Searching for a new career, maybe you could help.

[mobius8]

Hello everyone.
I want to first say that I hope I don''t offend anyone or break any etiquette rules here.
I know some message boards can be very close knit and I am pretty new here.

I am shopping for a new career, as shallow as it may be, based solely on income potential.
I figure a message board of diamond lovers would have some decent income levels and perhaps someone willing to offer me advice, share with me their career choice, why they chose it, ect.

I currently work in retail sales and make a decent living (55k) for my area (median 28k). But I will not be able to reach my savings and retirement goals at my current income level.
I have a very laid back personality and can be happy doing any job as long as it is ethical.
I don''t mind putting in 2, 4, 6 or more years for higher education as long as I will see a reasonable ROI for the cost of the education. I don''t mind 60hr+ workweeks. I don''t mind working days, nights, weekends.

So, any suggestions that you guys might have would be GREATLY appreciated.
Thank you!

 

[panda08]

How about court reporting? It doesn''t take that long to get certified, though I hear the exam is killer, and the ROI is very good. If you live in a major metropolitan area and can work the kind of hours you describe, you can earn at least $100K.

 

[mobius8]

Date: 8/28/2008 11:29:26 AM
Author: panda08
How about court reporting? It doesn''t take that long to get certified, though I hear the exam is killer, and the ROI is very good. If you live in a major metropolitan area and can work the kind of hours you describe, you can earn at least $100K.

That''s a good suggestion, and something I would not have considered. Do you know anyone who does this type of work?

Thanks, keep the ideas coming.

 

[panda08]

Date: 8/28/2008 11:39:02 AM
Author: mobius8

Date: 8/28/2008 11:29:26 AM
Author: panda08
How about court reporting? It doesn''t take that long to get certified, though I hear the exam is killer, and the ROI is very good. If you live in a major metropolitan area and can work the kind of hours you describe, you can earn at least $100K.

That''s a good suggestion, and something I would not have considered. Do you know anyone who does this type of work?

Thanks, keep the ideas coming.

Yup, I work in a courthouse so I see our court reporters coming and going.

 

[mobius8]

What line of work are you in?

 

[Haven]

I'm not a court reporter but I know a few. They love their jobs and they do very well. It does seem like a lot of work, but if it pays in the six figures that sounds good to me!

ETA: I see you're willing to go back to school. If you're in it solely for the money, I'd go to pharmacy school. Pharmacists do very well and the work is not that stressful. My ex is a pharmacist, I was with him through the first four years of pharmacy school and it wasn't that hard for him. He has a BA and a PharmD, and he started out with Walgreen's making over $90,000 a year, and now it's just a few years later and he makes more than that.

Do you have a BA? Then I'd check out pharmacy school for sure if you really just want high earnings. My ex is bored to tears, but he has a lot of extra cash, which is worth it for him.

 

[panda08]

Date: 8/28/2008 10:57:39 PM
Author: mobius8
What line of work are you in?

I''m a lawyer.

 

[MonkeyPie]

Date: 8/28/2008 11:03:57 PM
Author: Haven
I''m not a court reporter but I know a few. They love their jobs and they do very well. It does seem like a lot of work, but if it pays in the six figures that sounds good to me!

ETA: I see you''re willing to go back to school. If you''re in it solely for the money, I''d go to pharmacy school. Pharmacists do very well and the work is not that stressful. My ex is a pharmacist, I was with him through the first four years of pharmacy school and it wasn''t that hard for him. He has a BA and a PharmD, and he started out with Walgreen''s making over $90,000 a year, and now it''s just a few years later and he makes more than that.

Do you have a BA? Then I''d check out pharmacy school for sure if you really just want high earnings. My ex is bored to tears, but he has a lot of extra cash, which is worth it for him.

Doesn''t this field require a year or two of internships that are unpaid though? One of my brothers friends did this and he is making upwards of 150k, but he had two years where he didn''t make any money because he was basically working for them for free.

I like this thread - I would love ideas to make better pay, too.

 

[bem3231]

I''ll preface this by saying that I''m in Canada, so I''m not sure if the pay scale is the same where you are, but I might consider dental hygiene. Here you can do it either as a university degree or a college degree. My hubby''s a dentist (as are many of our friends), and hygienists currently make around $60 - $80/hr plus are afforded very flexible work conditions by and large.

 

[Skippy123]

What about an accounting degree? Do you like numbers? Some law? Accountants are always needed and you could work anywhere.

 

[aliciagirl]

Date: 8/28/2008 11:03:57 PM
Author: Haven
I'm not a court reporter but I know a few. They love their jobs and they do very well. It does seem like a lot of work, but if it pays in the six figures that sounds good to me!


ETA: I see you're willing to go back to school. If you're in it solely for the money, I'd go to pharmacy school. Pharmacists do very well and the work is not that stressful. My ex is a pharmacist, I was with him through the first four years of pharmacy school and it wasn't that hard for him. He has a BA and a PharmD, and he started out with Walgreen's making over $90,000 a year, and now it's just a few years later and he makes more than that.


Do you have a BA? Then I'd check out pharmacy school for sure if you really just want high earnings. My ex is bored to tears, but he has a lot of extra cash, which is worth it for him.

I'm going to have to agree that the money a pharmacist makes is GREAT, but I have to disagree that the work isn't stressful. If your pharmacy is staffed great then the work isn't TOO bad but it does get very stressful and crazy. And school is only easy if you're very strong in math and science before you start. Rotations aren't particularly easy, either, because even if you just want to work for Retail Pharmacy X you still have to complete rotations in a hospital. I truly think if it's not something you at least have a hint of passion for, it will easily make you feel burnt out. Pharmacists are in a really high demand though, especially in certain areas (city and rural), and you can easily get a sign on bonus of $20,000+ in the right places.

MonkeyPie - It's not really an internship. Programs are either 3 or 4 year programs and that includes what you're thinking of, which is a year's worth of clinical rotations. You don't get paid for them, but it's not like additional internships that some programs require after graduation.

Yeah, I'm a bitter pharmacy student who just finished my last final ever and I start rotations in 2 weeks.

ETA: MonkeyPie, he might have gone on to do a residency, which means you can specialize in a certain field of pharmacy, say psychiatry, and become a clinical pharmacist. This is certainly an option, but definitely isn't required at all.

 

[mobius8]

You guys/gals are coming up with some great suggestions and I really appreciate it. Keep them coming!

HAVEN, I do not have a BA.

I have considered Pharmacy, but it is a big investment in school and can be very stressful. I have heard that the profession has one of the highest suicide rates. But that is probably an urban legend. Still something to consider. I like math and science but as far as having a passion for it like ALICIAGIRL said, I doubt that I would.

BEM3231, I have also considered dentistry, but have not considered dental hygenist. I think if I were to go in that direction I would go ahead into dentistry. No real logical explanation I suppose, I just would.
I have a decent interest in medicine and biology and am normally not the squeamish type at all, HOWEVER I just went to a follow up appointment today after having my wisdom teeth out and I am SERIOUSLY disturbed by the fact that I have to irrigate the sockets. I have spent the past week thinking everything was stitched up in there and now I am told ''oh look at those huge holes''.

But I digress.

SKIPPY123, I have seriously considered accounting. I do like numbers and I am completely obsessed with Microsoft Money.
I am going to do some more research in to this.

 

[Skippy123]

Date: 8/29/2008 11:23:59 PM
Author: mobius8
You guys/gals are coming up with some great suggestions and I really appreciate it. Keep them coming!

HAVEN, I do not have a BA.

I have considered Pharmacy, but it is a big investment in school and can be very stressful. I have heard that the profession has one of the highest suicide rates. But that is probably an urban legend. Still something to consider. I like math and science but as far as having a passion for it like ALICIAGIRL said, I doubt that I would.

BEM3231, I have also considered dentistry, but have not considered dental hygenist. I think if I were to go in that direction I would go ahead into dentistry. No real logical explanation I suppose, I just would.
I have a decent interest in medicine and biology and am normally not the squeamish type at all, HOWEVER I just went to a follow up appointment today after having my wisdom teeth out and I am SERIOUSLY disturbed by the fact that I have to irrigate the sockets. I have spent the past week thinking everything was stitched up in there and now I am told 'oh look at those huge holes'.

But I digress.

SKIPPY123, I have seriously considered accounting. I do like numbers and I am completely obsessed with Microsoft Money.
I am going to do some more research in to this.

You should! Do you have a degree? Some states have different requirements and maybe all you would have to do is finish up the buisness courses. There is a lot in accounting you could do, auditing, tax, the private sector, etc. eta: I see you answered my question to Haven.

 

[nclrgirl]

Date: 8/28/2008 2:10:15 AM
Author:mobius8
Hello everyone.
I want to first say that I hope I don''t offend anyone or break any etiquette rules here.
I know some message boards can be very close knit and I am pretty new here.

I am shopping for a new career, as shallow as it may be, based solely on income potential.
I figure a message board of diamond lovers would have some decent income levels and perhaps someone willing to offer me advice, share with me their career choice, why they chose it, ect.

I currently work in retail sales and make a decent living (55k) for my area (median 28k). But I will not be able to reach my savings and retirement goals at my current income level.
I have a very laid back personality and can be happy doing any job as long as it is ethical.
I don''t mind putting in 2, 4, 6 or more years for higher education as long as I will see a reasonable ROI for the cost of the education. I don''t mind 60hr+ workweeks. I don''t mind working days, nights, weekends.

So, any suggestions that you guys might have would be GREATLY appreciated.
Thank you!

Have you considered some kind of finance or accounting? From your post, it sounds like you are a numbers person and in tune with financial goals, which is great to see especially today!

 

[KesVayReas]

If you like medicine and biology... what about nursing? You can go a million different directions with a Bachelor''s in Nursing... Great sign on bonuses and benefits... Work 3 days a week but make 65,000 to upwards of 110,000... You could then purse a master''s and be a nurse practitioner, more independence, handle your own patients, and of course a large increase in pay.

Just my suggestion... Good luck to you!!

 

[Haven]

aliciagirl, I didn't mean to offend you. I suppose I should have said that the stress level is low relative to other highly paid professions, and that this information is only from what I've heard from my two good friends and my ex who are all pharmacists. Maybe they all just landed really cushy jobs, but they all say that it's pretty low stress.

One works for corporate, one works for a university, and one works in an actual pharmacy. Everyone's experiences will be different, but perhaps you can find pharmacy jobs that are relatively low stress.

In the U.S. there is not a two-year unpaid internship for pharmacy, as far as I know.

ETA: And aliciagirl, GOOD LUCK starting your new profession. You should be very proud of yourself for completing your degree, that's a huge accomplishment.

 

[bem3231]

Date: 8/29/2008 11:23:59 PM
Author: mobius8

BEM3231, I have also considered dentistry, but have not considered dental hygenist. I think if I were to go in that direction I would go ahead into dentistry. No real logical explanation I suppose, I just would.

Hey Mobius...

If your main criteria is earning power, and if you're willing and able to get into a dental school, then I would absolutely take that direction. Again, I'm not sure if / how much things are different south of the border, but in Canada dentistry is one of the last true monopolies left. Dentists up here do very, very well. If I could 'do it all again' I would go into dentistry. That said, dental school has become extremely competitive and expensive in the last decade or so, so there is also a consideration of cost/benefit analysis in terms of what it would cost you both time and tuition-wise. That's why I suggested hygiene, as it's way easier to get into, a much quicker designation, and you can still do relatively well.

 

[mobius8]

Date: 8/30/2008 12:30:31 AM
Author: KesVayReas
If you like medicine and biology... what about nursing? You can go a million different directions with a Bachelor''s in Nursing... Great sign on bonuses and benefits... Work 3 days a week but make 65,000 to upwards of 110,000... You could then purse a master''s and be a nurse practitioner, more independence, handle your own patients, and of course a large increase in pay.


Just my suggestion... Good luck to you!!

My FF is a nurse. I have seriously considered it. It would be kinda weird to have the same job. But cool when we have a family for one of us to work weekend bailer shift and the other work weekdays.

Great suggestion.

 

[AmberGretchen]

Ditto on the nursing - huge demand, and good for someone interested in medicine/biology. Especially if you go for the Masters and become an NP, huge income potential.

 

[diane5006]

good luck with whatever you choose...

I believe the current req for Pharm is now a PharmD...a 6 year degree...good income potential...(note possibly chaging to a 7 year degree)

Minimum for NP is 6 years (BSN +MSN) may be a bit shorter if you have a degree. However the earning potential as an NP may not be greater than as an RN (I know I am an NP...and I at one point made more as an RN...this depends significantly on what area you live in

If it is an area that interests the court reporting may be the best ROI...but the test has a very low pass rate (I think 20 years big $$$$$$

Best of Luck

 

[phoenixgirl]

I didn''t consult my DH on this so I might not have all my facts straight . . .

DH is a financial advisor, which really has no limit on its earning potential.

The trick is that you need an in. You can''t just get hired and expect to make a few phone calls and miraculously have a huge book of clients and make big bucks. It''s similar to being a realtor in the sense that there is not much barrier to entry but few succeed. You need to be hired as part of a team or spend money to buy out retiring advisors or be unusually popular/connected/lucky.

There is really no limit on earning potential. If you''re not part of a team you''ll have to conjure up clients on your own, which probably won''t happen. But if you can join a successful team that has partners looking to reduce their hours, you can make good money off the bat and count on getting more when they retire.

DH has made $50k-$100k per year his first two years on his own (DH has a bachelor''s in a humanities related field, not business . . . he had the "in" that I mentioned, and then he studied to get registered, which was about as difficult as buying some review books at Barnes and Noble and studying a few weekends). Yes, he''s done the leg work and put in the hours, but the clients came as luck through being on a team, other brokers not wanting accounts the firm inherited, and him ingratiating himself to this little town full of farmers (who retire then want to sell their farms for millions). And then once the other members of his team retire and/or he''s cut into a substantial share of the team earnings, he should make $300-$500k a year if the clients don''t leave. Of course, then he''ll want to bring in some younger members to reduce his workload, so it might not be that much. But the point is that your earnings are not capped by how much people in your field get paid. Conversely, your earnings can tank if the market is bad, as it pretty much is now.

 

[mobius8]

Date: 8/30/2008 11:14:18 PM
Author: phoenixgirl
I didn''t consult my DH on this so I might not have all my facts straight . . .


DH is a financial advisor, which really has no limit on its earning potential.


The trick is that you need an in. You can''t just get hired and expect to make a few phone calls and miraculously have a huge book of clients and make big bucks. It''s similar to being a realtor in the sense that there is not much barrier to entry but few succeed. You need to be hired as part of a team or spend money to buy out retiring advisors or be unusually popular/connected/lucky.


There is really no limit on earning potential. If you''re not part of a team you''ll have to conjure up clients on your own, which probably won''t happen. But if you can join a successful team that has partners looking to reduce their hours, you can make good money off the bat and count on getting more when they retire.


DH has made $50k-$100k per year his first two years on his own (DH has a bachelor''s in a humanities related field, not business . . . he had the ''in'' that I mentioned, and then he studied to get registered, which was about as difficult as buying some review books at Barnes and Noble and studying a few weekends). Yes, he''s done the leg work and put in the hours, but the clients came as luck through being on a team, other brokers not wanting accounts the firm inherited, and him ingratiating himself to this little town full of farmers (who retire then want to sell their farms for millions). And then once the other members of his team retire and/or he''s cut into a substantial share of the team earnings, he should make $300-$500k a year if the clients don''t leave. Of course, then he''ll want to bring in some younger members to reduce his workload, so it might not be that much. But the point is that your earnings are not capped by how much people in your field get paid. Conversely, your earnings can tank if the market is bad, as it pretty much is now.

This is great info. I really have a lot of interest in this type of work. But like you said it just seems so much up to chance and who you know.
I know a decent amount of local people due to the fact that I am in a sales job now that I have been in for 7 years, but I am not really what I would consider well connected. I don''t have wealthy or well connected family members (that I am aware of), nor do I have fraternity brothers and their families to help me along. This are things that I perceive as being a strong link to success in that type of career field. I think nepotism plays a huge role in a successful financial career. I could be way off base though.
I am very happy that your husband is doing well at it and hope that continues.
I will look more into this as well and greatly appreciate your input!

 

[aliciagirl]

Date: 8/30/2008 10:57:47 AM
Author: Haven
aliciagirl, I didn''t mean to offend you. I suppose I should have said that the stress level is low relative to other highly paid professions, and that this information is only from what I''ve heard from my two good friends and my ex who are all pharmacists. Maybe they all just landed really cushy jobs, but they all say that it''s pretty low stress.

One works for corporate, one works for a university, and one works in an actual pharmacy. Everyone''s experiences will be different, but perhaps you can find pharmacy jobs that are relatively low stress.

In the U.S. there is not a two-year unpaid internship for pharmacy, as far as I know.

ETA: And aliciagirl, GOOD LUCK starting your new profession. You should be very proud of yourself for completing your degree, that''s a huge accomplishment.

Oh, Haven, I certainly wasn''t offended! No worries. I spend a lot of time explaining to people why I will make over 100 grand a year if "all you do is count pills all day" so not very many things offend me. I definitely agree that is is low stress compared to like, being a doctor or a financial adviser or something!

The main stress comes from being in a high volume pharmacy that fills 4,000+ prescriptions a week, which is how it is, unfortunately, at every pharmacy in my city. I''m sure a low volume store would be very cushy (and amazing!) to work in. I love pharmacy, so the stress is worth it for me. I just would hate someone to enter the field expecting no stress. And thanks! I''m definitely excited to get started.

Mobius: That is so crazy about the high suicide rates for pharmacists! I''ve never heard that before but I did find an article from 1995 that said only psychiatrists had higher suicide rates. I don''t personally know any pharmacists who are under -that- much stress, so don''t let that disuade you, but it certainly is interesting.

 

[AGBF]

I hate to confess it, but my initial reaction to this thread was envy of everyone''s huge salaries! I went to school for what seems like decades (well, if you count elementary school, it was decades!) and there is no way on earth I could get a job paying $90,000-$100,000!

I have to get myself grounded again and remember that I studied what I did because I wanted to and I was never, never practical and I never, never thought about making money with my education!

I think I''m over the bout of envy...but these recur .

Deb