Am I missing a job opportunity I didn't know existed?

June 1, 2006 9:18 AM

I've had an oddly diverse and thorough set of work and life experiences over the last 10-12 years, and now that I've finally finished my BS in electrical engineering, I've been working at my current job, but wishing I were somewhere else.

Presently, I'm the director of IT at a medium sized marketing firm, but I've nearly worked myself out of a job. By the end of the summer, there will only be about 20 hours of work per week to be done. I've been here 3 years and have done as much with/for them as possible given their budget and willingness to accept new technology.

I've applied for hundreds of jobs via Monster and other similiar sites and have had 3 call-backs (two of which are happening now - still waiting things out). Most of those jobs have been net/system engineers, consulting, misc. IT stuff, and various EE related positions.

What I'm trying to figure out is if I've missed some niche that I didn't even know about. I lived and worked in Afghanistan for a relief agency about 5 years ago (and I've subsequently led pro-bono trips back there over the last two years to fulfil tech needs that agencies can't pay for), which gave me experience working in the international arena, across SERIOUS cultural barriers, different languages, etc.

I could go back to this, I suppose (which I'd like to do at some point anyway) but most agencies pay little to nothing, and I have a good $10k of debt to pay off before I could even consider something like this again.

I'll work anywhere, do anything; I just need a steady/good paycheck, and I can't help but wonder if the skills I have can be put to use in a more specific place or way.

thanks!

posted by quadrinary to Work & Money (8 answers total)

Why not search for IT-related jobs at relief organizations that do work in the Middle East?

For the longest time, I wanted to be a webmaster/designer for a green non-profit and I searched for suitable jobs for years early on in my career (late 90s, and since I had a background in science, I thought it'd come in handy to bridge the gap between those two worlds). Unfortunately when I finally had an opportunity, I had moved on to an exciting startup and didn't want to drop everything to move to DC for low pay, but if the job came up earlier in my career, I would have jumped for it.
posted by mathowie at 9:24 AM on June 1, 2006

As many of my collegiate friends have found out after gaining their respective degrees, the most rewarding jobs aren't the jobs for which you trained for. I've seen a chef become a graphic designer with minimal training. His skills at creativeness in culinary arts and the ability to withstand harsh physical conditions in the kitchen made him patient and extremely focused. Why did he change careers? He couldn't find a job as a chef that would pay enough for his experience.

The same thing has happened to a few IT folks since the market here for computery-people is saturated. Concentrate on what REAL skills you have developed and not your knowledge of IT stuff. Pick something that seems "cool", go to a few community college classes, and grab up that new career. Want the best chance to find a job in that new career? Pick one that seems to be begging for people. And if you are worried about not having income during the school time, don't be so proud that you refuse the simple jobs (like McDonalds, grocery stores, etc).
posted by cleverusername at 9:39 AM on June 1, 2006

have you considered contracting for the World Bank? There are IT projects in the Bank's headquarters in DC, but they also run projects in third-world countries. You could act as project liaison or project manager on these efforts - or roll up your sleeves and implement on location.
posted by seawallrunner at 10:00 AM on June 1, 2006

Response by poster: Oooo... I'll have to look into the World Bank.
posted by quadrinary at 10:09 AM on June 1, 2006

What about working in Saudi Arabia or the UAE? Kind of the opposite of a 'humanitarian' job but supposedly they pay very well.
posted by Paris Hilton at 10:41 AM on June 1, 2006

Response by poster: Wouldn't be opposed to that at all. I guess I just don't know where to start. Any ideas?
posted by quadrinary at 11:26 AM on June 1, 2006

Find companies that have won USAID, World Bank or other donor agency projects. Check their website to see how they like consultant CVs formatted, do that to yours and send it to them. Sometimes they'll be looking for particular types of consultants, but most companies will collect CVs so when they go to tender for something, they've got a nice selection to choose from. Sure, it's contract work, but it pays well and you have the background for it.
posted by AnnaRat at 4:23 PM on June 1, 2006

Oh, though the only hiccup is that the development industry is very big on qualifications and like a Masters at least for consultants usually (experience helps, but the quals are v.important).
posted by AnnaRat at 7:12 PM on June 1, 2006