Dropping IT - What would you do? 3

[Dollie]

What would you do if you woke up one morning and decided that after years of school and work, doing what you thought you should be doing, you absolutely hate what you are doing in IT? What if you find that you want to move in a completely different direction?

(Disclaimer: I took a Myers-Briggs test in a class two weeks ago and have been thinking WAY too much about the results.)

 

[Thadeus]

Dollie,
Is it definitely IT or is it industry or is it the wrong specialization within IT? Curious... your answers will affect the advice that could be offered.

~Thadeus

 

[Dollie]

It's the industry, environment, location... everything is in question and I'm finding myself sleepless over it! It's as if this 'test' made me realize that I may not be doing what I feel I *should* be doing. I'm not sure if dropping my career and (for an extreme example) grabbing a potters wheel is truly the best idea.

I'm also a little about just taking the plunge, but the fact that I'm not advancing at all where I am now is looming large. If I keep thinking like this, I'm concerned that it really will affect my work.

 

[sha76]

Do you know what you would like to do?
I'm in the situation of having made a definite decision to leave IT, but have yet to decide where I want to go!

"Your rock is eroding wrong." -Dogbert

 

[LizSara]

I work in IT because it pays the mortgage...no other reason. I go home and forget my day and try and do something i enjoy instead.

I am currently doing a full time degree in English Literature and Media Studies (distance learning). Not for anything apart from my on enjoyment.

"Whoever battles with monsters had better see that it does not turn him into a monster. And if you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you." ~ Nietzsche"

 

[acewarlock]

I guess I have been fortunate with my chosen field as I look forward to going to work everyday even though at the present time I'm unemployed. I am thinking about changing careers only because there are so few job's in my field available today. In today's economy if you have a good paying job you better really look around at the career field you might be considering changing to, are there and openings and can you survive on the salary it pays and is it a stable field or is it subject to layoff's all the time like mine or employers trying to get away with cheaper help.
You realy need to think about these things before making any big changes in your life. Maybe try do it part time to see if you like it and can make a decent living at it.




This is a Signature and not part of the answer, it appears on every reply.

This is an Analogy so don't take it personally as some have.

Why change the engine if all you need is to change the spark plugs.

 

[Dollie]

I'm currently working on getting a college education (I took a <cough> 20 year break after high school). I know what I'd like to do, and am looking at taking a few classes for it just to see how it goes. Maybe I'll take it up as a summer hobby in between semesters.

However, I also think that taking those classes would put me farther away from my degree. If I had a mortgage or children (neither of those are in my future), it would be much different, but I'm not pinned.

 

[JCreamerII]

I employee the same method as LizSara for the same reasons, I forget about my day as soon as I hit my car. I play a lot of chess on line to give me something to let my brain flex a little and have some fun at the same time.

Thanks,

 

[Bandenjamin]

I'm currently working on getting a college education (I took a <cough> 20 year break after high school). I know what I'd like to do, and am looking at taking a few classes for it just to see how it goes. Maybe I'll take it up as a summer hobby in between semesters.

However, I also think that taking those classes would put me farther away from my degree. If I had a mortgage or children (neither of those are in my future), it would be much different, but I'm not pinned.

Dollie,

I'm doing the same thing. It's a huge pain in the backside, but I commend you. (Damn it would have been easier 20 years ago!! well 15 for me) With all that said. Take the classes it will help give some perspective. Also keep in mind that many employers are just looking to see a degree, doesn't seem to matter what in, so unless you are looking at specializing in a particular area, don't get distracted.

If you are currently not pinned down, then go for what you really want, you don't have to worry about anyone else, and you can afford to work for less $ if it will increase your overall happiness.

Good luck

--Dan
Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.
Mark Twain

 

[spamly]

Dollie,

I'm in the same boat. I just finished my 14 year bachelors degree. Quite a few people asked me if I was working towards a degree in computer science since that's my career. I'd tell each and every one of them that I never, ever want another computer class again. I've got a good management degree now that I can hopefully use to either move up in my current role or move OUT if I'd like to.

 

[wahnula]

It's the industry, environment, location... everything is in question and I'm finding myself sleepless over it! It's as if this 'test' made me realize that I may not be doing what I feel I *should* be doing. I'm not sure if dropping my career and (for an extreme example) grabbing a potters wheel is truly the best idea

I had a mid-life career change too, but it was in the opposite direction. I was a professional musician, making excellent money, a dream job to most folks. But 30 years into it, I hated going to a crummy bar (even if that bar was in Denmark, London, or Munich) while my friends were working in recording studios or with name acts. I considered myself a failure.

While taking some time off (well actually my two-month solo gig was canceled) I visited my sister in Texas and walked into a Garden Center looking into getting a peon job weeding or cleaning up. The boss heard about my education in Landscape Architecture and Art (which I thought I hated), and put me to work drawing plans and bidding jobs. I had gone to college in the 70's, but this did not matter in the end.

Truth was, I enjoyed meeting new people and using my artistic side in a more socially acceptable way. I started out at $10/hour and, 10 years later, I am making six figures and, while I can't say I love every minute of it, I would never want to return to pro music. It just was not for me.

I also had the fun of helping to make a small family business into a growing company with a bright future. AND developed a hobby of PC building and networking and all things geek, so I can satisfy that need by running the company server and network, and also save the company fistfuls of cash.

So...follow your heart, keep your eyes and mind open, the right job may present itself to you, you just need to be ready when it does. Do not worry about the $$$, if you are happy that is priceless, and the money will follow.

Tony

Users helping Users...

 

[SantaMufasa]

Luckily for me, I love the work I do. I'm making decent money, and I look forward to work each day.

My sister (age 49), however, has embarked upon a very interesting odyssey that may offer some encouragement to you.

My sister is the mother of three, ages 28, 25, and 18 (the older two are married; youngest still at home, attending high school.) Six years ago, she chose to end her marriage, in which her husband had become increasingly abusive.

As a single mom, she was trying desperately to provide for her family (ex-husband paid a whopping $74 per month child support). I supplemented her income each month so that they could better make ends meet.

Our father had been highly successful in real estate investment, but he died the day before his 52nd birthday, when my sister was age 13. She had always wanted to follow in our dad's footsteps, but neither she nor I could underwrite such an undertaking.

Last year, however, following much due diligence in identifying the ideal mentors and training source, I underwrote her tuition to receive the proper training.

She has exercised wise and intelligent application of her training. She stays aware of opportunities that surround her. Since January (when she began her efforts in earnest), she has earned between $80K-$110K per month! She has paid me back, in full (including her tuition). She has fully funded her retirement contributions for both last year and this year (to the extent that the government allows). And she is well on her way to continued success.

Where she was not earning a great deal prior to her current successes, it did not require a massive leap of faith. (Had she been earning six figures previously, then THAT would have required a big leap of faith...to quit her day job in return for the prospect of increasing her income so significantly.)

It did, however, still require guts...To invest time and money in a profession that was new, and, for her, yet untested. She did set about learning the "secrets of success" that wealthy practitioners seemed to possess, and she had the courage to implement what she had learned.

Regardless of what endeavor you end up selecting, Dollie, as your new profession of choice, I believe that my sister's successes produce a reasonable model:[ul][li]Seek out successful practitioners who are willing to give back to their profession via mentoring sincere and motivated neophytes.[/li][li]Identify the behaviours that successful practitioners use to produce success/wealth in their field of endeavor.[/li][li]Identify risks/pitfalls and implement protections to mitigate/avoid those risks.[/li][li]Assemble a team of wise people whom you can consult, to help you see both potential and pitfalls to your professional opportunities. (Your team can consist of family, friends, and professionals whom you respect as having wisdom in various fields.)[/li][li]Develop enough self-confidence to begin pursuing your dreams. (This does not mean that you must quit your day job. But it does mean start doing what gives you more joy and happiness.)[/li][/ul]

I believe that you already have a built-in team of colleagues, here on Tek-Tips and in this forum, who are willing to provide free (and to a certain degree, wise) advice that you might find useful in your new endeavors.

Best of luck (which is simply matching preparation with opportunity), Dollie.

Mufasa
(aka Dave of Sandy, Utah, USA)
[I provide low-cost, remote Database Administration services: www.dasages.com]

 

[Dollie]

You know, I NEVER expected to get warm fuzzies from Tek-Tips! Thank you, thank you, thank you all.

 

[ChrisHunt]

I took a Myers-Briggs test in a class two weeks ago and have been thinking WAY too much about the results.

Thinking at all about the Myers-Briggs pseudo-scientific parlour game is too much. You certainly shouldn't base life changing decisions upon it.

See

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myers-Briggs_Type_Indicator#Criticism

-- Chris Hunt
Webmaster & Tragedian
Extra Connections Ltd

 

[sha76]

Thinking at all about the Myers-Briggs pseudo-scientific parlour game is too much. You certainly shouldn't base life changing decisions upon it.

Personally I'm finding working through the results of mine incredibly useful. It's not like it comes up with a prescriptive result of what you should be doing in life, but it has certainly helped me to look at things from a different angle & realise that some traits I had previously seen as faults can in fact be real strengths.

"Your rock is eroding wrong." -Dogbert

 

[LizSara]

$80K-$110K per month

Are you sure tha'ts what you meant, that's an inordinate amount of money a month!!

Sha, i agree, i took one in a class a few months ago and it made me look at facets of my personality in totally new ways

"Whoever battles with monsters had better see that it does not turn him into a monster. And if you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you." ~ Nietzsche"

 

[MasterRacker]

These tests may have some questionable science by they can make you think. They are also fun. Years ago, Myers-Briggs placed me somewhere more dictatorial than Ghengis Khan (possibly accurate ;-) ). I recently took Insights with a little different results (aggressively comatose) - maybe I mellowed with age.

_____
Jeff
[small][purple]It's never too early to begin preparing for [/purple]International Talk Like a Pirate Day
"The software I buy sucks, The software I write sucks. It's time to give up and have a beer..." - Me[/small]

 

[Dollie]

I'm not planning on major life changes simply because of the test, but the test has put several things in my life into perspective. It's caused me to step back and look at the priorities in my life as well as the path my life has taken over the last two decades.

My mother kids me and says that I'm in the middle of my mid-life crisis (probably because I gave her no end of grief when I thought she was going through hers). Maybe that's what it is, but maybe it's the one thing that will get me motivated to do what I want to do, not what I think I need to do.

And I'm an ISFP, "the composer". (aka "weenie")

 

[SantaMufasa]

$80K-$110K per month

Are you sure tha'ts what you meant, that's an inordinate amount of money a month!!

Yep...she's shown me the deposit receipts into her bank account, and she's paid me back, in full, for six years of my supporting her. She's on track for nearly seven figures this year.


That's why I am adjusting my income model from relying upon the Database Administration niche to her model that is based upon Real Estate: training, intelligent real estate investment, hard-money loans, and leveraging one's retirement funds to underwrite the loans and investments...I love database administration as an occupation, but I also like earning what she is earning, too!


Mufasa
(aka Dave of Sandy, Utah, USA)
[I provide low-cost, remote Database Administration services: www.dasages.com]

 

[rosieb]

Dollie

If you're looking for self analysis, Myers-Briggs is a good start, but it only indicates a part - there are a lot of other tools available - Belbin is a good one , as is the whole area of "Learning Styles" ie (Activist / Reflector / Theorist / Pragmatist).

I'd advise looking at a few of these together with an analysis of where you are now - what do you like/dislike about your work. Where do you want to be - what do you want to do?

A day with a really good career counsellor could help you put things into perspective.

Rosie
"It doesn't matter how beautiful your theory is, it doesn't matter how smart you are. If it doesn't agree with experiment, it's wrong." Richard Feynman