Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with careerchange

A grad program that deals with creative writing AND photography?

leecohen — Fri, 10 May 2013 04:30:28 -0800

I'm heading for a career change, and want to get better at my two passions: creative writing (creative non-fiction) and photography. I'm looking for a grad program that helps me integrate both so I can tell both my own stories and other people's (NGOs, Foundations, etc) more persuasively. I've kind of come full circle--I started my academic career studying creative writing, then moved on to teaching, then to international development, which I do now. I make a steady paycheck, and am saving money and paying off debt. I think in 1-2 years, I want to get back to being creative in my day-to-day life. While I'm a strong writer, I could use a program that forces me to be a bit more disciplined in my output. While I'm a strong photographer, I'm self-taught, and am sure I would benefit from studio time and workshops. I want to integrate my creative talents into a new career, and I want to find perhaps a MFA program that will set me down that path. So far, the only program I've found that comes close is Duke's Master of Fine Arts in Experimental and Documentary Arts. Anyone out there know of any other programs that might be a good fit?

How best to help people, "officially", with no college.

softlord — Wed, 01 May 2013 12:03:22 -0800

So after spending a few years unemployed, and starting my own business, I'm exploring my options for creating my next chapter. Help me figure out a path. ObDifficulty: I have no undergrad degree. One of the things that I'm generally known to be good at (and that excites me) is helping people delve into their lives, their habits and assumptions and what makes them tick (it is the cornerstone of my freelance business, which I won't link to here but is available from my profile). I've always been the shoulder-to-cry-on, the advice giver, the person who helps with new perspective. This is especially true when it comes to relationship and mindfulness issues.

A quick glance at my MeFi profile will find many response to relationship stuff. This is not to say that "i always give great advice and i'm always right", but that it is something that I have a knack for in my life and seems to energize me.

So now I'm maybe interested in turning it into something I can get paid to do.

I know there are many different paths when it comes to human behavior and working with clients and such. LCSW, Psychology, Psychiatry, Life Coach, and I'm trying to figure out what would be a useful path for me.

The challenge is, I never went to college, and it seems like many licensing programs assume or require an undergraduate education. If possible i'd like to avoid spending the next 8 years in school in order to practice a more well-informed and well-educated version of what I'm doing now for free (or getting paid to do).

So I guess my question is, what are my options, especially as someone without an undergraduate education, to be able to start to move into this field. I'm not particularly interested in the medical aspects (though neuroplasticity and how the brain works are also areas that fascinate me).

Obviously, there are more snowflakey details that I'm happy to add downthread or via MeMail. I'm in Atlanta if that makes a difference.

Career Coaching recommendations please! (especially in LA)

zresearch — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 09:29:34 -0800

I'm looking for a professional careers coach in LA to give me advice about changing careers (especially ones who are good at talking with MBA grads who don't necessarily want a typical MBA-type job). The variety of coaches available out there is a bit confusing and some of them are expensive - can anyone personally recommend one? And what criteria should I be judging them on anyway? Dear MetaFilter Citizens: can you personally recommend a career coach, and explain from your experiences what makes them a good and well-priced one? This is particularly for the Los Angeles area ( or perhaps beyond - it's not ideal, but maybe this kind of thing can work over skype too?),

Or if you don't have any personal recommendations, tips on how to choose/use career change coaching would be great too.

Thanks very much for your suggestions and advice!!

Fixing a Career Derail Five Years After Graduation

entropicamericana — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 07:43:38 -0800

I was a re-entry student graduated in 2007 with a bachelor's degree in Public Administration. My entry into the field got derailed and since 2008, I've been working out of the field, underemployed. How can I get back on track? I'm 39 and life handed a big opportunity to start fresh, but I feel old and rusty. Am I doomed to underemployment? How can I explain the gap between graduation and now? Is it worth pursuing a master's in PA at my age? Any advice out there for me?

Applying for nursing school and just a bit lost

ActionPopulated — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 10:32:28 -0800

I may be able to apply for nursing school as early as this fall. Yay! Can you help me come up with some resources to help guide me through the application process and assess the merits of different programs? I've done some serious thinking and research since asking this question a couple months back, and decided to apply for nursing school. I'm currently taking the science pre-requisites at my local community college. I sat down with the pre-requisite list for some programs yesterday and realized that, if I keep taking classes through the summer, I could be ready to do at least some applications this fall. I will be applying for accelerated second-degree BSN programs; ideally, I'd also like to have the option of combining that with a master's in public health or public health nursing.

Only problem is, I have no clue how to navigate the applications process. The health professions adviser at my community college basically told me she doesn't know much about the programs I'm looking at because so few people there apply for them. The last career services person I talked to at my alma mater tried to talk me out of pursuing nursing entirely. (I do, however, have access to an alumni database; I plan to look around through there for grads in the field.) I have no sense at all of how competitive the programs are, how competitive an applicant I am, and what makes a good application. I suspect that the type of programs I'm applying for are especially competitive, but I don't know for sure.

So I guess my questions are:

-Are there good online resources for nurses or potential nursing students that I should know about? Places where I could ask questions about the application process or about jobs, and have them answered by people with a clue?
-Are there any kinds of program ranking lists other than US News and World Report that I should know about? How important is the ranking of a nursing program anyway? Would it be worth moving out of my city, where rent is cheap, I'm super-proud of the life I've built for myself, and there are lots of health care opportunities, to go to a "better" program? (I am entirely prepared to move for jobs when the time comes, but I was hoping to stay here for school; there are three programs in my city, and at least one more in the suburbs.)
-What kinds of questions should I be asking as I talk to admissions people at different schools and look at program web sites? NCLEX pass rates, job placement rates, graduation rates, where you do clinicals? What's most important to know?

Thanks in advance, hivemind!

Career Change: Extreme Makeover Edition

acridrabbit — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 18:55:16 -0800

I used to be a lawyer, but I hated it, so I quit and became a barista. Now I'm about to get my own café, and once again I hate my job. I need to change careers again. What next? I did corporate law for 10 years. I was miserable for all 10 of them - I was one of those people who loved law school and excelled at it, got a job after graduation at one of the largest firms in Boston, and then hated actually practicing law. In retrospect, I should have gone into some other kind of law, but it's too late for that now. About 3 years ago, I quit and got a job as a barista at a chain coffee place. I have always loved coffee. I spent a lot of money and some of the happiest times in my life at cafes, so I thought it made sense.

Aside from the paycut, I was really happy at first - I enjoyed the social aspect, the physicality of it, being around coffee, and making people happy. And soon I was promoted to shift supervisor, then to assistant store manager. Now I'm set to get my own store in April. But somewhere along the way, things have soured for me. I still love coffee, but I hate the hours, and my health is suffering (repetitive stress injuries, herniated disk in my neck, chronic pain, poor sleep from rotating shift work, etc.).

So it's time for me to change careers again. Once I actually get the promotion, I want to start preparing for my next move. I believe I will be a more attractive candidate for any job having had some management experience. Ideally, I'd like to get involved in the green economy somehow, being passionate about the environment and seeing it as a growth sector. Alternatively, if I could do it all over again, I'd become a therapist. But I don't want and can't afford to go back to school.

My main criteria:

I can't do a desk job. I can't spend my whole day at a computer/in a cubicle/office.

On the other hand, I can't do a really physical job, like installing solar panels or building things.

I'd prefer something for which I can get on the job training. I'd be willing to take a class or two, but I can't go back to school full-time.

I'd prefer something with regular, M-F, 9-5 hours and no overnight travel (I have a 6-year-old).

I'm in the greater Boston area and can't relocate.

My main skills:

Training and coaching/managing people

Customer service

Leadership (I'm very competitive and can inspire/lead teams effectively)

Sales & product knowledge

Listening/empathy

So, Metafilter, what should I do next?

Career change, psychotherapy, etc.

Anonymous — Sat, 12 Jan 2013 18:59:07 -0800

Are you a grief counselor? How does one become a grief counselor? Should I become a grief counselor? I'm 41 with a BA in English, under-employed, and willing to give it a shot based on two things:

1. I am tough. I thrive on narrative and the why of the odd, the sad, the strange. I am a good listener and empathic and almost never scared.
2. Misery and loss are a growth industry right now, demographically and just in the vibes out there.

Seeking practical advice and anecdotes from the job. How much more school? How much will that cost? What is a workday like? How is one registered and regulated? Pour your heart and mind out.

Thanks!

When you got everything, you got everything to lose.

Anonymous — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 09:04:07 -0800

I'm 23, and I've had an objectively great programming job for six months. Part of me wants to quit and become a barista or something. Am I crazy? I started programming midway through college, when I had an idea for a web app and quickly figured out that the only way to get it built was to build it myself. I loved making my idea into a working application, but I'm no longer so sure this meant I loved coding. To be honest, I hated every technical roadblock, and my glee upon fixing nasty bugs was 90% "FINALLY, I can move on!" and only 10% "Ohhh, I get it now!" I think I might be a non-nerd--if my code works, I don't care about why. If it doesn't work, I just want to reboot my computer and have it magically fixed. I'm sure that sounds incurious and spoiled, and I'm also sure that most programmers feel that way sometimes. But... I basically feel that way ALL the time.

And that's kind of horrible. I have a real job now, at a small company where the only other developer is my boss. There is SO MUCH to learn, but I only care about any of it for extrinsic reasons.* Some days, this is enough--I'm on task most of the time, efficient at writing simple code or cobbling together the solution from Google, and/or lucky enough to be consulted on product matters where I actually have thoughtful opinions to give. But most days, I'm fucking around on the internet and doing the bare minimum to look like I'm trying. Unless I seriously change my attitude (and please, Jesus, advice on that if you have it), I am never going to excel at this job.

I've always had a terrible work ethic when I'm doing something that 1) requires mental energy that 2) I don't want to give. When something is intellectually difficult and uninteresting, concentrating on it hard enough to understand it often feels as impossible to me as benching twice my bodyweight. (I was always a mediocre student.) And yet... I focused intense mental energy on my app almost every day from the beginning of junior year until graduation because I wanted to see it built.** I'd have coding breakthroughs while hanging out with friends because the app was almost always the top problem in my head. On school breaks, I'd sometimes code all day long, only pausing to eat or jog around the block.

I wish I had even 10% of that drive now. I feel so much guilt--primarily, over screwing over my hardworking, amazing boss with my spaciness and apathy. But also over stagnating intellectually. As it stands, my real motivators are my paycheck, fear of letting people down, and the near-certainty that by quitting, I'd be throwing away an amazing opportunity I'm currently too young, stupid, and privileged to appreciate. My mom is finally proud of me. My boss has invested an insane amount of time and effort into training me, and it would be a serious dick move to quit now. Also, my mom actually got me the interview because her friend is very high up in the company (though the technical side actually made the decision to hire me). I don't want to burn the bridge between me and this amazing connection, or cause any resentment or conflict between my mom and the connection (though that part's minor, since I doubt the connection would actually fault my mom for something I did).

So what do I WANT to do? I'm not sure. But having this job is making it hard to find out, because it's not a 9-5/M-F. Everyone is under tremendous pressure to put in extra hours--I typically work six days a week, and I know my boss would be delighted if I worked seven like he does. Currently, I sort of really want to be a comedy writer--I've got a hilarious web series pilot in my head--but I feel so drained most of the time it's hard to dabble, much less dedicate myself. (Yes, I know my chances of making it are slim-to-none no matter what I do.) I also frankly miss my app but I REALLY can't bring myself to code in my spare time. Part of me just wants to quit and become a barista or something--struggle with the learning curve for a few weeks instead of FOREVER, develop some small talk skills, have most of my mental energy to focus on creative pursuits, know I could quit at any time if some exciting opportunity arose. The other part of me is screaming, "NOOOOOOOO YOU SHITBAG DON'T RUIN YOUR LIFE!!!!!!!!"

I have $50,000 in my bank account, no student debt (my dad died when I was 8 and he had life insurance), and health insurance through my mom. And I know I'm so, so lucky to be where I am now, but I also really want to be lost and aimless for a while. Because right now, I've got all the direction in the world, and it's breaking my privileged little heart.

Insights? Verbal kicks in the pants? Throwaway email: likeastagnantstone at gmail dot com. If it matters, I'm female.

*I know extrinsic rewards are totally legitimate reasons to work, and realistically the primary reason anyone has a job. I just can't seem to convince my Intense Focus Brain of that truth, and I speculate that in a less intellectually demanding job, perhaps that'd be more OK.

**The app never did get fully built (I knew literally nothing about coding beforehand and it was HUGE for a first project), but I guess I got maybe 65% of the way to a decent beta launch.

Tell me what to do for a living. Thanks.

windbox — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 14:30:34 -0800

Please, tell me about magical jobs that focus on things like strategy, brainstorming, critical thinking, research, and trends/pop culture. I currently work as a media buyer in advertising, and have been doing so for the past few years. It does not suit me at all. It's almost entirely administrative, budget-oriented and follows a very strict process. It's probably more similar to accounting than anything else in marketing. I am not organized nor detail-oriented nor number-oriented enough to ever be successful at it let alone enjoy it as a career.

So it's definitely time for a change, but I have no clue what to do or how to make it happen. I wanted to know if anyone had any specific job title suggestions for me that I can start searching for and working toward based on my interests and strengths. It would probably be easiest to transition within the advertising/marketing industry, but I'd be willing to work in any field (PR? Communications? "Social Media"? Research?). And if you have any pointers on what kind of specific skills I'd need on my resume to make such a transition, that would be super-helpful. Things like "marketing strategist" or "communications planner" or whatever sound cool and all, but I'm definitely more curious as to what exactly that is, what the day to day is like, and what I would need to do to get there.

So please, tell me about these magical jobs that focus on the following things I am highly interested in:

- Ideation/Strategy
- Public image/messaging
- The internet and social media
- Pop culture/current events
- Current trends (sociological/cultural/demographic)
- Online research
- Critical thinking

Things I am totally sufficient at skills-wise but not necessarily passionate about:

- Writing
- Public speaking
- Analyzing data

Things that are definitely NOT my strong-suit:

- Hyper detail-oriented work
- Math-heavy numbers work (I can stand sifting through data, just not hardcore excel formulas etc)

...Okay, so these are basically a lot of people's strengths and maybe it sounds like I'm looking for some sort of fantasy job that everyone wants. But still - what's out there?

^{A side note: I'm ruling out copywriting. While I love the brainstorming/creative aspect, putting a portfolio together and writing long-form copy for websites and brochures doesn't sound very enticing to me.}

Should I change my career from education to the library field?

Anonymous — Sat, 15 Dec 2012 08:03:45 -0800

I am currently very unhappy in my career (education) and would like to change to a completely different career (librarian). Please advise whether this would be a smart thing to do. I am an assistant professor at a small college with a masters and a doctorate in psychology, and I hate everything about my job--the need to entertain my students in order to get good evaluations, the work on 6-7 committees, and the large amount of administrative work. I'd love to become a librarian in a public library. However, I spent 10+ years in school to get my three degrees and have over $50,000 in debt.

Is it worth it to go into more debt to follow my dream? Are there library jobs out there, or is the library field as bad as the education field? What would I need to do in order to become a librarian? (i.e., Which degree(s) would I need?)

Love writing but...

trillian — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 06:59:48 -0800

I've always had communications-related jobs, but they never seem to be the right fit. I'm a great writer (although I have a love/hate relationship with writing), but I also helping enjoy helping people and interacting with people, etc., and writing is a pretty solitary job. (Well, PR isn't, but that's one area I want to stay away from, as well as fundraising). Have any other writer-types who are like me found a solution? (Oh, and I don't want to take on grad-school loans right now.)

Help me transition from finance to international management

Guernsey Halleck — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 19:29:29 -0800

I'm thinking about a career-change into international management. What steps should I take over the next year or two that will make me an attractive hire? Details below the fold... I've spent my entire 12 year career in finance, with a specific focus on Asia for the last 5 of those years. During this time I've acquired a very specialized skill-set that makes me very employable in a small niche market, but these skills are otherwise completely non-transferable outside this niche.

For various reasons, both personal and professional, I've decided that I'd like to make a career change. I'm much more interested in working for a real business that provides real economic benefit, as opposed to the paper-pushing of Wall Street.

In particular, I'd like to get involved with international management. As I mentioned above, I've spent the past 5 years focusing on Asia, and I really love the interaction with people abroad, navigating foreign business environments, and just generally immersing myself in other cultures. While I'm not looking to relocate abroad, (I'm in the US,) I'm perfectly fine with extensive travel.

So what do I bring to the table, given that my primary skill-set is totally non-transferable? Well, for starters, a good portion of my current job involves reading and analyzing country- and industry-specific economic and strategy reports. What else? I'm good at synthesizing data points and information into a coherent thesis. I enjoy strategic planning. I'm a good decision-maker, and am comfortable working under pressure.

All of these things are good, but most would probably fall under the category of "soft skills." What can I do now that will make me a stronger candidate 18-24 months down the road? I intend to stay at my current job for at least another year, but I do have plenty of unsupervised downtime. I'd rather not spend the 2 years and enormous sum of money that business school would entail, but I may be open to the idea in some circumstances.

Any advice the hive-mind can provide is greatly appreciated!

My umpteenth career-change question

indognito — Sat, 01 Dec 2012 08:53:50 -0800

Instructional design: I have some questions about career prospects, the nature of the work, and whether it would be a good fit for me. In general, I was wondering if you or someone you know is an instructional designer, and if you/they enjoy the work. What qualities are important? Are there ample job opportunities in non-coastal cities? Is it common to go freelance? And finally (this is my special quirk) would it be frowned upon to request or provide my own standing desk?*

More specifics about me: I have a bachelor in English and music, and a master of library science. I’ve been a public reference librarian for 10+ years. I’m looking to get into a field with relatively plentiful opportunities, where I can change jobs more easily if I need to. And I would really like something stable that’s decently compensated, as low-stress as possible, with a great work-life balance (40-45 hours a week max).

My strengths: I’m a good writer, and enjoy crafting a narrative or taking a big jumble of information and breaking it down into components that fit together neatly. I’m not the greatest at teaching and training groups of people, but can handle it ok when working one-on-one. I prefer to do things in writing rather than in person. I’ve had a month or so of experience working with Moodle to make online learning modules. I love reading about and thinking about human psychology and behavior.

My weaknesses: I’m pretty awful at organizing information for storage/access--it's one of the big reasons I’m looking to flee librarianship rather than shifting into, say, digital librarianship. I’ve never had the slightest interest in computers. I can learn just about anything new if needed for my job, but some areas are definitely more difficult than others (computers/electronics and so forth are a struggle). I don't have a dynamic personality and have difficulty thinking on my feet.

Based on all of this, does it seem that instructional design would be a good fit? I’ve had a series of medical scares over the last few months that have decimated my savings, and underscored the importance of going into a field that will have good, well-paying, long-term prospects.

Thanks all!

*The standing desk thing is because I cannot handle sitting for eight to ten hours a day. I would go berserk.

Living with post-recession stress disorder

pullayup — Sun, 28 Oct 2012 21:51:52 -0800

I've landed in a dead-end job, but it's hard for me to overcome my anxiety about retraining or changing the direction of my career. How should I perform an objective, reasonable risk-reward analysis in the face of imperfect options and information? I've tried pro/con lists, spreadsheets of financial projections, and informational interviews, but when it comes down to pulling the trigger--taking a temp job in a new field, enrolling in a graduate program--I just can't do it. I know that any new job is a leap of faith, but I can't shake my fear that things won't work out, and I'll come out the other side with more debt, less time, more miles on the same car, fewer and/or worse career options, etc. I tend to be someone who lacks the courage of their convictions, and I don't trust myself (or, maybe, believe that it's possible) to make an informed decision about this.

Recent examples:

1. I'm qualified for admission to graduate programs in the allied health sciences, but I can't square myself to the idea of spending $50-80,000 (and two or three years away from full-time employment) essentially on spec. Will there be a glut of graduates (who, like me, headed for grad school after the recession derailed their career) in three years? Will I be able to service $90,000-120,000 of student loan debt--I have ~$40,000 now--on my salary? What about the opportunity cost of leaving work for two or three years? Will I make it to my clinical internship to discover that I don't enjoy, or can't tolerate, the narrow range of jobs which the degree trained me for? Will a shift in the regulatory climate put me out of work in a decade? If I was passionate about being a nurse (clinical dietitian, perfusionist, occupational therapist, vascular sonographer, audiologist, etc.) that might carry me through, but I have to accept that I'm not, and probably never will be.

2. I have a biology degree, so I contacted a lab/biotech staffing service. The positions I've been offered are all unequivocally worse than what I have now: swing shifts or rolling start times (5, 7 or 9 a.m. depending on the day of the week), short contracts (4 to 6 months), 100-130 mile/day commutes, low-ish starting salaries (equivalent to $30,000/year). On top of that, I would lose my un-vested 403(b) match, and my benefits would be in limbo until I land in a permanent position. At this point I wouldn't bat an eye at one or two of these things, but together they seem like a poor trade for just the possibility of a stable-ish career.

3. I recently asked this question about library school, which is now off the table, in part due to the good advice in that thread.

For those of you tempted to encourage me to follow my true passions or interests, What Color Is Your Parachute?-style: I whiled away my twenties doing just that. It was fun but unremunerative--I didn't make more than $18,000/year or have health insurance until after I graduated from college in my early 30s--and now I don't think I have the luxury of taking eight or ten post-college years to get on even keel and start saving for retirement. If I had my druthers I would stay in the job I have now, or work for a bike shop, or in the produce department at a food co-op. Realistically, though, I can't do any of those things and pay more than just the interest on my student loans, let alone save for retirement, put together a down payment on a house, or afford to take vacations.

As I proofread this post, it sounds like a list of entitled complaints--and, in a way, that's what I'm worried about.
Do I need to wait until I find an option which doesn't twist up my stomach and keep me awake at night? Am I overestimating (or underestimating) the amount control I have over my life and career? Am I unreasonably afraid of what is, ultimately, an acceptable level of risk, debt and discomfort?

What's the skinny?

rossenterprises76 — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 16:45:15 -0800

What is it like to work as a Buyer or generally within Purchasing/Procurement? I'm considering switching over to the field (entry-level), but wanted to gather as much information as possible.

Would love to hear:
1) how you got started;
2) what's it's really like;
3) whether there is a lot of demand (i.e. is it easy or hard to break into the field);
4) how did you pick the industry in which you operate (ex: electronics, fashion, etc)?

In as far as I've gathered virtually every industry has a position of this nature. I've been also told to "find one industry and stick to it," presumably because it'll expand my network/expertise; perhaps it's best to cross this bridge later.

Please give me a job. And a Master's degree.

constellations — Fri, 19 Oct 2012 09:40:14 -0800

Be my career counselor: Help me tailor my resume toward a job in higher education administration or research, and a couple of questions. I want to get a full-time job as either a research assistant or administrative aide, as I no longer wish to work in my undergraduate area of study (nursing). I also want to go back to school to become a LCSW with the goal of being a counselor in private practice. To kill two birds with one stone, my latest idea is to apply for research or administrative positions at major universities within a reasonable commuting distance and, providing I am hired, work while obtaining my MSW. So, my questions:

1) Is this at all realistic?
2) Is seeking work expressly for the accompanying educational benefit a bad idea?
3) How do I tailor my resume toward these types of positions?

My work history includes: staffing secretary at a community hospital (1 year), nursing assistant on a maternity/OB-GYN floor (1 year), seasonal immunization RN (fall season only for the last two years), and certified massage therapist (1 year). As you can see, most of my work has been related to my degree, and I'm not quite sure how to explain the jump from nursing to massage therapy to research or administrative work.

TIA for your help.

Can you tell me the name of what I want to do?

Hactar — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 17:24:36 -0800

Career question, think what I'm looking to go into is analysis, not completely sure. Metastable cubic ice crystal details in extended. I'm working in tech support right now, however I am also the guy who does all the reports. I was originally hired to do the metrics, I do them well, I have automated them, I have given these people data on things they never thought they could measure. I currently spend about 1/8 to 1/3 of my day doing metrics, the rest fielding calls. I've automated a great deal of the process, so some days it is less than an hour, but most days they come to me asking for new information.

The weird thing is, I actually really like the reports. I like pulling coherent information from messes of data. I am a little bored right now at my job because I know the system inside and out and what takes time these days is compiling the reports, not extracting the data.

I am probably near expert level at excel, and while my macros are not pretty, they can do anything I want. I learned Business Objects inside and out on the report end, I do not know the server end, although would be happy to learn. I keep trying to get myself to learn sql, but am not that great at self-directed learning without an immediate goal beyond learning the ins and outs of a system.

I want to do reports like this. I want to analyze for efficiency, figure out where things are going right and wrong. I want to be the one to know how things really are working behind the scenes.

What type of job is this and what sorts of skills should I acquire? Are there courses I should take and what are they? Is one year of doing this and doing it well sufficient to try to get junior grade positions doing this, or is something else required?

I don't know what to be when I grow up... for the 5th or 6th time.

Anonymous — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 08:22:11 -0800

I desperately need to take my career in another direction, but my degree, training and experience are ridiculously specific. Is it the right time for grad school (again)… or something else? Help me think outside the box. Anonymous because I don’t want this connected to my real name/account, but I’ll try to be as specific as possible.

My masters degree is in a healthcare field emphasizing direct client service. Even when I was pursuing the degree, I was more interested in theory than application, but thought I should practice for a while before rolling into a PhD program. I’ve not regretted that at all; my direct experience in the field has really helped to shape and define my interests (which end up being tangential to my original field surprise surprise). For the past year I’ve been making plans to apply to graduate schools, have been working as an adjunct lecturer, and getting more involved in research activities at my employers. I know academia will be a good fit for me.

Along the way, I had the opportunity to act as a team leader for a large department to troubleshoot and solve a problem which had been growing for years. This position was pretty much diplomacy and negotiation: bringing together different departments with administration and negotiating a workable solution without increasing overhead or resources. It was challenging and pretty much consumed my life, but I really enjoyed the work. I think the biggest challenge was trying to balance those responsibilities with the day to day clinical care.

Speaking of: I’ve become more and more dissatisfied with the clinical care aspect. Through my career I’ve created a kindof specialization within a specialized service model of this specialized field, so just going out and switching gears to the thing that 99% of the other people with my degree does (do?) is a little more difficult at this point. Plus, the reason I pursued all this specialization is that the other 99% is dull as heck. I’m barely hanging on mentally in this situation I’ve created/worked for as it is.

So yeah, grad school. I’ve got my programs picked out, I have a great application packet, but the thought of pulling the trigger is terrifying: I have a family, including a toddler and a middle schooler that I’d have to uproot and truck across the country, not to mention the whole mega workload at half my current salary thing. Oh and I’m nearly 40 and I feel like if I’m going to do this I need to do it now now now.

At the same time, I’m keeping my eyes and ears open for other possibilities as I don’t know if I can seriously hang on for another year in my current position. In browsing job boards I discovered the field of Quality Improvement, which turns out to be exactly that thing I was doing for a while that I enjoyed. And I seem to meet many of the qualifications. And it nearly doubles my salary. Like literally a whole new world of opportunity feels like it just opened up and I’m even more overwhelmed and confused.

Are there other positions like QI that are worth exploring? I like the idea of “doing good” but hands on day to day implementation is a drag. I love working with people, listening to people and solving problems. People told me I was really good at this other role I took on for a while, and I probably could have kept it if I wanted, but it was too much with my clinical work. I love data and numbers and writing and presenting, and I’m darn good at those things. I have some tech skills (regular office junk plus some database administration/programming experience that’s like a decade old). I’m also really good at my clinical job. It just makes me deeply unhappy and dissatisfied.

Or should I just hold my breath and do the grad school thing and pray to god that I (and my family) can handle it?

Oh I should probably also mention that I have a burning need to change what I'm doing every 5 years are so and I'm about 2-years past that expiration date. Yes, I do realize that this one statement renders everything else I said moot. But I guess any potential path should have some option to shake things up every once in a while.

This question feels really self indulgent, especially in this economy. I should probably just count my blessings and cultivate a nice hobby instead of defining myself by my job. But I can’t do that, I never have, I wish I could. Thanks for any advice or insight.

from making books to making websites

Anonymous — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 19:17:45 -0800

Looking for a path to front-end web development as a career I work in book publishing as a production editor/copyeditor/project manager-type person. I'm feeling burned out and in need of new challenges, and I'm thinking of re-training myself as a front-end web developer.

I taught myself HTML and CSS for ebook production, and I find that I really enjoy structuring documents and doing markup. I've also dabbled in a couple of programming classes over the years and had an aptitude for it, although I never really did anything useful with it. I can imagine how my skillset would be useful in a web environment, but I need to bone up on some current, in-demand tech skills to get in the door of a new industry. Ultimately I'd be interested in exploring content strategy, information architecture, UX design, but I suspect that I need to put in some time on the basics first.

I figure I need Javascript, and to get a personal site or two up as portfolio pieces. What else should I have in my pocket to take me from "no relevant experience" to "worth the trouble to train"? Python? PHP? Drupal? Ruby on Rails? Is actual coursework necessary, or is learning on my own just as good? Assuming I really focus on this, and work on it solidly in my spare time, I'd like to get up and running within 6-9 months.

A couple of caveats: I don't want to be a web project manager. Owning the schedule and coordinating everything is probably my least favorite part of my job. I'd rather do the work than give someone else a deadline to do the work. I have a good eye for design, but I'm not visually creative enough (nor skilled enough with Photoshop) to be a web designer. We'd like to move to a smaller market area, where I'm guessing the available jobs will be more generalist in nature, so nothing too specialized or esoteric. I also have schemes of starting up my own thing, but for now I'd like to be in a position to be hired by someone else, ideally a startup or agency with good quality-of-work-life, nothing corporate or sketchy.

I'm especially interested in enabling technologies that help put it all together -- like git, for example -- but that I might not have heard of as someone who doesn't do this stuff for a living (yet!).

Where do I go now, career-wise?

windbox — Wed, 12 Sep 2012 08:08:28 -0800

How does one transition out of a career in advertising (non-creative part)? What am I qualified to do? I have about 2.5 years experience in advertising as a media planner. I'm learning that the field of media planning and buying is just not for me - the meticulous tracking of budgets, campaign performance numbers, billing/invoicing, and other math-related challenges that tend to come with managing multiple media plans is wearing down on my puny, non-mathy brain.

So I am left with a fair amount of knowledge about how the media side of an online advertising campaign is developed and executed, and a solid idea of how online advertising works, but lacking the passion to just crank out media plans/media reports daily. Where else can I go from here? Are there any other careers out there that I can use the skills I've developed?

I do enjoy the big picture, strategic aspects of the job as well as the research (though the research tools I find to be inaccurate and frustrating), just not the extremely extensive planning and execution.

Note: I do not know any programming languages/web design. I do think I am a great writer and strategist, but am horrible at math/numbers/details.

I can not afford to go back to school, nor do I know what I would go to school for.

All suggestions welcome.

Career change options for editors

Anonymous — Tue, 11 Sep 2012 11:02:17 -0800

Can you help me determine a new career path and the steps I need to take to get there? Currently in editorial/publishing and considering communications, education, and maybe information architecture. I currently work on the editorial team of a publishing house and have been there for about 3 years. I love both the book publishing industry and editorial work, but I have experienced little growth and see limited development opportunities in my current position. Combined with the shrinking nature of the industry, heavy competition for a limited number of positions, and famously low pay, I think I need to consider changing industries.

This is what I like about publishing/editorial:
- Making words and information neat and tidy.
- Being able to have a real*, finished product in my hands at the end of a project. (*Virtual products count too!)
- Knowing that I’m contributing to something that might be helpful or interesting to somebody.
- Being able to learn about many subjects as part of my work.

My skills:
I’m lacking some confidence in my skills outside the publishing industry, but this is what I feel I can offer:

Copyediting and proofreading (obviously).
Writing – I’ve done snippets of writing for work here and there.
Photo research and some permissions gathering (but not price negotiations).
Project management/coordination – Maybe? I’ve found authors for small contributions or supplementary works, scheduled their work, and provided feedback. I don’t know if that counts as “project management”.
Web skills – This is where I’m fuzziest on my skill level. I worked on a project where I uploaded and edited text in a custom content management system. I also did some text formatting using custom mark-up tags. My coworkers were impressed with my ability to swim around in these environments, but I feel that I’m just not up to scratch outside the publishing realm. I am picking away at CodeAcademy tutorials when I have the time, but I’m not being terribly focused about it.
Administrative/organizational – I’ve done the typical administrative thing, and have helped set up an invoice tracking system (in Excel).

This is where I’m thinking of going:
Communications – Jobs for communications coordinators and communications officers seem to share a lot of skills I already posses and can be found in many interesting industries. However, a lot of them also ask for writing portfolios and experience in web development, graphic design, and social media. They also tend to seek people with marketing experience.

Education – I’ve been considering instructional design for some time, but I don’t know how to get my foot in the door, or find out whether it’s something I’d really enjoy. I see very few entry-level instructional design jobs, and most job postings require knowledge of specific software. What other jobs can I seek out in the education industry? (Open to anything from primary to post-secondary, public or private. I have some modest teaching experience, mostly to elementary-aged students if relevant.)

Information architecture – Sounds interesting, but don’t really know much about it or if I would enjoy it. How can I learn more about what information architects do? Would I need to go back to school for this?

So what’s my next step? How can I polish up my skills to make myself more appealing to companies outside the publishing industry? Buckle down with some tutorials and learn HTML/CSS and Adobe Creative Suite? Build a portfolio? Take a class? Volunteer or intern? Can you think of any other jobs or industries that I might enjoy?

Thank you, Career Coach Metafilter!

*Just in case anyone mentions it, I do not think I am cut out for freelance editorial work at this point in my life. I really need the 9-to-5 structure to be productive.

how feasible is a career shift into commercial real estate at forty?

zeoslap — Tue, 11 Sep 2012 10:52:03 -0800

Just turned forty and thinking about a potential career shift into commercial real estate in the Bay Area. What do i need to know?

Unexpected Phone Interview!

pised — Mon, 27 Aug 2012 16:03:17 -0800

Posting for a friend, who writes: I am currently an academic with a humanities PhD, doing the whole adjunct thing. I have been pursuing non-academic careers for a while, and things might finally be starting to pay off in the form of a phone interview. Trouble is, I haven't had an interview for anything in ten years. I am an adjunct and have been trying to get out. I recently applied at a local company that I was interested in. I was told that while they felt I was overqualified for the position I applied for, they would keep my resume on file and that they thought I might be suitable for another position in the company, should one open up. Great! I sent an updated resume (tailored to this other position) to a recruiter there, and crossed my fingers.

Today, a different recruiter got in touch with me (after viewing my LinkedIn profile) to ask if I knew of anybody who might be interested in a particular position at the company—in fact, the very one that they said I might be suitable for. I said "Yes, me!" and noted that they should have my resume on file. A little while later the guy asked when he could give me a call regarding the position.

Now, I'm very nervous: I do believe myself to be very qualified for this job, and am excited about the opportunity with this particular company, and don't want to blow things. But, I haven't had an interview since I applied for the recurring summer job I held during my undergraduate days.

I have a short time to prepare, and have been googling like mad, but I was hoping some HR / recruiters or anyone else might offer me some advice. I have already read about very practical things, such as smiling while I speak, finding a quiet place, and so on. What I would like some help with is what to expect from the interview itself.

What is generally the purpose of the phone interview? What kind of questions can I expect, and what are the right answers?

My cursory searches suggest that I might be asked about salary expectations and my current salary. How do I respond to this? I have done some Internet research and found what people with this title in the company make, but I am unsure how reliable the data is.

Second of all, I also see that I may be asked why I am leaving my current job. I am going to assume that I can't say "There are no tenure-track jobs" or that "I don't want to contribute to what I feel is an unethical growth in graduate degree holders" or "I'm so tired of re-applying for the same courses at a pittance each semester" (among many other reasons) and be done with it. What would you, as a recruiter, need to hear from a post-academic transitioning into the private workforce? And what would scare you away?

Are there other questions for which I should have a ready answer?

And, are there questions I should definitely ask the recruiter?

What else can I do to prepare? I have limited time as the interview is early tomorrow afternoon. However, I really, really do want this job. The company sounds fantastic and the work fascinating.

Can I start over in my own town?

Anonymous — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 18:00:26 -0800

New leaf, same old city? Seeking advice—both practical and symbolic—on attempting a "fresh start" in a city I've lived in for 10 years. I'm 29. I've spent the last ten years flailing around, hopelessly and embarrassingly, in a deep, confusing quarter-life crisis. Basically FREAKING THE EFF OUT over what to do with my life. I've started jobs and abandoned them weeks later. Gone back to school (for a degree in French!) and dropped out after a semester. Tried my hand at freelance writing only to burn out after a few years. Moved away for a grand adventure only to slink back after three months with my tail between my legs. Proclaimed my love for a girl only to change my mind a year into it.

Basically, I've been a flake. And I'm pretty self-conscious about it.

The good news is that I'm getting my shit together. In two weeks, I start a professional masters program that will set me on a very promising, purposeful path. It's a transition I've spent three years mapping out, and I'm thrilled to finally pull the trigger.

The bad news, though, is that, thanks to cheap in-state tuition, I'll be doing it in the same city where all of these misfires took place—a town full of spurned employers, ex-lovers, frenemies, and many, many other people privy to my small failures and humiliations. And as proud as I am to grow up, to turn over a new leaf, I'd be much more confident with this transition if I were truly starting over in a different city. The place I'm living in reminds me too much of my past failures, and I worry that the social circles and creative scene I've been kicking around in might hamper my evolution as an adult.

So, Mefites, anyone have experience with manufacturing that "fresh start" feeling? Should I change my look, switch from contacts to glasses or maybe grow a beard? Swear off my old haunts for awhile, take a break from the rock shows and art openings? Perhaps I just need to remind myself of all of the simple perks of NOT moving (no need to find a new hairstylist!). Or just delete all the never-dialed contacts in my phone.

I'd love to hear from people who managed to change their lives without changing their addresses. People whose circumstances forced them to navigate their social situation in a new way. Maybe you successfully regrouped after a messy breakup. Maybe you went sober. Maybe you changed careers and adopted a whole new identity.

The city I live in, by the way, is an arty, progressive town of about the same size and cultural cachet of Portland (but it isn't Portland). Translation: Big enough to have a robust creative community, small enough to constantly run into all the same people in that creative community.

Oh, and this is all anonymous because, well, I feel I could use all the anonymity I can get.

How to become a civil liberties crusader

Anonymous — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 16:58:42 -0800

Public interest law transition-filter: I am a lawyer in a private-sector transactional practice. I would like to be a public interest lawyer doing litigation or policy in national security, civil liberties, surveillance or drug liberalization. My orientation on all these issues is civil-libertarian, pro-transparency and disclosure, etc. Groups whose work I tend to admire include the ACLU, EFF, EPIC, Government Accountability Project, CCR, etc.

I'm a few years out of law school and I have decent credentials: I graduated from a top school with good grades, and I work for one of the most distinguished "BigLaw" firms. The group I practice in is routinely recognized as the best, or among the best, in the business.

My big weakness is that I have no litigation experience and little public interest history. I haven't clerked. I haven't worked on any of the causes I'm interested in. I have been a member of a civil liberties group, but not a terribly active one. I have done some public interest pro bono projects as a practicing lawyer, but nothing really relevant to what I want to get into.

I understand that this is "bad" -- the question is, what do I do about it? What is the quickest and most efficient way I can get out of what I'm doing and into one of the things I'm interested in? Part-time, volunteer, unpaid internship and similar possibilities are all possible if I need to do them. Should I try to clerk? Who to talk to about this?

(I am of course prepared to accept a vastly diminished wage rate in exchange for work that I will find meaningful.)

All advice is welcome. Thanks.

If there is important information missing let me know in the thread and I will try to follow up.