Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with careers

Atypical ways to get interviews at companies?

kelechv — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 14:40:39 -0800

Almost every job I have ever received came from responding to a Craigslist/Monster/Indeed.com ad. This strategy doesn't seem to work as well anymore, likely due to astounding increases in online application volume. Besides simply knowing someone at the company, what are other ways you've had success in getting interviews?

Back to School Alphabet Soup: BA vs BSc vs HonBA vs HonBSc

256 — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 11:53:48 -0800

So, I'm at a transition point in my life. A bunch of things are ending and a bunch of things are beginning. Seems like a good time to finally get around to finishing that degree. Only question is, which degree? (Apologies in advance for how long this is.)

Let's take a trip down memory lane:

The year is 2003 and our hero is three years into a four year Honours Bachelor of Science in Artificial Intelligence at the University of Toronto. Unfortunately, our hero is also in pretty dire financial straits. Because of decent marks, he has gotten managed to get an indefinite extension from the financial aid department on paying his tuition for the current year, but he'll have to settle up eventually. And paying rent is proving hard enough. So when the tech NGO he works for part-time as a code monkey offers him a salaried position, he jumps at it and never looks back.

In the intervening six years I've worked various coding jobs, published a novella, written a novel, lived in four countries and grown tired of referring to myself in the third person.

I'm thirty years old and considering what my next career move is. I know I don't have the temperament for a career in computer programming. Sad as it is to let those skills go to waste, I've burned out on it. Writing is my primary passion and I am in the process of cleaning up the manuscript for my novel and seeking an agent. I'm sure I'll write another regardless of whether or not i manage to sell this one. I also intend to continue doing freelance work for magazines. That said, it's not a revenue stream that's going to support me and my family.

I think I'm a pretty clever guy, I'm creative and I've got a rather extensive and esoteric skillset. I've got exceptional communication skills and I know I interview well. My real goal is to break into either the publishing (literary press or magazines) or gaming (video or tabletop) industry. Eventually I would love to be in a creative director type position. I'm more than willing to pay my dues and put in my time, but I also don't want to start in the mailroom.

I've also considered the possibility of a career in Public Service Canada.

So, it has occurred to me that before beginning the job hunt in earnest, it might benefit me to have an undergraduate degree on my resume in addition to all my work experience.

Now, the question only remains of how exactly to do that. I'm only two half-credits shy of completing a three year Bachelor of Arts degree. The University of Toronto no longer offers the three year degree but, because they did when I was originally a student, I'm grandfathered in and still have the option of completing it. The trick with getting the three year B. A. is that, should I ever opt to complete the fourth year and upgrade it to an Honours degree, I could only upgrade it to an Hon. B. A., not an Hon. B. Sc..

So, if I want to keep my options open regarding eventually completing my original course of study, I would need to complete seven courses instead of two. This would involve going back to school full time for half a year but, when I was done, I would have a three year Bachelor of Science degree.

The thing is that, since I'm not intending to seek work in a field related to my degree regardless, it's not clear to me what the relative merits are of having a B. Sc. versus a B. A. (or an Hon. B. Sc. versus an Hon. B. A.). Would the fact that I have an irrelevant science degree be more impressive to someone hiring for, say, a publishing company, than an irrelevant arts degree?

The other question is: How much, if at all, are people going to care that I have a three year degree rather than a four year degree? I definitely don't have the money or inclination to complete the rest of my four year degree right now, but I may want to upgrade in the future. I'm not planning to ever go to grad school, but my wife is a German citizen and we may well find ourselves living in Europe (again) at some point. Will my three year degree be looked down upon outside of Canada? Or will anyone even know the difference?

The reason this is important now is because, if I do ever decide to go back and complete a fourth year, I would very much prefer to complete the Hon. B. Sc. in Artificial Intelligence rather than an Hon. B. A. in Cognitive Science. The difference in cool factor should be obvious.

So, yeah... I guess this is a pretty open-ended question with two major parts:

1. Is a B. Sc. (compsci/psychology) significantly sexier than a B. A. (cognitive science/linguistics) to the people that would be hiring in the publishing or game design industries?

2. How likely am I to feel a need to upgrade my three year degree to a four year degree later in life?

---

Below are the actual details about what would be involved for me to finish my degree, for anyone who cares(To even walk back onto campus at U of T, I'll need to pay off the ~$3500 in back tuition that I owe the school.):

1. The fastest way to get out of the school with a degree would involve taking one half-credit psychology course and one half-credit linguistics courses. I would then qualify for a three year Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in Cognitive Science. (2 courses. $1100 addtl. fees: $4600 total.)

1a. Identical to (1.) except that by adding a second linguistics half-credit, I could complement the Cog. Sci. major with a minor in Linguistics. (3 courses. $1650 addtl. fees: $5150 total.)

2. If I complete four computer science half-credits and three half-credits in psychology, then I can earn a three year Bachelor of Science with no major, but a double minor in Computer Science and Psychology. (7 courses. $3850 addtl. fees: $7350 total.)

2a. Strangely enough, I took several theoretical physics courses as electives and it turns our that I'm just as close to completing a physics minor as a compsci minor. Three year B. Sc. with double minor in Physics and Psychology. (7 courses. $3850 addtl. fees: $7350 total.)

3. To complete the original four year degree I was working towards: Six computer science half-credits, four linguistics half-credits and two philosophy half-credits would net me a four year Honours Bachelor of Science in Artificial Intelligence. (12 courses. $6600 addtl. fees: $10100 total.)

3a. Six linguistics half-credits, four psychology half-credits and two philosophy half-credits would net me a four year Honours Bachelor of Arts with a double major in Cognitive Science and Linguistics. (12 courses. $6600 addtl. fees: $10100 total.)

What did you do with your degree?

mellifluous — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 16:13:36 -0800

Have you managed to turn an undergrad degree in the humanities/liberal arts into a satisfying and intellectually challenging career? Please tell me about it. I'm finishing up a social science/humanities degree (philosophy/psychology/cognitive science, if it matters.) I'm considering graduate school, but I'd like a sense for my other options - what can I do with my degree? Standard answers like "education, research, law, academia, marketing, etc" are vague, and of little use in forming a concrete plan. I'd like some specific examples of possible paths (the more details, the better), and some reassurance that my degree is at least somewhat useful.

So I'd like to hear how you turned your liberal arts/humanities/social science degree into an intellectually challenging and reasonably fun career, one that utilizes abilities like:
- writing clear, succinct prose
- research skills
- reading and summarizing abstruse/academic material
- analytical/problem solving skills
(etc.)

I should mention, also, that I've taken some computer science courses - I don't want to become a programmer, but if you have a relevant job that requires some modicum of technical skill, that's fine.

I'm not looking for something particularly lucrative, but extra points if your story doesn't involve a dying industry (e.g. print journalism.)

Extra, extra points if it's a career that I've probably never heard of.

From the career perspective is there money in the online/e-learning space?

Anonymous — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:32:20 -0800

From the career perspective is there money in the online/e-learning space? If so, where is it, or where will it be in a few years? I specialize in software training and education and am looking to get my foot in the door if it is worth it. Posting anonymously because in my relatively small world of software training there's a potential for colleagues to identify me and this could jeopardize my position.

In the (admittedly narrow) world of creative software training in the US, I am somewhat well known (think Lynda.com, Deke McClelland). I have published a few books and have been doing trainings for corporate customers and in the classroom for 10 years or so. My personal "brand" centers around digital imaging, web technologies and digital video. The money is ok, but I am employed full-time by a training company and this necessarily limits how far I can go financially and professionally. To get a sense of the "ruler" I'm using for financials: I currently make around $85k a year with some supplemental money dribbling in from the books. I would love to hit over $100k for this next position, but would also be wllling to take a hit on that if there were some startup companies who had some potential.

So I'm looking for the next step, one thought is to leverage all of this experience into doing online trainings or consultations. However I don't know what sort of market there is for this, if there are established companies in the space or how profitable this might be. Alternatively, if there are larger businesses doing this sort of thing in-house, I'd love to hear evidence of this. I'm looking for any insight Mefites might have and would love to hear from people connected to the e-learning, web training or online education space.

Public, please help me determine a gradual, economical policy for my life.

ropeladder — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 08:37:56 -0800

Considering grad school for public policy, economics, international development. Help me sort out my life. Note: my situation is pretty similar to this post. (I did a double take when I read it to make sure I hadn't posted this question already myself)

I just got back from teaching English for two years in the Peace Corps and suddenly everyone I know seems to be in grad school and loving it. I like learning and am pretty passionate about social science. I've been looking around at masters degrees in public policy and economics (possibly with an international slant, mostly because I'd be more qualified for it having done Peace Corps) and am considering masters programs in the following:

-Public Policy (or International PP) with econ focus
-Public Policy + Economics (dual degree)
-(plain old) Economics
-International Public Policy with econ focus
-International Studies with a development focus
-Public Administration + Economics (dual degree)
-(The other option is just to move back to DC and look for another nonprofit job.)

I don't have any formal background in economics (like the referenced post, I'm mostly a dilettante at this stage), so it's likely that I will be taking undergrad classes (econ and maybe stats) next spring in preparation for any of the programs. My BA was in German with a minor in Politics. Political orientation is leftward and making lots of money is not very important.

I have two major concerns. The first is that I want a solid grasp of both neoclassical economics and some of the major heterodox critiques. Ideally I would like a solid econ program that is grounded within a broader social science context. Public policy seems like it would be a good place for this, but I'm not really sure.

The second concern is that I don't really know what I want the degree for, career-wise. At this point I have no desire to continue on with a PhD and/or go into academia (I want to do some more things first...), and sitting in a think tank doesn't appeal to me very strongly either. Besides working for the gov'mint, what other kinds of jobs are there that this kind of degree would be conducive to getting? I'm concerned that my passion for a topic will not sustain a dull desk job.

Those of you that have done similar programs, where have you ended up and what are your jobs like? What kinds of programs seem like they would best fit what I'm looking for? Economists (and others), are you going to take me seriously if I don't have a specifically econ degree? Is more advanced economics helpful in the real world anyway?

Huge thanks in advance.

Give me an AskMe career shakedown!

Anonymous — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 12:49:18 -0800

CareerFilter! Help me to "diagnose" why I'm so tired of my career and which directions will lead to more satisfaction in future! Patient history, current symptoms and potential therapies under the fold (neatly organised but very long!!!). The how and the why:
====================

After a very confusing life I have finally reached a point where I feel quite secure and can see myself moving steadily along through life, work, and relationships.

However, right at this point I've realised that I'm very dissatisfied with what I actually acheived (apart from the basic stability and predictability).

I previously asked about this here:

http://ask.metafilter.com/130330/How-to-prioritise-many-urgent-important-issues

...but I felt wanted some more specific feedback and so if I give some more specific outline one or two posters might be able to diagnose my situation more clearly than I can and suggest constructive approaches! Hence:

The (shorter!) lifestory:
=========================

1.

My family moved around a lot when I was young - we lived in 3 different (non-English-speaking) countries before I started primary school (that's elementary for US people!). I think this made me feel pretty much an outsider; my folks raised me to be very academic and bookish and this helped contribute to my different-ness through adolescence. I've always had very few friends. Even so I did extremely well in secondary (high) school and had heaps of interests (music, literature, computers). I think I lacked confidence (maybe because my dad pushed me a lot to pass exams, his sole definition of success!) to actually do anything methodically for myself so none of them lead to concrete results that are with me today :(

2.

At my top-league university I still did very well academically, but became increasingly "worn out" and a bit depressed / low self-esteeming until by the end of it I was pretty much burnt out (at 22!).

3.

After graduating I went through the motions of trying to get a job but I'd only had very basic retail experience in my summers, and basically bailed out even of the interviews I did get. Classic depressed self-sabotaging.

So unable to stay in the big city any longer I returned to my folks' place in their Medium Town. I no longer fit into (to cut a complex, painful story short!) had no career plan, and became steadily more depressed. I moved out into awful shared housing, did grindingly menial work, lost it, moved to my parents again, and got more basic office admin work (repeat cycle a few times!).

4.

Finally a friend helped me get a basic job in a school in the Big City, depression faded with my folks' faces. I had a few girlfriends who helped me get more confidence and crucial presentation skills. After, say, the 3rd painful breakup, I got an lirbary job (fast-paced Pharmaceutical info centre), did OK, so committed to that 100% - I did another year as a "graduate trainee" in a (more relxed) Department, then took a Masters in library/info management (US: MLIS).

5.

Sadly I chose to do the Masters back in Medium Town at my folks' to save money (I could have got another job and done it part time, but... confidence!). Another year of depression, and counselling this time. So I passed the Masters of course, worked in unqualified roles at the uni library and eventually moved out.

Point 6. is basically now, as in my earlier post. I have a "senior assistant" level job , basically entry-level qualified academic librarian. I earn slightly more than £20k pa, which in UK terms is somewhat below average, and just enough to live on in Big City, but not luxury. I rent a tiny room on the and have to take long train rides to see my friends.

The education:
==============

As I said I got top marks in everything academic. 9 A grades at GCSE and 4 A's at A-Level (that's the final high school exams). I specialised in Maths, Physics and German, plus 1/2 Further Maths because I tried (and failed) to get into Oxford to do Physics with Philosophy.

My real love at school was languages. My big regret has been not to just study German and French then modern languages at uni, because it would have been pure pleasure and I would have aced it!

Instead, trusting my dad's vague ideas of untold millions as a nuclear scientist I took 4-years of undergrad Physics (with a side of German as a concession) including a year in Germany doing Masters level research. I emphasise that this "vague idea" was the closest I every was to any plan! Due to being very capable but barely enthusiastic I got 2:2 (just under the 2:1 cut off that UK employers use to skim off the top grads).

I thought about being a teacher (I still enjoy teaching per se) and got accepted on a good course to teach Physics but lost my nerve at the last second. Hence the brief work at a school to prepare.

While between library jobs did the ECDL which shows I'm competent in MS Office, Internet & file management.

The library Masters thesis was actually enjoyable (I liked being a humanities researcher with great(er) techie understanding) but the actual library content was mostly a grind. I got an award for top thesis of the year (it was on the cross-over of Web 2 and library instruction!).

The current crisis!
===================

While studying for my Masters last year I sent out CVs for some obvious Physics-grad jobs (IT mainly) and was terrified to get immediate interview offers. The whole assessment centre thing, and getting back to programming after 5 years of basic admin and library stuff scared me and I put them off then turned them down.

My current job wasn't too hard to get and I have put 100% into it, but it's not an inspiring environment, has become boring v. quickly (it's cataloguing!) and I don't see any great promotion prospects soon.

Now I'm back on my own 2 feet, I keep meeting people who are say, 25 and ready to buy a house and I realise I could have just got some sort of financial job out of uni and been in that position by now. Makes me want to weep. I would love nothing more than to settle down in my own place, start a family...

Possible options?
============

1. Just continue with the library thing, get another professional qualification (CILIP for UK lib types) and take it easy - after all I just recovered from all that emotional pain.

2. Go for the IT / graduate training route - it'll pay more immediately, be challenging and build my confidence.

3. Go into accountancy / finance (as a careers advisor recently reccomended) - I'll have to start low again but eventual earnings will be big and it's transferable.

4. Can anyone suggest any ways to go from here? This is my main question! To me all the options look pretty sub-optimal and difficult but am I missing something? Are there any good directions I can go even though I've based my career more or less around survival???

Is it too late to go into a more lucrative career? What are the cost/benefits in terms of money?

Has anyone out there had a similar experience (I find it a bit doubtful) and could they share it?

Jump ship or stick it out?

Anonymous — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 10:54:20 -0800

I hate my job, and as long as I'm still in the job it's hard for me to look for a new one. But should I stick it out or just take my chances? I know similar questions have been asked, but the details differ enough that I hope the hive mind will not mind my asking and be able to offer some perspective. What I thought would be a dream job a few years ago has turned out to be a real headache. I've been unhappy with the job for some time, it's not something that's happened overnight.

My salary is decent, but my quality of life blows right now. The travel requirements are pretty ridiculous, and the workload is also extreme. Worst of all, I simply don't believe in the company any longer, and my job is one that requires motivating others and speaking publicly about the company. Frankly, it feels a lot like lying. Oddly, my relationship with my manager is good and the feedback I get is positive -- but the actual job is a disaster, and the company is going in the wrong direction.

Given the state of the economy, I'm very worried about finding a new job -- especially one that measures up in pay and benefits with this one. Not only does the economy suck, but this is the time of year when a lot of companies stop hiring until the following year anyway.

I'm also worried about the appearance of quitting. When I do leave, it will be noticed by people outside the company but in the industry I'd like to continue working in. The added attention might make it easier to find a new job, but I'm worried it might look like I'm giving up on a situation that to the outside world isn't all that bad.

Before I took this job, I had my own business and scraped by even in tough times. But it's been years, and my "black book" of clients is sorely out of date, and there's not as much business to be had these days.

On the plus side, I have enough stashed away to go at least six months without any new income, and longer if I'm frugal and don't have any unexpected expenses. But it's not unheard of for people to go even longer than that without a new gig, and I have no fallback if I don't find a job or enough freelance income. And I hate burning through my savings.

I have been looking, but quietly. I'm tempted on a regular basis to just throw in the towel and start looking for a new job openly. But if I do quit, there's no going back, and I'm very worried that this is an irrational reaction and I'd regret quitting as soon as I did it. What would you do?

Undergraduate Degree != Career ?

sarahj — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 10:12:20 -0800

What do I do when I graduate if I know I don't want to pursue my undergraduate field? I'm currently a student at a Pretty Good University in the US and I'm (oh my god) going to graduate next year with a B.S. degree in Computer Science, a second major of Environmental Studies, and a minor. I'm doing everything I can to calm my anxiety about this (seeing a therapist, most likely going to get anti-anxiety medication this time), but I am so extremely worried about not knowing what I'm doing next that it's rendered me completely incapable of doing anything without an absolute emotional breakdown (tears, etc).

I decided halfway through my major and a couple internships that Computer Science wasn't what I wanted to do with my life, I didn't want to do research in a mathematical science and i didn't want to make a career out of being a programmer. So I studied abroad, picked a second major that was easy to fulfill and am still kind of slogging my way through my requirements, but I'm going to finish it all.

I overwhelmingly feel the need to be planning my next move. I'm trying to pick up "science-y" lab work to gain experience in something new. Ideally I would be able to find some kind of neat research fellowship for a year or so after graduation, and have that point me in the "right" direction (i.e. any direction), but I don't have the experience, connections, ideas, or anything to make this happen. If I go straight to working, I don't even know what kind of work I would want to look for. I have web programming to fall back on, which I was able to do professionally this summer, but that isn't something I want to make my goal.
I NEED HELP. I have gone to my school's career office countless times, taken one of those 'career advice' exams, which told me I would make a great software engineer (ARGH!), and I've spoken to or emailed almost everyone I can reach who I could get advice from on fellowships and stuff, but it keeps coming back to me needing to know what I want to do. My advisor is an extremely busy person whose specialty falls on the more mathy end of CS, and I don't really have advising- or rec-letter-writing-type relationships with any other professors.

I was advised in the career office that my reasons for wanting to go to grad school are, well, reasonable (I want a degree in something I like and want to use), but I don't know where to start with choosing programs, getting recommendation letters (I only really have my Very Busy advisor and my boss from my summer web development work- not good options), and so on. There are still things I want to try, but I don't have the time - my school created a poorly publicized 'brain science' major that overlaps with computer science, and I likely would have studied this if I had known about it soon enough. But, I don't have any experience or coursework in that area, so it would be kind of out of the blue if I applied for those types of grad programs. I would also lean towards biotechnology, but I don't really know anything about that either. I only really have one semester of 'open' courses where I can choose anything to study, but most of the classes I find super-interesting have prerequisites I haven't had the chance to take, and I will have already applied to grad school/fellowships/jobs by then anyway.

I've been told countless times that so so many people wind up in different fields than their undergraduate major, but most of my classmates seem to be on some kind of track already (The Computer Science majors I know are either going to grad school for it, or have their eye on a company they want to work for). I don't know what career I want to pursue, but I have ideas of what I would like to study, but not much more reason than "because a career in that field would be so interesting!" Most jobs I 'fit' the requirements for right now are programming-intensive or software-related and NOT not not what I want.

My question is, what should I do now, if I know that what I want to do after graduation is going to be different from my undergrad degree? What did you do when you figured out that your undergrad field wasn't what you wanted to continue with?

Books on cover letters geared to new college grads?

cymru_j — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 13:30:39 -0800

Books on cover letters and resumes geared to new college graduates? I know there are some fabulous resources online, but I'm looking specifically for books here, since I'm trying to build a small library in our college writing center.

Thanks in advance!

Life after development work?

Anonymous — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 11:05:41 -0800

I'm tired of being hung up on. Please help me figure out my next move beyond nonprofit development work! I've worked in the nonprofit world for five years now, mostly in development following a brief stint in program management in a very small, three person operation. I now work in a major NPO as a major gift officer in the midst of a large campaign.

There are aspects of development I enjoy: learning about other people, grant writing, foundation research and communicating programs/projects to foundation principles. It is a daily struggle for me to get "enthused" about calling donors, requesting visits, being turned down, or having to ask for more money. I have good interpersonal skills but have never identified with the rest of my colleagues who are gregarious, extroverted, and more like salespeople. Essentially, the Glengarry Glen Ross style of "always be closing" leaves a bad taste in my mouth and takes me away from the mission of the work: securing necessary resources for important programs that would not proceed without private support.

My question is to those of you who have worked in development in the past but managed to move into another sphere of the nonprofit (or for-profit) world, while building upon your experience and strengths to transition into something new. FWIW, I live in a metro area with one of the highest nonprofit-per-capitas in the U.S. and have a graduate degree in the humanities. Thanks in advance!

Are there needles in this haystack?

Other — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 13:24:20 -0800

I'm looking for user interface shops or departments within companies that do a particular kind of work, and that hire a particular kind of role (even if they have no jobs open right now). Do you know if they exist, and whether they're common or rare? Or, do you know how I can find out? What I'm looking for is defined by two things -- the kinds of interfaces the company creates and the kind of role I would have.

For the kinds of interfaces, examples of what I'd like would be the screen that a nurse uses to run a machine, or the pda application that a sales person uses to manage their road-trips. I like working on interfaces where:
-- The users have a goal to accomplish besides exploring the interface itself. So, not brand websites or information databases.
--The users really need or want to do the task; it's not something the company has to convince them to want to do. So, not most retail sites or marketing-related work.
--The goal is focused and concrete. So, not sprawling system or multi-purpose application work.
I think that embedded systems are more often good examples of this kind of interface than websites or PC applications, though I wouldn't rule those out if they satisfy the description.

For the kind of role
--I love gathering requirements and defining offerings through qualitative ethnographic research and analysis of the functions of comparable products.
--I love figuring out the logic and architecture.
--I don't mind qualitative usability testing.
--I don't mind some specification/documentation.
--I don't do any visual design.
--I don't do any quantitative testing, market testing, or ergonomic stuff like eye-tracking.
--I don't do any coding, not even in something like Flash or html.
So, I'd need a user experience role on a team where others are responsible for both the visual design and the techie parts.

Is defining the work and the role as above so narrow that I eliminate just about every position I might ever find? Or are there lots of potential matches? Do you know of any in particular? Or, do you know how I could find out, including for companies that aren't currently hiring?

My wife and I live in northern California now, but we're open to some other parts of the US. I can stay in my current, good job and out-wait the economy indefinitely.

Problem-solver in search of suitable problems

McBearclaw — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 23:15:20 -0800

I think I finally understand what I like to do. So... what would I like to do? After many a year of soul-searching, I think I'm getting close to pinning down the things that I would like to do for a living. The problem now is identifying the jobs that would best bring those things together.

What I like: statistics, geography/GIS, and programming. In general, investigation and problem-solving. I like the first two because of their system-level perspective; I like the third because it's like magic, y'all, and it makes boring work disappear (although sometimes it is replaced by equal or greater quantities of interesting work; whatever). Best of all, I like combining all three, with healthy doses of data visualization thrown in.

These interests, of course, suggest some pretty obvious career choices: statistician, geographer, programmer. I find all of these appealing in theory, but I have some concerns:

I don't know enough about being a statistician, especially in academia; I worry that I might be too application-focused for that. I also have serious concerns about what's going to happen to the life academic over the coming years. Similarly, I don't know much about being a statistician outside of academia. The Census and related government organizations have been suggested to me, but they are out; while I have tremendous respect for the work they do, I greatly prefer analysis with a specific problem in mind.

I've read enough AskMeFi and thedailywtf to put the fear of career programming into me. I get the feeling that combining some programming skills with a domain area is the way to go for me - especially in a smaller organization - but I'm open to suggestions.

Of the three, I think "geographer of some sort" is the most promising, primarily because it could potentially include both statistics and programming. But what is it really like to be a geographer? Where do geographers find work? Are academic geographers in the same boat as academic statisticians?

For contrast, my current job is really wearing me down. I write reports about reports. I thought that I was getting hired into a fairly quantitative job, but I haven't done much more than a few t-tests in months. The best parts of it so far are when I have managed to turn boring work into awesome work: I automated several weeks' worth of copy/paste reporting work, and have learned a fair bit of HTML/CSS/JavaScript.

Any input is sincerely welcome. I'll happily consider jobs that are way outside of what I've mentioned above, too - I've often been told that I would make a good criminal investigator, and I really love woodworking and homebrewing. The fundamental keys are learning and problem-solving, I think.

I know this is vague, but I'll happily clarify anything I can. I know I'm lucky to have a relatively good job right now, but the recession won't last forever. I've got 3-4 years to work on getting ready for my next job, and I'd like to have at least some idea of where I'm going.

Thanks.

Smart couple, will work for fun and adventure.

Anonymous — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 18:39:32 -0800

I didn't get into grad school, but instead of vast disappointment, I feel like I dodged a bullet. Sigh, another question for someone who wants a fulfilling job, preferably not in the US, in the midst of an economic meltdown. My husband and I had it all worked out: I'd get accepted into a small, very exclusive PhD program at the only school with my specific department. My undergraduate advisers said I was a shoe-in, so we'd mentally prepared ourselves to move to a university town where I would devote the next 7 years to research and getting published. As it turns out, I was less of a shoe-in than originally advertised, and just received a definitive rejection after being waitlisted. Naturally I'm quite embarrassed--but I also feel oddly relieved. Even though I love this field of research, I was secretly dreading a life of dry coursework, and living in a teeny college town, and having to put my life (and my husband's life) on hold for 7 years while I got my doctorate. Maybe I'm coping with disappointment, but if that's what keeps me from jumping off a bridge, so be it.

Everything following the rejection letters feels very open-ended. My husband works as a freelance graphic designer, but he's bored with his career. We both have majors in the humanities. I've been a freelance writer, editor and substitute English teacher. And now that I'm not packing my bags for the academic life, I've wondered if we have more options. We'd like to embark on a new career path where we're not living in PoDunk USA while I slave away in library. We don't need glamor, or wealth, as long as we have an opportunity to enjoy our lives while we're young, childless, and in good health.

I know it seems silly to ask about interesting work in such grim times, but I'd also be mildly surprised if there are literally no options for two educated, articulate people who are willing to move anywhere and with open minds regarding the next career move. PeaceCorps? Teaching English in Asia? Train hopping?

Do we have options?

How do I navigate career limbo and transition from freelancing back to in-house work?

Anonymous — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 08:32:19 -0800

After a few years of full-time freelancing, I'm exploring a return to in-house work. What I've found in the early days of my search is that I'm in a kind of career limbo, a few years overqualified for the mid-level jobs and a few years underqualified for the senior-level jobs. So: How to deal? * Go for the lower jobs, swallow the pride, take the paycut, and work like hell in hopes of a promotion before too long?
* Keep doing my freelance gig and aim for the higher jobs in hopes that I can put my resume and my face in front of the kind of person willing to take a chance?

Anybody been in a similar situation? Anybody have sage counsel? Throwaway e-mail for those who, like me, may not wish to advertise their status to current/potential employers: careerlimbo@yahoo.com. Thanks in advance!

Make me Tony Robbins, or some reasonable facsimilie thereof

jasondbarr — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 14:32:37 -0800

I'm curious to know of any reputable life coaching certification programs. I think I might be interested in this as a potential career path, but am having difficulty sifting through moutains of info. There's just a glut of stuff on Google, and that, to me, means that most of it is utter crap. I'm wondering if any folks on the green have any experience with US-based life coaching certification courses. Needs to be remote delivery (unless anyone has a good program in Boise, ID); expense and time to get certified aren't too much of a concern at this juncture. Just researching my options.

I think I need to change my career. Is teaching the right one for me?

Anonymous — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 08:06:18 -0800

Should I go in to teaching? What's it like teaching primary (up to 11-12 year old kids)? Do you get to do much science? I'm a junior academic, on my 3rd fixed term contract, and I am coming to the realization that the academic job market is not going to provide me with what I want: a permanent position in the city where my partner lives and works. I simply don't have the track record in research. I am fairly confident that this is due to poor luck rather than lack of ability, but that doesn't help my CV any. I have thought long and hard about what I like doing, and what I am passionate about, and it's science, particularly encouraging women and girls to get involved in science. I've done some science communication to the public events, and they're great. I've done some teaching of undergraduates, and I love it... indeed one of the problems with research posts for me is that I don't get to do much teaching. So teaching is the obvious choice for me.

But... I don't think I have the stability or stamina for high school classes, and I am not sure that I'd be able to do much proper science with younger age groups, and I'm not sure that going in to teaching just because you've failed at something else is a good motivation. There's a sense in which I have backed the wrong horse for so long now I don't know what other horses are out there, and I get the feeling that maybe I've overlooked other career options. Whatever I end up doing I am resigned to starting again near the bottom of the system, and taking the financial hit; I'm OK with that, but am keen to make the right choice now as it'd be even harder to change again in a few years.

How do I stop resenting my boyfriend?

Anonymous — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 17:01:28 -0800

Help me get over my envy of my boyfriend's deservedly good professional reputation. I am in a serious relationship with a wonderful guy. We've been together about a year now. We met due to working in the same industry. In fact, we have just about the same job.

The problems started earlier this year when we both accepted a job at the same company, one that we had to relocate for. It's a long story, but I will try to shorten it:

I had a job offer from this company. He did not. They didn't think they would be able to hire him as well as me, despite wanting to, due to budget issues. However, we soon found out that they could hire the both of us after all, and thus packed up our stuff and moved. When we showed up at work that first day, I discovered that I was not hired and was expected to work while being evaluated for a week for free, whereas he was presented with new employee paperwork to fill out. Skipping over the details, we were able to work out my employment, starting the same day as him, paid, although at a salary 15% less than his. My initial experience proved to be quite telling. I was basically ignored or disregarded the entire time I was there. It was a negative work environment for him as well, but in different ways - he was practically idolized there, everyone would ask him for his opinion even in areas that I was more experienced in. My self worth took a nose dive, it was a terrible experience for me. One of the worst parts was its effect on my relationship with him - I started to feel resentful and/or competitive with him, even though I had no chance of "winning" in this environment.

Anyway, we both resigned and moved back to the city I'm from. We took jobs with different companies. However, I accepted an offer from a company he had worked for in the past. I now realize that this was a mistake. They hold him in fairly high regard and bring him up somewhat often.

We went out last night with one of my colleagues and some other friends. During the night my colleague kept speaking to my boyfriend as if he still worked there, asking his opinion on company policies and the like. I realize that I'm pretty sensitive to being ignored and to my boyfriend being favored, but I still think this was outside the realm of acceptable behavior. I lost it. I was crying, yelling, etc.

I realize that I need to do something about this, but I'm at a bit of a loss as to what I should do. I work in a fairly male-dominated sector, and I have spent a long time building up my reputation and career - almost 15 years. I've never run into this particular issue before. I love my boyfriend and I am very happy with him aside from *this*. His reputation is well deserved, and I don't wish to detract from it. I want him to be successful. I want me to be successful as well, though.

Aside from drastic measures like changing my career or ending the relationship - both things I really don't want to do, the latter more so to be honest - what can I do to deal with this? I've thought of seeing a therapist to get over the 6+ month bad job fiasco. I think that minor things are triggering me due to that experience.

Anyone here have experience working at the same job as their SO? Being compared to him or her, and coming out at the bottom?

Thanks. I realize this was a bit wordy, and I did my best to shorten it. I look forward to some good advice.

Careers about making life simple

NeoLeo — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 00:50:48 -0800

What are some careers that involve making life simpler? About a year ago I discovered the field of human factors and usability. I'm taking the steps to pursue that field, but I've been noticing some other career fields that are related in that they strive to make things simpler, more efficient, and/or easier to use. Some examples:

- usability specialist
- interface designer
- interaction designer
- human factors engineer
- ergonomist
- information architect
- industrial engineer
- technical writer
- professional organizer

Can you guys come up with any other career fields like the ones above?

Escape from QA

Turkey Glue — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 19:59:45 -0800

A young microbiologist feels stifled & unsatisfied at his current job and seeks something more creative and people-oriented. So, about me: I got a BS in microbiology 3 years ago from a major Midwestern university. I was willing to take most any job, with the feeling that "I'll figure this out as I go along." I eventually took a job in the medical device field, where I do quality assurance for a medical device sterilizer. I've figured out the job, and I've figured out that it isn't for me

I don't mind the job; it's a small facility, so I have a lot of responsibility (I'm the only QA on staff,) and it's remote from corporate, so I have a lot of freedom (my boss lives 500 miles away.) I'm tasked with figuring out strategies & solutions for whatever issues arise, and it helps to know my micro & work closely with another microbiologist. (I feel like this is a job I would appreciate more after 30 years of intense work.)

However, my job is largely administrative, as I have to maintain a quality system and all its documentation, audits, etc. I understand that's part of any job, but it's soul-sucking to be forced to care about proper documentation.

So the pros & cons of my current gig are:

Pros: Lots of freedom & autonomy, good pay, strong corporation, problem solving, power.

Cons: Minimal human contact, boredom, the majority of my tasks are administrative, I feel as if a main QA task is to be paid to worry over minutae, the end product of my work is more paperwork, corporate demands are not in line with what's best for my small site.

In short, the job isn't very satisfying and doesn't play to my strengths, so I've been thinking about getting out. However, I don't know where to go or what to do. I would like a job that's more people-oriented, creative, and (maybe) that has a quantifiable end product.

My favorite jobs in the past were working as a historical presenter and as a lab TA. Those hit on my strengths & passions, which are history, imparting knowledge, and interpersonal banter.

Naturally, teaching is the big, flashing neon sign in front of me. Ideally, I would get a gig as a professor, but I'm not sure what I would go back to school for; I struggled with science in college and research doesn't interest me, and spending half a decade or more pursuing a history master's/PhD seems like one heck of a gambit.

So, short of a return to school, what are some careers I should consider? I'm a people person, I like creative banter/brainstorming, I have a science & corporate background, I'm fairly creative, I love explaining complex subjects in an accessible way, and I enjoy writing.

Perhaps more importantly, where do I look for these jobs? Places like CareerBuilder always feel like such a wash, and it's hard to find corporate websites besides the biggest names in the field. I work in such a small place that I have almost no contacts, and those that I do have are within the medical device field, which I might want to escape from.

Careers I've considered are teaching, science/medical writing, and maybe something at a museum. I know next to nothing about any of these.

HiveMind, can you help point me in the right direction?

TL;DR VERSION

I'm a microbiologist with a stifling corporate job that leaves me alone in a cubicle 8 hours a day. All I do is paperwork-y, administrative stuff. I want something where I can relate to people, maybe teach, and definitely be creative. I want to know what careers will satisfy my science-y creative needs. What careers should I consider, and where should I look for employment through them?

Basically, my dream job is a hybrid of Bill Nye, David Letterman, and a blogger.

Should I stay in law school?

Anonymous — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 15:07:47 -0800

Should I drop out of law school or stay in? And if I stay in, what should I do so I can end up leading the kind of life I want to lead? I just finished my first year at a top-10 law school. My grades were good, and I actually really enjoyed 1L year -- the classes, the people, the experience of being back in school after a 4 year break. And as it turns out, I'm actually pretty damn good at "thinking like a lawyer." But it's becoming increasingly clear to me that I don't really want to be a lawyer in the traditional sense. While I like school generally, I discovered I didn't have any particular passion for the law. I frankly found much of it to be quite boring. I have a summer job now where I'm doing a lot of research and writing for complex litigation. It's fairly stimulating stuff, but it's getting monotonous. The idea of showing up at the same office and doing this same work for years on end is scaring me.

I came to law school thinking that I could take on a load of debt, and because of the school I'd be attending, easily snag a $200k/year job upon graduation and pay off that debt quickly. Unfortunately, as of this year those jobs no longer seem like a sure thing. I also think I underestimated just how much I would despise working at such a job 60-80 hours per week anyway. I've realized that I don't care much about money, but rather, experiences; I want to be doing interesting, different things, to travel, to find myself in strange and compelling situations, and to lead something of an adventuresome life. Those things aren't in abundance in legal culture. Journalism has always appealed strongly to me, but pragmatism won out -- there aren't many fields with a bleaker future right now. Other things I find interesting are start-ups, some aspects of finance, and the arts. While I know there are legal jobs that involve these things, they're not being thrown at graduating law students the same way the firm jobs are, so I know I'm going to have to do a bit more work and be creative in forging my own career path.

I've actually considered dropping out of school, but I'm already something like $70k in the hole with law school loans, and in this economy I have no better prospects. I'm thinking the best thing to do will be to finish up the next two years -- which, let me be clear, I'll probably enjoy -- and hopefully get a firm job for a few years, which will let me crawl out from the $200k of debt I'll have accumulated at that point. However, even though that would only be 2-4 years, those are still 2-4 years of my life, and a pretty good age (late 20's/early 30's). The alternative would just be to take a lower paying but more interesting job, and work on paying off the loans over a much longer time period. Not my ideal, and not my original plan, but it might be the only way to preserve my happiness.

I suppose what I'm asking, then, are two things. First, is my plan a decent one, or should I drop out now while my debt is a sort-of-manageable $70k, rather than an unbelievable $200k+? Second, what are some things I can do with a JD that aren't very "law-like," at least in the traditional sense, and that would give me an interesting life full of experiences? And what should I be doing with my remaining two years of school to set me up for such a job? While I'd always assumed I'd be a litigator after law school, I'm thinking at this point that it would be best to avoid litigation, as it's such a specialized set of skills that doesn't readily permit one to transition out of law into something a bit broader.

Creative careers?

cymru_j — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 04:50:21 -0800

Help me advise my sister-in-law on a creative career path! My 21-year-old sister-in-law and has supported herself for several years cutting and styling hair. She'd like to move on to a career in something creative; she just doesn't know what. She doesn't have a college degree and realizes that she needs to/wants to pursue that path.

She loves fashion and interior design, so I've encouraged her to consider colleges and universities with those programs. I think she'd be well-suited to a career that's creative, but that would allow her to work with people (that's what she's enjoyed about hair styling).

Does anyone have experience with fashion (fashion buying or design or styling) or interior design that they'd be willing to share? Do you know anyone working in these fields and loving it?

By the way, my husband and I live in NYC, and she may come out here for college, which would open up her options for programs.

Thanks, guys!

Jobs for tax accountants?

velvet winter — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 19:44:25 -0800

What kinds of jobs are available for tax accountants? In a few weeks I will be finished with my post-baccalaureate certificate in accounting, and I’m looking for entry-level work in the tax field in the US. This is a new career direction for me; I’m 41 years old, and I have no professional accounting experience yet. Most of my previous work experience is as a teaching assistant, freelance writer, and administrative assistant.

I’m a hardcore tax nerd. I enjoy tax research, reading tax blogs and books about tax theory and history, and even digging through the Internal Revenue Code. I’m also a classic introvert, am very organized and self-motivated, and work well independently. I’m happiest when I have a certain level of creative and intellectual challenge – doing things like helping to solve technical problems, tracking down arcane details, or writing summaries of complex information for laypeople or non-specialists.

I’m having trouble figuring out what kinds of tax jobs would best suit me. I don't mind preparing tax returns, but I'm not sure I'd want to do that full time. What other choices do I have? Tax associate? Tax researcher? Compliance (international, federal, state, or local)? Something else entirely?

So far I’ve ruled out tax law, since I have virtually no interest in going to law school. I’ve also ruled out continuing on in academia, because I’ve already spent many years as an academic (I have two liberal arts B.S. degrees), I don’t have much interest in teaching, and I don’t want to pile on any more student debt. I need to have a steady income coming in soon. I do plan to obtain my CPA credential in the future, but I want to get a good bit of work experience under my belt first.

I’m looking for book recommendations, websites, and any other resources that would help me decide what kind of job would suit me best. I would especially welcome first-hand “day in the life” accounts from people who work in the tax field. What do you do, and what is your job title? What kind of background is necessary to do your work? What do you like and dislike about your job? What kind of hours do you work, and what are your co-workers like? Are there layoffs going on where you work, or do you feel like your job is relatively recession-proof? What do you wish you’d known before you started your job? What advice would you give to someone just starting out in tax accounting?

Help me find my next career...

ecorrocio — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 16:28:46 -0800

Help me find my next (perfect) career... This is a brainstorming, pie-in-the-sky, kinda question...

Scenario: Degreed, 40-something, freelance graphic-designer, former corp. advertising/creative director - tired of spending my days in front of the computer. The creative thrill (for this) is gone.

What I like: Being "out and about", flexible time, autonomy, making stuff, working with creative ideas and people, consulting, brainstorming.

What I don't like: cubicles, 9-5, busywork.

Unlikely I'd go back to school, probably wouldn't want to now anyway.

What do you do? Do you have ideas? What's the best job you know?

Thanks!

No, really, I am so awesome!

dame — Wed, 27 May 2009 16:44:01 -0800

Hints for punching above my weight in the job search? Particular focus is UX/IxD/IA work. Like may folks, I am looking for work these days, and most of the positions I am finding are a little beyond my situation: They want either 3+ years experience or a masters and 1 year. I have not quite 2 years in these types of positions, and 9 overall.

The thing is I am, like every other person out there I am sure, a really quick learner and a very capable thinker. I taught myself this stuff and anyone who worked with me would attest my knowledge is strong and my ability to figure shit out is awesome. I know I can do a lot of these jobs, but how do I get them to let me tell them that?

What kind of jobs to apply for with a graduate degree in journalism?

Raichle — Thu, 21 May 2009 13:54:16 -0800

What kind of jobs should my friend be applying for with a Master's degree in journalism and alot of "web 2.0" experience? (more inside) I have a friend who is struggling to find a job in the Pittsburgh area. Because he shares custody of his child, moving is not an option. What kind of jobs should he be applying to? I think at this point he would be happy with ANYTHING. He's currently doing some consulting on MBA application essays. Any advice I can share? Thanks!