Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with fulltime

Gap in work history

cheechman85 — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 08:27:31 -0800

How would an employer view a 2-3 year gap of lack of employment? (Details inside) I am a 24 year old guy who messed up in college early on. Since messing up, I have held a an inside sales job in the IT industry. I have been doing well, with a 60% increase in salary since my first year. I consider myself to be very lucky.

However, lately business has slowed down and things are not looking good. Also, I see no room for moving up in this company ( in terms of position, not salary.) I also have been aspiring to get my degree and I see this as a good opportunity. I'd like to quit my job and go back to school full-time w/ a partime job to support myself.

My quesiton is: Would an employer view the years of my schooling as a negative since it is a gap in work history?

Would the schooling actually be worth it?

Will the experience I have gained in the past 4 years at my job still be applicable to another employer once I have graduated?

Any advice as how to go about this in a better way?

How to negotiate for flexible hours at the interview?

so much modern time — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 23:52:11 -0800

How to negotiate for flexible hours at the interview? I have a job interview tomorrow for a company that I'd absolutely love to work for. The only problem is that it's a full-time position and I'm currently enrolled in an intensive university language course (four hours a day in the morning until noon). What is the best way for me to broach this with the employer?

Part-time PhD, full-time work: is this a bad combination?

Weng — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 16:59:16 -0800

Part-time PhD, full-time work: has anyone tried to combine the two? What advice would you give to someone considering this? I am considering switching from a funded, full-time PhD program to a part-time study load. This would mean I relinquish my living stipend, but would also be able to work full-time concurrently. Obviously it means the PhD would take twice as long to complete. But I would also then be graduating with several years of solid work experience under my belt, and therefore (presumably) would be much more employable upon graduating. I feel that having a bit more cash would also make student life more bearable, and enable me to pursue those "other" goals, like travel, that are not really possible on my current budget.

My question is - does anyone have experience of working full-time while doing graduate study part-time? And what would your advice be to someone considering this? [I know there are many variables such as working style, personality type and so on.]

Extra info, if it helps:
- I'd like to work in the same field as my PhD (art history/ museum studies) but not especially interested in academia;
- I'm looking at full-time work because there are many opportunities there for jobs I really want to do, but hardly any for part-time or casual workers, so I've had one or two decent short-term contracts in the area but also a lot of menial jobs (like waitressing) that I find really unsatisfying;
- I am making decent progress in my studies so far and (optimistically speaking!) am about halfway through the program (which, where I am, is purely a dissertation and no coursework).

Thankyou in advance for any input or advice!

Online marketing classes?

five_dollars — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 13:13:07 -0800

Looking for recommendations for courses in web marketing (in person or online). I graduated from university about a year ago (BA Communications) and through some internships and temporary work, I've found I'd like to get into online marketing. My previous experience has helped me get some interviews, but I think it's not enough to land a good gig, especially in the current economy.

If I went to a full-time student status, I could get better training/contacts in the field, not to mention health coverage under my parent's plan.

I'm based in the Upper Midwest USA now, but wouldn't mind looking into certificate programs elsewhere if they are really stellar.

Any advice/recommendations greatly appreciated from the knowledgable Metafilter crowd.

Where can I find full-time telecommuting work?

jamietie — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 18:47:11 -0800

Where can I find a copy-editing telecommuting gig? I have years of experience in newspapers, both as a reporter and an editor, but I'm getting tired of the rat race. I'd love to be able to work from home, and have been looking for full-time telecommuting work. I'd like to find a real full-time job (benefits, etc.), as I'm not really ready to make the job to the dangers of freelancing (and I'd like to have a smooth transition, rather than build up freelance clients). I've looked on the usual journalism job sites, but haven't had much luck. Any suggestions for me?

Take a part-time job or wait for a full time job?

poq — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 18:17:05 -0800

I'm a speech pathologist looking for a full-time job but have been offered a part-time job with a minimum 6-month commitment. Should I take the job or continue searching for a full-time job? I just moved to Chicago and have been looking for a full-time job as a speech-pathologist in a hospital. (I was working in the school setting last year, but prefer the medical setting.) In the past few months of searching, nothing has really opened up.

I was offered a part-time position in a medical setting which the employers want me to commit to for at least 6 months. They're taking patients off their waiting list to give to me, so if I leave after a short while, these patients won't have anyone to see them. The hours are from 2-7pm three days a week and 8-1 pm once a week.

With the hours being so loopy, it'll be hard to find another part-time position that's flexible enough to make me work full-time. If I take this part time job, I won't be able to quit if a full-time opportunity comes up elsewhere. But if I don't take it, there might not be another position for a long time. Financially, I can afford to work part-time until March of next year, but it's not ideal. If I take the part-time position, it may or may not lead to a full-time position. I think it's 50/50.

Should I take this part-time position or should I keep on looking and hope that a full-time position opens up?

So I'm employed full-time, but not working much at all.

Anonymous — Sat, 18 Aug 2007 17:38:58 -0800

How do I bring up the lack of actual work at my job? For the past six weeks, I've been in a job that's supposed to be temp-to-perm. It's full-time, and I'm supposed to be there 40 hours a week. The problem is that I don't actually have any work to do for more than an hour or so most days. They don't need a full-time person - someone working half time should easily be able to handle everything and still have time to goof off and cover for co-workers' lunches. I am going out of my mind. My face is getting twitchy. The resources and privacy for serious goofing off are sadly lacking, so there's no acceptable way to fill in the free time.

I already realized that I do not want to stay in this job, and have been looking for something else (and having a hell of a time scheduling interviews). I do need at least some kind of paycheck, though. Should I approach my boss and explain to her that she doesn't need me (or anyone else) full-time? Or should I just quit? And when? Immediately, or just before I would be scheduled to go perm? Toughing it out is looking less and less like a real option. And how much will the temp agency hate me for this?

(Posting anonymously because I have a co-worker or two who might make the connection).

Should I quit my job of seven years and go to college full time? If so, how can I afford college, mortgage, and bills?

h2 — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 22:27:51 -0800

Should I quit my job of seven years and go to college full time? If so, how can I afford college, mortgage, and bills? I have worked my way up to working as a systems administrator for a high school district. Every year I'm contracted for 10 months and there has always been work from the district for the other two months. However, this year the summer work wasn't available leading me to think of taking a different road. I don't have money saved for the summer nor for college, but I'm looking at two options. First, find summer work and then return to work at the district. Second, quit my job of seven years and find a way to pay for full-time college (computer science or business degree), mortgage, and bills for the next three to four years. Additional information that might help, my girlfriend and I have a house together. She is working on her masters and pays half the bills.

Making Money at Music

kuperman — Thu, 03 Feb 2005 16:06:43 -0800

MusicianFilter: The other day, a buddy of mine and I were having a bizarre conversation about musicians and perceived success. We started joking around, supposing that, say, En Esch from KMFDM/Slick Idiot really works at Kinko's in Joliet, using the assumed name "Benny." But that got us thinking - at what point are (established/presumably successful) recording artists able to move from their day jobs into full-time musician mode? Or what happens when they move back? And, additionally, if they are still pulling down day jobs, what are some good examples (apart from session musician, studio tech, etc)?