Do you like your job/career?

[shimmer]

I am not certain my career is right for me, there are more days than not where I do not enjoy it in the least.

I am self-employed, and not enjoying my work on certain days makes it very hard to be motivated. I initially enjoyed it because it put me out of my comfort zone, I found it very challenging to my personality and I like to overcome barriers like that.

Now that I have successfully overcome these barriers, I feel bored

! Just wondering if anyone else feels this way?

 

[MonkeyPie]

What do you do Shimmer?

I dislike my job almost every day. But until I find something new, I''m stuck. Plus I don''t have a degree...ugh.

Hopefully someday I will be a photographer and then it won''t matter.

 

[UCLABelle]

Love my job. I am in education (admissions and advisement at the college-level). However, there are days I feel like it is just awful

Hang-in there.

 

[Lauren8211]

Date: 8/6/2008 1:06:31 PM
Author: UCLABelle
Love my job. I am in education (admissions and advisement at the college-level). However, there are days I feel like it is just awful

Hang-in there.

What was your degree in? I was considering looking into doing that.

 

[absolut_blonde]

I DID... then I moved to SO''s city. Exact same job, same type of employer (gov''t), etc. But it''s just so different here. I realize it takes time to adapt, but I''m not happy with the work environment or the work here.

I don''t really know what to do. I''m sticking it out for now. I have considered going back to school, but I don''t even know what I''d want to take.

Thing is, it''s a very specific niche and I''d like to stay in it long-term in case we move back to my hometown...Bah!

 

[Sabine]

Date: 8/6/2008 1:07:52 PM
Author: elledizzy5

Date: 8/6/2008 1:06:31 PM

Author: UCLABelle

Love my job. I am in education (admissions and advisement at the college-level). However, there are days I feel like it is just awful

Hang-in there.

I was wondering that too! I teach high school English, and I''ve decided that it definitely isn''t for me. I want to do SOMETHING in education, but I just don''t know what!


What was your degree in? I was considering looking into doing that.

 

[shimmer]

MonkeyPie: I am an insurance advisor, my focus is providing small businesses with employee benefits programs. My dad used to do this but has moved on to estate planning so I started taking care of the group stuff for him. I have two years of college completed in a science major.

UCLA: Thank you for the encouragement

. I can''t seem to focus on what job would make me happy as there are so many things I want to do

How did you determine what you would enjoy as a career?

 

[customcushion]

try things
follow your dream, persist through the early years.
my first year in business, I made about 6,000$ GROSS. Second year, about 60K gross. This year will be over 400K gross. Most people quit after year one (or month two or three!) but if you follow your dreams, figure out how to add value, and persist, you''ll succeed

 

[somethingshiny]

Currently I''m a SAHM, so of course I love my job. But, I spent many years in the optical field and greatly enjoyed it. I looked forward to going to work and DOING my work. I loved being on the cutting edge of education within my field, I loved helping a child to see better, I loved assisting with procedures (like drilling out a foreign body). However, there were times when I was so at odds with my bosses, I was miserable. So, for me personally, I''ve found the career I will someday return to, but the hard part will be finding the RIGHT boss.

 

[purrfectpear]

Not today I don''t.

New production on a cutting edge aircraft has it''s moments. The good and the bad, especially when it''s being produced in sections on several different continents. Today, not so good.......................

 

[niccia]

I love my job, but it took me a long time to find something that was right for me. I initially planned on being a doctor or a veterinarian and completed a degree in biomedical sciences before I realized I really wasn''t passionate about those plans anymore. I got into daytrading stocks about 3 years ago and haven''t looked back since. I love it because I can work from the office or home, and don''t have to work with anyone else (unless I choose to) or have anyone else tell me what to do or when to do it. Everyday is a new challenge which keeps me interested, and as long as you keep your emotions out of it and stay disciplined you can do very well. Like Customcushion mentioned though, it is one of those things that you have to put the time and dedication into.

good luck Shimmer, I hope you find something that brings you a lot more happiness

 

[Irishgrrrl]

Niccia~

Could you tell me a little more about what you do? I''m not loving my job lately, and this is something I''ve been thinking about. Thanks!

 

[Haven]

I feel for you, Shimmer.

I''m a high school teacher and I say I LOVE my job, but when I''m honest with myself the only part that I love is the part where I''m in my classroom with 30+ students discussing literature and big ideas. This is only a small fraction of my actual job, and I absolutely hate every other part of it. (Dealing with school politics, grading papers, rewriting curriculum, sitting in meetings, unreasonable parents, catering to board members who have NO formal training in education, etc. etc.)

I go back to work on Monday, and I spent the entire morning looking into new careers online. I know it''s the time of year (I have a bad case of the back-to-school blues) but I am a different person during the school year--tired, irritable, focused only on work and nothing else, including myself. I''m not looking forward to it. I have two master''s degrees in education, so I feel like leaving would be a huge waste of all that time and effort. My undergrad degree is a liberal arts degree in literature. Hmm--I pretty much pigeon-holed myself, didn''t I?

I worked in the business world for a year after college and I didn''t love it. I went to law school, didn''t love it. I feel like a bit of a dilettante, here. (I''m sorry to post all about me, I''m feeling so DOWN about my job right now.)

I look forward to reading about everyone''s jobs. Good luck to you, Shimmer, I hope you find something you love.

 

[MonkeyPie]

Date: 8/6/2008 4:45:23 PM
Author: Irishgrrrl
Niccia~

Could you tell me a little more about what you do? I''m not loving my job lately, and this is something I''ve been thinking about. Thanks!

I was wondering, too. My brothers in-laws do this and are millionaires on the California coast...it''s crazy. I never knew daytrading got that involved, but they live on that coveted strip of beach where the houses are stupid-expensive.

 

[diamondfan]

As a SAHM, I cannot totally comment but know I did give this thought out of college before I got married, right after graduation.

I got a prelim teaching credential while at USC for k through 6 but decided not to pursue teaching. I minored in Communications which is interesting but I was not sure what to do with that.

Then after I got married thought I wanted law school but wanted to start a family sooner rather than later so nixed that and instead got my masters in psychology. I had to move back east mid way through what would have been my practicum and since each state is so different, I could not start hours in one state and then move and transfer the hours done. So, with two kids and a move, I figured, education is never wasted and it was wonderful and a learning experience, but working does not fit in right now. Also, at one point I change from Counseling to General psych, in order to resolve the practicum issue, I did not have to do hours for the BBSE in order to graduate but now I cannot have a clinical practice. I can do psychometry or go on for a PhD or PsyD, but with three kids and various health issues, it is not looking likely!

I think that most people, even if they love their chosen field, have bad days or periods. There can be bad bosses, yucky new hires in the office, a number of things can affect day to day happiness, but if overall you feel good about it that is wonderful. If not, trying to find out what you WOULD like and make that switch is daunting but can be a good choice as well, it just might take some sacrificing in the meantime.

 

[UCLABelle]

I second Diamondfan-everyone has bad days/periods.

Diamondfan-Did you do your psychology work at USC? I work there now

I feel like a traitor

 

[UCLABelle]

Elledizzy5-I have two semi-relevant graduate degrees. I have a MA in History and Education from Columbia (I studied the history of colleges/universities in the US mainly). I also have a MS in Higher Education Administration from UPenn.

 

[UCLABelle]

Shimmer-My husband is a career counselor at USC, and he always tells people to pick a job that they would be happy with 80% of the time. That is most realistic...What do you like doing on your own-time? For fun? I always loved looking at colleges, etc. and remember reading (on my own time) about institutional history, organizational structure, college rankings, etc when I was at UCLA, so I just knew it was the right fit. There are tests to take that help narrow interests too. I can get the names of them...

OOPS-SORRY FOR THE TRIPLE POST-IT WAS AN ERROR

 

[diamondfan]

Belle, I went to USC undergrad. I majored in General Studies (for elementary education) and minored in Communications. Their Annenberg school of Communications is great. I was not sure what I wanted, I passed CBEST (California Basic Educational Skills test) which MUST be passed in CA to be a teacher. I then got my preliminary credential, had done student teaching all the way through 12th grade but decided K-6 was best. The issue for me was there were terrible strikes in LA around the time I was teaching, the teacher union (UFT?) was really making things tough, there was picketing and a lot of hostility, and I really was doing my teaching in terrible inner city schools around campus with bad situations (gangs, pregnancy, murders, truancy...even in the late middle school classes) and it became to much for me.

I did think at one time I wanted my masters in Special Ed but got married and decided to pursue psychology. Ended up doing that at Pepperdine through their GSEP (graduate school of education and psychology).

USC is a fabulous school, apparently very tough to get into these days . I think it is some what East coast in feeling. It happens to be in the pits of a neighborhood though, I am sure it has improved since I was there, a lot of civic groups in the area really have a huge stake in re gentrifying it but I am not sure how much progress has been made regarding the gangs, drugs and poverty that was rampant when I was there.

 

[niccia]

Hi Irishgrrrl and MonkeyPie,

basically I am an independent contractor for what''s known as a "proprietary trading firm". I trade the firm''s capital and take a commision from my profits. I don''t trade using any of my own money (which helps with the emotional side of trading). We focus on shorter-term strategies and don''t hold any positions overnight so everyday is a new day for me. Daytrading is very expensive (high fees) and you need quite a bit of capital to do so profitably (I would say at least $300k depending on your strategy - I use 1 million currently and dont just have that laying around!), so joining a firm provides access to that as well as other traders and reduced commissions compared to trading at home on your lonesome with your own money. The only drawback is that you then have to give part of your paycheque back to the firm, but it is still a pretty sweet deal. When I started I kept 35% of what I made, and that has gone up to 65% to 80% as more and more prop firms have sprung up over the last three years and tried to attract good traders. There is a high failure rate for daytraders (or traders in general) and I have seen a lot of people leave over the years, but I think that mainly comes down to self discipline and perseverence just like any other business. And there are very few women in this business (definitely don''t understand why not - I think most just haven''t considered it). As for salary, it really varies from trader to trader and year to year but once you become consistent and very self-disciplined it can be pretty lucrative (as long as you have a good strategy(s) and constantly adapt to the market).
Hope that helps

 

[Rhea]

I do like it. When I moved to another country I had to change jobs because of the way my qualifications worked out. This job isn''t my forever job. I like the people I work with and the fact that it''s a very loose team which gives me lots of freedom to structure my day and workload.

I currently am a substance misuse worker. Before that I was a social worker. I liked the population I worked with more as a social worker, but my current stress level is much better! I plan to go back into social work in a couple of years.

 

[deegee]

I really like my job. My problem is that I got promoted last November, and I haven''t been replaced in my old position. I''m doing both my old job and new job, and it''s wearing me out!

I taught school for 5 years and hated it. I took any job I could get just to get out of teaching, so I took a huge pay cut and worked in a bank for 3 years. After that I began working for my current employer, and have held several positions over the past 8 years. After this last promotion, I''m kind of stuck for a while. Anything else will just be a lateral move, but I''m okay with that right now. I''m looking forward to doing great things in my new position, if I can ever get going with it! Sometimes I feel like a fish out of water because my degree is in education, which is far from what I''m actually doing.

I have tried several things in the 17 years since I graduated from college. I have a very sweet, understanding husband.

 

[Elegant]

I am so sorry you are unhappy right now...chin up!

I am an elementary school teacher - I have 2 master''s degree and I am "working" on my doctorate right now. My main objective is admin (it pays more, plus I wanna be a boss!) but I do enjoy being a teacher. Sometimes I get frustrated because I have been trying to get into admin for years but it just hasn''t happened...bad timing mostly. But...

I don''t think I really dread going to work. I love my little 3rd graders. I just finished with an interview because I am relocating, so this is fresh on my mind.

What I want to say is...and it is hard to just say stuff (easier said than done) when I do not know first hand your experiences at your work, but I try to make MYSELF happy and do things MY way (well, as much as I can...

). It''s the LITTLE things in life that make things easier sometimes.

For example...and my apologies for rambling...when I correct tests or writing assignments, I hate using a standard red pen/marker...not good. I love GLITTER gel pens and I swear, whatever store I go to, I am in the pen isle! I love pink, so the pink glitter pen is best

but I use a rainbow of colors to get through a stack of test in record time because I am doing something I enjoy working with - glitter gel pens.

My bf is a network engineer and is hating computers right now...that''s what he EXCELS in, and makes money from, but he is getting tired of it. I told him he needs to look for something that makes him happy, something that fulfills him, because I think the people who make the most money (besides educators - we are on a salary schedule) are the people who are doing what they want to do and what they MOST enjoy! I told him that he really needs to think outside the box for a career change. He told me that the things he enjoys doing don''t pay - yeah, BUT...if he freelances, I am am sure he would be successful - but it would take time...and a lot of financial support on my end (which isn''t much...teacher here!).

So, I was going to conclude with some wise words but I''m fresh out!

Please keep us posted. Everyone deserves to be happy - life is TOO short!

 

[Haven]

Elegant--I hear what you''re saying about making yourself happy in your job, but I also think that sometimes the job just doesn''t fit the person.

And as for using a glitter pen to help make grading more fun--I wish it was that easy! My students write an average of 3 pages per student per week during the school year--multiply that by 115 students, that''s 345 pages per week. It will take a lot more than a glitter pen to make grading all of that writing fun. (I do use my favorite color felt marker, though, and I grade in "happy places" on the weekends--my favorite bookstore, outside, that sort of thing. The guy who works in our local coffee shop always asks to see the best papers, and we''ll often have a little chat about whatever literature the paper is about. That helps.

Oh, and sometimes I drink a nice glass of wine while grading, too.

 

[Clio]

I do love my job, which is in humanities grantmaking, but right now I''m pretty burned out because we''ve had a number of retirements and are pretty short staffed. Once we''ve hired some new people, things will be back on an even keel.

Before I found this job, though, I was a miserable college professor. It really was not the job for me. Acknowledging that to myself was very difficult because I had spend many years in school to prepare for a career in academia, plus people aren''t exactly beating down the doors for someone with a Ph.D. in history. Tenure track jobs in history are hard to come by, so I was concerned about giving mine up.

My current job, though, is one that allows me to draw on my background while also branching out in to other disciplines.

 

[Elegant]

Date: 8/6/2008 6:42:07 PM
Author: Haven
Elegant--I hear what you''re saying about making yourself happy in your job, but I also think that sometimes the job just doesn''t fit the person.

And as for using a glitter pen to help make grading more fun--I wish it was that easy! My students write an average of 3 pages per student per week during the school year--multiply that by 115 students, that''s 345 pages per week. It will take a lot more than a glitter pen to make grading all of that writing fun. (I do use my favorite color felt marker, though, and I grade in ''happy places'' on the weekends--my favorite bookstore, outside, that sort of thing. The guy who works in our local coffee shop always asks to see the best papers, and we''ll often have a little chat about whatever literature the paper is about. That helps.

Oh, and sometimes I drink a nice glass of wine while grading, too.

I completely agree with you about a job fit.

My fellow teachers use the wine method as well...they highly recommend it~

 

[shimmer]

Thank you all, you have certainly given me a lot to think about

.

I sometimes say to my 9 yr old niece "when I grow up, I wanna be a....." she thinks it''s hilarious, lol. I''m just having trouble committing to one path that I would like to pursue. I know what I am doing now is not my dream job but I cannot seem to focus on what is, there are too many...anyone want to choose for me

?

 

[pennquaker09]

Right now, I am a SAHD, but eventually, I''m going to go back to the classroom. Staying at home is something that I''m still adjusting to, but I love it.

I received my M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction focusing on Secondary Science and Math education and my certification to teach this past May, but I have no doubt that I''m either going to go back to school for another master''s and eventually, a Ph.D. I like teaching, but there are so many aspects of education that interest me. I think I should probably pursue a career more on the policy side of education. or become a professor of education. Other than that, I would also be very happy being a college counselor.

 

[allikatac]

I am also a teacher and have a love/hate relationship with my job. I am not in a tradtional classroom, but rather a cyber setting so it took awhile to adjust to that. I still miss the actual classroom, but there are many other parts of the job that I don''t miss(like grading papers). I agree that everyone has their bad days, but you just have to try to stay positive through it all!

 

[bee*]

I love it. I''m doing veterinary in college and I''ve worked in the same practice for over four years, part-time during the college year and full time during all holidays. It took me ages to get into veterinary and I just love working with animals all the time.