Where do you go for career advice?

[riverwed070707]

Bump.

Did you have any luck finding a good source of advice, or something to help flush out ideas of what your next career move will be?

At the risk of eating my own words of advice that I posted above, my situation at work has changed from "sometimes tenable" to "completely miserable" and it leaves me feeling like I need to make a big change in what I do.

I still feel very on the fence about where I want to be long term but I have found some good sources of advice and I have started making some steps toward making my move. I've decided that the most financially sound move is to move toward doing event planning on a contract basis because I'm a certified planner with 7 years of experience and well networked in the community. I already have a few leads and one big proposal out that I'm waiting to hear back on. I have a goal of lining up 5 events by the end of July, and if I can pull that off I plan to give notice at my current job at that time so I can be out of here by the time DD starts school Aug. 20.

Additionally, I'm taking the opportunity of added flexibily in my schedule to enroll in a 9-month yoga teacher training program that begins in September. It may or may not be a career move (I'm not sure if I actually want to teach) but I'm rather excited about doing something just for me and having that option as some additional part time income.

As far as resources, the most valuable to me has been my states small business development center which offers free business counseling to potential or existing business owners. They are helping me sort out registering my events business (there are SO many types!!) and working through basic bookkeeping tips. If your state doesn't have a SBDC, there is also a federal program called SCORE that also helps small business owners get up and running, if thats something you're interested in. I'm still nervous becuase I feel like I know nothing about running a business but the good thing is I haven't dumped a bunch of money into it so if it doesnt pan out, I haven't lost much and I'm enjoying the journey We haven't quite worked through the details of healthcare and retirement once I leave. Since his job doesn't offer either, that will be the biggest impact from all of this I think.

I've also been reading a TON of books. Favs so far for helping me pick what I want to do are the Barefoot Executive and the $100 Start Up. Even if you aren't looking to start a business, both really encourage making lists to help narrow down what you want to do and what will be the most profitable -- what do you like to do? What do you not like to do? what skills do you have? Which ideas could make money in 30 days? How much could they make in 30 days? How much in a year? yada yada and it kinda comes down to, pick something you can enjoy now that is profitable right away and then once you have an income stream, you can work to add additional streams doing something else you enjoy that might take longer to generate income. I've actually had a lot of fun working through it.

Good luck with what you decide!

[krantcents]

I had 7 careers over my lifetime! Except my current career (teaching), they were all related in that they were in business. I approached it differently though. I realized I no longer liked working for someone else when I was 31 years old. I put together a plan to achieve financial freedom by 40 years old. I beat my timeline by 2 years. It allows me to pursue what I want to do vs. what I had to do to support the family.

When thinking about a career or change in career, you first should determine what you really enjoy doing. Then determine if you have the skills/experience/talent to do it well. If you don't have the skills, get them.Then talk to people who do the career you want for questions, job shadow and just spending time to confirm your choice. Good luck.

[riverwed070707]

I had 7 careers over my lifetime! Except my current career (teaching), they were all related in that they were in business. I approached it differently though. I realized I no longer liked working for someone else when I was 31 years old. I put together a plan to achieve financial freedom by 40 years old. I beat my timeline by 2 years. It allows me to pursue what I want to do vs. what I had to do to support the family.

When thinking about a career or change in career, you first should determine what you really enjoy doing. Then determine if you have the skills/experience/talent to do it well. If you don't have the skills, get them.Then talk to people who do the career you want for questions, job shadow and just spending time to confirm your choice. Good luck.

Inspiring. I'm 28 and a big part of my desire for change is the same. Not that I can't stand the idea of working for someone, more that I want to build something - love the idea of building several successful businesses one at a time so I can dabble in all of my interests. Its amazing how often when I talk to close friends and family and tell them I'm burnt out on sitting at a desk all day and getting paid for the hours I log rather than the quality of work I put out, they respond by telling me "thats life" like this is just something I have to accept. I don't agree. Hope my story ends up as successful as yours

[jackmiller]

I get a lot of advice and direction from http://wealthworm.com. Their members are terrific and very wise when it comes to wealth building.

[ua_guy]

I had 7 careers over my lifetime! Except my current career (teaching), they were all related in that they were in business. I approached it differently though. I realized I no longer liked working for someone else when I was 31 years old. I put together a plan to achieve financial freedom by 40 years old. I beat my timeline by 2 years. It allows me to pursue what I want to do vs. what I had to do to support the family.

When thinking about a career or change in career, you first should determine what you really enjoy doing. Then determine if you have the skills/experience/talent to do it well. If you don't have the skills, get them.Then talk to people who do the career you want for questions, job shadow and just spending time to confirm your choice. Good luck.

Thanks for the refreshing perspective. I'm 31 as well, and I'm on a good financial trajectory for the most part. The one piece I haven't figured out is my career interests. I come away from work tired and frustrated most days, feeling like the time/effort I invest there is wasted, working for corporations and "other people". It's manageable to a point and then I have some really bad days when I'm worn too thin. So far, I've managed to turn those bad days around because the job supports my other goals and pays decently for what it is. But overall I don't feel this is a great way to exist. I'm passionate about so many things but am unable to wrap my head around a single thing that I could parlay into a job or even a career. I think time is my greatest enemy!

[johnzendrac16]

great! Thanks for this useful information.

[krantcents]

Inspiring. I'm 28 and a big part of my desire for change is the same. Not that I can't stand the idea of working for someone, more that I want to build something - love the idea of building several successful businesses one at a time so I can dabble in all of my interests. Its amazing how often when I talk to close friends and family and tell them I'm burnt out on sitting at a desk all day and getting paid for the hours I log rather than the quality of work I put out, they respond by telling me "thats life" like this is just something I have to accept. I don't agree. Hope my story ends up as successful as yours

Start something small o the side. I invested in an apartment (9 unit) building and I built it into a business. I added more buildings of various sizes over the years and eventually started businesses. The real estate provided a great base to do other things. There are loads of online businesses you can start in you spare e time. You need to commit to it for about a year before it starts to produce decent results. Good luck.

[anaidaa]

Today for each subject, you will find tons of counselling through online. Therefore it is imporatnt for students to keep their eyes and ears open. Many schools and government offices offer career counseling for those who may still be undecided as to what they may want to do in life and what type of education is needed.