What job can I train for in six months?
May 4, 2016 12:37 PM Subscribe
What job can I train for in about six to nine months with a reasonable chance of getting hired withing a year?
Current skill set:
-BS in a hard science from 25 years or so ago (okay not really current but relevant)
-expert in MS Word, intermediate Excel, can learn anything else Office Suite-related
-past experience as admin assistant
-over the last three years, I have been taking post-bacc math classes up through Calc III.
-currently taking Intro to Computer Science (learning C++)
-spent the last ten years working as a medic in an A&D facility but don't want to pursue healthcare
I was doing all this with an eye to becoming an actuary/catastrophe modeler and I am still interested in that. Realistically that goal is going to take a few more years and I'm really feeling the need to be gone much sooner. My workplace is pretty awful - psychologically draining, terrible management, petty bickering amongst coworkers. I can't straight up quit because I used to be a job hopper and really need continuity to show on my resume.
I can pay for training/school and I'm very flexible on the salary front. (My sanity is quickly becoming more important than the pay scale and my other half has sufficient income for our household.) I'm just outside the Portland, Oregon metro area and already have a 40 minute commute so driving into town isn't a huge issue. We could move for the right situation but we are pretty settled here so something in this area is preferable (although I can go somewhere else to train if need be. The only caveats are no teaching or training-type jobs and nothing physical.
In perfect world, I'd find some back office job where I work on big projects or huge spreadsheets and only come out for coffee and to communicate results occasionally. Thanks for any advice/suggestions!
Current skill set:
-BS in a hard science from 25 years or so ago (okay not really current but relevant)
-expert in MS Word, intermediate Excel, can learn anything else Office Suite-related
-past experience as admin assistant
-over the last three years, I have been taking post-bacc math classes up through Calc III.
-currently taking Intro to Computer Science (learning C++)
-spent the last ten years working as a medic in an A&D facility but don't want to pursue healthcare
I was doing all this with an eye to becoming an actuary/catastrophe modeler and I am still interested in that. Realistically that goal is going to take a few more years and I'm really feeling the need to be gone much sooner. My workplace is pretty awful - psychologically draining, terrible management, petty bickering amongst coworkers. I can't straight up quit because I used to be a job hopper and really need continuity to show on my resume.
I can pay for training/school and I'm very flexible on the salary front. (My sanity is quickly becoming more important than the pay scale and my other half has sufficient income for our household.) I'm just outside the Portland, Oregon metro area and already have a 40 minute commute so driving into town isn't a huge issue. We could move for the right situation but we are pretty settled here so something in this area is preferable (although I can go somewhere else to train if need be. The only caveats are no teaching or training-type jobs and nothing physical.
In perfect world, I'd find some back office job where I work on big projects or huge spreadsheets and only come out for coffee and to communicate results occasionally. Thanks for any advice/suggestions!
Salesforce Administrator
Pega Busines Process Architect
Things like that.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 1:42 PM on May 4, 2016
Pega Busines Process Architect
Things like that.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 1:42 PM on May 4, 2016
Hard science degree, actual real-world work experience, healthcare experience, Portland, Oregon... have you considered a legal medical/recreational Cannabis grow operation? They're almost all really crusty and contaminated and have horrible production practices - you sound like someone who can come in a right a crappy op.
Sounds like you have the chops for management, risk management, and operations; everything else you can learn on the job.
posted by porpoise at 2:02 PM on May 4, 2016 [1 favorite]
Sounds like you have the chops for management, risk management, and operations; everything else you can learn on the job.
posted by porpoise at 2:02 PM on May 4, 2016 [1 favorite]
You could get a job as an Epic systems analyst. Lots of postings for Portland.
posted by SyraCarol at 2:54 PM on May 4, 2016
posted by SyraCarol at 2:54 PM on May 4, 2016
I'd find some back office job where I work on big projects or huge spreadsheets and only come out for coffee and to communicate results occasionally.
Government jobs; particularly governance and finance, IT and GIS too, or admin support for most departments. Records Management. I think you could get a job with the skills you have currently. If you don't want to commit, you could look for long-term temp roles, secondments, maternity/sabbatical cover, etc.
Once you have a boring dayjob without the drama, it'll be much much easier to skill up outside of work hours.
posted by jrobin276 at 3:51 PM on May 4, 2016 [2 favorites]
Government jobs; particularly governance and finance, IT and GIS too, or admin support for most departments. Records Management. I think you could get a job with the skills you have currently. If you don't want to commit, you could look for long-term temp roles, secondments, maternity/sabbatical cover, etc.
Once you have a boring dayjob without the drama, it'll be much much easier to skill up outside of work hours.
posted by jrobin276 at 3:51 PM on May 4, 2016 [2 favorites]
Real estate. The Portland market is booming now.
posted by bendy at 10:12 PM on May 4, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by bendy at 10:12 PM on May 4, 2016 [1 favorite]
I'd look into what kinds of resources are available at your nearest community college. A lot of CCs work with the surrounding community to design programs specifically to meet local high-demand job skills, and there are a lot of certificates and diplomas that can be completed in under a year. See if there's anything there that strikes your fancy and targets your skills!
posted by helloimjennsco at 6:28 AM on May 5, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by helloimjennsco at 6:28 AM on May 5, 2016 [2 favorites]
Prospect research or data analytics for a non-profit/university fundraising office.
posted by naturalog at 9:08 AM on May 6, 2016
posted by naturalog at 9:08 AM on May 6, 2016
« Older Clarifying a breakup over email- good or bad idea? | What do I do about this ingrown toenail? Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by getawaysticks at 1:26 PM on May 4, 2016