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I have a Business Degree and worked in that field for 8 years. I hated it and decided to go to grad school for Education. After a year of working in the classroom, I decided I didn't want to be in the classroom. So now I'm going into Training in the corporate world. I'm using my business knowledge and my education knowledge to teach adults.
I suggest that you look at your education and experience in terms of transferable skills. As the pp has said, you have the perfect background to work as a corporate trainer. Make a list of your skills and then think of other jobs that require these skills.
I havent but my coworker did. He was an engineering for about 4-5 years, then one day... he quit and decided he wanted to become a dentist. He's not in first year dental school. Talk about a seemingly random flip! From programming and designing hardware to teeth. We were all floored. Sorry, I have no personal experience of knowledge, but just wanted to share that and say it is possible and people apparently do it all the time!
@julies1949: That's a great suggestion, thank you! I think making a list of skills would be really helpful, especially in terms of gearing my resume toward specific positions.
Maybe making a list like that would also give me some direction...at this point, I know that I want to do something different from my current job, but I can't quite decide what that something is.
I totally understand. I am feeling the same way. I am in marketing and hate it. I would love to become a social worker or help those less fortunate than me. Good luck!
I have completely bounced around industry-wise and I completely agree with julies1949 as far as transferrable skils are concerned.
I was a biology major in college. My first job out of college was in the operations/IT area of a clothing retail company. I did that for 2 years, and then the next position I had was on the sales side of finance and asset managment.
I then moved back into operations/IT but this time at a financial institution and now I'm looking for project management work in a variety of sectors.
The biggest thing is understanding what you are good at and seperating that from the industry/position you are currently in. Also, many companies are looking for "out of the box" thinkers and "fresh perspectives" which someone who has not been in the industry before can more easily provide.
It's kind of a relief to hear from people who feel the same way. I'm in my fourth year of working full time and I still feel like I don't know what I want to be when I grow up.
I'm also considering if it's appropriate to list more personal (rather than professional) skills and pursuits on a resume.For example, if I'm interested in a writing intensive position (which my current job definitely is not), would it be odd to include on my resume that I have a fairly popular blog, write for a local weekly magazine, etc? I can't decide if that seems too unprofessional...or even what kind of resume heading I could use for something like that.
@MaraBeth:Put that on the bottom with your additional skills and then include it in your cover letter. In my interview this week, they actually asked if I wrote a blog or enjoyed writing since they're currently in the process of rewriting their curriculum and wanted people who had skills writing engaging lessons.
@MaraBeth: I think it would be totally cool to add additional information like that to a resume, since they are career related. Maybe Related Experience as the heading?
I went to school and got a degree in Communications, worked as a property manager assistant for 2.5 years, and knew it wasn't for me, so I quit without another job prospect. Found an office job (was hired on my last day of work at the previous job, actually!), and now I've been here for almost a year. And already pretty sure I'm ready to move on! I'm definitely in the "not sure what I want to be when I grow up" camp. I think it's just important to a) get as much experience as possible in different fields so I can narrow it down, and b) keep my eyes open for new opportunities.
@NowDontLetsBeSilly: Related experiences--great idea! You have a great attitude, too, that's how I think I need to approach things. There's nothing wrong with trying something new and deciding it's not for me. I know I'm still early enough in my career to make a major change, I just sort of wish I'd had the foresight to get a more general degree!
Another hint. Some people have trouble identifying their own skills. If you are one of them, look at other job postings to see the list of skills they are asking for. You will quickly identify those which you posess.
I have, twice! LOL! I went to school for architecture, ended up working in film and television for a few years. Then I hurt myself on the job and had a bit of a wake up call and went back to school for interior design. I did that for a couple of years, but then the small firm I was working for went down with the economy. So I took some time off, planned the wedding, eventually opened my online shop, and now I'm more focused on that, WB, and I have another job prospect on the horizon.
Honestly it was terrifying, absolultey. BUT it was the best thing for me. Although it may not be entirely obvious, a lot of the skills did transfer over from one position to the other. For instance, I was an assistant director when I was working in film. I had to be very very very organized. More organized than I've been in my life. Clearly that's a good skill to have for other jobs. Also, I had to learn to effectively manage big personalities (and I don't just mean status, I also mean very high maintenance), and make people feel very special, listened to, and like they were getting their way even when they weren't. Awesome skill to have throughout life, lol!
So I may be miles from where I started out, but I'm really happy doing what I do now, because it's on my own terms, and on a path I chose. I think it's a lot to ask a 17/18 year old to decide what they want to do for the rest of their lives when they go to university!
Plus, I always look at it this way, if you don't like it, leave. Try something else. Nothing ventured nothing gained :)
@MaraBeth: My FI did. He went from the banking industry to advertising/media/marketing. He works a lot but he's a lot happier.
It's a difficult decision, especially when you worked hard to get your degree & where you are now. However, you need to be happy doing what you do, so if you think a change could make you happy, seriously think about how it could work. Do you know what you want to move into?
I have a degree in law, and practiced employment law for about 5 years after qualifying. I didn't really enjoy it, but felt silly wanting to change after working for so long to qualify and then getting a really good job which was very well paid. But I knew I wasn't happy, and it was starting to impact on my life too much. It was going to be very difficult to find a job where I needed to move to for my hubby's job when we got married and I was facing starting our marriage by working either a 10 hour drive away or a 2 hour flight each way from my hubby and commuting weekly. Added to this, the fact he was in the military meant weekly commuting was a bit useless given he often works at the weekend.
I had wanted to teach children for years, so about 2 years ago, I took a few random days of holiday and went to do some work experience in a school. I knew after trying it, I was hooked so I just decided to apply on the off chance to do a post graduate degree in primary education. Much to my surprise, because I took the time to get some experience, and work out how on earth law could be useful experience in teaching, I was offered a place and I completed my training last June, about 3 weeks before our wedding.
It was pretty difficult to balance the chance of career with everything, but it was so worth it. I have been teaching for 6 months now and have never been happier. I totally love what I do now! People tried to tell me not to do it because of a drop in salary and less job security, but I thought I could always go back to what I did before if it didn't work, it was worth the chance!
If you really want to change, go for it. I think you are more likely to regret not trying something new than you are sticking with something you are not happy in - you can fall back on what you do now if a change doesn't work/make you happy. The fact you have worked for a number of years also stands you in good stead for a job no matter what you do I think!
Good luck!
@NearlyMrsMac: Thank you for sharing your story! I love children, but I have decided that I'm just not a teacher. I'm considering looking for jobs in grant or non-profit work, or maybe moving to a different field entirely like marketing or copywriting. It's wonderful that you were able to move into a career you enjoy!
@julies1949: Great advice, I think that will help me a lot. I am going to try to find some listings that appeal to me so I can try to identify which skills are transferrable.
@bakerella: I'm so glad to hear it worked out for you! I agree about the nothing ventured, nothing gained part. I don't want to waste too much time doing something I don't enjoy.
I'm in the middle of a career change right now. It's scary, but it's right. I've also been in education (higher ed), and it's next to impossible to find full-time employment in my state. Sad, but true. So I'm switching things up. For the past few months, I've been working for a non-profit doing a lot of writing, editing, and social media management, and I love it. It's rewarding, challenging, and interesting.
I'm currently looking for more work along those lines because I recently moved and a lot of my work with the non-profit has been basically converted to freelance (which I'm thankful for because it means I still have an income while job searching). The job search has been a nightmare, not going to lie. But I do my best not to take it personally. Sadly, things like unemployment or getting into the field you actually want tend to take a lot longer for our generation than previous generations. There are just too many workers and not enought jobs. I keep trusting that I'll end up in a good job soon, which is all I can really do. That, and I'm doing my best to explore my interests and passions on my own, and I'm even taking a few online classes to further develop my skills.
So I think being proactive about exploring new interests and opportunities is key, and it's also OK to do all of that while still in a job that you don't necessarily love. Sometimes a job is just a job, something to pay the bills, and that's OK. If you find something you're passionate about, explore it and work towards making that a career if you can. And know that you are certaily not alone in all of this. :)
@parasol: It sounds like you're on your way to making the transition! I like the idea of being proactive in working toward something you love but not afraid to take a job that pays the bills...I want to switch fields, but I don't want a huge hole on my resume. I am thinking I might try to volunteer or freelance on the side if I can't find something I love to try to make some connections.
I'm so glad to find people who can relate! I feel like I should have more direction by this point in my life--I always thought by the time I got married I would have some idea of what I was going to do with my life.
I did a major change. I worked as a veterinary technichian for 15 years. I loveeeddd it. I love working with the dogs, cats and horses that made my day exciting. I loved the medicine. What I didn't love was the fact that I made 28,000 a year and had no health insurance. With my entering my 30's I decided health insuracne would probably be a good thing to have. So I ended up getting an alternative certification to teach. I teach 8th grade science now. I still love my job, and the benefits of teaching are great too! :D
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I have a bachelors degree in education and I am currently working in the field but I am pretty certain I want to make a serious career change. After about 4 years, I've decided that while I like it, it's just not my calling.
DH is interviewing for jobs in a different city and we're hoping to move this year. I know that when we move, I want to look for something completely different, but I'm not sure exactly how to go about it. For one, I have a pretty specific degree and fairly field-specific work experience. Also, I'm just not quite sure what I want to do!
For any bees who have changed fields, was it an easy transition? What made you decide to make a change? Did you find it difficult to find a job in a new field? Were you happy with your decision?