Some career advice would be appreciated - and a few words of advice for others a well

[fujiyama]

OK, I have a long and crazy academic history and work history. It's tortured. I need to share it because it's driving me insane.

I graduated from HS ten years ago. Possibilities were endless. I was a slacker in HS and I vowed I wouldn't in college. Well, some things don't change. I didn't have any direction and somehow ended up majoring in the areas I was NEVER good at. Even though I didn't like it, I forced myself and got through it. To do so, I flunked out of one college, and had semesters where I would withdraw all my classes after a while because I didn't think I'd pass the classes. It was disastrous and I live with the consequences now.

I was an engineering major. I graduated with a mediocre GPA (it was just under a 3.0 at my final graduating school, but my previous grades are really awful with plenty of failed and withdrawn classes) because I never had my heart set on it. I thought engineers make money. I thought I would make money.

You remember Obama's story during the campaign of a guy constantly hitting his head against a wall hoping the outcome would change but was surprised nothing ever did? Well I was that person. I always had a passion for politics, current events, news, and always though law school might have been a good fit. But I denied it all. I thought law school was something I should consider at a later time. I wanted to be "practical". Well, too late now. Because the way most professional schools calculate GPAs, well let's just saythat semesters of withdrawals and failed classes kill a cumulative GPA. We can shut the door on some dreams.

Hope isn't lost. At least I'd rather hope it isn't. I have a degree in a "marketable" field (which still has left me unemployed). But I have it. What should I do? My jobs were never even closely related to my degree. But for a few years I did have work and while those jobs never felt great, they provided me with some sanity and dignity. I don't even have motivation to look for jobs in my field because I hate it but I try to anyways. Plus, this job market is terrible. I don't know how or why I've done what I did.

I'm considering going back to school. Is a second bachelor's degree a good idea? Or would a masters be better? I'm back at home and have worked a few years and have saved some money I may be able to use for college. Any suggestions for a degree that ties into my interests? Maybe a Poli Sci bachelors is a good idea. It would be a lot of years of studying but I think I'd do well. Any suggestions for something after? Or would it be better to just dive into a masters program (if I get into one)? I just don't want to be locked into doing something I will hate for the rest of my life.

I need a good way to assess my strengths and weaknesses, and I've and never honestly did that.

My only words of advice to recent grads and younger people - never pursue a career in something you are not passionate about. Ultimately, if you don't like something, either your work will suffer, or you'll just get burned out. You'll then have the kind of regrets that one should never have.

This may be cliche, but always be true to yourself.

[Bertha Venation]

1. I wish I had some good advice for you.

All I can say is, do what makes you feel best about yourself. Best of good luck to you. :)

[david13]

2. Don't get caught up in that trendy buzz word "passionate". You

should be concerned about 2 things. A paycheck, and a medical plan. There is not much passion involved in being a surgeon, nor an attorney.
Remember, one way or another, it is work. And not fun. That is why people have to be paid to do it. Basically, you have to look to what you can stomach, what you can stand to do, because no matter what you do, there will be problems with it left and right.
It's the nature of any business, any profession, or any work. Problems. Not joy and ecstasy.
If one area is not working out for you, move to another. Do something different. Put your back up plan into effect.
I would not recommend a second Bachelors. And I don't think many would. But you can change directions.
Good luck.
dc

[crispini]

6. I think that if you pick a profession that you enjoy,

you will definitely feel that the work itself is "worth doing" and there will be moments which you enjoy. Yes, work is work, but you have to feel that your work harmonizes with your life and values or you really WILL be unhappy.

To the OP: You don't tell us WHY you don't like your engineering degree and WHY you don't think you would like that work -- so it's a bit hard to get a "take" on your situation. Care to tell us more?

And, as for working in politics, it really depends on WHAT you want to work in -- if you have a particular issue you are interested in, that is really the area you would specialize in, rather than a generic poly sci degree. What do you see yourself doing in politics specifically?

[TxRider]

7. I'm even worse that you

I quit high school at 16, GED at 17, and then an electronics school in my 20's.

But I have rarely been unemployed. The only time I was for any length of time was in a union town when everyone was on strike and strikers flooded the job market.

I have always been able to find a job, or create one. I'm 50 now and I have never worked in the same field for more than ten years by choice, usually 7 years, before I felt I needed a change, and made that change.

That said I have also educated myself in many fields, and worked quite hard at everything including educating myself, finding interesting work, and especially creating my own business. When I begin to get bored and work starts to suffer and I don't feel like getting up and going to work I know it's time to find something different and new.

There was a day, I can remember it, in my twenties, when I decided working for someone else would never get me ahead.

Fortunately I have been able to save enough that I have made my own jobs for the last 15 or more years.

I feel a change coming soon in fact, after running businesses for quite a while I'm beginning to yearn for a simpler one man job working with my hands again, and I'll be shocked if I am not doing so within 5 years.

Alternative vehicles, alternative energy or maybe animal training will be next.

Though now that I am fairly secure financially, the thought of working for someone else, or working alone, with no responsibility for payroll, marketing, HR, engineering, office politics, and all that is sounding like a sweet sweet siren song...

I'll likely do this switching every so often until I can no longer work, I figure about 75-80 years old, another 25 years or so.

[Rabrrrrrr]

10. Oh, please. Many of us "work" jobs we love, are passionate about, and make us happy.

I'm sorry your work career has been such a lackluster shithole of an experience, but don't insist that everyone has that problem.

The reason that one should follow one's passion is so that one DOESN'T have the kind of dead-end awful experiences you have had.

[fujiyama]

16. Hey Rabrrrrrr, you're an engineer, right?

What kind of work do you do, if you don't mind me asking?

[Rabrrrrrr]

17. I am an engineer, but haven't worked in engineering in a long time.

I now am self-employed as artist, writer, musician, thinker, consultant, and general gadabout.

[Bossy Monkey]

3. You can just take classes

Given your background, there's some question whether you fit in academia. Why not just enroll in some classes and see if you fit better now? If you do well, you can always apply the credits to a degree program later. And if you make a bunch of A's, grad schools are a lot more likely to look favorably on your application. You can usually take classes as a "special" student (everybody's favorite terminology); colleges are happy to take your money.

In the "follow your bliss" department, a good idea is to volunteer with every organization whose mission interests you. Environmental groups, no-kill shelters, food banks-- whatever. When you find what interests you most, or in your words what you're most passionate about, then you can see whether you need additional schooling to be able to go into that field as a career. If you're smart, hard-working and committed, you'll probably find that you don't. But it will certainly help you with direction.

Good luck! I'm in almost exactly the same position, except about 20 years older, so I can certainly sympathize/empathize.

[lutefisk]

5. I agree with Bossy Monkey.

I'll just add that imho a second undergraduate degree is most often a waste of time because one could most likely complete a graduate degree in the same amount of time. And graduate classes are more likely to be smaller and more engaging, depending on the school and department.

I say consider the special student route- and give it your best shot, one class and semester at a time. Just do it in a field in which you have a realistic chance of getting into a graduate program and eventually gainfully employed... A semester goes by quickly, so give it a try and then you'll know.

[qb]

4. Get involved in your local Democratic Party & ask around.

Maybe someone needs an intern.

[Yavin4]

8. First, Forget About Law School. That's A Scam and A Half.

A lot of people go to law school because they just don't know what else to do, and that's poor career decision making. I would stay away from full time college programs as well.

Here's what you should do:

(1) Eliminate all of your personal debt. Take any job there is and use that money to eliminate any student loans, credit cards, etc.

(2) Lower your expenses. If you can live at home for reduced rent, do it. If you can find roommates, do that. Do whatever you have to do to lower your expenses which will keep you out of debt, and it gives you the freedom to pursue a career without having to make a lot of money right off the bat.

(3) Look into continuing education classes. Most public colleges have non-degree, continuing education programs that are far cheaper than for credit classes. You can take anything. Take a few, and see what turns you on.

(4) If you like politics, volunteer for someone's campaign for mayor, governor, congressman, senator, etc. Politics is a great way to meet people and make contacts.

In sum, stay out of debt, lower your expenses, and be flexible and open to opportunities. Good luck.

[XemaSab]

9. I went back to school this semester hoping to improve my GPA

Some things never change... if you were a bad student then, you will probably be a bad student now. :(

[dugaresa]

11. I would say, that you should work in a field you like more than anything

I am an engineer. I love my line of work and I actually do work every day that deals with stuff I learned in college.

However, I have met engineers who hate their jobs and hate their work and they do it anyways and it makes them miserable and hard to work with. A friend of mine finally quit one day and now she owns an art business and loves her life.

As for higher degrees, if you hate engineering, don't get any more degrees it won't help. I know that even with a masters i won't make any more money than i do.

An MBA, that might help if you pursue something different but may not really mean a bigger paycheck.

[fujiyama]

19. Do you mind if I asked what kind of engineer?

My problem really has been I didn't get the chance to actually work in my field of stufy. I worked closely with engineers in my last several jobs and I felt it was interesting but I'm not sure if I was a good fit for those positions. Granted, none of those were engineers in my own field (I worked with MEs while my degree was EE).

An MBA is something I considered since the classes seemed interesting and I have a few years of work experience. But I've felt that there is a glut of MBAs out there and it almost feels saturated, and it may not pay off that greatly if it's not a name brand school. The school I looked at isn't bad (it meets AACSB certification), but I'm not sure if that's enough in a tight job market.

[wickerwoman]

12. I'd start from the job you want and work backwards.

That will give you a better idea of the degree you need and might help with the motivation to get through school if it's something you really can visualize yourself doing.

I'm going back to school to get an MA in urban planning which is scary as hell because it has nothing to do with my first two degrees and I'm going to have to go into serious debt to finance it, but it's a realistically obtainable job with a measure of feel-good factor.

I would make a short list of jobs that you think you would be good at and which you would enjoy and then research what you need to get there. Then sit on it for a while until one of them seems like the most enjoyable and realistic.

[Wapsie B]

13. I know this is not always a popular idea with some, but community college would be my first look.

In this day and age you need a tangible skill to offer employers. Doesn't have to be plumbing or HVAC tech (btw both good paying fields), but something you would enjoy doing nonetheless. IT is an option along with many other specialties. I've known more than a few who have Masters degrees return to CC to get the training in a field they enjoy and has a reasonable chance of finding a good job after getting their AA. The degree you already have will look nice on your resume and shows employers that you're willing to learn and grow as a person.
So take that for what it's worth. Sometimes the last place you want to be is in a grad degree program. Lots of grads with law degree and MBAs running around. Tangible skill is the operative term in the job market today.

[NMDemDist2]

14. you have a BS in engineering?

check here

https://www.urs.apply2jobs.com/index.cfm

lots of jobs in some interesting (but mostly rural) areas

[fujiyama]

15. I've spent much of the day reassessing my skills

I'm leaning away from a second bachelor's degree and trying not to waste time thinking about my past failures. That's one thing that has always crippled me. I get stuck thinking about what-ifs and should-haves - ultimately leading nowhere. For some reason I've also been afraid to take a strong stand on much of anything and I've been very indecisive in just about every aspect of life. These are not good qualities in any profession and if I continue down this path I'll be unsuccessful and unhappy in ANY career path I go down.

Rather than jumping in a second bachelors or a masters program with no end goal in sight, I think it's better to immediately address those personal issues.

I suppose the problem with my jobs after college is that they never had a real core focus. I kind of floated from one job to the other and don't feel like I've gained truly useful transferable skills. My first job was in a support role, where I was well liked, useful, and productive. It did not pay terribly well though and eventually I took a better paying job at another company, which provided some interesting opportunities to work at two OEMs. I grumbled then feeling my pay wasn't on par with what I felt I should have been making, but looking back I'd take the job again in a heartbeat. Being unemployed is certainly not good for one's psyche.

I think I have done a poor job marketing myself as well. I know others that graduated with me - some with lower grades - and seemingly less passion for the field than myself. They are employed and are doing fairly well in their careers

I don't want my posts to discourage any people from engineering. As a country we don't produce enough of them and I've had the opportunity to work with some great people. If you are strong in math and science, it's worth considering. The coursework is difficult but if you find the right job (like some friends I have) it can be rewarding.

Thanks to everyone for the feedback and I love reading stories about others successfully making career changes.

[Rabrrrrrr]

18. You know, the Peace Corps and organizations like them often need engineers

That could be a cool way to use your skills in more immediate people-helping ways, as well as see some exotic places, and have some time, perhaps, to find yourself.

[The empressof all]

20. Think about a Masters in Public Administration

With some management classes when the economy improves you could combine your engineering knowledge in some capacity with public works management. Gosh if we ever get funding for rebuilding our national infrastructure there be all kinds of need for people who can understand those technical RFP's that people will need to submit.

But I think the Peace Corp is an excellent idea! It will give you experience in leading as well!