Mr. Photogeek Posted July 21, 2005 Report Share Posted July 21, 2005 I am at a crossroad in my life. I'm in my early 30's, have a new baby, and I currently work at a job that I can't stand. I went to school for photography and do quite a bit of freelance, but there isn't enough of that to support myself (and more importantly my family) full time...I tried it. To be honest I haven't really felt the passion for it lately anyway. I know I am going to have to take a different direction in my career and I wanted to know from those of you who enjoy their jobs... what do you do? I realize that it isn't as easy as OK I'll be a (insert job title here) now, but I am willing to take time to go back to school or apprentice with someone...whatever. What I am trying to do here is get inspired or get an idea of something I may enjoy doing. I know some of you like going to work every day (or at least don't loath it!), so help me become inspired!thanks...mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
secondtube Posted July 21, 2005 Report Share Posted July 21, 2005 i know its not for everybody, but the Insurance Industry is booming, and i dont mind my job one bit...i was in the computer industry, which is hitting rock bottom (well, might be turning a corner these days, but i dont like contract work), and decided to get out. Insurance wasn't a love, far from it...but when i went to the local college, told them what skills i had, and what i was looking for in a career, they advised me to look into Insurance. I'm glad i did. There are hordes of fields, not just selling. There's adjusting, cars, boats, homes, etc. Then there's underwriting the same lines. After a while you can get into Risk Assessement, or other lines....On the road adjuster would be kick ass....probably my dream job...i'm only 25, but still, making the move at 24 to a new career was tough. I'm sure its even tougher for you....Good Luck in whatever path you choose!Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blane Posted July 21, 2005 Report Share Posted July 21, 2005 I work in environment & education and quite like it. Don't be scared to make a change. Statistically, the average north american will make more than 6 career changes in their lifetime. Consider this one of many more to come if you think you might want to. Plus, who says you can't go back?Maybe you should consider looking at the related career possibilities that might exist and build on your current experience (ie. Art & _____ or photography & ______) . One thing my girlfriend got really turned on to (she's schooled as a photographer as well) is art for promotion of social issues. THere are some interesting career opportunities in that area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
can-o-phish Posted July 21, 2005 Report Share Posted July 21, 2005 Ha, I think there are many who have reached that crossroad that you are at, myself as well a few years ago...Long story short, had a nice lifestyle doing what I wanted in the caribbean but then for several reasons found myself back in Canada doing the same thing but not in the environment I wanted which led to misery...Then luckily I was hit by a car that put me on my back for three weeks and in that time did the "soul searching", recognized that I was miserable and said "F#ck It"...might as well take the chance and go for something that I love (which is music recording and audio engineering/editing for tv/film - not an easy path)...thanks to the phenominal support of girlfriends, friends and family I'm doing what I love but it has been a struggle to say the least...Go for it! It's hard work but, and not trying to sound "Tony Robbins" but it's rewarding in so many ways...And if you want, drop me an email...I've recently been through business courses, our company is in Canada's #1 Business Incubator and we network with many companies and groups that are all about entrepreneurs...Good luck man... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunshine Posted July 21, 2005 Report Share Posted July 21, 2005 Your Not Alone!I'm in the same boat Mr. Photogeek.I'm 28 and need a change. I'm trying to decide whether to go back to school and what would make me happy.I have a Tourism and Travel diploma, I'm a certified reflexologist (tried to get a business started, but it's tough!), plus I've done everything from waitressing, to bottling beer, to getting dirty putting in irrigation systems.AND I'm still lost!! I search the college websites everyday....just trying to figure it out.Here's some questions:What do you love?People? Animals? The Outdoors?Search the college websites and you might find something the interest you.Good Luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rubberdinghy Posted July 21, 2005 Report Share Posted July 21, 2005 Blue collar man!I drive a city bus, make tons of cash, tons of job security, tons of stories, no stress (for me at least.) wicked benefits, pick your schedule (I only work 5 1/2 hours a day!)I LOVE IT! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ike Posted July 21, 2005 Report Share Posted July 21, 2005 My girlfriend is also a photography graduate not working in her field at the moment. She's thinking about going back to school to become an x-ray technician. It's semi related to photography and apparently there's lots of demand for that job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Photogeek Posted July 21, 2005 Author Report Share Posted July 21, 2005 Wow! lots of responses... Secondtube: Office jobs are certainly on my list of possibilities...I've actually never worked in an office...might just be what the doctor ordered! Blane: I actually applied and was accepted to teachers college this past September, unfortunately timing just wasn't right...I may apply again and see what happens...and what your girlfriend does sounds interesting...certainly worth looking into! This is why this post will help me...I didn't even know this kind of job existed. Can'o'phish: Thanks for the encouragement...I wish I knew what I loved like you do (although this post may lead to new opportunities!). For me money isn't paramount, just want to make enough to pay the bills and be happy. Sunshine: Sounds very familiar...the best thing about my current job is the highspeed...college websites just fly I do like people and have always wondered about becoming a social worker...I also like animals...maybe something in veterinary medicine? rubberdinghy: How did you get into driving a bus? It sounds like it might be pretty fun...get to meet lots of umm... interesting people Another idea! Ike: I too have heard that many medical related jobs are quite lucrative at the moment...that ageing baby boomer population and all! Thanks again everyone...this is giving me a lot of food for thought! mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rubberdinghy Posted July 21, 2005 Report Share Posted July 21, 2005 (edited) rubberdinghy: How did you get into driving a bus? It sounds like it might be pretty fun...get to meet lots of umm... interesting people Another idea! Very easily...I applied, they called, ZING! Seriously though...I was never one for school...I hated it, when I was done highschool I had no desire doing any more tests and what have you...knowing that without a great education, and living in Ottawa I could be screwed as it's mostly gov't or hi-tech, and I don't speak french. sooo...I went into customer service, did a long stint in a video store, then tried the internet thingy, then Ma Bell, cell phones, internet etc...Retail and Call Centres and desks (booo-runs)...One day I noticed OC Transpo was hiring, and decided that driving around on a nice summer day checking out broads downtown* wouldn't be so bad...and voila...I've been doing it for a year and a half and 95% of the time I enjoy going in (everyone has their bad days, that's what mental health days are for!) One of the best parts is i've seen my boss face to face once since I started (that was to get the weekend off for Evolve last year which wasn't a problem) As long as you keep your schedule, no one bothers you! The only problem is you have a hell of a hard time getting long weekends and Canada Day off for your first couple of years. But if you don't mind taking long weekends in the middle of the week...tues, wed, thurs...your set! * my wife will kill me! Edited July 21, 2005 by Guest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ms.Huxtable Posted July 21, 2005 Report Share Posted July 21, 2005 I think the majority of the population struggles with this very question. We grow up being told we can become whatever we want to be, but sadly I never really knew what that was for me.I've changed jobs so many times in the last 12 years and aside from working at a horse ranch and a drop zone (both seasonal jobs and not-to-healthy lifestyles) I never had passion for anything.Right now I have a secure job (been here over 3 years now) that pays the bills, but do I love it? Hell no.I go home quite often and research different job opportunities and schooling options. I feel frustrated that I'm approaching 30 and have no idea what revs my motor. The things that do (singing, painting and design) don't really pay the bills and I consider them more hobbies than career choices.Basically I'm hoping for the lottery and have come to terms that work is called work for a reason and i can't look towards my career for personal happiness. That's why I fill my personal life with so much fun and fulfillment.Sorry to be a downer. This topic is especially painful for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arcane Posted July 21, 2005 Report Share Posted July 21, 2005 I am an ambulatory incubator. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bradm Posted July 21, 2005 Report Share Posted July 21, 2005 I love my job. I'm a programmer for a large telecommunications equipment maker, and my work consists of largely "creative" stuff, akin to, say, writing a movie screenplay or a novel, but with strong technical limits (a writer can write dialogue that's meaningless, but even a single typo in the source code of a program means that not only it won't work, but it won't even get to the state where you know it won't work). A lot of it is problem-solving ("Hmmm...I've got this, and I need that...what I can do to get from one to the other?"), and I have to both apply my experience (I've been doing this kind of thing for about the last 15 years, as well as having learned from the best programmer I've ever known: my Dad), and come up with new, innovative solutions.Aside from what I do (which I love), the job also has a lot of other things going for it: flexible hours, good pay, enough vacation, a big cubicle for me, and a window as well. I've been with the same company since May, 1991 (although the company I started with was bought in mid-2000), doing essentially the same work (I changed organizations [from product development to research & innovation] at the start of 2004, but that's an "org chart" thing as far as I'm concerned: I still do the work I want, the way I want.Aloha,Brad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paan Posted July 21, 2005 Report Share Posted July 21, 2005 I can't complain about mine. Challenging, creative, political at times, and varies in my day to day tasks.Now if only I could get rid of the co-workers and customers, this job would be perfect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr_Evil_Mouse Posted July 21, 2005 Report Share Posted July 21, 2005 This topic is especially painful for me.Likewise. Being about to go into job limbo, I'm wrestling with the choice of whether to throw myself yet again into teaching (academic, ESL, etc.), which is, for me, a 24/7 (pre-)occupation. Most of the time, I love working in a classroom, working with students, learning new things, and so on (which means on that level, it's not actually work); but it follows me around - i.e. there's always something that needs doing, whether that means marking till five in the morning, responding to emails any day of the week, day or night (I have been getting a bit better at setting boundaries on this).... So, in brief, what I wouldn't give for a job I don't take home with me, just for a change. And, at the same time, I bet it wouldn't take long before I missed it. Now the dream would be to be doing music 24/7, which, of course, wouldn't be "work" either (or so I convince myself; friends who do make a go of it insist otherwise). Maybe the life of a busker... (I only partly jest - I know of a guy who cleared $800 one day at Eglinton subway station here in TO). Hey, Martin Luther was a busker, before he got it into his head to become a monk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
secondtube Posted July 21, 2005 Report Share Posted July 21, 2005 brad, thats awesome...shows different strokes for different folks...i did my networking diploma...i cringe at the thought of programming....paan, what do u do? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tooly Posted July 21, 2005 Report Share Posted July 21, 2005 yeah im at the same spot in my life, cant seem to figure out what i really want to do with my life, i work now for a collection agency, not calling the lowlifes, but just finding them, a skip tracer if you will, and its okay, pays bills, got me a big desk and a leather chair to sit on, but it isnt one of the jobs ive had that i say to myself, man i LOVE my job!!, i cant seem to figure out where i want to put myself, i love working with my hands, woodcarving and building stuff, but i hate working in the sun all day, did it for years, not my thing now, id love to get into your field can`o`phish, music, recording, editing, mixing, stuff along those lines, and ive thought about going for the recording arts program, but i always picture myself going thru school, paying thru my arse, and not geting a good job doing that kinda stuff in the end, so i havent done what i want. arghany ideas? should i follow my heart or the dollars? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shainhouse Posted July 21, 2005 Report Share Posted July 21, 2005 Hey man.I LOVE my job. I'm a music writer who does a little freelancing with both copywriting and promoting on the side. I also do some bar work from time to time. I have to do some many things in the industry to break even, but I couldn't see myself doing anything else. I'm 22 though, still in school and have loads of time to figure it out. I guess I'm not helping, but I wish you well. Try not to stress, things happen for a reason and you'll find your way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tooly Posted July 21, 2005 Report Share Posted July 21, 2005 in my heart ive always wanted to be a teacher or writer or the guy behind the board..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timouse Posted July 21, 2005 Report Share Posted July 21, 2005 (edited) i'm a provisional white collar worker in a blue collar industry...i work in metal fabrication, i do the engineering and program the laser cutters & punch presses. this whole industry is full of people 40+ years old, but very few young folks....if you're considering a career change and aren't adverse to a bit more school, take up a trade. there's already a need, as more & more folks retire we'll be screaming for people... Edited July 21, 2005 by Guest can't spell to save my life :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paan Posted July 21, 2005 Report Share Posted July 21, 2005 paan, what do u do? I am the VP of product managment for a software firm based out of Mississauga... barcoding and RFID technologies and such. I went through many positions in this company over the past 11 years starting from a manual writer/junior programmer, and I highly recommend working for smaller to medium sized consulting firms. You get alot more variety and experience than in corporations, and its great being able to fly all over and see so many places and eat like a king without flipping a dime! However this lifestyle does infuse me with many internal battles between the corporate guy and the hippy guy.... so I use the music festivals to appease the hippy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diggzz Posted July 21, 2005 Report Share Posted July 21, 2005 I am the Vault Manager at a Television Production company in Toronto. We produce TV commercials and we represent over 50 directors. I am basically the computer guy in the office. I deal a lot with compressing/uploading spots to our website, which kicks ass btw, http://www.industryfilms.com/ and I do work with DVD's and misc. computer stuff. The reason I like my job is the people I work with, we are fairly small (about 10 people) but we work with A-list directors and clients (Nike, Labatt's, Coke, etc..) so the work i get to see is amazing and there are always new freelance people in at our office working on jobs so there are always new peeps to see. Not even close to where I envisioned myself working in the industry, but it pays the bills and I leave work happy most days... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaidy Mae Posted July 21, 2005 Report Share Posted July 21, 2005 Paan, you're such a grown-up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paan Posted July 21, 2005 Report Share Posted July 21, 2005 Paan, you're such a grown-up. TAKE THAT BACK!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M.O.B.E Posted July 21, 2005 Report Share Posted July 21, 2005 Mr Photogeek...I too am in the same position as you...new baby etc...I am a papered chef...I love what I do...Im just lookin for a new place to re-invent what I do best...you should look into that...you dont have to quit...maybe look at it for another angle or maybe this is your time to really do what you want and not what the "man" says you have to do...the only one who can hold you back is you... i get to see first hand satisfied people with full bellies and smiles on faces...makes it worth dealin with the stress of puttin out food faster than humanly possible...i dont love every aspect of my job but the good things far outweigh the bad...if you can find one thing that makes it worth it to you than let that be your guide and try to find other small things related to what you like about your job...I'm sure you'll find that the little things start to add up fast and before you know it your back on track and doing what YOU want Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freeker Posted July 21, 2005 Report Share Posted July 21, 2005 I NEED A JOB Even one that I hate would be nice, I'm just so bored all the time not to mention directionless. I have no idea what I want to do, where I want to be or how I'm gonna get there. I have had a million jobs from tech support to theatre manager to pig killer (well actually the electro shock killed them) I went to school and have a diploma in Advertising and Marketing but I couldn't have pick a more grueling and competitive field, they're is no work in Ottawa, when High Tech plummeted so did the ad industry in this town and it sucks, doesn't matter anyway because my portfolio has gone to shit I haven't touched it in years. I just wnat a job I love or at least one of those jobs where you get paid big bucks to do nothing...I think its called the Government...Actually what I'd love to do is voice overs for cartoons and commercials, Diggz you know any way to get into that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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