Career Change

[JimJohnson]

Any of you guys get sick of your initial career post college and decided to go to grad school to move into a completely different industry?

 

[Novak]

No. Good thing college = guaranteed job doe. That's always nice.

 

[DMelt36]

Any of you guys get sick of your initial career post college and decided to go to grad school to move into a completely different industry?

I'm in one right now.

Graduated from undergrad in 2010 with a journalism degree. Market for that has been shit, as people in the industry keep getting paid the same or less to do more work due to ever-shrinking budgets.

I started doing some freelance sports writing for a newspaper in the area that fall, but couldn't find a full-time gig anywhere that I wanted to live. There were some positions available, but they were located in far-off, rural locations that didn't fit a kid who'd spent his entire life in the suburbs within a short drive of Chicago.

In the summer of 2012 I took up a family friend on his offer to become a real estate appraiser. The downside to this career is that it requires a bunch of education and field training before you get your appraiser license. Think of it like getting an associate's degree, but with a ton more on-the-job experience involved.

I'm a little over two years into this appraisal job and think I'm going to stick with it for the immediate future. Still do a ton of newspaper writing on the side, but it's never been enough to support myself. With these two jobs together, I'm getting by enough to still go out on the weekends and put some away for later. Within the next 1-2 years, the appraisal thing should improve enough to allow me to slowly phase out my newspaper writing, should I choose to do so. Undecided about what'll happen at that point, but it's nice to have options.

Not convinced that this appraisal thing will be something I do permanently. But for the next decade or so, it feels like a pretty good switch. Nothing too stressful about the job, and there is a ton of freedom involved with the work.

Thought about grad school for a bit, but never seriously considered it. Got enough student debt already.

 

[number51]

Who goes post grad to change careers? Seriously, I've never heard of that. I've seen plenty of people get masters and phd's to advance in their chosen field, become more specialized, never to change. The closest I have seen to what you are describing is an engineer gets an mba to go into management for the money, but he's still in engineering.

JJ, are you thinking about becoming a marriage counselor?

 

[BringBackDitka54]

I once got a job offer from the NSA, I turned them down though. Say I'm working at N.S.A. Somebody puts a code on my desk, something nobody else can break. Maybe I take a shot at it and maybe I break it. And I'm real happy with myself, 'cause I did my job well. But maybe that code was the location of some rebel army in North Africa or the Middle East. Once they have that location, they bomb the village where the rebels were hiding and fifteen hundred people I never met, never had no problem with, get killed. Now the politicians are sayin', "Oh, send in the Marines to secure the area" 'cause they don't give a shit. It won't be their kid over there, gettin' shot. Just like it wasn't them when their number got called, 'cause they were pullin' a tour in the National Guard. It'll be some kid from the South side takin' shrapnel in the ass. And he comes back to find that the plant he used to work at got exported to the country he just got back from. And the guy who put the shrapnel in his ass got his old job, 'cause he'll work for fifteen cents a day and no bathroom breaks. Meanwhile, he realizes the only reason he was over there in the first place was so we could install a government that would sell us oil at a good price. And, of course, the oil companies used the skirmish over there to scare up domestic oil prices. A cute little ancillary benefit for them, but it ain't helping my buddy at three-fifty a gallon. And they're takin' their sweet time bringin' the oil back, of course, and maybe even took the liberty of hiring an alcoholic skipper who likes to drink martinis and fuckin' play slalom with the icebergs, and it ain't too long 'til he hits one, spills the oil and kills all the sea life in the North Atlantic. So now my buddy's out of work and he can't afford to drive, so he's got to walk to the fuckin' job interviews, which sucks 'cause the shrapnel in his ass is givin' him chronic hemorrhoids. And meanwhile he's starvin', 'cause every time he tries to get a bite to eat, the only blue plate special they're servin' is North Atlantic scrod with Quaker State. So what did I think? I'm holdin' out for somethin' better. I figure **** it, while I'm at it why not just shoot my buddy, take his job, give it to his sworn enemy, hike up gas prices, bomb a village, club a baby seal, hit the hash pipe and join the National Guard? I could be elected president.

 

[number51]

I'm in one right now.

Graduated from undergrad in 2010 with a journalism degree. Market for that has been shit, as people in the industry keep getting paid the same or less to do more work due to ever-shrinking budgets.

I started doing some freelance sports writing for a newspaper in the area that fall, but couldn't find a full-time gig anywhere that I wanted to live. There were some positions available, but they were located in far-off, rural locations that didn't fit a kid who'd spent his entire life in the suburbs within a short drive of Chicago.

In the summer of 2012 I took up a family friend on his offer to become a real estate appraiser. The downside to this career is that it requires a bunch of education and field training before you get your appraiser license. Think of it like getting an associate's degree, but with a ton more on-the-job experience involved.

I'm a little over two years into this appraisal job and think I'm going to stick with it for the immediate future. Still do a ton of newspaper writing on the side, but it's never been enough to support myself. With these two jobs together, I'm getting by enough to still go out on the weekends and put some away for later. Within the next 1-2 years, the appraisal thing should improve enough to allow me to slowly phase out my newspaper writing, should I choose to do so. Undecided about what'll happen at that point, but it's nice to have options.

Not convinced that this appraisal thing will be something I do permanently. But for the next decade or so, it feels like a pretty good switch. Nothing too stressful about the job, and there is a ton of freedom involved with the work.

Thought about grad school for a bit, but never seriously considered it. Got enough student debt already.

Good for you man. My wife was going for a marketing degree, she caught a break and went into real estate. Same thing, took classes got certified, made lots of money.

But I've still never heard of anyone going for a masters to change fields. The masters will be in some way related to your bachelors, a real career change means starting over like DMelt36. He would still be a great RE agent without his journalism degree. He may be a better person because of the undergraduate experience, and who knows what might open up when he is selling a house to some hot shot media big wig.

 

[DMelt36]

But I've still never heard of anyone going for a masters to change fields. The masters will be in some way related to your bachelors, a real career change means starting over like DMelt36. He would still be a great RE agent without his journalism degree. He may be a better person because of the undergraduate experience, and who knows what might open up when he is selling a house to some hot shot media big wig.

The appraisal business is a little different than that of a real estate agent, in that we're not selling anything, just hopefully giving you a good idea of what it's worth.

I'm working toward a general appraiser license, which actually requires a college degree now. So that college degree is still applicable to my career, just not in the way I thought it'd be.

 

[BNB]

My econ teacher in H.S. was an accountant then got her master's in education and became a teacher.

 

[xer0h0ur]

I once got a job offer from the NSA, I turned them down though. Say I'm working at N.S.A. Somebody puts a code on my desk, something nobody else can break. Maybe I take a shot at it and maybe I break it. And I'm real happy with myself, 'cause I did my job well. But maybe that code was the location of some rebel army in North Africa or the Middle East. Once they have that location, they bomb the village where the rebels were hiding and fifteen hundred people I never met, never had no problem with, get killed. Now the politicians are sayin', "Oh, send in the Marines to secure the area" 'cause they don't give a shit. It won't be their kid over there, gettin' shot. Just like it wasn't them when their number got called, 'cause they were pullin' a tour in the National Guard. It'll be some kid from the South side takin' shrapnel in the ass. And he comes back to find that the plant he used to work at got exported to the country he just got back from. And the guy who put the shrapnel in his ass got his old job, 'cause he'll work for fifteen cents a day and no bathroom breaks. Meanwhile, he realizes the only reason he was over there in the first place was so we could install a government that would sell us oil at a good price. And, of course, the oil companies used the skirmish over there to scare up domestic oil prices. A cute little ancillary benefit for them, but it ain't helping my buddy at three-fifty a gallon. And they're takin' their sweet time bringin' the oil back, of course, and maybe even took the liberty of hiring an alcoholic skipper who likes to drink martinis and fuckin' play slalom with the icebergs, and it ain't too long 'til he hits one, spills the oil and kills all the sea life in the North Atlantic. So now my buddy's out of work and he can't afford to drive, so he's got to walk to the fuckin' job interviews, which sucks 'cause the shrapnel in his ass is givin' him chronic hemorrhoids. And meanwhile he's starvin', 'cause every time he tries to get a bite to eat, the only blue plate special they're servin' is North Atlantic scrod with Quaker State. So what did I think? I'm holdin' out for somethin' better. I figure **** it, while I'm at it why not just shoot my buddy, take his job, give it to his sworn enemy, hike up gas prices, bomb a village, club a baby seal, hit the hash pipe and join the National Guard? I could be elected president.

:doorrofl:

 

[Urblock]

I once got a job offer from the NSA, I turned them down though. Say I'm working at N.S.A. Somebody puts a code on my desk, something nobody else can break. Maybe I take a shot at it and maybe I break it. And I'm real happy with myself, 'cause I did my job well. But maybe that code was the location of some rebel army in North Africa or the Middle East. Once they have that location, they bomb the village where the rebels were hiding and fifteen hundred people I never met, never had no problem with, get killed. Now the politicians are sayin', "Oh, send in the Marines to secure the area" 'cause they don't give a shit. It won't be their kid over there, gettin' shot. Just like it wasn't them when their number got called, 'cause they were pullin' a tour in the National Guard. It'll be some kid from the South side takin' shrapnel in the ass. And he comes back to find that the plant he used to work at got exported to the country he just got back from. And the guy who put the shrapnel in his ass got his old job, 'cause he'll work for fifteen cents a day and no bathroom breaks. Meanwhile, he realizes the only reason he was over there in the first place was so we could install a government that would sell us oil at a good price. And, of course, the oil companies used the skirmish over there to scare up domestic oil prices. A cute little ancillary benefit for them, but it ain't helping my buddy at three-fifty a gallon. And they're takin' their sweet time bringin' the oil back, of course, and maybe even took the liberty of hiring an alcoholic skipper who likes to drink martinis and fuckin' play slalom with the icebergs, and it ain't too long 'til he hits one, spills the oil and kills all the sea life in the North Atlantic. So now my buddy's out of work and he can't afford to drive, so he's got to walk to the fuckin' job interviews, which sucks 'cause the shrapnel in his ass is givin' him chronic hemorrhoids. And meanwhile he's starvin', 'cause every time he tries to get a bite to eat, the only blue plate special they're servin' is North Atlantic scrod with Quaker State. So what did I think? I'm holdin' out for somethin' better. I figure **** it, while I'm at it why not just shoot my buddy, take his job, give it to his sworn enemy, hike up gas prices, bomb a village, club a baby seal, hit the hash pipe and join the National Guard? I could be elected president.

Was it you pals Ben and Matt that did this shit?

 

[BringBackDitka54]

Was it you pals Ben and Matt that did this shit?

My name is Will and my best friend is Chucky, so fack you.

 

[HeHateMe]

Wow.

 

[JimJohnson]

I'm in finance. Been in finance for some time now but I'm tired and terribly bored of it. Finance is one of the worst degrees I could have gotten as the industry is honestly shit unless you get a coveted investment banking or consulting gig. Deciding on what's next but one thing is certain, I want out of finance.

 

[number51]

My econ teacher in H.S. was an accountant then got her master's in education and became a teacher.

I stand corrected, I forgot about a professional going into teaching.

 

[JimJohnson]

Who goes post grad to change careers? Seriously, I've never heard of that. I've seen plenty of people get masters and phd's to advance in their chosen field, become more specialized, never to change. The closest I have seen to what you are describing is an engineer gets an mba to go into management for the money, but he's still in engineering.

JJ, are you thinking about becoming a marriage counselor?

When I said grad school, I mean any type of professional school. I thought it happened a ton. I'll give you an example although this particular example is certainly rare. One of my buddies was a trader for 4 years out of undergrad then had a change of heart and went to medical school. Now, he just entered Northwestern residency program for plastics.

 

[number51]

I'm in finance. Been in finance for some time now but I'm tired and terribly bored of it. Finance is one of the worst degrees I could have gotten as the industry is honestly shit unless you get a coveted investment banking or consulting gig. Deciding on what's next but one thing is certain, I want out of finance.

What post grad programs are available with a finance degree, other than teaching?

 

[HeHateMe]

I'm in finance. Been in finance for some time now but I'm tired and terribly bored of it. Finance is one of the worst degrees I could have gotten as the industry is honestly shit unless you get a coveted investment banking or consulting gig. Deciding on what's next but one thing is certain, I want out of finance.

I thought shorting pharma stocks was a atm?

 

[HeHateMe]

Also, why not bcome a farmer? Thats wut im gonna do.

 

[Hbkrusso]

I once got a job offer from the NSA, I turned them down though. Say I'm working at N.S.A. Somebody puts a code on my desk, something nobody else can break. Maybe I take a shot at it and maybe I break it. And I'm real happy with myself, 'cause I did my job well. But maybe that code was the location of some rebel army in North Africa or the Middle East. Once they have that location, they bomb the village where the rebels were hiding and fifteen hundred people I never met, never had no problem with, get killed. Now the politicians are sayin', "Oh, send in the Marines to secure the area" 'cause they don't give a shit. It won't be their kid over there, gettin' shot. Just like it wasn't them when their number got called, 'cause they were pullin' a tour in the National Guard. It'll be some kid from the South side takin' shrapnel in the ass. And he comes back to find that the plant he used to work at got exported to the country he just got back from. And the guy who put the shrapnel in his ass got his old job, 'cause he'll work for fifteen cents a day and no bathroom breaks. Meanwhile, he realizes the only reason he was over there in the first place was so we could install a government that would sell us oil at a good price. And, of course, the oil companies used the skirmish over there to scare up domestic oil prices. A cute little ancillary benefit for them, but it ain't helping my buddy at three-fifty a gallon. And they're takin' their sweet time bringin' the oil back, of course, and maybe even took the liberty of hiring an alcoholic skipper who likes to drink martinis and fuckin' play slalom with the icebergs, and it ain't too long 'til he hits one, spills the oil and kills all the sea life in the North Atlantic. So now my buddy's out of work and he can't afford to drive, so he's got to walk to the fuckin' job interviews, which sucks 'cause the shrapnel in his ass is givin' him chronic hemorrhoids. And meanwhile he's starvin', 'cause every time he tries to get a bite to eat, the only blue plate special they're servin' is North Atlantic scrod with Quaker State. So what did I think? I'm holdin' out for somethin' better. I figure **** it, while I'm at it why not just shoot my buddy, take his job, give it to his sworn enemy, hike up gas prices, bomb a village, club a baby seal, hit the hash pipe and join the National Guard? I could be elected president.

gimmick infringement but...

 

[Hbkrusso]

I do the same thing my dad did and his dad before him and his dad before him and so on and so forth for 5 generations
no college was required just years of backbreaking labor and an affinity for drinking large amounts of beer to numb the pain