Changing careers and going back to school

[GLC1968]

Aw, thanks you guys! NbyNW - there are internships at the Zoo and I'll definitely do that if I can swing it around a reguarly work schedule. It's far from my home, but relatively close to my work, so I might be able to get it to work.

And Selkie - you just made me tear up! Thanks!

[badger]

oh yeah, I forgot to mention that when I wanted to get on this path, I started volunteering at the spca hospital. I'm still there, 10 years later!

[out_spokin']

GLC1968, thanks for taking the chance and putting your dreams out like this. Clearly you've touched a nerve and have quite a bit of company.

I'm sort of in a mix between what you're talking about and what Tulip voiced - while I've been mostly satisfied with my career/job choices up til this point I'm starting to really be in touch with the fact that it is not going to keep me engaged and satisfied for much longer. I have no big qualms about the idea of going back to school at (almost) 42, though the finances and "will I really like it?" worries do exist. I did some research before the holidays, and I've got a lot of work to do about exploring what's next and this thread is inspiring me to take the next step again.

I'm a little more concerned about dissatisfaction in other areas in my life. I didn't so much dream of Paris, but I definitely need to work on the "get happier" part. I'm feeling deeply drawn towards living more authentically. Should be quite a journey!

[GLC1968]

I'm feeling deeply drawn towards living more authentically.

out_spokin', I think it was precisely my act of doing this that made me realize that I need to make a big change now. The fact that I am so happy with everything else about my life (and starting the farm was a HUGE factor in it) made the work situation even more glaring in comparison. When all you want to do is quit your job so that you can live the rest of your life (and it consumes your every waking moment and some of your sleeping ones) then you know there is something severly out of balance.

I started thinking about how I could bring the two together. I love my farm life...so why not find a job that will compliment it (and pay the bills)? I seriously considered going back to school for herbology, but while I'm fascinated by the subject, I'm not very good with plants. Luckily, I'm also fascinated by animal care and welfare and I do have more of a knack with them. Both options would have melded with the happy part of my life much better than my current career. So in a way, it all ties together.

[smilingcat]

I think most of us need variety in our lives. Some are quite happy with the job they have, punch-in, punch-out 9 to 5 job. And they are content.

And there are the rest of us. Never quite satisfied. And there are those who really do not like the profession they are in. Maybe you liked the job when you started but after 10 years, you don't or you really never liked it even in the beginning.

It's important to distinguish between I never really liked it and I'm burnt out on it after 10 years. Maybe its the people you work with. Design engineers are one tough bunch to work with on a personal level.

I knew I was going to be an engineer as a grade school kid. Electronics and machinery always fascinated me. Barbie dolls, and tea set never got my interest though I admit, I hated my younger sister when she got the olive green colored easy bake oven. It became mine after only few month... I digress. But I hate some aspects of R/D work. I hate some of the people, I hate the schedule created in never-never land...

I thought of going back into the restaurant "back of the house" kitchen work. Its crazy, chaotic dangerous place when the kitchen gets slammed. Been there done that. Went so far as to take classes in culinary school and have a worthless paper to prove.

I spent great deal of time at pottery, have studio worth of tools to prove. At one point I didn't have to pay attention to throwing mugs one after another. No splash pans and my pants stayed clean...

Yet I'm still in R/D of electronic design and each year I swear I'm going to quit or retire.


SOMETIMES, WHAT YOU NEED IS A GOOD DISTRACTION FROM YOUR WORK.

but if your heart is truly set on something else, like mimi quoting, You have to give it a try. If it doesn't work out or you find out its not quite what you thought, you can always go back.

Best to get your feet wet by volunteering on a regular basis. Most of us are mature so the decisions we make are made with both eyes wide open. Wish you the best in whatever you decide. Having a choice is a blessing.

[shootingstar]

One could almost imagine you ...at a farmers' market, with your stand demostrating cooking with a local food or making somethin' tasty, selling it.

Ever thought of this...?

[GLC1968]

It's important to distinguish between I never really liked it and I'm burnt out on it after 10 years. Maybe its the people you work with. Design engineers are one tough bunch to work with on a personal level.

I knew I was going to be an engineer as a grade school kid. Electronics and machinery always fascinated me.

Yeah, I never liked EE. Even when I was a student, I didn't like it. It was challenging for me, and I liked that aspect of it. I also knew that I'd be an asset in EE as a woman with excellent communication skills and a non-engineering background but with straight A's. I knew I could put together a fabulous career. My school also had this new, up and coming, exciting department in wireless technologies with a wireless instruction lab that was getting world-wide recognition. It was hard not to get swept up in it once I'd opened that door. Plus, I knew there was a huge future in it and I was right as evidenced by how fantastic my company is doing during an economic down turn. Basically, I knew I didn't love it then, but I didn't think it would matter. I chose my career for reasons other than enjoyment. I figured that since I was smarter than a lot of the guys I was working with, I'd be fine. I was good at faking it.

Unfortunately, in the real world, you can't fake the kind of enthusiasm that I'd have to show to really get somewhere in my career.

Oh, and I never wanted to be an engineer. Hell, before I hit college, I wasn't even sure what an engineer was! I was always fascinated with science and biology and things of that nature, but the physical sciences held no draw for me. I was always good at figuring things out (from puzzles to mechanical things), but it was not my passion.

LESSON TO ALL YOU YOUNGER BOYS AND GIRLS OUT THERE - DO NOT CHOOSE A CAREER UNLESS YOU ENJOY THE CAREER, NO MATTER HOW SMART OR LUCRATIVE YOU THINK IT WILL BE.

SOMETIMES, WHAT YOU NEED IS A GOOD DISTRACTION FROM YOUR WORK.

What, you mean besides TE?

One could almost imagine you ...at a farmers' market, with your stand demostrating cooking with a local food or making somethin' tasty, selling it.

Ever thought of this...?

Nope. I hate to cook.