Proper Career Guidance Badly needed...

monkeerina

Not sure if this is the best forum for this but please move if nec...

As per the thread title, I'm badly in need of a very good career guidance counciller. Unfortunately, from my experience (which is fairly vast), someone with merely a piece of paper/degree/masters/phd in 'career guidance' will not suffice...I need someone who really has a natural talent for reading people, deciphering their personality traits and talents, and matching them to a suitable career area accordingly.

A little background on myself: I decided to do engineering after school by a process of ellimination (could have done literally any course as points were never going to be an issue) as I couldn't make up my mind at the time, and it was what I perceived to be the best option in terms of leaving my options open afterwards, which it has done more or less. Not to sound cocky or anything, but I was pretty much an all-rounder at school, in my dats tests (whether they've much meaning or not I dunno) I got the 99th percentile in everything, except for the 'mechanical reasoning' in which I got in the 78th percentile or something like that...which perhaps should have been a warning sign, seeing as I didn't do physics or applied maths for lc, and out of all aspects of school probably enjoyed science labs the least out of everything...anyway my career guidance councillor at school suggested engineering and I decided to go with it, feeling very indifferent about it.

Although I loved college, I hated engineering, right up to final year when I kind-of began to like/became impartial to some aspects of it, mainly the environmental side (I did civil and got a 2.1 - worked v hard for it though). I decided that I'd give it a try and get a job in the area for a while, but unfortunately I graduated last July and not a single person in my civil engineering class got a job. So I took an offer of a place on a Masters in Environmental engineering, which I liked better than my degree it has to be said. However, in the back of my mind I knew it was unlikely to get a job and frankly was not willing to put in the huge effort needed to get one given the fact that I was not overly passionate about it (plus the masters wasn't exactly the area I was interested in). So I dropped out in December last, with the aim of clearing my head and deciding on my 'career direction'...unfortunately it hasn't worked and I'm as lost as ever.

I have accepted a place on two completely different courses next year - the hdip in actuarial studies and the hdip in education, and even at that I'm not even 60% sure I want to be either an actuary or a teacher. I still think about law, journalism, music (possibly my only passion but realistically what can you do there - I already make a part time living from teaching piano which I love but can always do regardless of my 'career'...)


Anyway, wow what a rant. God help you if you even read this much...So anyway back to the original question...anyone know of anyone really really good? As I said I've been to at least 5 career guidance councillors, talked and researched loads myself, and done numerous 'aptitude tests'...all of which personally, I've found pretty unhelpful.

Any help/advice much appreciated. Please don't just reccommend people for the sake of it though unless really good.

MagicMarker

Sometimes you just don't know. I don't think someone else will be able to tell you.

I don't know what I want to do, but I'm going back to college in Sept because I think I have to do something! Hopefully ill like it.
All I can say is you have all the time In the world, there's no rush, just keep trying new things and you'll eventually find something you love.

monkeerina

yeah you're probably right. I just want to try and see if there's anyone out there who could help me as it's really been getting me down and causing me a huge amount of stress, and not just lately, I'm taking about the past 5 years. I've never actually paid to see a private guidance person. I have decision making issues as is and this is just too big a one for me to manage alone. And yes I do appreciate the fact that I'm very fortunate to have so many options available to me...that's the problem

how can you just make such an important decision if you're not really sure that it's what you want to do? I know no-one can be 100%, but from my experience most people tend to gravitate at least towards a certain area, even if broad. May I ask if you prefer it to your other options, or is it just the easiest/quickest/cheapest route?

scarlettfever

Hi, if I were you I'd maybe try and have a chat with an actuary before going down that road just to be sure you'll like it. My degree was based on actuarial maths and I personally disliked it but a few people who were kind of indifferent to it tried to make a career of it and all ended up quitting and trying something else (teaching mostly!)
The exams are VERY tough and generally take years to complete - although the monetary rewards are very good eventually :-)
I just wanted to warn you it's not an easy career path to take, I think you really need to be sure it's what you want to do!

monkeerina

scarlettfever wrote: »

Hi, if I were you I'd maybe try and have a chat with an actuary before going down that road just to be sure you'll like it. My degree was based on actuarial maths and I personally disliked it but a few people who were kind of indifferent to it tried to make a career of it and all ended up quitting and trying something else (teaching mostly!)
The exams are VERY tough and generally take years to complete - although the monetary rewards are very good eventually :-)
I just wanted to warn you it's not an easy career path to take, I think you really need to be sure it's what you want to do!

Hey thanks for that. Yeah I have chatted to a few actuaries and actuary students/trainees, and I did a week's work exp back when I was 16 and considering doing the actuarial degree. They all said the same as you - it's really boring and very hard work and the exams are next to impossible. That's what put me off it in the first place.
I dunno, from what I can see 90% of people don't even like their job/career area so I'm taking the pov that I may as well earn good money as compensation for not liking my job?!
Ugh I accepted my hdip place there the other day...don't know what to do.

InReality

I had a lot of difficulty in college worrying about what I wanted as a career.

From the grand old perspective of my mid thirties I'd recommend looking at "trying out" careers almost at random for a few years.

You really have plenty of time , and obv have good academic ability. So I would not resign myself to picking something well paid but not enjoyable.

What I'm trying to say is that you don't have to pick the right job to start with.
You will get to something eventually if you keep plugging away.

conwedge

Just a shot in the Dark here but I am currently in a very similar situation and was wondering how you've gotten on since this thread was started?