Jack of all trades, master of none

May 23, 2006 7:51 AM

Help me break a career curse.

I have been haunted by the words of my high school English teacher, "smart people often fail because they can't settle on an interest or profession." True to form, I have two college degrees (in English lit/professional writing and in
electrical engineering) and have worked as a tech writer, hardware engineer, and software developer. However, despite my love of writing and geek pursuits, none of my jobs have ever really scratched my itch. In my spare time, I've edited several short films and a feature-length documentary, all for free or with the (unrealized) promise of deferred payment. I've grown increasingly frustrated with a day job that doesn't allow for more creative pursuits, and I'm stumped where to go now.

I've considered going back to school for a film degree, but with a toddler, a mortgage, and two car payments, that's not very realistic. I've also tried to land a position in my company's A/V department, which would present an ideal blend of creativity and gadgetry. However, the department is small and insular, and so far, I've had little luck cracking their shell. Can any MeFites suggest potential career paths that would take advantage of my varied background, while also allowing me to pursue my love of learning and affording a degree of creative freedom (a tall order, I know). Obviously, I'm willing to take a step backwards in pay and seniority, but bear in mind my current financial obligations listed above. A non-paying internship is not an option.

Bonus points for opportunities in Austin, Texas or the Pacific Northwest.

posted by nightengine to work & money (9 comments total)

Publishing maybe? You don't say where you work now. I am in Austin and have some advice on specific companies, but I don't want to recommend somewhere you've already worked. My email's in my profile.
posted by mattbucher at 8:12 AM on May 23, 2006

"It's not having what you want, it's wanting what you've got."

With a family to take care of, realize that your career is a simple quid pro quo exchange for money. If the money is adequate and the job isn't absolutely dreadful, you're doing better than more than 90% of humanity.

That said, keep your eyes open for other opportunities that may hold your interest better. Don't give up, but don't throw a good thing away. This could very well be either a case of "the grass is always greener", or just having a restless personality that will never be satisfied. Face the fact that you may never find the perfect career path.
posted by Doohickie at 8:44 AM on May 23, 2006 [2 favorites]

A lot of A/V jobs aren't really that great, either. It's a dream job for many, which is why the compensation is often poor for the hours, and the competition for few spots is rather fierce. I work very closely with the A/V sub-department in my department at a University, and it's half-heartbreak / half-'holy-crud,batman' to watch the staff's will and ability to create slowly breaking down under the weight of having to produce to the whims and desires of their bosses.
posted by SpecialK at 9:45 AM on May 23, 2006

Instructional Technology/Instructional Design!
posted by wildeepdotorg at 11:59 AM on May 23, 2006

I would suggest looking into your childs eyes, and deciding how much of your happiness is worth having less money to put into his/her college fund, braces, orthopedic shoes, ballet costumes, and bb guns.

that being said I have nothing to offer save perspective.
posted by Megafly at 12:20 PM on May 23, 2006

I would suggest looking into your childs eyes, and deciding how much of your happiness is worth having less money to put into his/her college fund, braces, orthopedic shoes, ballet costumes, and bb guns.

This perspective has always confused me. If you want your child to be that happy, presumably you don't want him or her to work a soul-sucking job. Would you counsel your kid, in this same situation in twenty years, to stick with it? If not, then why should you stay? Or are people allowed to be happy and fulfilled only until having children?
posted by occhiblu at 12:49 PM on May 23, 2006

Have you ever thought about teaching? Lots of high schools have media/tecnology courses. There was one in my high school and it taught programming, film editing and web design. There is also some demand for instructors in technical writing at community colleges and adult back-to-school programs. If you teach at night a few days a week you might be able find out how much you like it before you quit your job.
posted by Alison at 7:19 PM on May 23, 2006

Have you considered becoming a professor? Many engineering departments are interested in hiring people who have experience in industry. What I don't know is what kinds of academic degrees beyond a bachelors might be required -- I don't think a PhD is necessary but a masters in engineering might be. Good luck!
posted by bluesky43 at 5:48 AM on May 24, 2006

"smart people often fail because they can't settle on an interest or profession."
[snip]
but with a toddler, a mortgage, and two car payments, that's not very realistic.

I'd respond to this by saying that both smart and dumb people fail because they are unable to define "success" for themselves. Doohickey addresses this obliquely, I'll address it more directly: if you want to have a kid, own a house and drive two cars you can't afford to pay cash for AND be happy about it, you need to start defining success for yourself as having a kid, owning a house and driving two cars you can't afford to pay cash for.

I don't want to pick on you excessively about this, however it sticks out to me that the sentence I pulled the partial quote above from mentions film school and how that's not realistic. But what does being able to go to film school have to do with the price of tea in China being happily creatively challenged in your day job?

Say you find a one-use magic wand and get the money to go to film school ful-time... what's going to be different in your life when it's over? My understanding is there's a ton - if not a majority - of people who went to film school who are subsequently working out of the field or only barely in it. You're already not working in that field - if that's going to be the end result (because of a lack of opportunities and/or a lack of opportunities that pay what you need to maintain your current lifestyle) then you may as well save yourself the time and expense of going.

You need to address your current budget and expenses before you consider what you can do to switch into a more creative and junior field.
posted by phearlez at 1:12 PM on May 24, 2006