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how did you choose your career
- Thread starter nimbus
- Start date
In my case I didn't choose it - a series of circumstances and here I am. You can't sit around waiting to know what you want to do; That's what I keep trying to tell my little brother anyway who hasn't done shit with his life.
KillahBee
New member
Man, there has to be a better way to find careers than the current process (forced to choose a major in college, which makes it all but impossible to change majors during later years so you're stuck, maybe get an internship after you've chosen your field, etc.), cause SO many of the kids I went to college with had no clue and ended up "settling". I'm a huge proponent for internships, work-study programs, informational interviews, "day in the life of", etc.
I was one of the lucky ones. I very much stumbled into my career path, but it wasn't all luck (and it's a field I absolutely love). I always knew I didn't have the science/math type of mind nor did I have interest in those fields. I was more of the natural creative writing / marketing type of dude. So, I set up my classes to reflect this. Took a lot of different marketing classes, originally thinking I'd get into PR. In search for an internship during my senior year, I lucked out and found an amazing opportunity at a tiny promotions agency that mainly did club openings and massive pub crawls. In that position, I learned that there is an "events" industry out there and started looking into that a little more.
Ended up deciding to go to grad school right out of undergrad (more b/c I needed to grow up and wasn't ready for the "real" world just yet), during which I had another internship and a full time job in the sports & entertainment industry. Studied a lot of marketing, event management, promotions, F&B management, sports & entertianment law, etc. To this day, I'll still say that faithfully reading and analyzing industry trades taught me more than school did.
I actually remember the exact moment at which I realized what I wanted to do for a living. It was right after a super long event for the Olympic Torch Relay.
Anyway, the point here is that I put a TON of value in testing out the waters and learning about jobs OUTSIDE the classroom. I'm amazed at how many just-outta-college kids start working at my agency only to realize this job isn't for them. Shit, your college should have helped you figure that out before this (not that it's too late now, but still....).
I was one of the lucky ones. I very much stumbled into my career path, but it wasn't all luck (and it's a field I absolutely love). I always knew I didn't have the science/math type of mind nor did I have interest in those fields. I was more of the natural creative writing / marketing type of dude. So, I set up my classes to reflect this. Took a lot of different marketing classes, originally thinking I'd get into PR. In search for an internship during my senior year, I lucked out and found an amazing opportunity at a tiny promotions agency that mainly did club openings and massive pub crawls. In that position, I learned that there is an "events" industry out there and started looking into that a little more.
Ended up deciding to go to grad school right out of undergrad (more b/c I needed to grow up and wasn't ready for the "real" world just yet), during which I had another internship and a full time job in the sports & entertainment industry. Studied a lot of marketing, event management, promotions, F&B management, sports & entertianment law, etc. To this day, I'll still say that faithfully reading and analyzing industry trades taught me more than school did.
I actually remember the exact moment at which I realized what I wanted to do for a living. It was right after a super long event for the Olympic Torch Relay.
Anyway, the point here is that I put a TON of value in testing out the waters and learning about jobs OUTSIDE the classroom. I'm amazed at how many just-outta-college kids start working at my agency only to realize this job isn't for them. Shit, your college should have helped you figure that out before this (not that it's too late now, but still....).
I think it usually tends to be a set of circumstances...
my first degree had absolutely no bearing on my future "career" that i wound up getting another degress for and to further advance in the field im working on (on hold atm) degree number three
good thing the tax payers pay for my education
my first degree had absolutely no bearing on my future "career" that i wound up getting another degress for and to further advance in the field im working on (on hold atm) degree number three
good thing the tax payers pay for my education
stosstruppe
Well-known member
I felt my entry in to my soon-to-be new career in the forces was a calling tbh. Obviously the wages are actually - relatively - quite good, as are the benefits etc., but I see it more as a vocation than a 9-5 job.
A combination of the recession, boredom with my previous "career" (sports & leisure) & fate drew me to it.
Most of my peers have "settled" for doing the typical 3-5 year mediocre degree immediately coming out of high school & will be "settling" for mundane graduate entry white collar / public sector 9-5 jobs.
A combination of the recession, boredom with my previous "career" (sports & leisure) & fate drew me to it.
Most of my peers have "settled" for doing the typical 3-5 year mediocre degree immediately coming out of high school & will be "settling" for mundane graduate entry white collar / public sector 9-5 jobs.
TableFun
Banned
I think it usually tends to be a set of circumstances...
my first degree had absolutely no bearing on my future "career" that i wound up getting another degress for and to further advance in the field im working on (on hold atm) degree number three
good thing the tax payers pay for my education
you have 2 bachelors degrees? what are they in?
I just sort of drifted into it. First time I've ever told this story on the Internets. Sure everyone's excited.
After I got out of the pokey I was a 19 yo loser that had absolutely zero experience doing anything other than doing drugs and watching tv. My mom gave me a clerical job in her real estate brokerage office. Worked that for almost a year. Then answered an ad for a clerical job at an outpatient mental health clinic which I got. Worked that for 2.5 years and went to work for my current employer (but in a different position from my current one)in a clerical job in Administration at a psychiatric hospital.
I got a B.S. in computer science about a year after I got here and parlayed that into a bit of promotion. I've never used anything I learned in my degree program in my job. Can't even remember the basics of my cs courses anymore. Gotten a second promotion since I've been here (five years now) and supervise other support staff in Admin.
Honestly I didn't plan any sort of career direction and just ended up where I am now. Can't complain though. It pays pretty well considering the work load.
After I got out of the pokey I was a 19 yo loser that had absolutely zero experience doing anything other than doing drugs and watching tv. My mom gave me a clerical job in her real estate brokerage office. Worked that for almost a year. Then answered an ad for a clerical job at an outpatient mental health clinic which I got. Worked that for 2.5 years and went to work for my current employer (but in a different position from my current one)in a clerical job in Administration at a psychiatric hospital.
I got a B.S. in computer science about a year after I got here and parlayed that into a bit of promotion. I've never used anything I learned in my degree program in my job. Can't even remember the basics of my cs courses anymore. Gotten a second promotion since I've been here (five years now) and supervise other support staff in Admin.
Honestly I didn't plan any sort of career direction and just ended up where I am now. Can't complain though. It pays pretty well considering the work load.
totally agree.
And I suspect you're right. Most people probably ended up "settling", at least to some degree, and didn't plan the path to their current career.
Nathan
New member
I have known since I was a kid....assuming of course I keep going in my current field after I finish my PhD.
I would recommend sitting down and figuring out what you *enjoy* doing. This should help to guide what you do for a living. I think a common mistake is for people to go after things they *like the sound of* (e.g. doctor, lawyer, etc.), but in practice do not really enjoy spending the time to do it well. You always be best at doing things you *really* enjoy. In theory, that suggests you will be the most successful at doing something you truly enjoy.
With this in mind, I do not thik it is always the best idea to get too hung up on "careers". A lot of time peoples' real interests do not have a pre-defined career path to go with them. In order to support yourself (and your family if you have one), all you really need is something to sell to other people, whether it be a skill, talent, experience, etc. And I think it is not uncommon to choose to try to sell something that other people also commonly sell - in other words, something other people have shown time and time again people will buy, is therefore marketable and can provide a good living.
But that isn't to say you can't put a good sales pitch on something unorthodox. I think a good example is personal training. We have had farmers, bakers, carpenters, etc. for hundreds or even thousands of years, but we have only had personal trainers for a few decades. A few decades ago, somebody decide they like to train, and that they will try to sell that experience to other people.
Anyways, the above route of putting a sales pitch on something unorthodox obviously depends on what sort of person you are, and whether or not this sort of thing interests you. But I think it is something to keep in mind and can ultimately lead to long-term happiness, albeit that sort of venture usually requires a lot of work to initially get off the ground.
Alternatively, knowing how you enjoy spending your time will still help to guide you in choosing a more standard career. And once you do that, it is usually pretty standard what course of action to follow - school, internship for experience, etc. There is usually a standard for the field and obviously some require more work/training than others.
I would recommend sitting down and figuring out what you *enjoy* doing. This should help to guide what you do for a living. I think a common mistake is for people to go after things they *like the sound of* (e.g. doctor, lawyer, etc.), but in practice do not really enjoy spending the time to do it well. You always be best at doing things you *really* enjoy. In theory, that suggests you will be the most successful at doing something you truly enjoy.
With this in mind, I do not thik it is always the best idea to get too hung up on "careers". A lot of time peoples' real interests do not have a pre-defined career path to go with them. In order to support yourself (and your family if you have one), all you really need is something to sell to other people, whether it be a skill, talent, experience, etc. And I think it is not uncommon to choose to try to sell something that other people also commonly sell - in other words, something other people have shown time and time again people will buy, is therefore marketable and can provide a good living.
But that isn't to say you can't put a good sales pitch on something unorthodox. I think a good example is personal training. We have had farmers, bakers, carpenters, etc. for hundreds or even thousands of years, but we have only had personal trainers for a few decades. A few decades ago, somebody decide they like to train, and that they will try to sell that experience to other people.
Anyways, the above route of putting a sales pitch on something unorthodox obviously depends on what sort of person you are, and whether or not this sort of thing interests you. But I think it is something to keep in mind and can ultimately lead to long-term happiness, albeit that sort of venture usually requires a lot of work to initially get off the ground.
Alternatively, knowing how you enjoy spending your time will still help to guide you in choosing a more standard career. And once you do that, it is usually pretty standard what course of action to follow - school, internship for experience, etc. There is usually a standard for the field and obviously some require more work/training than others.
