my career is boring me to death

May 1, 2006 4:51 AM

I'm considering taking a major risk and changing careers entirely

I've been in IT for almost 7 years. I hate it. I'm bored by it and I'd rather eat glass than write another script. I am considering taking a couple days off in July to take the exam to be a certified pharmacy tech. If I find a job doing that I'll cash in my 401k (don't worry, I have 2 other private retirement accounts) at work a couple of weeks before the new job starts. I'll be directly applying at a local healthcare system since my current employer is the type that will have no problem firing you if they find your updated resume on Monster. So my question, now that I get to it, is how do I time this correctly so I don't send up red flags to my employer that I'm looking to bolt? How do I explain in a pharmacy tech job interview that I'm looking for this as a career change? I come from a family of medical professionals and that career path has always seemed infinitely more interesting than sitting in front of a computer trying to give a shit about coding.

posted by anonymous to work & money (5 comments total)

IMO, you can definitely cast this career change in a positive light. I'd be honest about it, but also find a way to convey that the traits that make you an effective coder can transition well to pharma, something along the lines of

'I enjoyed the logical parts of my work but felt disconnected from people - I'm looking to move into a career where I can use my ability to work with complex language and calculations in a way that will more directly benefit people.'

That said, shouldn't be too big of a deal provided you have the cert - doesn't sound like you're trying to make a horizontal move, say, from VP of Development to VP of Pharma something-or-other.
posted by gage at 5:43 AM on May 1, 2006

I feel your pain on this. I found myself in a similar situation a couple of years ago (I do Flash AS / Multimedia). My career path took down the road of advertising/marketing and...well...I got so tired of building banner ads and interruptors, and scripting Flash-based web pages for consumer products, that I was clamoring for a new job.

At the time, anything would do -- I just wanted a job that had some stability (i.e. wouldn't lay me off every time the market took a dip), some mobility (could avoid getting entrenched in one city's market...networking is probably 80% of advertising), and felt like I was contributing to society instead of being a drain on it.

I chose initially to pursue medicine (I come from a medical family, too). Went back to school after several years of working and took all the prerequisite science courses (post-bacc) with a 4.0, scored in the 96th percentile on my MCAT.... Ultimately, though, I couldn't get in to a school. My initial college GPA was low enough that it couldn't be offset by all my more recent accomplishments. Sadly, human eyes never even saw my med school apps... they were kicked back by the computer filters. Ah well. I suppose that on a certain level I was crushed, but it wasn't really time wasted as I learned a *lot* about myself.

I'm doing another stint in advertising (on a contract basis) at the moment, just for the cash, but I am getting teacher certified in the meantime. With all of those science credits, I can teach just about any science, and then go to grad school in my summers. Sure, teaching is less money than advertising...and certainly less than medicine...but it's worthwhile. That's the important thing, isn't it?

I say go for it! You only get one chance in this life to be happy.

Now... to not send up red flags to your employer... Just carry on as usual. If you need a day off to interview or what have you, then (assuming you have PTO days, and not "sick days") just take the day off -- no explanation needed. If your company doesn't use scheduled time off like that, then hell -- just tell them you feel under the weather and will be back in the next day, no other details.

As for the 401k, you don't need to offer any more than the bare minimum to the HR dept. Don't lie to them, per se, just tell them that you're going to pursue retirement options outside the company, and would like to cash in. That's all they'll need.

Your big hurdle, in my personal experience, is going to be pretending to still give two shits about coding. My actionscripting got woefully sloppy toward the end there, and I just couldn't care less about it. Working on a multi-user Flash game when you have already mentally checked out is something of a drag. Just chin-up, remind yourself that you only have to do it for a little while longer, and really try to care about it like you once did... or at least act like it. Be precise, be on the ball, and don't check out early.

Good luck to you!
posted by kaseijin at 5:57 AM on May 1, 2006

Sounds like you have lots of money and several options. You only have one life however, and you're wasting it doing something you hate. Move on and never look back.
posted by rinkjustice at 6:20 AM on May 1, 2006

[kaseijin, I've considered the post-bacc premed option as well, and wouldn't mind hearing more about how stellar MCATs and a perfect GPA didn't get you in anywhere--my email's in the profile]
posted by availablelight at 6:48 AM on May 1, 2006

< b>availablelight -- email sent!>
posted by kaseijin at 7:52 AM on May 1, 2006