difficulty finding a practical career??

[astrelune]

Has anyone else had difficulty identifying practical interests and strengths that could lead to a successful career?

And has anyone had this problem and gotten over it??



I want to go back to school, and although I have no problem identifying the many things I would love to study, it's been impossible for me to decide what I want to study that will also get me a successful career.

I think a lot of the problem is that once I finish studying one subject, I'll want to go on and study the next (I have quite a few on my list- and some of them will take quite a bit of time and money). I think what I really want is to get a well-paying part-time job (so I can support myself and feel a sense of accomplishment/independence) and become a perpetual student at the same time- but is something like that even possible??

What have others' experiences been with translating their interests and strengths into a career?

 

[Apone]

I still don't have what I would call a career, and it has had a serious impact on my life. I often feel like I'm using maybe 35% of my potential… and not because the job demands it-- I actually have to independently devise new ways of investing myself in it or I truly believe that I would grow terminally bored and life would lose all meaning. In fact, I think I could probably coast through my current job on about 10%.

I suppose there's still hope that I'll be able to get out of it somehow but the whole mediocre salary combined with need for at least $1 million in savings just to have a decent retirement, cost of education, and shaky prospects even if I were to drop several grand I probably can't afford on a degree right now is really holding me back. Or maybe I'm just at that whole 'paranoid about money' stage of life.

I'm starting to think that the only way out is to do something completely insane, because that way even I fail, at least it will be fulfilling and I'll believe in what I'm doing. But unless you're born rich, you really do need to sacrifice and work and earn to get to that point.

 

[Barnabas]

college professor, it'll keep you in the student cycle the longest and when you finish you start working with students(not to mention the fact that you can be professor of just about anything{with varying degrees of success})

Outside of that, find something you like to do and then figure out what kind of careers coincide with those interests.

 

[Gaze]

I wish I'd chosen a career which was more administrative and involved more technical knowledge and skill development. I still prefer independent workloads. I'd rather a career where the facts are more straightforward, less room for debate, and where the lines are clear. Something with less education but more job availability and stability would've definitely been better.

 

[Azazel]

I have practical interests but I'm not passionate about them... Not passionate enough to make it work as a career because I always want to move to the next thing, so it's difficult to stick with it. Sometimes I hate myself for it and a drive for the "impractical" because it is where I could have fun and express myself from the different sides. I hope I won't die being broke.
There was a period of my life when I thought I should try going to school again. I couldn't pick up the subject, although I had a chain of interests. Something that I liked wouldn't bring me money in future, most likely, and I couldn't afford investing in it. And something that would bring money, was too daunting as the only subject and it would kill me in the long run. I can't study what I am not very interested in. The teaching methods are also a concern. So there's always that.

 

[astrelune]

[MENTION=5090]Apone[/MENTION] - that's rough having a job you don't like. I was in the hospitality industry for over 3 years after college because I didn't know what to do with my degree (and summers before graduation)- I hated it so much. Some days I could feel my energy draining out of me, like I was dying inside.

I think that's part of the reason why I'm panicking about a career now. Before, I always had those skills to fall back on, so I knew that no matter what I did, I could at least get a waitress job that would make good tips (if it's at a busy place) during school or if one of my job ideas were to fail. But now, I don't have that anymore. The damage that job did on my mental/emotional health is huge, and it would be absolutely crazy for me to go back. When my last attempt and switching fields didn't work out (due to a combination of reasons), I lost all hope and became quite depressed. Now I have to get back on track, because when I return from being abroad, I have to get started on a new career path.

college professor, it'll keep you in the student cycle the longest and when you finish you start working with students(not to mention the fact that you can be professor of just about anything{with varying degrees of success})

Outside of that, find something you like to do and then figure out what kind of careers coincide with those interests.

Yeah, I can see career options for my interests.

Everything I have an interest in does have a corresponding career, but most of the time, it's the studying and knowing of the subject that interests me, rather than the actual career itself. For example, psychology is one of them. Particularly Analytical Psychology (Jungian Psychoanalysis). And although I want to study the unconscious mind, symbolism, psychological issues, etc., I don't know how comfortable I would be doing this with another person as a psychoanalyst. That could just be a confidence thing- maybe if I were trained properly and became a bit more comfortable around people it would be fine, but I still don't want to be responsible for someone in a severely unhealthy psychological state, or even to be in a situation where I can't help someone but feel like I should. And even if I did get over all of this, psychoanalysis is still very time-consuming and expensive for the patient, so would anyone actually want to do it??

It's the same with some of my other interests. I find them fascinating, but they're quite unusual and may or may not be able to be used for a career because of that. And the most practical ones again involve working with people in a psychologist/doctor/practitioner-client/patient relationship. I've seen some nasty people just working as a waitress- if I get involved in peoples' health, I could get sued even if I do everything right.

Professor might be a good option for me (I was also thinking about getting into writing, so I could produce something from all this studying). If I were a professor though, I would really expect myself to be an expert. I could see myself enjoying it if I have an interesting subject and were confident that I knew more than enough.

I wish I'd chosen a career which was more administrative and involved more technical knowledge and skill development. I still prefer independent workloads. I'd rather a career where the facts are more straightforward, less room for debate, and where the lines are clear. Something with less education but more job availability and stability would've definitely been better.

I feel like college didn't help me develop any concrete skills, and I think that's a big part of why I'm so insecure about anything career-related. When I got out, I did not feel prepared for the real world and that's how I ended up in my last job. And even though I did a lot there (pretty much every restaurant job except cooking, along with management stuff like scheduling, math, interviewing/hiring, computer stuff, etc.), I don't know what other job all these skills would transfer too that wouldn't be the same as my old job.

I have practical interests but I'm not passionate about them... Not passionate enough to make it work as a career because I always want to move to the next thing, so it's difficult to stick with it. Sometimes I hate myself for it and a drive for the "impractical" because it is where I could have fun and express myself from the different sides. I hope I won't die being broke.
There was a period of my life when I thought I should try going to school again. I couldn't pick up the subject, although I had a chain of interests. Something that I liked wouldn't bring me money in future, most likely, and I couldn't afford investing in it. And something that would bring money, was too daunting as the only subject and it would kill me in the long run. I can't study what I am not very interested in. The teaching methods are also a concern. So there's always that.

I definitely have to be interested in something to study it. That's why in college, I would be slacking off on doing the course reading and papers, and end up online reading or writing (posting) about something else.

I think I'm also longing for a form of self-expression, and I think the realm of ideas brings me closest to that. When I was a kid, I thought I would grow up to be an artist. I loved doing artistic things- I would sing anytime in front of any audience, I used to draw, play musical instruments, and wanted to be an actress. But I wasn't an expert and I was told you have to be if you want to make it anywhere with those things. My confidence in all of those ended up getting destroyed, and I shut down, becoming so self-conscious about the imperfection of my artistic expression that I became unable to express myself by those means ever again.

 

[Azazel]

I definitely have to be interested in something to study it. That's why in college, I would be slacking off on doing the course reading and papers, and end up online reading or writing (posting) about something else.

I think I'm also longing for a form of self-expression, and I think the realm of ideas brings me closest to that. When I was a kid, I thought I would grow up to be an artist. I loved doing artistic things- I would sing anytime in front of any audience, I used to draw, play musical instruments, and wanted to be an actress. But I wasn't an expert and I was told you have to be if you want to make it anywhere with those things. My confidence in all of those ended up getting destroyed, and I shut down, becoming so self-conscious about the imperfection of my artistic expression that I became unable to express myself by those means ever again.

I still think it must be in you if it once was there, albeit it's harder to bring it back now. I sort of have a similar situation and my ambitions were destroyed at some point by the others...
Being an expert doesn't have much to do with anything these days. Please, take a look at books that are getting published, or music that's getting popular, or shitty films... Even go somewhere in the "real world" and hear from the doctor that he doesn't know much about your disease, etc. There are many examples, both – artistic and practical. If everyone was an expert of their craft/art then we would live in the perfect world. Don't give up self-expression because of someone's insecurities. It'd be very unfair. Maybe do it on the side, just for yourself (for the starters).

 

[astrelune]

I still think it must be in you if it once was there, albeit it's harder to bring it back now. I sort of have a similar situation and my ambitions were destroyed at some point by the others...
Being an expert doesn't have much to do with anything these days. Please, take a look at books that are getting published, or music that's getting popular, or shitty films... Even go somewhere in the "real world" and hear from the doctor that he doesn't know much about your disease, etc. There are many examples, both – artistic and practical. If everyone was an expert of their craft/art then we would live in the perfect world. Don't give up self-expression because of someone's insecurities. It'd be very unfair. Maybe do it on the side, just for yourself (for the starters).

That's very true. I've been meaning to get back into the arts for many years now, but never seemed to get around to it- probably some resistance there, but now that I'm aware I can work self-expression into my life, even if it is slowly.

As far as being an expert goes, I'm very much aware of the lack of expertise in so-called "professional" people, and I find that extremely frustrating. I actually get quite angry when people pretend to know what they're doing and mess things up, because if they were just honest in the first place, and told me what they were qualified for, I would have known that they weren't able to do what I need and actually would have been much better at handling it myself.

I guess a part of me fears the anger that I feel towards those fake professionals will come at me from others if I'm not perfect in the field, so I hold myself to ridiculously high standards of what it will take for me to say I know anything.

 

[Azazel]

That's very true. I've been meaning to get back into the arts for many years now, but never seemed to get around to it- probably some resistance there, but now that I'm aware I can work self-expression into my life, even if it is slowly.

As far as being an expert goes, I'm very much aware of the lack of expertise in so-called "professional" people, and I find that extremely frustrating. I actually get quite angry when people pretend to know what they're doing and mess things up, because if they were just honest in the first place, and told me what they were qualified for, I would have known that they weren't able to do what I need and actually would have been much better at handling it myself.

I guess a part of me fears the anger that I feel towards those fake professionals will come at me from others if I'm not perfect in the field, so I hold myself to ridiculously high standards of what it will take for me to say I know anything.

You're probably better in the field than you think you are... At least you have standards. Anger can also come for another reasons, for example, a power game (if you're in the service). Sometimes you can't escape it. I think many people don't have very high standards and are not overachievers by nature. They do whatever is given to them and leave it at that point, even that isn't always done properly and nobody says a thing (I see it all the time everywhere). I get disappointed too when I'm not told upfront what to expect and they start to dance around because they can't admit they don't know it or can't do. It'd be perfectly fine by me because I could move on immediately. It's not the case.

There's always more to know, can't know everything, unfortunately.

 

[Shawn]

...I hold myself to ridiculously high standards...

That's certainly true of me. It's probably a common trait among INFJs. I put a lot of pressure and stress on myself, especially in a work environment, thinking I have to do everything at a high level.

 

[Gaze]

That's certainly true of me. It's probably a common trait among INFJs. I put a lot of pressure and stress on myself, especially in a work environment, thinking I have to do everything at a high level.

This is true for many types, not just INFJs. As an INFP, I am have high standards which myself and others are likely never be able to meet. My family had high standards for me and I had high standards for myself. So, this is common in other types as well, even if they don't say or talk about it as much. I have to constantly adjust my expectations to fit the circumstances because I have a tendency to expect more of people than they are willing to give or more than they expect of themselves. In today's environment, can't do that really. Can't impose personal high standards on expectations on people. They usually resist. People have their own standards and expectations to live up to. Learning to accommodate, adjust, adapt, and be flexible is order of the day it seems. @astrelune - And today, you do have to be careful about expecting too much because you're rarely going to have people in a workplace in environments who live up to these high, and sometimes unrealistic expectations we may have. Over the years, I've realized that I can't control how anyone else performs. I can only be responsible for myself. And sometimes, people have too much else going on in their lives to be able to be perfect in every area. They do just do they best they can and hope it's enough. Also, companies have a bad habit of taking advantage of the hard working employee rather than rewarding them. They tend to just expect more and more with less incentives. So, that's why many people are putting as much effort in to a job as they once did because they don't want to be used. Many today are in the position of havnig to give 300% to jobs which pay very little, offers very little advancement or upward mobility, or where they are expected to put up with quite a bit because they can't simply leave to go elsewhere. Realistically, it will get tiring after a while giving A effort to a job that makes you feel as if you're just another cog in the wheel. So, it's not always that people don't have high standards for themselves or don't want to do well, it's because they have too much to balance or worry about to be good at everything. Someone may expend a lot of effort in their family and personal lives, and so they may not feel they have enough to give their jobs their full effort. But people's lives are also more complicated today. Everything is not always as simple as it would seem.

 

[Lerxst]

8 hours a day, 5 days a week, 50 (considering vacations) weeks a year = 2000 hours. That's about 1/2 of your average awake period in a year that you will spend in your career.

Do you really want to spend half your life simply being practical? Careers should have less to do with practicality and more to do with passion.

Some of the most successful people I've met have chosen some of the least practical careers and educational paths they could. "Animal Welfare? The f*** is that good for??" yet these people are highly regarded, knowledgeable and looked to as experts in their field.

 

[Sriracha]

You can study until your eyes bleed, but it won't give you experience. I believe it is in "doing" where you will really see your strengths and weaknesses. Also in "doing" windows of opportunity may open that you may never have thought of prior. Find one of your areas that interest you and volunteer (if you aren't already.)

I was not quite sure how I would handle my cases as a CASA. As time and experience went on, my supervisor trusted me to handle extremely complicated cases that required a lot of research. I always had a fondness of research; however before my volunteer work I only found the practical application of research in my genealogy. There are so many elements that go into this volunteer work that I had only "studied" about in college: collaboration with other agencies on information, writing, interviewing, BOUNDARIES (omg I cannot stress that enough), etc. My window of opportunity? Careers. I have been offered various jobs by the people with whom I network (however working is not possible right now.) My supervisor would like to see me go back to school to become a lawyer. lol (Don't know how I feel about that.)

Not only do I gain the experience, but I know I'm contributing something back to my community and that feels fantastic.

 

[Apone]

Do you really want to spend half your life simply being practical? Careers should have less to do with practicality and more to do with passion.

You know, there is a lot to be said for following your dreams and not compromising. You might not make a lot of money and you might even end up a complete failure, but at least you'll have failed at something you believed in… and in some ways that's better than succeeding at something you despise.

 

[Gaze]

Passion is great but sometimes, it can't pay the bills. And the headache you get from not being able to get out of debt becomes more important than following your dream. You'll sometimes have better peace of mind knowing you are able to earn a living and sustain an income if your dream is not cutting it. Passion is good but sometimes, it doesn't pay the bills.

 

[Gktr]

Advising you to "follow your dreams" instead of being pragmatic would be irresponsible. Essentially, you have to make a choice between guaranteed economic stability and potential long-term unemployment. You may end up wasting five years of your life attaining a Master's degree in some obscure field of study in the humanities, only to realize it's utterly useless. If you're already worried about career options now it's probably better for you to compromise and pick a subject you can build a career on, but if you're willing to risk wasting your time I see no reason why you shouldn't just go for it.

I studied archaeology and biological anthropology, and I was lucky enough to find a job where I get to use both. Now that I've succeeded I'm happy about the choice I made. You never really know what'll happen until you try.

I don't know what the situation is where you live, but it's usually very difficult to become a tenured professor. Very few Ph.D. candidates receive tenure. If you want teach at university, your best bet is to seek employment elsewhere, build some experience, and become an adjunct lecturer.

 

[Apone]

Advising you to "follow your dreams" instead of being pragmatic would be irresponsible. Essentially, you have to make a choice between guaranteed economic stability and potential long-term unemployment. You may end up wasting five years of your life attaining a Master's degree in some obscure field of study in the humanities, only to realize it's utterly useless. If you're already worried about career options now it's probably better for you to compromise and pick a subject you can build a career on, but if you're willing to risk wasting your time I see no reason why you shouldn't just go for it.

I would add to that that education isn't always the answer and in some cases it's better to just throw yourself into something however you can.

A lot of people who succeed don't just follow the obvious linear progression… and in a lot of cases, school can do a lot more harm than good because it often rewards conformity and punishes individuality, which isn't exactly good if you want to do something creative. You could end up with a good professor who is keen and encourages new ideas, but it's rare. Society also rewards conformity/appearances so it makes sense that an education would elevate your standing somehow… but I wouldn't tout it as the ultimate answer or some sort of universal gateway to success-- if you're a certain type of person, then you can do fine without it.

 

[Gaze]

When you're trying to make a living, individuality takes a back seat. You learn to conform because your degree or job depends on it. I've been through this and another friend is going through something similar in a class. You may not like that a professor is not open or receptive to new ways of doing things but if you need the pass or get a B or A to move on so that you can graduate and get a job or career and have some sort of life, you learn to figure out what the instructor or professor wants and give it to them (academically). You learn to adapt and be flexible. I've learned this from experience. Standing out can just end up making you seem as if you think you're too special or your individuality is more important than everyone else's. It can also make you seem self centered, unable to adapt, and inflexible. Everything is not always about preserving individuality and being unique or standing out. Nothing is wrong with learning to adapt so that you can move on to the next stage of your life. Being unique and special is often much less important than being practical and financially responsible. I've been in academia and I've been in office settings, and in jobs just shy of corporate, and I've been in customer service, and you have to choose your battles carefully. Sometimes, it's about getting the job done and being able to keep it. As much as many places claim to value unique and new and revolutionary ideas, many still reward conformity and status quo over someone who wants to try to change the status quo. For many, whether as students or employees, they want you to just do what you're supposed to do class and work wise and move on with your life. I wish I understood the importance of learning to adapt, because grad school would've been much easier.

 

[MrDoobie]

I think I'm also longing for a form of self-expression, and I think the realm of ideas brings me closest to that. When I was a kid, I thought I would grow up to be an artist. I loved doing artistic things- I would sing anytime in front of any audience, I used to draw, play musical instruments, and wanted to be an actress. But I wasn't an expert and I was told you have to be if you want to make it anywhere with those things. My confidence in all of those ended up getting destroyed, and I shut down, becoming so self-conscious about the imperfection of my artistic expression that I became unable to express myself by those means ever again.

And that's exactly what a utilitarian-capitalist society tells creative types. For better or for worse, that's the society we live in, where the value of an activity is measured by how well it will be able to help you achieve your white picket fence.

But I believe everybody is artistic. Everyone has their own inner muse tickling their insides, driving them to create, and I believe that is part of human nature. And I believe few things can be more satisfying than fulfilling that muse, regardless of talent. The muse doesn't care if you dance like a headless chicken, she just wants to see that booty shake. Too many people learn to ignore that muse, often to the point that they forget they're there, so they just become content consuming art but never pursuing it.

So I say pursue it. I don't know if I can help you out in any area regarding conflicting desire for career as I love my major, I love the things it has me doing, and it fulfills me while also being a "practical" career choice (special education). But I also find satisfaction pursuing music, writing, and painting, and I consider my art my main job and calling. I just don't make any money off of it, aside from ticket prices at the door of venues (you kind of have to compromise on that) the stuff I do is free, as I believe free art is art in its purest form. But try getting involved in wherever your muse pulls you. Form a band, find local theaters and try out for their shows (based on what you just said, it sounds like you'd enjoy that). I've found the most liberating way to create is not to create for any audience but yourself. Play for your muse. And if others listen, that's great. But your most important fan will always be your muse.

 

[Gaze]

And don't underestimate the value of a hobbie. Meaning, just because you may not be able to have a career in your dream job or passion doesn't mean those activities still can't be enjoyed as hobbies or as side jobs. You can still be creative and artistic even if your job or career doesn't recognize or develop those skills. You can also use your creativity to think of more effective or efficient ways to complete a task on the job. You don't need to have a artistic or creative career to be artistic or creative. Maybe your passion is something you do on the side rather than having it as a career.