Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with careers

Help my wife narrate awesomeness

Librarygeek — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 07:14:05 -0800

My wife has expressed interest in being a voice actor. Doing some narration work to be more specific. How does someone get into the field? My google fu is not helping me! Do classes help? My wife has an awesome voice. She has been told over the years that she has a good phone voice, good voice when she's done PA type announcements, etc. I love to hear her read. Her undergrad degree was in speech communications and she did a lot of speech competitions as a teen/young adult.

She has expressed interest in being a voice actor. Doing some narration work to be more specific. How does someone get into the field? My google fu is not helping me! Do classes help?

Thanks hivemind!

Tips for having multiple careers

ichomp — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 19:34:08 -0800

Do you have advice on pursuing/ handling multiple jobs at once? Especially if both are jobs you plan on making into careers. Right now I have two jobs, and while they are not permanent and salaried positions, I like both of them and would like to pursue a career/ work in both long-term. My first job is a project coordinator position, and it is a M-F, "formal" job. My second job is on weekends, as an assistant art teacher for kids. I don't have formal art or education training, but I am greatly interested in children and would like to continue assistant teaching on weekends.

In addition to that, I may be starting a traffic coordinator position at a creative agency 3 half-days a week, which may grow into permanent position after my first job ends. Do you have any tips on having two jobs during M-F that are similar in nature, but different in industry? I would like to do well in both and have energy for my second job of the day.

Do any MeFites have experience growing 2 (different) career paths? Mine would be project management and teaching. Perhaps teaching is not my career, but working with kids in some way is. If you have any advice on pursuing a project management career, I would appreciate it too.

1) How can I do my best in each job and be "fresh" when I go to each of them?
2) How do I develop as a project/traffic manager? I've had this role temporarily in IT and possibly creative agency, and I'd like to find a permanent position.
3) If I'm interested in working with kids on the side, how can I develop in this area without getting a degree?

Please tell me about your experience pursuing two careers paths, if it's feasible, and how you managed them. Thanks.

how to engage in self-care when responsibilities get in the way

DayTripper — Sat, 08 Jun 2013 09:42:19 -0800

I'm depressed, in a gruesome summer class, and feel like there just aren't enough hours in the day to handle both my responsibilities and my well-being. How do busy people balance these things? Why do we even bother with these pesky responsibilities that society imposes on us? To start, I have depression, anxiety, and ADHD, so self-care, positive thinking and time management are not things I excel at. By self-care I do not mean hygiene-related things-- I am good about showering, grooming, etc. I struggle when it comes to catering to my emotional/spiritual needs. When I take on a new responsibility (like my miserable-but-necessary summer class), the first things that get cut from my schedule and priorities are yoga, socializing (which was down to a bare minimum due to my depression anyway), sleep, chores. I'm a perfectionist and extremely critical of myself. When it comes to things like grades, especially, I tend to get way too wrapped up in the details of something and start having black-and-white thinking, where I can either completely throw myself into a task or just blow it off. I feel like a non-depressed person would be better able to look at the summer class as a very temporary issue that will yield a good result: I'm taking the classes as a post-bacc to cover pre-reqs for dental school admission. But all I can see is my day-to-day misery. It just feels like such a bleak existence. I have several hours of class, then I have several hours of studying every day, and I'm working 10 hrs a week. I don't mean to sound whiney-- I am 100% aware that there are a lot of people who balance school/work/responsibilities and I really want to know how they do it without going insane. So, to those of you who have had to deal with a grueling academic undertaking, or had to balance work with school, or work long hours, or anything else that took up a lot of your time, what sacrifices did you make? How did you ensure that your own needs were met without forsaking your responsibilities? How did you focus on the "big picture" and what the eventual outcome of your hard work would be? How did you incorporate socializing into your schedule?

Another part of this problem is that I find myself wondering what it's all even for. Not in a "what's the point of living" kind of way, but in a "what's the point of these stupid responsibilities?" kind of way. It's like I'm succumbing to this rat race that may not even make me happy in the end. I feel like there are two paths in life: the practical way, where you pick a profession that you like well enough and will earn you a comfortable living and some stability and pays the bills, or the adventurous way, where you follow your passion like art or music or acting, risk everything, travel, and you either Make It or you become a better person because of your experiences. I also feel like you pick one path and give up all the aspects of the other. I know on a deeper level that this can't be right. How can I have practicality without feeling like I'm giving up all the fun in life? It's not even like I'd have the balls to pick up and leave to do these "adventurous" things that I dream of without having my life set up-- it's more of a hypothetical thing. I flirt with the fantasy of joining the Peace Corps or becoming an English teacher in Thailand/yoga instructor/artist/fashion designer/author/some other artsy job and going on retreats and training in places like Costa Rica and moving to somewhere like Colorado or Oregon or Europe where my practical friends with their 9-5 jobs won't be able to put a damper on my dreams. But part of me feels like this fantasy is partially driven by a desire to rebel against what is expected. Part of me just wants to have a regular job like my friends with regular hours and regular responsibilities. Do Real People in the Real World have these same feelings and fantasies? Am I losing my mind? There is no way everyone with a day job lives a vapid life. I need help understanding this. I want someone to tell me that it's okay to have a job that's not your dream job, and it's okay to have money for things and to have security and a routine. I need to hear that there are ways to have excitement in life without becoming a nomad.

I should probably add that I do like/have an interest in dentistry. It just feels like the path to get there is so. freaking. long. Which leaves me plenty of time for negative self-talk about how I'm a sell-out and I better LOVE dentistry since I'm spending a million years trying to become a dentist, how I'll be a couple of years older than my dental school cohorts, and then I start having my yoga/art fantasies and the cycle ensues.

Thanks for reading.

Career wanted: Apply within

TrishaLynn — Mon, 06 May 2013 07:36:53 -0800

After the standard three-month probationary period, I realized that the first job in my new state wasn't right for me, so I resigned. Help me plot my next career move? When I was younger, I wanted to be a writer/editor/publisher but my parents didn't have the money—and I didn't have the gumption to apply for financial aid or scholarships—to send me to the schools where I could get a really good journalism degree. I got my BA in English, though, and in order to pay off some credit card debt, I worked at a travel agency call center.

After two years of not being paid to be a writer but doing some volunteer writing and editing for a monthly webzine, I decided to quit my job to try being a freelance writer. Four months after that, I got a job at a niche magazine and moved across the country to do that job, only to be terminated a year after that.

Bills called again, and for the next three years after that, I kicked ass at a data entry job while volunteering at the local-area geek convention as a senior staff member and publishing an annual print 'zine. Then some personal issues hit and I decided to change careers again to be an admin/executive assistant.

In the five years since I switched, I've held five jobs ranging in duration from three years to three months. I know there's a problem here in my being able to keep and hold a job (and I strongly suspect it's me), but how do I find this out for sure? I'm in my mid-thirties and I don't have the luxury of spending more time to "find myself."

More questions:

My husband thinks seeing a therapist again would help. Are there any psychologists in the greater Twin Cities area that not only deal with cognitive behavior stuff but career advice and coaching as well?
I did a search for career aptitude tests online but what's the meatspace equivalent of those? Is that the sort of thing you can do at an unemployment office or staffing agency?
One of the reasons I suspect I've not been able to be very happy since I switched to the admin/executive assistant track is that ever since I was terminated from the editing job, I've been trying to get back into it and feeling discouraged. I made it a priority to take "any" job in order to pay off my debts, and it's worked to the point of where I only have one credit card bill in my name, and I'm within a year or so of paying that one off completely; at the same time, I've barely written anything since then, even on the website I created/started myself. But the writing/editing industry isn't as robust out here in Minneapolis as it was in New York City, where I used to live. Am I completely foolish for even wanting to still write and edit?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Is this real life?

Anonymous — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 07:00:18 -0800

About 6 or 7 months ago, I started my first post-academic job in a corporate environment. (I had been an adjunct.) I've now reached the point where the honeymoon's over, and I'm deeply concerned that I'm unlikely to find any satisfaction in work. Am I expecting too much of my working life, or is there something more? I was frustrated as an (humanities) adjunct because the pay was not good and, worse yet, unreliable from one semester to the next. When I first stepped out the door, I was immensely relieved to have found work, and at a company that I will admit treats me very well. I have a decent salary, good benefits, and I like the people I work with. These things are still true, but lately I've been feeling just completely dissatisfied with my working life.

I just find it very hard to care. Whenever anybody talks about working in line with the company's mission or goals, I find it hard not to roll my eyes. I work on the tasks I am assigned to but I basically go through the motions, doing what's required of me, but I don't really care about it. This is very strange for me; when I was at the university, I was a bit of a perfectionist and extremely passionate about my work and just doing a good job in general.

I'm not sure if it is the corporate environment (I cringe at half the verbs that get thrown around around the office) or what, but it's just hard to muster any enthusiasm for anything. It doesn't help that most people around me seem to be big boosters of the company at large, and deeply invested in the work they're doing. I feel like there's something wrong with me that I'm not.

When I took the job, I told myself it was fine, that no matter what I did I could just work for the weekend and pursue my other interests in the evenings and during my time off. I thought that working 9-5 would free me up to write and research topics that I wanted to write and research about, without worrying about how they'd look on an academic job application or on my CV, or even whether they'd get published anywhere beyond my blog. I've found that to be very difficult to do, though--I just don't really have the energy for it. I just want to come home on and turn off and watch TV.

I appreciate and rely on the salary and benefits. Having steady employment like this helped me and my family get on with our lives in a way we weren't able to do when I was on the adjunct merry-go-round. And it is by no means a bad job. Not at all. As I said, I like the people I work with, my salary is reasonable, I get good benefits. But that almost makes my frustration worse. I'm honestly a bit scared that this is all there is: that this is just what the real world is like, and I should just deal with it. That sounds horrible.

I guess my question is: is this normal? Is this what life post-university is like? Should I just try to figure out a way to deal with it, or what? Did I just choose the wrong path, or is this just what the path is like?

Are you more successful than your parents? How?

3491again — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 00:55:17 -0800

My parents never had careers. I would like to. Most career advice doesn't make any sense to me, and I'd love your thoughts on the matter. I've been reading Lean In and it's made me think a lot about my career trajectory.

My parents didn't have careers. My Mom was told to become a teacher because she would have summers off. She became a teacher, hated it, then worked crappy receptionist type jobs for many years. She then got a useless degree at a community college that she never used, and finally went to work in her parents' family business doing menial jobs, although she has a Mensa level IQ. She never had interests or hobbies or strived to fulfill herself through career or volunteer work. She never really, as far as I know, "found herself" or even tried to. She never taught me or encouraged me to do any of these things either.

My father has significant mental and social disabilities. My Mom always blamed him for not being a higher earner. He has had a series of technical jobs that use his high IQ and that allow him to avoid people. He never progressed in his career and now works as a taxi driver part-time although he has an advanced degree. He has some hobbies but doesn't really engage with the world (i.e., he goes running but never enters a race, plays an instrument but never performs, expounds on his opinions but doesn't do any writing or activism or volunteer work to express them). He never encouraged or supported me to do well in school or be involved in the community in any way. I wasn't given any career advice growing up other than "don't go into careers with a lot of women in them". (not a joke)

They were both economically unstable most of my life, and I honestly don't know how they supported the family except for the handouts from my grandparents.

My grandparents were immigrants who worked ridiculous hours at a local small business for their whole lives and made a lot of money. Most of the women in my extended family are stay-at-home-Moms (even now that their children are grown) or work in their husband's businesses. None of them seek fulfillment even though quite a few of them have the financial means to do so. They spend their time watching TV and running errands and such.

As for me, I stumbled along for a really long time, relied on a man to set my career direction (dumb) and then finally found myself in a fairly high-powered milieu (an elite university) and have realized that I have no clue. I have no idea how to get from here to there. I don't really have a visceral sense of what "there" is.

I'm not really asking for career advice, interviewing skills, etc. It's not specific skills I'm after so much as learning from people who have walked this road before. A lot of the things I read assume a somewhat middle class background, but I didn't grow up in the middle class.

If your parents did not have careers or were not fulfilled by their careers, and did not encourage you to do so -- and you are somehow fulfilled by your career, I'd like to know more about how things are for you and what suggestions you might have for me. What should I know now?

tl;dr: If you are more successful than your parents, how did that happen? Was there a turning point? Did someone mentor you? How did you start to think about a career? What would you do if you were me, or yourself 10 years ago?

Which road to take?

Anonymous — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 19:10:27 -0800

I'm at the final round of interviews for two very different jobs, and if I'm offered both, I'm not sure what I should do. One's at a nonprofit, the other's at an advertising agency. I'm 25, and in the NYC area. I currently work at a 150-person nonprofit in a support capacity, and it is my first professional job. I have been here for a year and a half and am beginning to feel unchallenged. It was a good first job but I am ready to move on. It pays 40K/year (which for NYC is not as great as it might sound).

I am in the running for two jobs right now. So far I have had one phone and one in-person interview for each company. Both in-person interviews went very well, and I have been asked back for third and final interviews at both companies.

Of course there is a very good chance I will get only one offer, or neither! But if I get both...

I have been applying for jobs in my current field of nonprofit administration on and off, and I finally got a bite- an associate-level communications/fundraising/exec assistant jack-of-all trades job at a very small nonprofit. The main office only has 5 or 6 people, but there are overseas offices too. It's more responsibility, a wider variety of stuff to do, more writing, due to the small size it sounds like an environment with a lot of room for individual contribution and growth, and I believe in the cause. I have no idea what it pays, but I would guess anywhere from 40K to 50K.

So right after I applied for that job, my friend asked me to send her my resume because she'd heard of a cool job at her company I might qualify for. She works for an ad agency. The job is an entry-level position in innovation/strategy- basically, it involves a great deal of research and brainstorming and generating new ways of doing things, all of which I really love to do. It sounds challenging and fun. The company is gigantic, and I think I would have the opportunity to advance. It will also probably pay no more than I currently make (40K), will probably involve heinous hours (like 50-60 hour weeks as opposed to my current 40), and... I'm ambivalent about working in advertising. I don't think it's inherently bad, but I do think there are problems with it, and I've enjoyed working at a nonprofit where I felt I might actually be helping the world a bit.

I am leaning towards the ad job, but I really don't know much about the industry and I'm worried I will really hate it, quit, and then find myself having to look for YET ANOTHER entry-level job at almost 30. My resume is already an insane mishmash, and I don't want to find myself totally unemployable because I look like a dilettante. And I DO know that I really liked my current job at the start, before I learned everything and it became unchallenging.

So guys- what should I do? What would you do? What will I regret NOT doing more?

♫♫ What do you do with a BS in Physics? ♫♫

Anonymous — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 18:41:11 -0800

Three years ago, I graduated with a Physics degree. Since then, I've been working in a soul-crushing IT job. Realistically, what are my options to push my career forward? Help me find my passion. Lots of snowflake details inside. I graduated from a well-respected public university in 2009, with a GPA that was just a hair below 3.0. Although I completed a bunch of lab work and internships, I had neither the grades nor the ambition to pursue the PhD/Postdoc career path that's traditional to the field.

I stuck with my degree, with the promise that it could eventually lead to a career in engineering (which seemed a lot more interesting than the theoretical Physics stuff I was working on). This didn't really pan out, as no employers were even willing to look at a candidate that hadn't taken the EIT, and my grad school options seemed to be severely constrained by my mediocre GPA.

Since graduating, I've been working in an IT job for a huge government contractor in Washington, DC. My official title is "Systems Engineer," although "IT Polymath" might be a better description. I have a ridiculously broad array of job duties, ranging from low-level systems administration/helpdesk duties, writing code, media editing, server administration, and a bit of fairly high-level engineering work. Most of the systems that I oversee are highly proprietary and specific to our office's function. Unfortunately, this also means that most of the "typical" IT responsibilities (AD administration, NOC, etc) are delegated out to other departments within my client's organization. My client also tends to be relentlessly conservative with its IT practices, so I'm missing quite a few buzzwords (ie. anything with virtualization) from my resume. In other words, there are some gaps in my skills and experience that are making it very difficult for me to apply to similar jobs elsewhere -- every advertised IT vacancy seems to require a laundry list of incredibly specific experiences and skills.

Unfortunately, my job lacks a clear sense of direction, has no coherent management chain to speak of, and has no obvious path for advancement. I'm the youngest person in my office by about 15 years, and can't help shake the feeling that I'm often treated like a child. Even after 3 years on the job, I'm also still the newest "employee" (and only contractor and only non-union person) in the office. My coworkers still occasionally call me by the name of my predecessor.

Despite these numerous respect issues, my client seems incredibly satisfied with the work that I do. I've received three glowing performance reviews, but my pay ($50k) has not increased by a dime, and my benefits have gotten progressively more expensive (to say nothing about the cost of living in DC spiraling out of control). At my last review, I inquired about advancement opportunities, training, or opportunities elsewhere in my huge firm, and was told something along the lines of "Why would you want that? You have stability and the best job in our company." I know that I'm not making bad money, but I also get the distinct impression that my career isn't going to lead to anyplace good if I stay where I am.

I've recently been focusing a lot on the web development aspects of my job, and have gotten to the point where I feel extremely competent as a web developer. I've had a few interviews for full-time web development jobs with startup-y companies, all of which have progressed quite far until one interviewer sets out to prove that I don't have a CS degree or experience as a full-time developer on a big team. These setbacks have frequently been exhausting and humiliating. I'm trying to churn out a few personal projects to build a portfolio, although I've been finding this to be surprisingly difficult to accomplish while also holding down a full-time job and attempting to have a functioning social life.

I've contemplated going back to school to study engineering (probably Civil, but I really don't know), but my options seem to be constrained by my mediocre GPA, having few professors who would write me a favorable recommendation, and the cost of tuition (as a DC resident, I don't have any good 'in-state' options). Additionally, I'd rather have some experience in a particular discipline of engineering before committing to a degree. Urban planning's also caught my interest, but I also really don't know how I'd determine if I'd find that sort of career to be fulfilling (or even attainable). Although I don't mind having a desk job, I also do like that an Engineering career could potentially lead to something that doesn't result in my butt being stuck in the same chair every single day.

I apologize that this is rambling and somewhat open-ended, but what are my options to move my career forward? I'm feeling more and more like I'm going to be stuck here forever.

In-thread replies are appreciated, but I've also set up a throwaway email at quantumemployment@gmail.com

What's it like to be a bookkeeper, and how do I get there from here?

fullerenedream — Sun, 24 Mar 2013 23:30:07 -0800

I have a BSc in physics and an environmental diploma, neither of which are getting me any work. I've been doing office temp work for a couple of years now - mostly admin with a bit of reception. I enjoy admin work but I'd rather get away from the customer/client-facing stuff. I have pretty strong math and computer skills (via physics), I enjoy some things people often find boring (e.g. filing, messing around with Excel), and I'm comfortable sitting in front of a computer all day. Do you think I would like bookkeeping? What's it actually like to be a bookkeeper? What do you do in the run of a day? The internet seems to think it's possible to get bookkeeping work without going to school for it. Does that sound right? I'm thinking of taking a free online course. Maybe then I can get some temp admin work with a bit of bookkeeping involved, and then move more fully into bookkeeping as I gain experience.

Does this seem reasonable? Am I getting ahead of myself? Are there other pathways I should be exploring to get away from the front desk?

Day in The Life of a professor or research scientist

marsbar77 — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 07:11:40 -0800

I'm wondering if anyone can shed some light on the daily experience of a university researcher in either psychology or the basic sciences as well as a meta-review of the job as a whole. Specifically:
What was the path to employment like for you?
What skills- both practical and interpersonal- would you say are important to doing your job well? What factors contribute to your success?
What are some challenges or drawbacks of life as a PA? ( Please be specific if at all possible)
What opportunities would you say there are for growth/advancement?
These are just general guidelines. Feel free to ( and in fact I would ask you to) to speak to your individual experience and add whatever two cents you may have. This started as an assignment, yes, but I'm also genuinely interested in making an informed decision about my future. Thanks everyone!

Pharmacist looking for work outside of the retail setting--what's next?

candasartan — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 08:00:05 -0800

Can someone explain the best career path for a pharmacist with 6 years of retail experience as a technician, 11 months of experience as a medical editor, and 7 months of experience as a pharmacist? I am a 26-year-old NJ pharmacist and medical editor. I worked as a medical editor for 11 months after graduating from a 6-year pharmacy program. When the pharmaceutical advertising company I worked for experienced financial pressure, I decided it was time to work in a retail pharmacy. I did that for 7 months. At the retail pharmacy, I started out with a store, but soon found that intolerable. After that, I became a floater and worked both daytime and overnight shifts. My wife and I had trouble tolerating the hours, but when I was assigned to work in an inner-city store and a crime occurred on my shift, I gave my employer notice and quit.

For the past 2 months, I have been seeking positions as a medical editor, a drug safety data specialist, a medical writer, or a call-center pharmacist. I am also interested in hospital, long-term care, and mail-order positions.

Should I get more education?

Should I change careers?

Should I do a residency or fellowship? (I'm not really willing to move)

What kinds of jobs are available to me?

Everything from A-Z including a job for ME! (hopefully)

tylerfulltilt — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 16:19:59 -0800

Those of you who have been through the amazon corporate hiring process, what was it like? Did I commit a major boneheaded move in my application for a job? For those of you who have been through the process, either getting hired, getting an interview but not a job, or getting nothing at all, what was it like? What can I expect?

I'm concerned about the ICIMS recruiting thing. It keeps matching me to jobs in IT positions, even though my background, clearly stated on my resume, is in writing/shooting/editing video. Should I be concerned that my experience is being misunderstood?

Also, I applied for a what is, I guess, a "corporate" job as a video editor at the amazon fulfillment center near me. One of the requirements listed in the posting at the amazon website is a link to work samples. But there was no where to submit a hyperlink in the online submission.

So, since, the job I'm applying for is only 15 minutes from where I live, I drove over there and asked to drop off my resume with someone in the photo/video dept. and get the name of someone to submit my work samples to directly. When someone showed up to talk to me, he seemed very confused, albeit very polite. He insisted that I just paste the links to my demo reel in the body of my resume and that would be good enough. He did take my paper print out resume with him and I left with telling him that I had lots of relevant experience.

Did I commit a major Faux-pas by showing up there? I've always been told that employers like to see initiative in the hiring process, but I'm concerned that I may have screwed myself by seeming clueless on this one.

Anyone have any thoughts, word of encouragement or sobering advice for me in the nerve wracking job search?

Help me find happiness in my current job, or one that suits me better?

Anonymous — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 09:27:19 -0800

I am unhappy with my professional life, but have no idea what I’d rather being doing. Does a person exist who can help me either figure out how to be happy with what I’m doing, or figure out what I really want instead? And if so, how do I find them? Long, and possibly skippable/skimable backstory:

--
My professional career started with an incredibly huge break. Two years out of college, I was hired as a project manager for the website of a pretty big bricks and mortar retailer. For the first three years, things went very well. I was doing a good job, was told so frequently, and was given the raises to back it up. Despite having very good sales, eCommerce wasn’t a big focus for the company (we were a branch of marketing, rather than our own department.) As things started to grow, and people were pulled in different directions, I assumed more and more responsibility, until I found myself being the main business lead for the website for the better part of a year. I didn’t always love the work, but on the whole, things were going very well.

Right around the three year mark, the company decided to put more of a focus on eCommerce, and there was a pretty big reorganization. This resulted in two significant changes:

1. My boss, who had been very hands-off, now needed to be looped in on pretty much everything.
2. The project management team was greatly expanded, and a new role was created to manage this team. This role went to a member of a different team.

#2 meant I had been effectively demoted (I would no longer be directly reporting to my boss) but I agreed with the decision, as I wasn’t ready to take on a role managing others.

For the first year under this new arrangement, I was still doing a good job in the eyes of the company, and still had successes I was personally proud of, but I was starting to become pretty unsatisfied with the job on the whole. The increased involvement of my boss was probably the single biggest issue I can point to, but in general, I found myself becoming increasingly unhappy with the whole notion of working in eCommerce for a retail company. Things started getting pretty bad in the second year under the new arrangement. It wasn’t until the end of the year that I actually received any real feedback that the company was unhappy with my performance, but I’m certain there was a growing dissatisfaction on their part throughout. Sunday evenings and nights became incredibly dark times for me, having to face the prospect of another week at work. I was having terrible anxiety and was often unable to sleep.

Towards the end of this period, there was a ray of hope: My wife and I needed to relocate to a new city for her career. I began applying for jobs in the new city, and very quickly began discussions with another bricks and mortar retailer who was interested in hiring me for a similar position. I flew out there, met the people I would be working with, and came away feeling like the organization would be a much better fit. I accepted the position and we completed the move to the new city. I definitely had some concerns that I’d be bringing some of my baggage with me to the new position (and even typed up, but never posted, and anonymous Ask about how to avoid this) but convinced myself that the new city and new job would be enough to break me of my old habits, and I’d be right back at being the great employee I was for the first few years of my old job. Unfortunately, a few months in at the new job, I’m probably about 80% of the way towards being right back in the same mindset as I was at the old job. I can attribute a lot of this to disappointments with the new company, but I’d be kidding myself if I didn’t acknowledge that at least some, if not the overwhelming majority, of the problem sits with me. Yes, there are things that I wish were different, but at the same time, I have no enthusiasm whatsoever for tackling new projects, and can only begrudgingly move current ones along.
--
So, backstory out of the way, here’s where I stand now: I’m fairly convinced that being a project manager for eCommerce Retail isn’t for me. But how can I decide how much of the baby to keep if I throw out the bathwater? Perhaps being a PM in another industry would suit me better? Or perhaps another role in retail? I know nobody can really answer these questions but me, but I have no idea how to begin exploring them with myself. And if I need to make a significant change, I don’t even know what it is I would want to be doing instead. Part of my concern about making any drastic changes is that I don’t feel like I have any marketable skills outside of being a PM. I’ve got a liberal arts degree in an unrelated field that doesn’t really present much in the way of professional opportunities. I know tons about the structure of eCommerce Websites, but can only dabble in coding.

And yet: I have tremendous guilt about not being happy with my current situation. The economy sucks and the pay is very, very good. I am so ashamed with myself for not being able to just suck it up and do what’s asked of me. There’s a huge, huge part of me that just wants to figure out how to make this job work for me and be on my merry way. I really don’t know if that’s possible though. But at times I feel legitimately embarrassed that so many people are out of work, and I have a job that gives me more money than I need, and I spend so much time thinking about how much I don’t like it.

With all of this said: Outside of my professional life, I am very happy. My wife and I have an incredible, loving relationship. I adore spending time with her, and our new city puts us much closer to old friends and family. Also potentially important details: We’re young (late 20s) and have no kids, nor any plans to have any. She’s got student loan debt, I do not.

I’ve done a few stints of talk therapy, and have generally found them to be very helpful. But I tend to fall into a pattern of waiting until things become problematic for me emotionally, starting therapy, getting better, and then stopping. Rinse, repeat. I think I’m wondering if such a therapist exists who can really help me clarify what I want, professionally. If such a person exists, I’m not sure they’re a “therapist”, per se. Maybe a life coach? I guess I’m not even sure what such a person does.

So, in short: Right now, I have zero idea what I want to do with my life. No passions that could ever make a career. I want to figure out how to fix this. I suspect it’s talking with someone, but I don’t know who, or how to find them. I am also open to any approaches I can take that don’t involve talking to someone about this. Books, exercises, whatever.

Throwaway email: unhappycareer@gmail.com

User interface design - what's it actually like?

Anonymous — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 11:39:42 -0800

What I would like to know is for those of you actually in the field who work in UI/UX design what the day to day is actually like. I have finished attending a university and will be graduating with a degree with user interface design/usability as a concentration. I have a few different career paths directions to go in.

In doing some research and looking over resumes of those who do UX design, it seems like most people do not stay with a particular employer for long. For instance, maybe stay for a year or two max then move onto another employer. Is this due to the nature of the work, the field or since UI is nascent, due to better opportunities opening up?

In addition, I am a bit older of a student and will be 45 soon. I worry that age discrimination could rear it's ugly head and would like to know your thoughts on that as well.

Thanks!

Jobs/professions separated by taste, and income, but not skills?

Clyde Mnestra — Sun, 10 Feb 2013 11:25:53 -0800

Those who can, do; those who can't, teach. But it seems to me -- as a teacher discussing possible careers with young folks, in which some focus on maximum expected income per skill set -- that there are jobs or professions in which the average participant could excel at another, and earn (on average) more money, but chooses not to. This is helpful in illustrating that income isn't allocated by talent, and those choosing professions value many different things. Can you help me think of airtight examples in the following form? "Many/most Xs have the skills to succeed as Ys -- and they could earn more money, on average, as Ys -- but they choose not to." Speculation about why they might make that choice (including, e.g., love of doing X, distaste for Y, risk averseness, etc.) also appreciated. Please set aside factors that don't really relate to choice, such as scarcity or ignorance. Thanks!

Is a career change into finance realistic for me?

molloy — Sun, 03 Feb 2013 07:39:49 -0800

Over the last year or so, my interest in Finance has been building steadily, to the point where I’m considering the possibility of a career change.
My goals are modest. I understand that investment banking and chartered accountancy are unrealistic targets. But I'm really interested in ideas for positions that would be accessible to me within, say, a couple of years of study and/or hard graft.

I am 33. Studied Economics at A Level, but otherwise no finance background. 2 undergraduate degrees, in Engineering & Literature. For the last five years I’ve been running a small company with a turnover of 280k. I’m very much an all rounder. No particular strengths. Strong excel. Some basic coding and database skills, but nothing specialised. Marketing is probably my strongest skill, though I've little wish to build on that.

My interest in Finance is quite broad. On one level I really enjoy the basics of bookkeeping, tax, payroll, accounting that I mostly do myself for my business. Taxation in general I find interesting - politically, economically, philosophically, historically, it seems a very crucial topic to me.

I'm also interested to the wider picture. A year ago I started investing in the stock market, initially begrudgingly, but now I’m hooked. I read company accounts for fun. I am a value investor. I dabble in growth, speculative, trading also, and I’ve been pretty lucky at it, but I think speculating is not where my interest is really coming from. Though I think I have a knack for it, and the right kind of head.

I have easily digested the finance text books I’ve encountered so far. I have a comfortable and natural understanding of the time value of money. Maybe I'm an above average driver too, but complex financial ideas do seem to make some kind instinctual sense to me when I first encounter them. But I've never competed in the sector, I might be basement bin for all i know. But this seems less relevant as I am not competitive, I just really enjoy the subject so suspect I would be happy on any rung.

So I’m wondering about my next step. I don’t really know anything about the industry. Never had a proper job in anything remotely close to the sector. I’m presuming internships are not possible for someone my age? I’m wondering what would be a productive first step.

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!!

What can I do in my free time which could lead to a job?

Anonymous — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 07:38:30 -0800

What qualifications (certifications, skills, volunteer experiences, etc.) can I realistically pick up, for free, without actually being employed in the field which they would qualify me for? After graduating with a STEM bachelor's in 2010, I landed in a position which I will never be promoted out of (it's in academia, and the career track is very closely tied to completion of one or more advanced degrees) and in which I'm not learning or doing anything which could conceivably lead to a better job, let alone a career. I spend close to my whole shift doing nothing--I literally read for six or seven hours each day. When I have something to do, it's simple data entry and basic customer service. Three or four times a day I receive an email which requires a boilerplate response. Asking for more work or responsibility leads to a temporary increase in the amount of data entry.

I'm applying for other jobs, but the job market seems to have shifted in the wake of the financial crisis, and it's extremely difficult for me to find jobs for which I'm even minimally qualified, even with my degree--I suspect that employers are still able to ask for, and get, as many experienced candidates as they need to fill their needs.

The upside to this job--besides the excellent health insurance--is that I can spend my entire shift doing almost anything. I do have access to a computer and the internet, though I don't have administrator privileges. So: what can I learn or do, either at work or on my own time, that could lead to a career?

Of course, there are a couple of complications:

1. "Find a job at a school which will reimburse your tuition/allow you to take free classes" is not an answer I want. That's how I wound up where I am now, and the policy turned out to be so fraught with limitations that I essentially can't take advantage of it--and Ask Metafilter has convinced me that throwing more education at my problem is not the best idea, even if it's free.

2. "IT skills," generally, are also out, but if you feel like you have an excellent suggestion I'm listening. Real talk, though: I'm a guy in his mid-thirties who has never had a job in the technology sector, who does not have a CS degree (or substitute, like math or physics), and who stepped off the upgrade hamster wheel years ago--I have a longstanding and fairly strict no-new-electronics-purchases policy. Finally, I just do not love dicking around with computers, smartphones, etc. That said, I'm certainly comfortable using them: I used to build my own computers, and I know my way around Photoshop/Indesign/Office etc. But I'm probably not going to pick up Ruby on Rails, and I'm not sure there's much I can do at this point to make myself a credible candidate for tech jobs.

3. It has to be free, or nearly so. I can't afford to pay for more education or go into more debt, and I can't, for instance, leave my job or reduce my hours to take an unpaid internship or volunteer.

Linkedin for the Differently-Organized?

Because — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 18:35:46 -0800

How does one use linkedin effectively if one hasn't exactly got a career? I mean, I would like one. I would. But instead I have a spotty employment history and few marketable skills. I have not been in a situation in which it was reasonable for me to expect to hold down a job for some years-- travelling too much for my husband's career-- so I generally just volunteered during those times and occupied myself otherwise. However, after this last move, the law has been laid down, and I am not moving trans- or intercontinentally for a while. Great! So, how in the name of all that is holy do I get started?

I have an idea of the direction I would like to move in. And it is related to the volunteer work I have done over the past few years. But it isn't related to a lot of other stuff I have done, and would be open to doing in the future as well. Am I supposed to selectively edit this? How do I keep a profile from looking like a total mess when, well, I kind of have been? How do I shape something coherent and desirable out of the amorphous blob which is my employment history?

Jeez, just, this linkedin thing, what is it for? How do I do anything useful with it?

Help me design a parachuting class (not that kind)

pupstocks — Sun, 13 Jan 2013 15:46:26 -0800

My husband and I (both in our 30s) will graduate in May and then move to a completely new-to-us part of the country for a fresh start. During our last semester, we want to work together on defining and figuring out what our new career paths will be in the next phase of our lives. Please help us design a program to help us ask the right questions and do the right work to help us figure out what we want! More about our specific situation within. We have been where we are going to school now for 3 years. Prior to this, we were at a big crossroads and both looking for a big change. School was a sort of gestation period for us where we have been regrouping and taking a break. My husband is completing his undergraduate degree (in art, which he's always wanted to study), and I am getting a master's degree in art education, which I chose because it allowed me the opportunity to take art classes while we were here. We both have work experience in various fields that we will probably not wish to re-enter. Neither of us is expecting/wanting to find employment necessarily directly related to what we've been studying, either. Right now we are not as concerned with finding actual jobs to apply for as figuring out exactly what we want to look for when the time comes.

We were thinking we would both read the latest What Color Is Your Parachute and possibly work through the workbook (unless that's a waste of time?) and I know I want to read some of Barbara Sher's books (Refuse to Choose, I Could Do Anything If I Only Knew What It Was -- any preferences here?). We also both have done Johnson O'Connor aptitude testing, so we'll review the results and notes we have from that.

What else should we be reading or doing to help us gain insight into the types of jobs we might want to pursue when we move in the spring? I really want to approach this like a class and have regular, structured (ish?) meetings. Any advice on how to go about this process would be awesome. There's also an online class based on What Color Is Your Parachute now, but I'm not sure that would work any better than just doing the exercises in the book. What do you guys think? Money is pretty tight, but we're definitely willing to get some books or other things that genuinely will help us (again, looking at it as a textbook or whatever). Thanks for your help!

Trying to create a list of jobs in a hospital, with small descriptions

aetg — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 16:21:22 -0800

I am a technology teacher who is starting a careers project with my middle schoolers next month. They are going to be researching jobs and careers they are interested in, but I'm trying to get them to think beyond the typical positions and jobs that they see most often in their community. I have heard of having students research all the possible jobs in one area, such as a hospital, but I'm not sure what all jobs are in a hospital.

I'm trying to find some suggestions for different jobs that are specific, such as neonatal care nurse. I am also trying to find descriptions. For example, this link talks about post-secondary teachers who work in hospitals. ? I've never heard of this, maybe in pediatric hospitals? So, I want the jobs to be something my students can look up information about on the internet. I've found several websites that have categories of jobs, such as call centers, but I'm not sure what you would call that type of job, call center __________ attendant, assistant, ?

If this isn't too much of a question, I'm also looking for a different avenue to pursue with my other two classes. I'm going to have one class all look at jobs for hospitals, but I'm trying to think of an equivalent suggestion for my other two classes, maybe have students all look at a specific high-rise building and the jobs in all the offices in there? We are located in St. Louis, so something that is related to one or two of our downtown buildings might be fun, but I'm open to suggestions.

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 join a professional society for research administration?

ndg — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 10:59:45 -0800

Should I join a professional society for research administration? I oversee a social science research center at a prestigious Midwestern university. We're funded through a NIH P01. I started at this institution as an editorial type about 5 years ago, and thanks to some fortunate coincidences and active campaigning on my part, I now supervise the day-to-day operations of a staff of about 15. Along with other duties, I am responsible for many of the administrative aspects of active and prospective grants (overseeing ledgers, creating budgets, preparing progress reports, etc.) My title is "associate director," but I think the generic term for what I do is "research administrator." I like my job, and I'm at an age (32) where I'd like to do what I can to make this a career, and I wonder whether it would be worthwhile to join a professional society. (There seem to be two: the National Council of University Research Administrators [NCURA] and the Society for Research Administrators [SRA]. I can't tell what sets them apart from each other.) I know that one of my predecessors was involved with one of them, but in what capacity I'm not sure.

Arguments for joining/going to conferences include network building (I don't know many other research administrators), learning things, and demonstrating some commitment to this line of work. Arguments against include cost (maybe ~$1k annually for membership and travel, likely subsidized by work) and the hassle of having to attend conferences.
I also wonder how applicable most of this will be to me, since there aren't a lot of compliance issues since I don't deal with animal studies or human subjects, and I'm not in a position to influence anyone's policies.

I'm very interested in all thoughts about my situation and/or professional societies in general - and if anyone can tell me why NCURA is better than SRA or vice versa, I'd love to know!

I want to get on my own two feet. I need a plan of attack.

matticulate — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 15:40:44 -0800

The Short: I'm a single young adult with a college degree and student loan debt. I live in a sterile small city with limited job prospects. I want to move out and get an entry-level or temporary job in a coastal U.S. city (NYC, LA, SF, Seattle). Please walk me through the logistics and help me devise a plan, as well as offer any advice you have on making it on your own in a new city (essentially, how to be an independent, self-sufficient adult). The Long: ("Special snowflake" details below)

I'm 24 years old. I graduated from a prestigious university in California (USC) two years ago with a B.S. in Business Administration and a minor in Musical Studies (Piano Performance). I've had a string of temporary jobs in NYC since I finished school. I'm a few months unemployed (not collecting benefits; STILL required to pay a minimum of $400/month in private student loans). Due to financial duress, I moved in with my parents in a sterile planned suburb in Nevada where they just moved a year ago (a move that fortunately worked out for them and is the principal reason I'm not struggling to stay afloat).

However, job opportunities are exceptionally scarce here. The best way to visualize where I live now is to imagine a neighborhood in The Sims, a planned residential community where anything you could possibly need is within a few minutes' reach (big box stores, shopping malls, supermarkets, and outlets are all only a few miles away). It's incredibly peaceful here, but stultifying and devoid of culture. The few friends who have visited me here agree that this is not at all a place conducive to my personal or professional growth. I want to move on with my life, and I hate to sound defeatist, but being here longer than I have to be only makes me feel more and more stuck.

Registering with temp agencies here, going in person to apply for minimum wage positions at the local rec centers, libraries, supermarkets, going to malls and filling out paper applications for retail positions, applying online to positions at Costco, filling out questionnaires in job kiosks at Target and JC Penney, replying to posts and advertising my services on craigslist have all yielded jack squat. And the city government jobs that I have applied for are all hiring for the summer.

*Before anyone asks, I should add that I've gone to alumni networking events in my area, and investigated online income streams like TextBroker (I'm a level 4 writer) and Mechanical Turk, but as someone trying to develop a grounded career, I don't regard these as primary options for making a living.

I don't intend on staying here for another 6 months. At all. Hell, if I could move TOMORROW, I'd do it in a heartbeat. Seeing as how imprudent and impractical that is, I'm convinced that the best thing to do for my career and overall well-being is to apply for work in other cities (which I am still in the process of doing) where I have connections.

The four cities I'm targeting, in order of preference:

1. NYC -- most of my professional network is here. I have friends and family here. I grew up and lived here for most of my life and last had a temporary teaching gig this past summer. It was not too difficult for me to get acclimated again to the atmosphere. I was not able to afford an apartment of my own, and had a very complicated, stressful living situation (please do not inquire for further details). I admit if I had been more proactive while in the city, I might have secured a job that would have allowed me to stay. Soon after my teaching gig ended, I decided to move in with my parents in NV to save what little $ I had left, and to see if I could get some temporary work in my neighborhood while I pondered my next move. This has been going on for almost 3 months now. I've expended my savings on my monthly student loan payments (which I CANNOT defer because I have private student loans, gah).

2. Seattle -- one of my closest friends lives here and loves it. Some other old college friends live here. Pretty much everyone I know who has lived in or visited Seattle has positive things to say about it. My only concerns are the "Seattle Freeze" and the persistently drizzly, gloomy weather for 3/4 of the year. I would love to work in Seattle and give living there a shot.

3. San Francisco -- I have family here, and I made a handful of connections with people when I visited this past year. I loved the city when I visited; it reminded me of a smaller, more relaxed, less crowded version of New York City... only just as expensive.

4. Los Angeles -- most of my close friends live here (we frequently stay in touch), my alma mater is in the heart of LA, and I had many of the best moments of my life while living in Los Angeles. I've explored most of the city and had the privilege of doing some pretty awesome things that I know I'd only ever be able to experience in LA. I have memories and friendships that will last me a lifetime. I love the diversity of culture and activity in LA, and I wouldn't mind living there, but over the past couple of years, I've grown to appreciate being in a city where I can get around without depending so much on a car (I got around much of DTLA, Culver City, Venice Beach, Silver Lake, and even South Pasadena by bike when I was living in LA a year ago, but I also learned how difficult it is to get around without a car). I've taken public transportation in LA -- the buses, the Red Line, the Gold Line -- a number of times, and as a New Yorker, I was actually impressed by the speed (and enamored with the price) of the service, but I sense it'll still be some time before public transit in LA will be a reasonable way for me to commute to work. Since I don't own a car and can't afford one, moving to Los Angeles is at the bottom of my list, though it is the closest city to where I live (I can get there by Megabus, which was recently resurrected).

I have connections and friends in all four cities (obviously, I live closer to the last 3). I've informed the people I know in those cities that I'm looking for work and that I'm VERY WILLING to relocate. Relocating is just as big a priority for me as is locating a job. At this point, it doesn't matter what job I get, as long as it pays enough to allow me to live in the city and then expand my network, hence the reason some friends think I'm "lowballing" when I tell them I'm applying for administrative positions (which I think will at least help me get my foot in the door, and work my way up) and not analyst/managerial positions that I'm not sure I'm qualified for. I'm willing to temp for an indefinite length of time and hopefully transition into a more permanent job in a growth industry from there. And I'm serious about not minding the kind of work I do. I was a middle school/high school math/reading/writing instructor this past summer in NYC, which was a stressful but enjoyable experience, and the kind of experience I'd like to have more of in my 20s. I'm healthy, I'm ambitious, I work hard, I learn fast, I love to work with people, I've got credentials, I'm willing to work whatever hours are required of me... I just want an opportunity to prove myself and get a job!

When I was still soul-searching, I had a lot of different ideas for "dream jobs" (I still do, of course), but over time, I've realized that I needed to narrow down my career options so I can tell people at networking events or through email definitively what I'm looking to do. For what it's worth, I'd like to be a project manager or a business analyst in the tech industry (at least I think I do... seriously, how many people know exactly what the hell they want to do with their lives at my age?). I have a handful of project management and programming texts and eBooks, and I recently started reading Java and programming in Eclipse just to get a basic familiarity with the language. I chat pretty regularly with friends online who keep me in the loop on things I need to learn and what they do at work, etc. I've compiled a list of skills that I'll eventually need to learn to be competent in the field, filled up entire notebooks with thoughts, lists, and plans of extracurricular and community activities, hobbies (I'm fortunate and appreciative to have and carry out so many different interests), personal projects, etc. But these are all long-term plans... and while I'm sure they will all advance my career and life in immeasurable ways, they're still not as much a priority for me as actually GETTING a job. These are all things I feel I'll squeeze into my schedule when I have the backbone of a stable job to work around. Nonetheless, with all the time I have in the world now, I am devoting a good chunk of my day towards developing and honing those skills, which I hope will (but realize might not) help me down the line.

I get frustrated from time to time, but for the most part I stay optimistic and keep my head in a good place. I eat and sleep healthily, I exercise almost daily, and I try to keep my mind sharp. Escapism isn't for me. I keep track of my time pretty well, and I do the things I love (play piano, basketball, etc.) daily. I don't need meds, I don't get depressed, and I'm generally a pretty happy guy. I worry much less than I used to, and even when I get bored, I find ways to keep myself busy and use my time resourcefully. I deal with the occasional drama at home decently well. I have to say I'm very lucky, and very thankful. But I don't like to be complacent; it makes me restless, and it makes me feel like I'm wasting the energy building up inside of me. I'm excited and anxious every day about the prospects of moving, and I would be lying if I didn't say that was my main source of motivation. I just can't wait to get out. My only "network" here is the group of passing acquaintances I play basketball with each week, many of whom are still in school. My friends all live in the cities I listed above, and I keep in touch with them via phone, Skype, Facebook, GChat, AIM, etc. I feel like an extrovert under house arrest! I don't know how I've been able to keep my spirits up, but I sure as hell hope I can build on the emotional fortitude I've developed over the past few years, even when I get a job that takes a substantial chunk out of my day.

Anyway, while I'm sending out applications and emails and cover letters and resumes and reference requests, how do I put myself in the best position for getting a job in a different city? I'm talking entry-level jobs here, too, as someone who graduated from college two years ago and has a little work experience, with no real hard skills to put down, other than basic Microsoft Office skills and the ability to type at 120 WPM with 99% accuracy? What should I be looking for to start out? I'm happy to email my resume for review. My background was mostly in arts administration at nonprofits, where I did a lot of correspondence work, marketing, a fair amount of writing/editing, administrative tasks, etc. It's an industry I wouldn't mind working in again, but not the only industry I'm looking at.

Then... how do I find a place to stay when I get an offer, especially when I have to make a decision quickly? Besides asking a friend for a place to crash for a while, which seems to me the only real solution... do I have many other options? Subleasing, hostels, craigslist, Padmapper... I'm under the impression that I won't be able to sign a lease until I have proof of income or am able to put down a security deposit or rent for the first month; is that pretty standard?

Also, when I relocate, I will be flying with a couple of suitcases and a backpack with my computer, clothes, and other essentials... how exactly do I get settled in a new city? Borrow money to buy cheap furniture off craigslist while staying at a friend's or subleasing a furnished apartment? I don't have a whole lot of stuff, and I don't need much at all. I've lived out of suitcases several times, and in 50 sq foot windowless cellar rooms that were meant to be closets for months at a time. I'm pretty minimalist if I say so myself.

What documentation should I make sure to bring with me? General checklists of things to do before/after moving, and what to bring with me are most welcome.

What else do I need to account for? My budget indicates I can live reasonably comfortably making $15/hour at 40 hours a week. I could afford to live off of less. I live below my means. I'm prepared to and would prefer to live with roommates. I've lived on my own for long stretches of time every year for the past half decade. I don't have health insurance. I don't have dental insurance. I don't have ANY insurance. I haven't had a physical in 5 years. Bad, I know, and something I intend on rectifying immediately when I get my shit together.

Also, just throwing this out there--given my circumstances, should I direct my search more towards the West Coast, or try again in NYC?

Asking these questions feels silly to me, since these are things I've managed to deal with successfully living in off-campus housing for several years in Los Angeles (then again, my loans helped with the finances and my friends helped with the logistics), and I realize I'm likely overcomplicating things, but damn, someone knock some sense into me as I'm trying to wrap my head around things?

Assume I want to move by the beginning of March, at the latest. How can I make that happen? Please don't convince me to try and make things work where I live. I'm not against short-term, temporary work here (which I don't have luck getting right now), but I'm focused on GETTING OUT, ASAP, and I need advice on logistics. Anything you can advise me on as it pertains to my particular situation would be greatly appreciated. Assume I have enough money for a flight, food, miscellaneous expenses, basic stuff, etc.

Sorry this was so long! Thank you for your help!

TL; DR: I want to get a job and place in another city. Need advice doing this.

Hello from the bottom of a pit.

Anonymous — Sun, 09 Dec 2012 19:09:42 -0800

I feel like I'm at the bottom of a deep pit, and it will take a long series of successful maneuvers to get out of the pit. Other people's lives don't seem to be pit-shaped. Help me make this pit go away. I'm a gay white male nearing 30 in a collegetown suburb, and I have social hangups, work-related hangups, money-related hangups, and lots of hangups in general. Am I "being mature about it" or "playing the victim of circumstance"? Where's the line? What's the alternative?

Here's an example of how my thought patterns run:

I'm not out to my (working-class immigrant) parents. I don't imagine they'd take it well, and I would prefer for the news to come from a happier place than "I'm gay, lonely, and kind of miserable."

So, a happy relationship looks like an important step on the road to coming out to my family. I want simple human companionship. But I haven't been in a lasting relationship since college. I am an incompetent flirt. I don't go on dates often, and, as with most people, few first dates turn into second dates.

Then I guess the key is to go out on more dates. But there just aren't a lot of people around here in this college town who are at a similar place in their lives (i.e., I'm not a student, faculty, etc.). Dating prospects are reportedly much better in town, an hour away, and on the other side of town, 1.5 hours away.

So the idea would be to move to a better established area. But I live very near my job, and moving to where the people are would double my expenses and treble my commute time. And I'm already making/saving relatively little money as it is.

The natural solution would then be to move and also find a new, better-paying job. But it's unlikely that I could find a closely related job, since my skill set is fairly unique. There are maybe 50 people who do what I do in this whole metropolitan area, and it's not a high-paying job by any means. It's also usually filled internally or via word of mouth.

Then, a different job? I've been doing what I do for a few years. Outside my unique qualifications, my other skills are broad and rather shallow. Like, I know some bash, but I'm not qualified to be a sysasmin or software engineer or whatever. Other than that, I've never waited on tables or slung beer, and have never been offered those jobs whenever I applied for them in the past.

So I guess the trick is to become… more employable? What does that even mean? I've got very basic academic credentials that don't predispose me to any common career. I've tried working with career counselors, but have never received any helpful, specific advice. The career assessments I took a couple times pointed toward "college professor."

A lot of times on Metafilter I see stories of people leaving everything behind and starting over from scratch in a new place. I understand the potential of a cross-country move, and I do have a few thousand in savings. On the other hand, I've had extended periods during which I was unemployed, broke, chronically ill, and lacking a good support network. I remember how easy it is to get to that state.

Am I putting up these roadblocks myself? They seem so real. Or is adult life really that hard? What kind of professional should I talk to for guidance and support? If you've had this dynamic on your life, how did you deal with it?