall into place, or opportunities you cannot even predict will open up.
posted by peachtree at 2:44 AM on April 6, 2013
As for myself, when graduation rolled around, there were two job offers which were intriguing. One company was doing the hard sell, saying they were growing internationally with opportunities to go abroad. The second company didn't push any sort of hard sale or long-term potential, but simply increase the salary offer 20% versus the other company. Graduating with $28k in student loans, I went with the company that had the highest salary. Thereafter, after a few years of thinking I'd be stuck in a small village in the corner of the United States for the rest of my life, I ended up getting moved abroad- which was totally unpredictable- for expanding the business in new countries, and worked abroad in over half a dozen countries, and moving up very quickly in the company. Something totally unimaginable had I tried to predict it a few years earlier coming out of university.
Basically, you really have no idea what will happen. The best advice I can give is to (1) apply for ANYTHING that has a glimmer of interest to you, even if you are not qualified with 3-5 years of experience as listed, and (2) take the best offer for your current 2-4 year life plan of circumstances for family, friends, finances, and hobbies. Don't worry too much about 5+ years onward, things will fall into place, or opportunities you cannot even predict will open up.
posted by peachtree at 2:44 AM on April 6, 2013
A good piece of advice I received about my career came from my stepfather who told me as a teenager: "Find yourself a job and make yourself indispensable".
It's a deceptively simple statement because that can mean all sorts of things, a lot of it is echoed above: show up on time, volunteer for assignments, etc.
In my case, my entry level job was in the late 90s as the "digital imaging specialist" at a small photo store (at a time when there weren't many digital imaging specialists around). The pay was ridiculously poor, and I mainly got the position due to a little luck (the guy who was leaving just wanted to pass the torch, his standards were pretty low) and because I give a good interview. Technically I was in no way qualified, so they definitely got what they paid for, at first.
But I worked the hell out of that job. I brought home the manuals for the new equipment I was suddenly in charge of and read them late into the night, I performed my own tests and recorded the results so I could understand things like color and paper profiles. Over the course of a year, I was still getting paid shit, but I attained a sense of self-confidence that came from being indispensable. At the end of two years I moved on to a new job where I was paid 300% more than that entry-level position, and so began my career.
So, no-one is *truly* indispensable, but over the years I've found it is still a worthy goal to aspire to. I've been in a few organizations where layoffs have happened and the only time I was laid off was early in my career where I had a relatively cushy, well paying job, but my role could have been done by many others.
posted by jeremias at 5:08 AM on April 6, 2013 [1 favorite]
It's a deceptively simple statement because that can mean all sorts of things, a lot of it is echoed above: show up on time, volunteer for assignments, etc.
In my case, my entry level job was in the late 90s as the "digital imaging specialist" at a small photo store (at a time when there weren't many digital imaging specialists around). The pay was ridiculously poor, and I mainly got the position due to a little luck (the guy who was leaving just wanted to pass the torch, his standards were pretty low) and because I give a good interview. Technically I was in no way qualified, so they definitely got what they paid for, at first.
But I worked the hell out of that job. I brought home the manuals for the new equipment I was suddenly in charge of and read them late into the night, I performed my own tests and recorded the results so I could understand things like color and paper profiles. Over the course of a year, I was still getting paid shit, but I attained a sense of self-confidence that came from being indispensable. At the end of two years I moved on to a new job where I was paid 300% more than that entry-level position, and so began my career.
So, no-one is *truly* indispensable, but over the years I've found it is still a worthy goal to aspire to. I've been in a few organizations where layoffs have happened and the only time I was laid off was early in my career where I had a relatively cushy, well paying job, but my role could have been done by many others.
posted by jeremias at 5:08 AM on April 6, 2013 [1 favorite]
"Find yourself a job and make yourself indispensable".
Caveat emptor – "don't make yourself so indespensible that you cannot be promoted"
posted by nickrussell at 2:35 AM on April 8, 2013 [1 favorite]
Caveat emptor – "don't make yourself so indespensible that you cannot be promoted"
posted by nickrussell at 2:35 AM on April 8, 2013 [1 favorite]
Fairly different from your stated interests, my path from BFA in Performance Production --> Theatre Education Assistant --> Prop Builder --> Prop Manager --> Project Manager at an entertainment company --> Project Manager at an industrial design consultancy --> Product Development Manager at a mobile accessories brand --> ...
My career has centered around fabrication, from custom one-offs to large scale off-shore manufacturing. But I can tell you with certainty that my 20 year-old self who loved The Theatre would never have imagined my work life would now revolve around mobile accessories. It's hard to predict what will happen so many years out, so I agree with the advice given of looking out 2-4 years and no more.
But I don't leave the rest to chance. During and between all my jobs I seeked out dozens of people in different industries to speak with trying to understand what they did, and in turn, what I wanted to do with my time.
I would suggest as one option you could go visit as many workplaces as you can through your network and start collecting data. Visiting other people's workplaces can be eye opening. Can you meet a compliance consultant? Can you talk to a CFO? Informational interviews are a great way to find out about industries, and industry trends, without any commitment and sometimes they can lead to job interviews if not immediately than down the road.
posted by gillianr at 8:14 PM on January 20, 2014
My career has centered around fabrication, from custom one-offs to large scale off-shore manufacturing. But I can tell you with certainty that my 20 year-old self who loved The Theatre would never have imagined my work life would now revolve around mobile accessories. It's hard to predict what will happen so many years out, so I agree with the advice given of looking out 2-4 years and no more.
But I don't leave the rest to chance. During and between all my jobs I seeked out dozens of people in different industries to speak with trying to understand what they did, and in turn, what I wanted to do with my time.
I would suggest as one option you could go visit as many workplaces as you can through your network and start collecting data. Visiting other people's workplaces can be eye opening. Can you meet a compliance consultant? Can you talk to a CFO? Informational interviews are a great way to find out about industries, and industry trends, without any commitment and sometimes they can lead to job interviews if not immediately than down the road.
posted by gillianr at 8:14 PM on January 20, 2014
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My career path was: Mail room -- > taking calls on a help desk --> working trouble tickets on the help desk --> ... -> network engineer.
What gets you from a to b is networking and being good at what you do (have credentials like a degree or certifications doesn't hurt, either). Don't slack off just because you have a shit job right now. People will notice. And if you're working harder and doing better than everyone else, people will notice that, too.
posted by empath at 12:16 AM on April 5, 2013 [2 favorites]