This is totally off topic, I know, but I needed some answers and so here I am rambling...

How do you know you're choosing the right career path? I'm in school and love to study and write papers (and all the free time as a student) but I'm wondering how I translate a degree into a real world job when I graduate?

How did you choose your career?

Katie

find something that you love to do and are good at and follow it.

The bitter truth is that it isn't always possible to follow your dreams.

Many times whatever degree you ended up with is not necessarily the field or job you finally stttle with.

I always wanted to be a scientist, study the stars.

I had a hard time in my first year of college and left to "see the world" in the Navy.
While serving, I went to the Navy's advancd electronics schools and came out as an ET (electronics technician).
I worked an many different types of equipment from fire control radars, surface and air search radars, UHF, VHF, Sat comm and ULF (submarine)systems.
I found I had a real talent for this.
There was noting I couldn't fix or figure out.
So that led me into the field I have been in for the last 30 years, medical electronc equipment.
I am now a Senior Field Engineer working on CT, MRI, PET scanners, diagnostic ultrasound, Cardiac Cath labs, the whole line of high tech, high level medical equipment...
Who would have thought.

So, just do your best in school, get that degree, and follow your heart. Find what you love and do it. You may never know where it will take you.


Just my opinion...
B

Sometimes your career chooses you!  What I do for a living now is not what I went to school for or what I thought I would end up doing years ago. No education is wasted but you may find as yo evolve and mature that what you think you want will not be what you end up wanting...or doing. Be open minded and be honest with yourself about your goals and how to go about attaining them. Above all, accept change when it sneaks up on you...

Try out for some counsellor...
as they have good knowledge about latest fields and competition... they may guide you

My advice... Take a variety of courses including business and management.  They can come in handy no matter what field you decide on.  And get your degree, any degree is better than none.

As others have stated, where you start is very likely not what you do for the rest of your life.  With technology and the changes to the economy, more and more jobs are becoming obsolete.  Being able to adapt to change is almost mandatory these days.

Often we go into college with one goal in mind and end up with a totally different one by the time we come out.

As one person already said, try to make a career out of what you already love to do.  At the same time, one of the great things about college is the constant exposure to different ideas, so you might end up changing your mind a few times before you settle on something.

I went into college with a music major in mind, changed my major several times, settled on history and circumstance landed me in another unrelated field entirely.  I never did graduate college but I make more money now than if I had gotten a degree in history.  I'll finish up some day but I don't regret what I'm doing now.

earning a living in any given field is usually a lot different than what one gets exposed to through school & text books.  My advice would be to try and get involved in some form of internship, job shadowing or mentoring type program. That way, before you plunk down six figures for an education you can get a front row seat as to a day in the life of the profession and get feedback & advice from people working in the field. A lot of companies, colleges, continuing ed programs have these types of things available.

A couple of points here that I will add is to enjoy just where you are today by living in the moment because time often slips away when we are future focused. The other thing is that this is a short term business (or should be) and the amount of money you make in an hour is very difficult to earn in a regular job. It can make you jaded to other things, roles you may play in your life. I have been fortunate in that I've had several careers though somewhat related and most of it was because I was in the right place in the right time. That being said, cultivate a strong network of people as you go along. Very little in this life is accomplished on our own and having people you trust and who help you see your blind spots is priceless.

-- Modified on 11/27/2007 5:47:56 AM

I've e-mailed you some thoughts which echo most of the above, and would add that taking a business course or two is a great suggestion.  

Most important though, and it is what I teach my kids, it is more important to be happy earning 30k a year, than to be UNHAPPY earning 300k a year.  and that I know from first hand experience... best two years of my life?  Being a stay-at-home dad with my kids.

Many of us, myself included, followed the money as that is what we (men) are programmed to do. The best provider gets the best wife, house, car, etc.
What they didn't tell us is that quite often financial compensation and career satisfaction are mutually exclusive - the more money the less personal (emotional) satisfaction. Unless the money is all that matters.

I'd like echo the comments regarding all the great advice that's been given you. What might be helpful is to ask this question to as many people, whom you respect, as possible. It's a great way to get to know people on a deeper level, some of whom, may be able to help you in your career development; professors, guest lecturers, etc.) An additional benefit is that often you will remember an important point more readily if you hear it more than once and from more that one source.

That being said, in career development, some of what is being assessed for is the degree of overlap between the areas reflecting a person's highest level of interest (emotional affinity toward) and their strongest skill sets.

That's a good starting point. However, my experience has been that, after life circumstances knocked the stuffing out of me several times, I finally found my niche. Sort of like watching a roaring camp fire, and hours later left with the few remaining glowing coals (innate emotional affintity). In tending those remaining coals you will find that which you will be most fulfilled.

for what it would provide me... first I was interested in money and power, so I consulted... my education did not help me at all really except it made me tollerant to work...

Now I do what I do for love... love of who I get to be in my line of work... Love of who I meet and attract...

Someday this too will wear thin and I will choose based on who I get to be for others... the vaneer is beginning to crack and soon I will emerge again in a new career...

So my advice... is skip to the end... make it about who you get to be for others and give your life to it and you will never work again, nor want for anything.

First, find out what you love to do most, and second, figure out a way to make money out of it.

The best way to find a fulfilling career is to start with what your passion is and work from there. You'll find the greatest happiness this way and it may make you lots of money!

Best of luck to you!

XO Ellyse

I'm on my second degree and have done 3 internships. I just don't know if it's really the right job for me, though. I'm having questions.

Katie

I'm in school, not planning on escorting forever. As for the money made here, I'm low volume, so it's an occasional boost to my stipend.

Katie

That was you emailing? lol. You didn't put your TER name on it. Thanks for the advice.

Katie

I think as long as I can pay my rent, I'll be fine.

I have no idea where to start. I graduate in like a year or so. My friend sold out and went to work for an evil large corp. for lots of money and is miserable. She has my degree.

My other friend went to work for some little company paying her peanuts and she's miserable.

My parents are just hoping I get a job and make my degrees worth it. They're not as concerned about my happiness and work... they just want to be sure I get a job.

My best friend thinks I need to just hurry up and get married and avoid work (think that's her secret plan.)

Katie

don't buy into the theory that there is one and only one true calling that will make you happy; I have a great job that I enjoy and that pays well, but I've realized over the last 30+ years that there are a lot of things I enjoy, and I could have been equally happy in a variety of careers.  Fortunately I went down a path that pays well, an alternate that I seriously considered (and would have enjoyed) does not; indeed a friend who did pursue this path and who is among the most successful in the country in his field and who has won "awards", finds himself in a position of only making just enough income to get by, and will, unfortunately, never make over 100K in a year.  Money alone does not buy happiness, but it sure does a good job of paving the road to happiness.  If you like to write, research, consider becoming an attorney... starting associates in NYC now make 190K per year right out of school, and although the rest of the country is not that high, all do well by most standards.

I followed my passion as suggested above. I felt like a struggling artist for the first several years, but now I'm in a position where I love what I do and I get paid very good money for it. I think both are important. It might be helpful to think in terms of not either/or in the present, but what path will bring you both several years down the road.

I personally believe that you should do something in your work that you would likely do even if you weren't getting paid for it...and then do it as good as you possibly can so you are getting paid as much as possible.  I've gotten as far as I have (I own my own consulting company now) by concentrating on what I love to do and what I do best, not necessarily what I went to school for or what I did when I got out of school...

if you are not sure what you want to do?

-- Modified on 11/27/2007 3:47:14 PM

To give a simple answer, because everyone says that you need a degree (or more than one) to get a good job. What that good job is, I have no idea.

but there are a lot of very successful people who did not go to college. Sometimes being a student of your craft is more important than a general degree.

Go to school and get the degree by all means... the successful people who didn't are few and also caught a lucky break here and there... we call can't be Bill Gates... All studies show that as a college grad regardless of your degree do better financially... At my place of employment, you can't get many jobs w/o a degree and if you manage people, it's an imperative... If your long term place in the world is not clear, so what, you'll figure it out and the only thing you can say for sure, you won't get out of this life alive... You are young... and if nothing else, this experience will help you with one part of your life and that is with people... Intimacy is a such a strange corridor, because even while your job is to remain relatively indifferent, you can't help but get to know someone when things are between the sheets, no matter how hard you try. I was having this particularly great session recently with a provider and for a brief moment I got a glimpse of her that she was perhaps not ready for me to see. I think it made us closer in a way, but no closer than our next visit together... boundaries are funny that way... good luck in your studies...

of living our lives like that... we get a degree we have no idea what we are going to do with... so we get the wrong degree..

We get married with out the end in mind and we are frustrated with the results... etc...

dare to dream of a life worth living, then work backwards to right now... make a plan from the end back to now and you will always know what you need to be doing.

It works in careers, it works in relationships, it works in just about anything you can think of...

and btw... since when did "everyone" have to live your life? ... stop listening to "everyone" and start planning your life and then work your plan.

Well, I think one thing that's good about getting a degree (any degree) is that it teaches you to think critically, gives you writing skills, etc... which are valuable skill sets.

However, I got into the degree with one career in mind and wouldn't you know, the more exposure I've had with finding out what that's all about, the more I'm no longer interested.

Now I'm thinking what do I really want to do when I graduate? I'm trying to talk to as many people as I can to figure out what exactly it is that I could get into and be happy doing...

Katie

Don't stay in to what we studied for save for a few docs, lawyers, etc... and don't be too hard on yourself and sometimes the struggle to find our best selves is worth it, though not without it pains... Smell the roses and don't think about what you want to be as who you'll become... Most of us lose the fact that a life of giving is some of the most noteworthy work we can do... and sometimes, it can pay really well... So find a way to give of yourself in a way that fulfills you and pays the bills... you'll be surprised at how much that combination really gets you... I no longer work in Rehab, but I can tell you that I still get the chills knowing that the few people we were able to see it... got it for a lifetime... PS... it's all about how well, you speak, write, and it's a bonus when you can do math in your head... LOL

I think my process been allot like the words in Don McLean's song called Crossroads: "For there's no need for turning back, for all roads lead to where I stand, and believe I'll walk them all, no matter what I may have planned."

Well don't end up like one woman I knew.  She got her degree in computer science because that is where the money was at.  She was only in it for the money.  She spent no time on her own learning the craft after she graduated.

In the end she made everyone around her miserable in addition to being miserable herself.  Now I think she writes children's literature.  I have no idea if she is making a living at it.  But that was what she loved to do.

I was in graduate business school, and needed a part-time job. So, I carefully selected 42 companies off a list from the school that hired students, and sent out my resume. I got a call from one that did Public Finance. My thought "public"? How boring. But, I needed practice interviewing, so I went to see them. I've been doing it ever since.

What kind of papers do you like to write? There are jobs for technical writers (people to can make science readable).

Like other people have said: Do something you enjoy. Nothing worse than doing a job you hate just for the money.

Take a job aptitude test. It can suggest areas for you to explore. Ask the professors of classes you like what jobs are available.

I took an aptitude test once in high school and said I could be anything from dr., lawyer, etc... to musician, artist, etc...

It failed to narrow the field, but maybe one at this stage would work.

Katie

A friend raved about "Do What You Are."  It uses Kiersey (sp?) personality types (INTJ, ESTP, etc)  to suggest jobs that fit with your personality.  I bought it though I'll admit it didn't fit my needs.  It's focus is on determining what activities will make you most happy  in a job.  But that may be very helpful for someone who has not yet moved down a career path and has the opportunity to select a career that they will love doing.

Good luck!

Scientology may be an answer, but I don't know if you want a complete brain overhaul as I have heard their brand of change is very intense. Good luck.

Most schools should have some type of career center.  If not, check out your local library. Career search topics. "what color is your parachute" is a resume writing book, but that section of the library should have other stuff on helping to figure out a career.

You will only get basic tests there. Outplacement firms have more elaborate, and expensive, tests. I think the basic stuff will help you think of areas to research more.

Even the most advanced tests only offer guidance: Such as Scientist, engineer, etc. They don't help much to figure out if you want to be a civil, nuclear, chemical, etc. engineer. That is where you need to know your own interests. They help you to figure out if you are a doer, leader, seller, organizer, etc.

If you like to be a writer, you might be able to find lists of jobs where writing is important. Journalism, technical writer, speech writer, fiction, non-fiction, advertising, etc. Then you can see what might be of interest to you.

Best wishes

Great topic. I am thinking of taking an aptitude test. I don't know what else to do either. Great that you are in school.

I started school twice locally, once for business administration, other time for web design.

I did not finish either & that is so bothersome to me.

Good luck with whatever you do. I got to read all the responses later.

Sara

Need I say more!

You should follow your passion because there is nothing worse than waking up and going to a job that you hate everyday...

-- Modified on 12/2/2007 3:10:10 PM