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Author: MBAgirl823
Date: 02-18-04 12:36
Are you the one who changed careers big time after several years in one field? If so, would you please give me some advice or words of wisdom on how to go about doing such? With each passing day I am growing more disheartened with my current employer (for a variety of reasons, none of which anyone here wants to hear me whine about) and I think I'd like to get out of the HR field altogether BUT that's where all of my work experience, for the most part, has been.
"Your body will not change until you do!"
Dawn 174/149/130
Height: 5'4
Program start date: July 2003
Started new job and moved/break from training: April-October, 2004
Program re-start date: October 2004
Lost to date: 25
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Author: Luna
Date: 02-18-04 12:45
I'm in the same boat..... I'm in an admin type field working as a project officer.... have been for about 5 years. I decided to be a biologist -- marine biologist. I left my job, moved out to the coast and I'm working again as a project officer but I'm also going to school part time to complete my BSc and I'm volunteering like mad to get some practical experience -- joining clubs and doing my own research. I'm hoping to switch careers entirely over the next 3 years or so. It wasn't an easy choice to make and I'm kinda impatient cuz I wanna be a biologist now, but I know that with time and effort I will get there. I'm following my dream -- it's definitely worth it. Go and see a career counsellor or community counsellor. They might be able to help. What about a learning consultant? Look at your options, decide what it is that you want and then stop at nothin' till you get there. That's what I'm doing.
Hope that helps.... didn't mean to butt in, I know you were writing to Eric, but I just had to post cuz I'm going through the same kinda thing, you know?
Cheers,
Luna :))
'Ichi Gon, Ni Soku, San Tan, Chi Riku' -- Higashi Sensei
'Be the water.' -- Bruce Lee
height: 5'5"
Goal: BsC w/ Hon. Major in Biology & My Shodan (black belt)
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Author: Donna
Date: 02-18-04 12:55
Hey Dawn...i'm not Eric either but I hope I can jump in on this one. I was in the insurance field for a long time and I hit a point where I got so tired of everyone yelling at me because they felt that I personally made up the rates that I couldn't take it anymore. I went to a Vocational high school where I majored in baking and thought I would change careers because I love baking and wanted to get "back to my roots". It's not easy because my experience in the field was 12 years ago so I took a postion at the bottom of the pole and am slowly working my way up. I'm assuming that is the way to go about it if you have no experience, you learn as you go then step up along the way. Best of luck to you.
~Donna~
146~146~135
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Author: CJ
Date: 02-18-04 13:04
Donna, did you mean baking or banking??? If baking...you can major in it in highschool???
CJ
186.5/151.0/135
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Author: Donna
Date: 02-18-04 14:38
I meant baking (breads and stuff). In a vocational school you have all sorts of things to major in...carpentry, automotive, baking, cosmotology, fashion design, Electrcal trades, commercial foods and a whole lot more. We had our normal classes of Math, history, science, english, and gym then it was 4 hours of shop. Our math classes revolved around what shop we took. The poeple in Machine Shop had a much more advanced math course than us bakers.
~Donna~
146~146~135
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Author: Eric
Date: 02-18-04 19:44
Yeah that was me, and apparently everyone else on the board as well!
I left a 12 year career in adult habilitation as an Associate Executive Director to be a gardener. I had 26 direct reports, 146 employees, an air conditioned corner office with the big window and not one, but two secretaries. Leaving it all was the best thing I ever did.
The only time I regretted it for even a moment was when I had my heart attack. I had no paid sick leave as a gardener. I remember telling my cardiologist that if I had my old desk job, I'd be getting paid for the time off.
His response was that if I had my old desk job, I would be dead. The only reason I survived the heart attack was that I had an extordinarily large amount of collateral circulation which I had developed, likely as a result of all the walking behind the lawn mower, as well as the hard work I do.
I left in 1989 and I still feel like I'm "playing hookey." The cold days are exciting and make me appreciate my warm home, and the hot days make a glass of cold water seem like heaven. I don't have one customer that I don't love. If I ever feel like I don't like one of them well enough to do a few extras as a favor, I quit working for them.
I can quit any customer any time I feel like it, and suffer only about a 1% cut in pay for about a week before I replace them (if that). There is something glorious about being able to tell someone you work for "You know, I just don't like you, and I don't want to work for you anymore."
There are no "office politics." At my old job I was involved in a lawsuit for nearly two years as someone had brought a law suit to get my job. In my new job, disputes with other gardeners are settled immeadiately, although occasionally with blows. But at least it's over with!
I never sweat from stress or worry, only from honest hard work.
I don't know what else to tell you, I starting my own business was the best thing I ever did, no regrets!!!!
Eric
I intend to live forever.....So far so good!
272/ /188 1.5 lbs. this week. I dare not say till the cast comes off
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Author: kidsmom
Date: 02-19-04 09:21
Wow... that was inspiring. Makes me want to quit my desk job and be a gardener... but... man... would I be poor in the winter!!!
That is so cool that you enjoy what you do so much. Life is much better when you are happy making the living we all need :).
K
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Author: Melanie
Date: 02-19-04 12:27
I've changed lots of jobs, some of those transitions I consider a career change. I never liked working for others, so before I quit my last full-time job to work for myself, I switched jobs pretty frequently because I was hoping it would be better somewhere else... My conclusion - working full-time sucks everywhere (just some places suck less) :-)
Here's my work history:
PART-TIME WHILE IN COLLEGE
June-August 1995 - Waitress in 2 different restaurants, hostess in another restaurant
Sept 1995 - Nov 1996 - Cashier in a discount store
Dec 1996 - Jan 1998 - Bank teller
June 1997 - Jan 1998 - Computer programmer for architectural software company
FULL-TIME
May 1998 - Apr 2000 - Web developer for an Internet startup (first year part-time, 2nd year full-time after I graduated college. That's my longest time in the same job!)
Apr 2000 - Oct 2001 - Web developer for consulting firm
Nov 2001 - Oct 2002 - Computer programmer for hospital
PART-TIME
Oct 2002 - Present - College instuctor for web design, multimedia, career development classes
Oct 2002 - Present - Self-employed - various Internet business ventures
---
I don't really count the different part-time jobs while in college as "career change" :-) I consider 2 switches career changes:
Nov 2001 - even though it's still involved with computers, the new job required the use of competely different programming languages (that I had no real experience in). In computer field, it's considered a complete switch - it's almost impossible to get jobs using a programming language that you don't have experience in.
Oct 2002 - getting a teaching job with no teaching experience
And of course the biggest thing is quitting my last full-time job in order to work for myself :-) I'm hoping I'll never have to work full-time again (I will only if I'm starving :-) I just can't be stuck somewhere from 9 to 5 and having others tell me what to do - yikes!
Here's my advice for career change:
* It's really not the industry, but your transferrable skills that matter. For example, if someone is a computer programmer, their transferrable skills are programming languages. If someone is an accountant, their transferrable skills are accounting knowledge... etc.
You need to figure out what exactly you do, what your skills are, and go from there. Don't get too hung up on the industry issue.
* If switching fields (not just industries, but the actual job type), get some kind of "piece of paper" that demonstrates that you have some background in it. For example, to get the job using the new programming language, I got a certificate in this programming language.
* Get some kind of experience in the new field (freelance or volunteer work is better than nothing).
* Try to publish articles in the new field (you can put publications on your resume)
* Very important - rewrite your resume! You can word the same things in so many different ways... Find some things about your current job that have *something* in common with your target future job, and blow them out of proportion :-)
* If you are not really good at writing resumes, I recommend getting a professional resume writer (not just anyone who claims to be one, but the one with references and proven track record). It's a really good investment!
* If you are not really good at the interviewing game (or haven't interviewed for a while and feel just kind of rusty), get a career coach who can help you devise the right strategies for answering tricky questions, and help you practice interviewing. You'll only need a couple of hours to do that, and again it is a good investment.
If you are unhappy at your current job, by all means try to find something else. Why waste your precious life doing something you hate? You have nothing to lose by trying...
If you have any questions, feel free to ask.
Best regards,
Melanie
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