Career Indecision

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So, a while back my manager came up to me and asked me if it would be alright if he put me on this list of sorts to be an assistant manager. The list part is necessary because in order to get the job I'd have to get my bachelor's degree, and seeing as how I'm soon to be wrapping up my current stint at the university, this would be happening sooner than later. It's just about guaranteed that I would get the job, and it would be good, reliable money for me right out of school. Also, I'm certain it would be more than I could get with my degree (psychology/social work), actually a bit more than social workers who've just gotten their master's can expect.

The problem is, the work doesn't have much of anything to do with my education (at least not directly), it's not the best environment, and I don't want to find myself, I don't know, stuck there. I know that it's a good opportunity, but it just doesn't speak to me. I'm sure if I'm sufficiently managerial, either - I mean, at work I'm already a supervisor, anal retentive, OCD, a perfectionist, etc., but that's just part of my work ethics. It doesn't mean I could successfully lead a team, and I would bring my work ethics to whatever job I undertook. The job market isn't all that great though, especially in my state, so there's no certainty, no matter how polished I might try to make my r
 
I don't have much wisdom to offer; however, I'm in a relatively similar situation. I'm 25 and took a couple of years out before starting univeristy, due to ill health, and I'm only a couple of months away from finishing. I've been offered an admin job by my university, which has very little to do with my degree (English Literature) but it pays well and would give that sense of security and allow me to save for a little while and hopefully move on to something else. So I've got to say I'm tempted, as there are limited options at the moment.

With regards to you being a good enough manager, there must be a reason why they've chosen you. And if it's not the career you want to go down, it wouldn't exactly hurt on your CV if you took the job and found a better one a few months later. I can't say what's best for you, but I'd suggest that a secure job and x amount of money is better than nothing, should there be no other viable option.
 
The ebb and flow of changing jobs = monetary fluctuation. Everyone understands this. What they don't understand is getting into a higher paying job and living according to those means, thus making it more difficult for you to change jobs later with lower pay.

1) Be happy you have a secure job considering the economy. Don't change unless you have already been accepted to work elsewhere.
2) Work towards doing what you love. Being stuck in a job you hate is much like dying a slow death ... you will grow resentful of the choice you made and possibly even depressed. All that negativity will begin to show its effects on you.
 
No risk, no gain.

Take the risk, you are young enough that you can change your mind if it doesn't suit you.*


*caveat: this assumes you are younger than 30.
 
Bollington said:
I don't have much wisdom to offer; however, I'm in a relatively similar situation. I'm 25 and took a couple of years out before starting univeristy, due to ill health, and I'm only a couple of months away from finishing. I've been offered an admin job by my university, which has very little to do with my degree (English Literature) but it pays well and would give that sense of security and allow me to save for a little while and hopefully move on to something else. So I've got to say I'm tempted, as there are limited options at the moment.

With regards to you being a good enough manager, there must be a reason why they've chosen you. And if it's not the career you want to go down, it wouldn't exactly hurt on your CV if you took the job and found a better one a few months later. I can't say what's best for you, but I'd suggest that a secure job and x amount of money is better than nothing, should there be no other viable option.
Click to expand...

A sense of security, that does have a nice ring to it. Perhaps, with that sense of security I'd be able to pursue my own interests in my free time, instead of having to fill it with odd second, third etc. jobs. Weather the storm at work (some days [weeks, months, etc...] it's just a nightmare), come home, dry off, and find that more importantly, my time there has given me the opportunity to work towards my true aspirations in peace. Hm, good point. :]

Being an administrator could be a good experience. It's not directly tied to literature, but you gain some tools, learn more skills - and, of course, gain some contacts at that university of yours. Great networking opportunity, heh, and you'd still be able to enjoy the delights of literature in your spare time.

Sriracha said:
The ebb and flow of changing jobs = monetary fluctuation. Everyone understands this. What they don't understand is getting into a higher paying job and living according to those means, thus making it more difficult for you to change jobs later with lower pay.

1) Be happy you have a secure job considering the economy. Don't change unless you have already been accepted to work elsewhere.
2) Work towards doing what you love. Being stuck in a job you hate is much like dying a slow death ... you will grow resentful of the choice you made and possibly even depressed. All that negativity will begin to show its effects on you.
Click to expand...

1) That I am, with where I work and live (close to 35% of the pop. below poverty level, businesses closing everywhere, so many more people on the streets...).
2) I understand that dying a slow death part. I haven't worked there for a huge length of time (just since 2009, when I was 18), but even in that short while I think I've felt my soul just... drain. Don't get me wrong, I've met some wonderful people there, met some great souls, but also some, ah, terrible ones. It has been quite the learning experience, though, and I'm always up for learning.

InvisibleJim said:
No risk, no gain.

Take the risk, you are young enough that you can change your mind if it doesn't suit you.*


*caveat: this assumes you are younger than 30.
Click to expand...

Age stated in first post, just a wee bit younger. I've weighed the pros and cons, and I'm starting to think it's worth the risk. I can certainly always change my mind, and I could be missing out on a good opportunity.
 
hush said:
A sense of security, that does have a nice ring to it. Perhaps, with that sense of security I'd be able to pursue my own interests in my free time, instead of having to fill it with odd second, third etc. jobs. Weather the storm at work (some days [weeks, months, etc...] it's just a nightmare), come home, dry off, and find that more importantly, my time there has given me the opportunity to work towards my true aspirations in peace. Hm, good point. :]

Being an administrator could be a good experience. It's not directly tied to literature, but you gain some tools, learn more skills - and, of course, gain some contacts at that university of yours. Great networking opportunity, heh, and you'd still be able to enjoy the delights of literature in your spare time.
Click to expand...

This is an incredibly bad time to be graduating, so hopefully it will just be a case of a couple of years before things eventually start to get a bit less crazy. I'm definitely not advocating doing something that you utterly loathe, but there's nothing to stop you applying to every job going while still doing this one. And yeah, fulfill your aspirations and have a good time :)

And yeah, admin isn't so bad. I basically did this exact same job for a four-month contract last summer and it was actually quite fun and fairly easy (because I have mad computer skillz, apparently!) You're right about networking as well, it's never a bad thing.

Best of luck with everything anyway :)
 
If there are skills to be learned in this new position that you can utilize later in your ideal occupation then I would take it. 21 is young in the working world, so I think if you have the right perspective on the benefits of the position (not just better money, but useful skills acquired that can be used later) then it should on the whole help you later.
 
hush said:
Is there anyone out there with some wisdom or experience to offer? It would be greatly appreciated.
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I don't know who you are, but after reading your post I immediately thought you should do it. To break it down: I think in economical terms, the job market, as you said, is pretty tight now, so a good job with good money is never really bad. Then again with at the age of 21 it's not bad to get some experience. Your worries about not being able to lead - as soon as you're in the position you'll figure out things pretty well. And judging from the description of your work ethics you probably have a talent for leading, but probably haven't developed it fully yet.

As for your concerns about it not being the best, that's probably true. But it's definitely not the worst and it's definitely a huge step forward, not backwards. And it doesn't sound as if it is that much off from what you are aiming for. And also, if you don't know in which direction you'd like to take your life, yet want the optimal and correct direction then you're "hanging", in which case you shouldn't be so scrupulous about not taking this opportunity.
 
I would take it. Save money while taking time to figure out where you want to go next. Being unemployed with no direction is very difficult.
 
swing makes an excellent point--take the job. There's a big difference between "feeling" the current job opportunity isn't the right one and "knowing" where exactly you want to be. There's some statistic I'm too lazy to find that shows the longer you spend looking for a job, the longer you will keep it. So basically, if you haven't figured out what you want to do by now, you better take the manager job and start your search on the side. Having a manager position on your resume will not only impress, even if it sucks, you can spin it into a positive thing during future interviews. Also, the money you make in your current position now will give you the means to pursue that great opportunity later!
 
Hey Hush. I'm glad I came across your post also. I would definitely say, take the job. I've scrolled down and read through the comments, liking the ones that I think are really open-minded. Thinking in a logical and strategic way, I think that taking the job is the best thing granted you enjoy it, can really focus on the work and do a great job, and meanwhile, it if isn't your thing, continue applying externally.

I made the mistake of graduating university and completely taking the company I worked for for granted (and it's a great company). Looking back, I would have focused on doing a great job where I was and starting to move up the ladder, or at least getting more and more responsibility while I was at the current job - then changing careers when the next one was in place. Instead, I freaked out, and openly treated my other job as a "for now" and "temporary" type of job - both unprofessional, naive, and a little narrow-minded, inexperienced of me.

Hope you made the right decision for you and that these posts help give you some clarity.
 
If life goes well you'll face career indecision many times.

The trick of it is to decide on something.
 
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