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A DEAD END? - 2/11/2010 4:12:26 PM
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G-ROD
Posts: 123
Joined: 12/23/2005
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Hey, I have two degrees:
I have one in Management (Associates) in Marketing(Associates)
both degrees I retained in 2008.
I am 23yrs old.
I currently work in retail, but part-time.at a job that will not provide me with the income I need to move out of my parentents house and live independently. I ,male 1% over minumum wage. I been working here for 4 yrs. The company itself declared bakruptcy and does not offer
raises
Im currently feeling in my heart that I went to school for the wrong degrees. I am not an extrovert, persay, I am more introverted.
*I currently am living from pay0check to paycheck, whic means I do not have the money to go back to shcool to pursue something different.
Was getting my degrees in these feilds a waste of time?
I dont think Im cut out for management and marketing.
What should I do?
P.S. I know youre oging to say work at the jb you currently hold and try to move up the ladder... I despise this job, it does not promote advancement.
*Your proboly going to say, search for a management job somewhere else, or do an intern in my course of study,... I dont think I am cut out for management...... I am not a people person
Long Hours, I am more of a family man, I need a job that will provide me with balance......
.................With todays Economy, it seems like school doesnt pay off, and if you spend a long time in school you will end up paying a lot of money in the end from loans, then If you do get out of school with a BS, Master's or DR. Its no garauntee I would land a job.
Whats some suggestions please....................................
< Message edited by G-ROD -- 2/11/2010 4:20:17 PM >
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RE: A DEAD END? - 2/11/2010 6:05:55 PM
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jhuperetes
Posts: 1948
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Actually, at your age ... despite what my libertarian/paleo-conservative mind is telling me . . .
I would move out of my parents house.
Survive on subsistance for a year+1 day.
Sign up 100% for school, and let the State and the Fed pay +100% of my school, room & board.
. . . what jobs have you applied for? What are you doing to apply for jobs?
What is your career, or career you are interested in?
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RE: A DEAD END? - 2/11/2010 7:37:54 PM
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GroupW
Posts: 2996
Joined: 11/16/2007
From: Up in the hills of Colorado (very BIG hills...)
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Despite jupheretes being a libertarian/paleo-conservatively brained person, I somewhat agree 
Starting a career in a bad recession unfortunately puts you behind the eight ball a bit on your earnings. It can take quite some time to catch up to where your peers are that started working during better times.
They key is to make investments in your future while the cost is low. Right now, if you take some time to go back to school, the opportunity cost isn't that big. It could be much bigger later on when you're earning more and have more demands on your time (wife, kids, work, whatever).
Associates degrees in a recession don't go very far. You'll likely need a bachelors in something. Possibly a masters, depending on the field that you choose.
You'll also likely need to change employers a couple of times as the economy improves. It's tough to get enough above-average raises staying at the same company to overcome the timing disadvantage that you face. You need to invest in yourself and assemble some credentials while you're young and while degrees and education can matter more than experience. When you get older, experience will trump education.
Without knowing where you want to take your career, that's about all I can tell you.
_____________________________
“For every problem, there is a solution that is simple, elegant and wrong.” -H.L. Mencken
"Most people would rather die than think; in fact, they do so." -Bertrand Russell
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RE: A DEAD END? - 2/11/2010 10:13:16 PM
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APZR
Posts: 1056
Joined: 4/18/2005
From: GA
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Well, here's another vote to go back to school and live on campus. Get a 4 year, or better yet a Masters. Your degrees are good "all round" degrees that would allow you to do many things, just a crummy time to break out into the work force when 45 year olds with master and doctorate degrees are vying for the same jobs you want.
_____________________________
Ya can't keep trouble from visitin, but you don't have to offer it a chair.
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RE: A DEAD END? - 2/12/2010 8:58:07 AM
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FreeEagle
Posts: 84
Joined: 7/2/2008
From: Minnesota
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Proverbs 4:7 is very clear as to what you should do as far as education, but you need to also need to stay clear of debt. You can be blessed to realize at a young age that marketing and management are not your skill sets. Imagine going through your life, and then at 40-50 or even at 65 years of age you realize you chose the wrong carer. One of the most important things I can tell you, having had been at this crossroad, is you need to find and do something YOU will enjoy. Ecclesiastes 3:22 says" So I saw that there is nothing better for a man then to enjoy his work, for that is his lot. For who can bring him to see what will happen after him."
My personal recommendations would be 1.) Pray about it. Ask God for his wisdom, discernment, and guidance for your life and the choices you're making. 2.) Get the book "Your Personality Tree" by Florence Littauer. Learn about yourself, so you can match your career to something you will enjoy. 3.) Realize that"You are, or you will become like those you associate with". In other words, once you decide what career you want, go look at the life style of those that have been doing it for at least 5 years. You just got a glimpse of what your future will be. If you like what you see, pursue the career. If not, don't go there or you'll end up back where you are now, frustrated with past choices. 4.) To help in your career choices attend some career fares, or even week-end and or one day seminars, for topics of interest. 5.) Pray that your marketing and management skills be not a total waste, and that God may apply them in other areas of your life. This is covered in Ecclesiastes 5:6.
_____________________________
I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will counsel you and watch over you. Do not be like the horse and the mule, which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you.
Psalms 32 8-
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RE: A DEAD END? - 2/12/2010 10:20:15 AM
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TMeeks
Posts: 1222
Joined: 1/27/2007
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It is clear that you completely missed the purpose for education. For the most part, education is not about degrees. It is about personal growth and the expansion of skills. Moreover, your degrees, even if that were the most important aspect of education, might be viewed as a half-step rather than a whole step since both are Associate Degrees rather than four year BAs.
You expected employers to see that you had a piece of paper and jump at the prospect of hiring you. That is NOT what employers do. They focus on your SKILLS and your INITIATIVE.
I only have a BA in Biblical Education. This is NOT the kind of paper degree that impresses employers. But, in more than 40 years since I recieved that degree, I have only had one employer, the University of Maryland, even ask for transcripts. Even so, the opportunities to do interesting and, at varying degrees important, things keep coming into my path. From a career point of view I deem the BA in Biblical Education the equivalent of your two Associate Degrees in business related subjects. Neither is very impressive to employers and both are very important from a personal growth perspective as starting points.
Some years ago a young man came into our congregation that had a MA in engineering. He lost his job and kept complaining that he could not get a job because he lacked indepth experience. I tried to help him by finding him extremely interesting design projects where he could build his own resume of experience by creating new designs of complex systems and he failed to complete a single one. He concluded that he'd go back to school to get his Doctorate. Frankly, I suspect he is still living at home nurturing his new degree and lamenting his lack of career success. Unless he wakes up he will never succeed no matter how many degrees he obtains.
I'm going to go against the grain and tell you NOT to go back to school until you know for sure what you want that education to do for you at the personal growth level. What knowledge or skills do you want to enhance so that you can be a more valuable team player? What gifts has God given you, naturally, that need to be built upon for you to be all that God planned for you to be? Plan today to build your future and THEN move forward.
_____________________________
Discovery with Microscopes Blog
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RE: A DEAD END? - 2/12/2010 10:31:43 AM
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TMeeks
Posts: 1222
Joined: 1/27/2007
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That is what the world would have us believe.
But, some people thrive no matter what the economy languishes. And, some people languish no matter how the economy thrives.
Success and opportunity are created by US... not circumstances.
One of my clients is constantly lamenting that they cannot find enough qualified employees. And, they are right. And, yet, I suspect that they pay people with BA degrees more than $60K to start and it may be as high as $80K for those with the right skill set. When times are tough for businesses they are looking for work ethic, skills, creativity and initiative because that increases productivity and profits. What they do NOT need is somebody just looking for 'a job'. And, they do not need someone that went back to school to pick up a bigger piece of paper simply to get a better 'job'.
quote:
ORIGINAL: APZR
Well, here's another vote to go back to school and live on campus. Get a 4 year, or better yet a Masters. Your degrees are good "all round" degrees that would allow you to do many things, just a crummy time to break out into the work force when 45 year olds with master and doctorate degrees are vying for the same jobs you want.
_____________________________
Discovery with Microscopes Blog
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RE: A DEAD END? - 2/12/2010 10:38:02 AM
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TMeeks
Posts: 1222
Joined: 1/27/2007
Status: offline
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quote:
ORIGINAL: FreeEagle
Proverbs 4:7 is very clear as to what you should do as far as education, but you need to also need to stay clear of debt. You can be blessed to realize at a young age that marketing and management are not your skill sets. Imagine going through your life, and then at 40-50 or even at 65 years of age you realize you chose the wrong carer. One of the most important things I can tell you, having had been at this crossroad, is you need to find and do something YOU will enjoy. Ecclesiastes 3:22 says" So I saw that there is nothing better for a man then to enjoy his work, for that is his lot. For who can bring him to see what will happen after him."
My personal recommendations would be 1.) Pray about it. Ask God for his wisdom, discernment, and guidance for your life and the choices you're making. 2.) Get the book "Your Personality Tree" by Florence Littauer. Learn about yourself, so you can match your career to something you will enjoy. 3.) Realize that"You are, or you will become like those you associate with". In other words, once you decide what career you want, go look at the life style of those that have been doing it for at least 5 years. You just got a glimpse of what your future will be. If you like what you see, pursue the career. If not, don't go there or you'll end up back where you are now, frustrated with past choices. 4.) To help in your career choices attend some career fares, or even week-end and or one day seminars, for topics of interest. 5.) Pray that your marketing and management skills be not a total waste, and that God may apply them in other areas of your life. This is covered in Ecclesiastes 5:6.
This is the best advice of the thread.
For one thing, you have focussed on the fact that a person that has any kind of degree in both management and marketing that fails to use those skills in the pursuit of their own career is demonstrating some serious disconnect. True understanding of management and marketing could not possibly be useless or worthless in any way, shape or form no matter where one's life takes them.
Nice post.
_____________________________
Discovery with Microscopes Blog
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RE: A DEAD END? - 2/12/2010 10:42:12 AM
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GroupW
Posts: 2996
Joined: 11/16/2007
From: Up in the hills of Colorado (very BIG hills...)
Status: offline
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Basic supply and demand, my friend. APZR is correct. When times are bad, entry level salaries dip.
As someone who's been in the finance field for 25+ years and has seen recessions in the 80s, 90s, and two in the 2000's, I can tell you that employers like me will hire the experienced guy who is looking for work over the recent grad all day long as long as the price is right. As long as there are large numbers of experienced guys on the street (which there are), the price will almost always be right.
True, some people will thrive no matter what and some people's careers will languish no matter what. On average, though, this really is a crummy time to try to break through to the next level in your career.
That said, opportunities are created when there is lots of volatility. Ambitious and motived people will eventually make it all work out. They usually do.
Your BA may be the same as his two associates, but I will hire the guy with the BA. We don't hire guys with the associates. This company won't. My last firm won't. I wouldn't, unless there were a lot of other positive factors I could point to and I had trusted colleagues who knew him/her.
_____________________________
“For every problem, there is a solution that is simple, elegant and wrong.” -H.L. Mencken
"Most people would rather die than think; in fact, they do so." -Bertrand Russell
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RE: A DEAD END? - 2/24/2010 4:11:20 PM
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G-ROD
Posts: 123
Joined: 12/23/2005
Status: offline
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what are some steps I could take?
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www.soundclick.com/galatians
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RE: A DEAD END? - 2/24/2010 4:54:25 PM
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carebearstare
Posts: 111
Joined: 10/9/2009
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I would say first you need to figure out what you want, what type of work, what you'd be good at (for not being a people person marketing and management seem like positions where there's a lot of dealing with people). Then,you need to get a realistic picture of what people in that job do (so you don't realize too late you need to be a superpeople person in that job, etc). If that is still the type of job/area you want, get a realistic picture of that job in the market (constant, or project to project, only available in cities, or can live anywhere, flexible hours, or not, salary, all that jazz). Make sure these attributes jive with your picture of the job. It's hard to be positive before DOING a job, but do your research, as it's better than nothing. If you can think of several jobs and do the same, you might be able to get several to fall under the same certification/education/experience requirements, which would give you leeway to pick one once you get the background those jobs require. Some may require none to your surprise, some may require 4 year degrees or more.
Once you have an idea of what you want to do, now comes execution which can take a frustratingly long time but you hate your job now so that's motivation.
If you don't need more background, lucky you.
If you need more experience, you might need to get that working a different job that you also don't like. If you don't get one that makes use of your current education, you're likely going to have lower paying jobs, unless you have other skills to sell. Paychecks go up when you have skills others don't have, specialize, etc. That's the 'get a job using your degree' plug you didn't want to hear, fwiw.
If you live paycheck to paycheck and you need preparation in edu, you can either find a new job that is still not what you want but pays more and save up, or you can take out loans. Make sure the job you're heading for if you do the latter is something you're pretty sure you can find once you're done, and pays well enough that you can not get buried under your loans. If you're poor there are some grants and a school's finaid office can talk to you about funding your edu.
Finally, keep in mind that even if you're not a people person, not a smiley selling yourself kinda person, that interpersonal skills and being able to sell yourself in an interview and being ready to deal with politics is going to be just about EVERYWHERE.
Still, go back and start by trying to be methodical and honest and willing to figure out what you like, what you're good at, what jobs there are that work with those, whether the job meets your requirements for lifestyle, and what you need to get there. If the whole picture doesn't add up, you gotta readjust. Discuss it with people you know who will know your personality well. Write it all out for yourself if that helps. Whatever it takes to start really looking for answers around you vs getting bogged down in how much you dislike your current situation.
This is the kind of process I went through to try to figure my stuff out, so I hope some of it at least might help you too.
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