Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with opportunity

Opportunities for a Citizen of the World (or at least the EU and US)

verevi — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 22:30:33 -0800

Are there any occupations or financial opportunities that are made possible or made better for people with dual citizenship (specifically EU and US)? For example, could someone with dual-citizenship more easily broker real-estate or other deals for ex-pats?

I know dual-citizenship isn't all that unique, but I was just curious if there were some opportunities of which I was not aware.

Changing horses mid-stream

Anonymous — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 14:08:31 -0800

I'm methodically working through an action plan towards more fulfilling work. However, a shiny new path has unexpectedly opened up and I'm not sure if it's an opportunity or just a distraction. What to do? I've been studying part-time for two years to gain credits in a science subject completely different to my current profession, aiming for grad school in two years time. It's a competitive area and I'm not sure I'll cut the mustard academically but I'd like to try. In the meantime I'm been working full-time in a dull but highly-paid senior level corporate job and saving every extra penny. The plan is to leave this post in a year with a decent nest egg in place and enough extra saved to take a 6-8 month sabbatical in order to concentrate on finishing studies. I'll also be able to volunteer in my potential new field and hopefully make connections while applying to grad school.

However, a current network contact has unexpectedly offered me an admin position ancillary to the field I'm aiming for, for the full 18 months. It's still full-time but 40% less salary, further away and would be a considerable step-down in responsibility from my current role. I would be exposed to lots of current research activity though, and gain a greater insight into the occupation at the coal-face. I'll have less study time but it could demonstrate commitment to the field in school applications.

So, if I were 25 I'd have snapped the offer up, but I'm 33 and it feels like there's a lot more at stake. I'm at a good point in my career with plenty of transferable skills. I don't have a dependant family or any debt, and I would like to buy a house in the next couple of years and have a bit of financial cushioning. Corp job provides the stability but feels like wheel-spinning, whereas shiny job feels like progress but could derail me professionally, especially if the grad school plan doesn't work out. Can anyone help me prioritise?

I'm a quitter.

SassHat — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 16:20:43 -0800

So I quit my job. Now what? Creative unemployment ideas, plz. Yes, I know it's INSANE to QUIT in this ECONOMY. I'm not asking about that. I'm not going to tell you my financial outlook other than to say, let it be. My sanity is way more valuable to me than the job was, so I'm on hiatus for a bit.

How should I use this indefinite stretch of "free" time? I need a break, but I also need structure (and money, if possible). Temporary or permanent relocation is on the table, and assume the freedom to live anywhere in the US or Canada, and willingness to travel. Limitless resources are not available but I am willing to invest in worthwhile experiences.

What I'd like to know is, now that I've given my two weeks' notice, what can I do in the time between now and...whenever I buckle down and get a day job again? I am especially interested in creative volunteer opportunities, or options which provide some income while still not being a traditional day job (ie: working tourist visa, etc).

Two Master's Degrees... What are my options?

msposner — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 10:57:38 -0800

This spring I will be finished with my second Master's degree. I've been at my current job for almost three years and while I enjoy it immensely, I am wondering about other opportunities that having two graduate degrees might open up for me. Am hoping to obtain answers especially from individuals who have multiple degrees and have gone into somewhat different career paths. My first graduate degree is a M.S. in Secondary School Education. I am qualified to teach in public school (context area: Social Studies). I also am certified to teach at schools for the deaf but that is not something I want to focus on because of how such institutions are being shut down at an alarming rate.

My second graduate degree is going to be a M.S. in Professional/Rehabilitation Counseling, which I'll be obtaining in May of 2009. I'm not going to be pursuing my Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC) certificate because I was recently on their advisory panel and signed a waiver stating that I promise not to take the CRC test for at least five years due to first-hand exposure to potential test questions. This is perfectly fine with me because I'm not planning on having my own independent counseling practice and I have no desire to work for any of the major insurance companies around here.

I currently work at a state agency as a vocational rehabilitation counselor and while I do enjoy this job very, very much, lately it seems as if I'm often hearing from people (respected professionals) that I should be doing something "better" and so forth.

For me, "better", would be to obtain employment as a researcher (researcher scientist?) or a professor at a college/university, which is actually my ultimate goal but I'm also open to acquiring other, relevant experience that might enhance myself as an educator. I'm a voracious reader and I'm always conducting research- I'd really like to go into education/rehabilitation policy if the opportunity ever presents itself.

For now, my intention is clearly to "stay put" because as I mentioned, I love my job and I enjoy working with my colleagues, however, I have my goals outside of this field and have oftentimes thought about returning to the classroom as a high school teacher.

In a nutshell, my inquiries are defined as follows:

(I) I've been told that having Master degrees in both education and counseling will make me very attractive to school systems. True?

(II) Will the fact that I do not have terminal degrees in either fields (education and counseling) hurt my chances in obtaining research-based positions and/or work as a college instructor?

(III) For someone with two Master's degrees, what are the other fields I could go into when I have specialization in both education and counseling?

(IV) Has anyone experienced negative pitfalls of having multiple graduate degrees such as frequent rejections on the basis of being overqualified?

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Caveat #1: I am profoundly deaf. This, unfortunately, creates a lot of barriers for me in the workplace. Many schools have refused to hire me because in order for me to instruct in public schools, they would have to also pay for a full-time sign language interpreter since I communicate primarily in American Sign Language. In their eyes, I'm not cost effective- I'm a budget burden. As I mentioned earlier, I do not want to work at schools for the deaf because of the lack of job security and their notoriously low salaries.

Caveat #2: I've mentioned that I love my current job. However, I am also trying to plan ahead (1-3 years) and have always been open to other opportunities.

Caveat #3: Not really looking to relocate anytime in the near/distant future. Wife loves her job and is pregnant with our first child. We also put a lot of work in our present home.

Caveat #4: I'm 27 years old.

Caveat #5: My current job is paying fully for my second graduate degree, which is really the only reason why I went back to school after I completed my first Master's.

Thanks in advance for all of your suggestions/insights.

Interesting Non-Academic Fellowships

divabat — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 03:27:38 -0800

What are some interesting non-academic fellowships out there? Some examples of what I mean:

Sauve Scholars
Pop!Tech Social Innovation Fellows
Ashoka
Echoing Green
TED Conference Fellows
YouthActionNet Global Fellowship
YSEI Fellows

So essentially they give you money and support for your projects, or for attending an event of theirs, but the focus isn't on academia and is generally open to a wider selection of people (compared to traditional fellowships that are geared towards academics). What other terms do they use to describe themselves?

(the examples I used up there are largely youth-oriented, but other focus areas are more than welcome.)

Teach like an Egyptian...?

miss lynnster — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 19:49:46 -0800

I've been encouraged to apply as a possible guest lecturer/temporary teacher at the American University in Cairo. Basically, I guess they're developing a brand new campus with a state of the art media/art department and starting up new programs, and because I have a strong background in American media the faculty department there feels I may have something to offer. Thing is, although I'm a total travel addict, I've never lived overseas & have never even considered anything like this before. I'll be honest, I'm feeling pathetically clueless about this idea. I am just not sure yet how serious to take this. Aaaggghh! I also don't know much about graphic design in Egypt, but I have heard it's a pretty good international university and they're really trying to become cutting edge with the creation of this new campus. Because I've had a decent 15-year design career, I've been invited to speak at various design classes (high school & college) over the years & I've taught Photoshop & other programs as a consultant in LA & SF. I have no official teaching credentials though (I don't even have a degree myself, which admittedly is something I battle with massive insecurity about), so I don't know if I'm really qualified to present myself for something like this or where to even start. Or even if I SHOULD.*

I'm trying to learn Arabic so it would be good to be temporarily immersed in the language (although I'd obviously be teaching in English), and it would be fun to visit my friends there. But I honestly don't know. I don't even know how much they pay (ie, if I could afford it), although I hear they treat visiting staff very well. I do know that I would only consider a short term assignment though because I definitely would not want to live in Egypt on a permanent basis.

So please tell me, dear Hive Mind... what do you, in all of your glorious wisdom and vast experiences of the world, think about this? Talk to me! Have you ever done anything like this? Should I try? Or is it a totally stupid/sillly idea? And if I was to consider it, do you have any advice/tips/warnings? If it's something I shouldn't consider or if I'm truly not qualified enough, well then I'd rather not waste my energy on it any further. So helllp!

As they say in Egypt, thanks oodles. ;)

*My dog is really trying to talk me out of it. She hates falafel. (Although that said, I'm not sure if I would even be able to bring her.)