How did you know what you wanted to do?

[LA03]

I think people that know what they want to do are very lucky. I think people who have a natural talent for something are very lucky. I don't fall into either of these categories. As most of you know, I quit my entry level PR job earlier this month because I was not happy in healthcare PR. I am still looking for jobs in public relations, but to be honest, sometimes I question if I'll be happy doing PR. I t. read the job descriptions for the jobs in which I'm applying and I'm not excited about it. Maybe it's just because I have a "bad taste" in my mouth from my previous job. I don't think it's fair to say that I don't like PR (especially since it's what I have my BA in and what my parents spend so much $ for) because I've only had one job experience, but as I said, I'm having a hard time getting excited about doing it. go

I've been throwing around the idea of going back to school to get my MA in School Counseling. Why? I think it would be a fulfilling career. (Moreso than PR and that's something that's important to me.) I would be helping others. I like children. If I do decide to go ahead and do this I reallly really need to think long and hard about it. I can't just get my masters and decide (like I am now) that I don't really like it.

I'm very confused. I just wish someone would tell me what the hell I will enjoy and what I would be good at.

So, how did you get into your career?

[annabelle]

Usually a career you enjoy pays less...

I love my line of work although it's frustrating because he people I take care of will never get better.....and can't tell you that they appreciate your work but when a family member of the clients tell you that you are "worth a million dollars" it's awesome:) So anyway after my first healthcare job with mentally challenged individuals and haveing a cousins daughter being born with Downs it made me want to be able to assist them in having a better quality of life through programs etc...So that's why I'm i the faculty i'm in now..When I graduate i want to be a social worker for persons with disabilties or be involved in the implementation of programs that will be beneficial to them and their families..

NOt the greatest pay but that's what I want to do...

I think you just kind of stumble on to what you want to do..if you're lucky..

[sammyk]

You should marry some rich dude and stay home and watch TV. You seem to enjoy that.

No really, isn't there something you'd like to do at all? Nothing you ever dreamed of doing as a kid? I know you're saying you don't know but there had to have been something, even something far fetched?

As for me, my dad brought home a PC for his electrical contracting business and I started tinkering with computers. Eventually it became my career. Imagine if he brought home something else, who knows what I'd be doing!

[Don]

My high school guidance councilor gave us all aptitude tests which required multiple choice questions, short answer and one essay. Based on our answers the guidance councilor told us what they thought we would be good at.

My guidance councilor said he couldn't ready my writing so I'd be best off doing something that required a keyboard, like programming. Though I think I could have been a good doctor....

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Seriously though, often you have to try things to know if you like them or not. People complain about drifters in college - people that drift from one specialty to another and end up in university/college for 7 or 8 years. But it happened to me... I started in "computers/business", moved to "environmental studies" and then onto "mathematics and computing science". (I had far less debates with my math professors than with my business professors). Taking the extra couple of years in school so I could do something that I liked rather than rushing through school and doing something I hated for 30 years... I think it was worth the investment of time.

[Devilish34]

I wanted to be a cop joined the reserves (Military Police) but got into construction and have been doing it since I was 19.

[eaglejelly]

PR is not exciting enough for you? How about lion tamer

[RowdyFan42]

Usually a career you enjoy pays less...

Unless you enjoy doing computer-related stuff...

Ideally, one would find a way to get paid for what one loves (or at least likes) to do. Barring that, one should at least try to figure out what one could tolerate, what you could do that wouldn't drive you crazy. Like Don said, maybe you're the type of person that has to drift around for a while before you hit upon your niche.

And don't feel too bad if you end up not putting your degree to full use. It happens to a lot of people, and these days employers care more about the piece of paper itself rather than what you studied to get it. My dad, for example, got a bachelor's and a master's in music something-or-other, and while he did end up being a music and band teacher for a few years, he spent many more years than that working for the Postal Service. These days he's semi-retired and has a part-time job giving lessons at a local music store, plus he's been a church organist for about 25 years.

Maybe instead of looking for jobs in public relations, you could look for jobs in other fields where the specific position might require you to draw on your PR education and experience. I know that kinda sounds like the same thing, but it's not. You'd be focusing on a different aspect of the job search. You could see if there's jobs available not just with the Devils, but with the Islanders (but I wouldn't make you work for the Rangers ), the league itself, maybe even branch out into other sports, even if you don't particularly care for them, just to get your foot in the door in the general industry.

Edited May 29, 2008 by RowdyFan42

[annabelle]

Nowadays too, a BA in MOST feilds is pretty much viewed as the equilvalent of a high school diploma...

[brodeurrocks]

All my life I wanted to be in law enforcement. I starting doing ride alongs with some RCMP members and knew right then that I had found my calling. I obtained my Criminolgy degree and went throught the formal RCMP recruit process and passed the initial interview, physical abilities test and psych evaluation (I know, I was surprised too! ) all was well until I had to do the eye test and discovered I was color blind to certain shades of green and blue. Done! Thanks for coming out I was told.

I turned that into what has been a very interesting and rewarding career as a Manager of Security Services for a number of hospitals and long term care centres.

LA03 - you say your confused and want somebody to tell YOU what you will enjoy. That is really only a question for you to answer. People may be able to tell you what they think you might be good at but only you can say you will enjoy a certain line of work. You seem to be looking for the right reason as you refer to wanting a fulfilling and rewarding career. Good Luck with your search.

[Devilish34]

You should marry some rich dude and stay home and watch TV. You seem to enjoy that.

No really, isn't there something you'd like to do at all? Nothing you ever dreamed of doing as a kid? I know you're saying you don't know but there had to have been something, even something far fetched?

As for me, my dad brought home a PC for his electrical contracting business and I started tinkering with computers. Eventually it became my career. Imagine if he brought home something else, who knows what I'd be doing!

Some people actually do that...

If LA like to dance there are jobs that pay well in that field

So if I would of tinkered with a computer as a kid I could of been a computer geek too??

Dammit my parents gave me Lincoln Logs

[Pepperkorn]

I guess what you have to do is make lists.

What did you like about PR?

What were your favorite classes and why?

What does it really take to be a school councilor?

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

[sammyk]

What does it really take to be a school councilor?

At the very least they must use the correct spelling of counselor.

[Deke]

It took me till age 34, but I'm finally doing something I love..

[halfsharkalligatorhalfman]

im 23 and I have no idea.

[CRASHER]

If LA like to dance there are jobs that pay well in that field

Are you trying to imply she be some kinda adult dancer??

Brave man

Me personally, it kinda happened on accident... I was always doing computer stuff... and I was working this hellish job watching them falsify information to make quotas .... manage..... telemarketing records for a place in Staten Island... and my mom found out this company was hiring people to unbox machines for computers in school districts... so I get hired... and I learn... and I learn.... and I learn.... and it kept going till I got axed about 5 years ago.... so I took some of their customers... you know the promise of answering the phone helped, unlike the previous company

Not that my story is inspiring or gonna help you find your own way, but ya never know (I admit I lucked into a lot of my stuff)... but sometimes you need to do somethings outside the box, don't be afraid to... not like you've not quit a job before

[Devils Pride 26]

I'm in HS and I am really interested in being a lawyer, serious about it too. I love being a golf caddy, (great money, no taxes ) but I can't do that forever.

[LetsGoDevils]

Not what I wanted to do, but what I had to do was how my current career path has led me.

[threestars]

Growing up I wanted to be a civil engineer or an architect. Then while doing my A-Levels (science and maths) I met my bf who wanted to be a pilot but was going to uni to study the weather. that sounded like a great subject to do, I'd always been interested in the weather. Once I started the degree I loved it, (and I still do) I decided I wanted to study hurricanes and get my PhD. Now I am doing that, and while I still love it, I utterly hate it what it actually is. I just sit in front of a computer all day either programming or writing, and it is boring and tedious as hell. I am now thinking of maybe changing tune after I have my doctorate to be something in engineering or maybe an environmental planner or something like that, kinda like deciding where to put wind or solar farms.

I hate that I have no clue what I want to do now. I had always been so decisive and scorned my brother and my friends for being drifters, never sticking at anything. Now I feel like I am becoming that.

Anyway, my message is: think hard about the things you like to do, and the things that you are actually good at. Try to find something that fits with your skills, and I don't necessarily mean the actual things you learn in you BA, but what skills did that degree give you that you can apply to something else. The job that you might find that suits you well and that you are happy enough doing may not be what you want to be or do, but just something that fits YOU. And remember, you can always do something you are good at for a job and then do what you LIKE to do as a hobby. Oh and some times, when you end up doing something you like as your job, it becomes a job and you begin to dislike it, and I can tell you from experience that is not pleasant.

[thelastonealive]

I still have no idea what I want to do.

Also, I'm 25.

It's a frightening prospect.

------------------------

Regarding your health care PR stint, may I ask why you disliked it so? May I also ask where (in general) you were working? I ask because one of my teachers at Kean is the head of PR for one of the Monmouth County hospitals (I forget which one) and is a very cool guy. I never really considered PR until taking a few of his classes, but I was seriously considering it when I was still going to school full time.

I think you should give PR one more chance, personally - it'll give you a clearer idea of whether you had a bad experience or whether you truly don't like it. If you truly don't like it, then you shouldn't feel bad about going back to school and figuring out what you really want to do, but it would be a shame to waste all that schooling on a bad experience in the field. Just my opinion though.

[Masked Fan]

Hey, lastonealive, yer teacher is the HEAD of PR ... What LA was doing was taking some peons crap to the trash for him. Big difference in joy factor there.

That being sed, I'm sure LA knows shes gotta do her time before she gets to be the head of anything.

I got my job cuz it pays the bills LA. I wanted to be a cop in HS (heaven knows I spent enough time at the police department), but then did construction for my Brotherinlaw and decided I'd like to build houses. My dad was a squid when Kennedy was Prez, so I joined the Navy to get into the SeaBee's. They gave me a test first and waved a big (at the time) bonus in front of me to be a Navy Nuke (work with reactor plants) So I did that. Found it to be some fun, some sweat, not that hard for me. Got out of the Navy and have been making electricity since.

So, really, I just rolled with the punches and have made the best of what life has served up.

Just decide to do something, make the most of it, and you'll probably learn to at least like it.

OF COURSE, THESE OPTIONS ARE GREAT FOR YA TOO:

You should marry some rich dude and stay home and watch TV. You seem to enjoy that.

If LA like to dance there are jobs that pay well in that field

[thelastonealive]

Hey, lastonealive, yer teacher is the HEAD of PR ... What LA was doing was taking some peons crap to the trash for him. Big difference in joy factor there.

Right, but what I'm saying is, the guy's cool. Alot of enjoyment by way of jobs has to do with who you're working for. Noy all entry level jobs are the same, particularly if the guy in charge isn't a total douchebag, is what I meant to say.

[maltieri]

LA--

My story for background purposes--its a bit long but hopefully it helps.

Growing up I had a fascination with Hotels (this doesn't make any sense to me now but it did then, something about the sights and smells I think) so I actually went to college to get an Assoc Degree in Hotel Rest Mgmt (middlesex county college). While pursuing the degree I took lots of hotel/rest jobs--waiter, barback, bartender, front desk clerk etc. I definately liked hotels better than standalone restaraunts so I stuck with them. About the time I completed the degree I figured out that very few people in the hotel industry make good $$, and most work their as%es off with less than adequate reward. I was also in a committed relationship and talking about marriage so I wanted something a bit more conventional from an hours perspective. I decided I would pursue a different career with something that came easily to me--Accounting (that may not sound easy but it always has been for me--note---I didn't love accounting but it seemed like a way to make a good living doing something I had some talent for.

I got an entry level job at a car dealer doing really basic bookkeeping work (mostly depositing cash from drug dealers from Staten Island who bought throw-away mule cars) and went to school at night at Rutgers to get a BS in accounting. Almost none of my MCC credits counted at RU because of the big difference in majors but I went for it anyway. I hated the car dealer job and moved on to other entry level stuff and was lucky enough to get an accounting clerk job at a reputable, large company---note----it wasn't the degree I had in Hotel/Rest that helped me land this gig it was that I was working towards one in accounting so it isn't always about what you already have accomplished. I ended up being with that company for 5 years in a total of about 5 different positions because of departmental transfers and promotions. In the middle of my time there I landed in a department that did a mix of accounting and computer stuff (they called it financial systems services) and my love for computers and networking was launched (you may be able to see where I'm headed). I became torn because pure accounting was too boring for me and I really liked the computer stuff. I managed to do some of each up until this company closed at the 5 year mark I mentioned which then began my 10+ year financial system/computer infrastructure consulting career. This was a case of a carreer that I didn't know existed which allowed me to use both my skills in accounting and to play with PC's and networks which I loved. There was no way you could have told me when I started with that accounting clerk job that I would catch on with systems and go on to have the career I've had. The---note---here is that sometimes you just can't know what opportunities will present themselves and you just have to go experience things and see.

I'm now the GM for a website company and a small business owner and very happy with how things have worked out for me. You can be too. I suggest that you work in an area that fits your skills because you are more likely to be successful at it. It doesn't have to be what you love as long as you don't hate it. As another poster mentioned, you can always do the things you love as hobbies or in your non-work time. You didn't tell us much about what you are good at but I'm sure you can figure that out.

Good luck and keep us posted on your progress.

[point]

I started in liberal arts, but switched to accounting after one semester. I hated writing papers, stretching out half an idea into three-five pages. My mother tried to talk me out of it. My father was in engineering/management. Once you get past the education, which teaches the material dreadfully ( I have clients who have taken a couple of accounting courses and still don't understand basic financial statements); the next challenge is the first 2-3 years of drudge work in public accounting. I started when a four function electronic calculator was the tech marvel. My job included emptying wastebaskets and going out to pick up the lunch orders. Then you get to the stage where you actually know what you are talking about, clients understand and respect you, pay improves, and the job satisfaction is high. You can make as much money as you want (depending on how you structure your career). It takes a lot of people skills and communication skills. About 25% of my work is what we refer to as "therapy".

The technical stuff is challenging, and getting more so every day, so it isn't a static body of knowledge. You have to learn something new constantly.

Of course, I changed firms three times in 5 years before I went out on my own. Moving around helps you learn more, since you get different exposure from each firm.

[LA03]

Thanks everyone for sharing your stories and giving your advice. I appreciate it.

You should marry some rich dude and stay home and watch TV. You seem to enjoy that.

No really, isn't there something you'd like to do at all? Nothing you ever dreamed of doing as a kid? I know you're saying you don't know but there had to have been something, even something far fetched?

Ha. Ha. Honestly, I don't think I could ever stay at home and watch TV for the rest of my life. I would go crazy. Even if I ever marry some rich dude, I think I'd have to work too.

And it's really sad to say, but I cannot think of what I wanted to be when I was little. I don't think I ever had a "dream" of a job or career. That's sort of sad to think about... I'm going to have to ask my parents.

LA03 - you say your confused and want somebody to tell YOU what you will enjoy. That is really only a question for you to answer. People may be able to tell you what they think you might be good at but only you can say you will enjoy a certain line of work. You seem to be looking for the right reason as you refer to wanting a fulfilling and rewarding career. Good Luck with your search.

Thanks... ugh I know it's a question I'm going to have to answer myself. I WISH someone would be able to tell me what I should be doing. It would make things a lot easier. I guess I'm just feeling very frustrated with everything.

If LA like to dance there are jobs that pay well in that field

No.

To answer the Q about why I didn't like my last job...

It was mainly the people that I worked with. It's true I wasn't doing anything that spectacular, but I understand it's what most entry level jobs in the agency world are like. I have no problem "paying my dues". However, the people that I worked with weren't the most pleasant people in the entire world. One of my managers used to use the "c" word in the office. I had to go pick up my other managers prescriptions and send them to Thailand (and had to go down to the UPS warehouse after work to fill out additional paperwork - not a problem except the place was in a sketchy area), they banned free bagels on mondays because of the carbs etc etc. A lot of stupid stuff that added up and I never felt like anyone ever appreciated anything I did. I just really saw no room for professional development there.

Currently I am trying to find another entry level PR job. I was fortunate enough to meet my neighbor's daughter who works in PR and gave me some contacts to send my resume to. We'll see how it goes. I hope to find something and give another PR job a try. Though, I may have to face the idea that I may not be able to find another entry level PR job as there aren't a lot of openings. (And it's competitive -- and most have an "in" of sorts). I am looking for any job right now just to make some money while I'm looking for a PR job. If I don't find another PR job then I plan on going to grad school for something else for next fall. As I said before, I'm just really frustrated and a little upset about everything. I honestly have no friends left in the area (my closet friends are in NYC or in Freehold) - and although my parents don't bother me and have been wonderful about me being home -- I miss living on my own.

[sammyk]

Ha. Ha. Honestly, I don't think I could ever stay at home and watch TV for the rest of my life. I would go crazy. Even if I ever marry some rich dude, I think I'd have to work too.

To answer the Q about why I didn't like my last job...

It was mainly the people that I worked with.

Well, you don't have to work, you could always find a hobby or three.

Just curious, why didn't you start looking for a different job while at the other one, or did you?