Pointless Job II: Back to School

Dalboz · April 2007

Update: See last post (would make this first post too long)

Some of you may remember a thread a while back that combined some lamenting of my "trapped-in-singlehood" life and a job that I've grown to hate. There have been some developments that I could use some advice on, mostly regarding the job.

I've continued to be unhappy in my job, and it has begun affecting my performance. My supervisor tried to pull some crap on everyone a couple of weeks ago that's already making one person make some tough decisions, and I think she has the right idea and I'm going to follow her. Last week, I wound up being out sick for most of the week. While I was sick, my few moments of being awake and lucid gave me some time to reflect and think, and I did some reading, which I haven't done much of lately because I've been so exhausted from work. Despite being physically ill, I started feeling mentally better just being away from the work hellhole for a while and giving myself some personal time. I haven't had a real vacation in three years, as all my time off has either been sick time or taking time off to catch up on the personal crap I've had to set aside.

So, I'm looking over my finances right now to see if I can afford to switch to part-time status at work, then looking at going back to school. I'm thinking of getting a second bachelor's degree rather than going to grad school, with the goal of possibly carrying the second bachelor's into grad school. Probably start cheap at the local community college then transfer. Although I'm not sure what I really want to do. All I know is that my current degree hasn't served me that well, and that I can't stay in this job if I want to keep my sanity. While scary, something about this possibility makes be feel energized and relieved at the same time. I had not even thought about switching to part time status or going back to school until this other person decided to do it. And the more I think about it, the more I like it.

I haven't fully committed though, and I haven't discussed it with anyone except the girl that is going to this. Mostly because I know that switching to part time would make people think that I am phasing myself out and I hold a corner stone to my office's services to the rest of the company. And they would be right, as my goal would be to eventually leave and there currently is no one to take my place. And I need to be sure that I can do this financially, as not being able to pay the bills would definitely not make me happy. So I don't want to let the cat out of the bag until I've fully committed to this course of action.

So for the advice part: I'm not sure what would be involved with essentially starting college over and was wondering if anyone else has done this. Would I need to take my general education classes over again, or would those transfer? Do colleges have special requirements to get a second bachelor's degree (probably would not be going to the same university, but who knows)? I haven't decided what I really want to do or study yet. I've always wanted to write, but was never sure if I have the chops for it. Or I've thought about medicine or pharmacology since I've found it interesting, although I know it would be long and involved, and I'm not entirely sure I would want to make a career out of it. Advice or experiences with this kind of thing would be very helpful, so that I can make my decision informed.

witch_ie · April 2007

Normally I tell people that it doesn't matter what you major in in college unless there's something specific you want to do. Your situation is very different though.

For you, since you're set on the second bachelor's versus the masters/PhD (which I think is silly as it doesn't make you more marketable), I think you really need to figure out what kind of job you want and then take the steps towards that.

In my experience, changing the direction of your career can be very liberating - just be sure you're doing this to move towards something not just escape from the job and lifestyle you hate.

Dalboz · April 2007

Well, my current bachelor's degree has not served me well, and pursuing that in a grad program would not really make me more marketable (cinema and television arts). And when I look back on it, I do kind of regret that major for myself and don't feel that I made the right decision. So I'm thinking of this as sort of "starting over" with something that I would really want to do, although I'm not sure what that is and I'm trying to figure it out, because if I do this then I pretty much need to commit to it. And it's something that am thinking I would like to carry through into grad school. I just don't feel that I want to continue with my current degree as it doesn't feel satisfying, even though I'm not actually working in that field. But when I think about it, I just don't want to anymore, and have a bit of a distaste for it. So my goal isn't to make myself more marketable, it's to change my life and career options around to something that I would be happier doing.

Thanatos · April 2007

It sounds like you'd be better off looking for another job than going back to school for another Bachelor's Degree.

It'd suck to get another BA/BS, then decide that you hate that, too.

witch_ie · April 2007

The more marketable you are, the more career options you have.

I suggest that you figure out what kind of work you want to do each day, how involved you want to be in it, and whether money is one of your top priorities. Then, you can think about the kinds of careers that fit those and other criteria you may have.

Dpending on the career you chose, you may not need to go back to college. You could go straight into grad school. Also, you may just need to take a few undergraduate courses to meet the prerequisites. Figuring out where you're going at this point is key - not just deciding to go back to school.

Dalboz · May 2007

Well, it's not just the job. I WANT to go back to school and further my education. But I don't think I want to go to grad school with the degree I have now. I have no interesting in continuing to pursue that course. I was already starting to question my decision and feel some strain during my senior year (this was a while ago; I'm not exactly "fresh out of college"). I'm trying to think of what I really want to do, which is difficult. I know that I've always wanted to write, although I'm somewhat self-conscious and get writer's block. Same with art and drawing. I've also been interested in medicine, but I can see the possibility of not loving it and getting burnt out on it (I know that medicine or pharmacology would be something I would have to go back to school for). So I'm thinking about it carefully and decided to ask around here since I don't want to jump in blind.

Dalboz · July 2007

Okay, I'll resurrect the old thread rather than start a new one. First some updates on the original part of this.

I am currently back in school at the local community college. I decided to start there as a cheap way to figure out what I really wanted to do and start on my Master's degree. I met with a counselor who, for the most part, told me what everyone here did, that being that I don't need a second Bachelor's degree and can go straight into a Master's for anything, although I may need to satisfy some prerequisites that would usually be taken care of during the initial four-year degree program depending on what I decide to do. I'm also enrolled in a career development counselling course which is supposed to help those who are undecided about what they want to do figure it out, using those various tests most people are familiar with or have heard of (Strong interest placement, MBTI, etc.). I'm familiar with the tests, but never formally took them before, so it could be interesting. I'm already getting back some odd results that were not what I expected.

But the job is getting worse. I'm having problems with one of the other offices in particular, which also happens to be the office that the president of the company is located in. Of course, he's only hearing the one side of the argument, and knowing him he is only interested in the one side. As I've brought up before, the thing is that I'm completely burnt out, and they don't care. They're expecting me to keep working like a good little machine. Since I'm back in school, I've switched to part-time status at work, but they seem to be expecting me to continue to do the same amount of work as before. In fact, they seem to be trying to load more stuff onto me. They don't seem to get it. And now, while they haven't actually said or done anything yet, I am definitely feeling like they are threatening my job.

I'm seriously thinking about whether I even want to bring this up with my supervisor. While I'm not sure that I can afford it (or if as a part-timer now that it is allowed, since I'm technically hourly and not salaried), I feel like I should ask for a month off unpaid. Although I'm giving some serious thought to looking for another job. I started checking Monster last night.

I'm not sure what I really want to do, though. The counselling course has brought back an old dream of mine, and that was to be a writing or something involving writing. So I'm looking at publishing or even journalism related jobs. Does anyone have any experience dealing with this kind of industry? I'm also looking at the best place to find another job, and hopefully one that would be somewhat flexible since I still want to continue in school. I've been looking at Monster, and I know about Careerbuilder, but are there any other good sources for job listings? I've thought about checking my school's job center, but I'm not sure what kind of jobs they have.

There's a lot of nervousness associated with finding a new job, too, since when I've thought about it, all the jobs I've had there's been someone already there that recommended me. That was sort of how I wound up where I am now, and was a job that I fell into, but was never really looking for it. Does anyone have any advice? I'm not sure, and nor am I confident that I'm going to successfully work out my differences with my current employer.

witch_ie · July 2007

If you're looking for something other than just a pay check here's what you do:

1) Figure out what kind of work you want to do or industry you want to work in.
2) Identify companies or businesses that do that kind of work or are in the industry.
3) Check out their website (if they have one) for job listings. If they don't have a website, call them and inquire about job openings or where potential openings would be listed in the future if there are none currently.
4) Apply.

deke55555 · July 2007

Have you tried going to your supervisor and saying: "I'm feeling burnt out"?

Unless they're a unfeeling robot of some kind they may be able to help you refresh yourself. I know in my old job just having that conversation recharged me for a few months.

If they value you at all, part of your supervisor's job is to keep you happy. (To make you work harder of course, but still)

Penny Arcade

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