Male regrets, career choices...

Strawberry Fields

Try Griffith college or DIT, their conversion course is 2,000. Can be done part time at night.http://www.dit.ie/registration/feesandgrants/fees/postgraduatefees/parttimepostgraduatefees/

Jimmyhologram

Goodness me, but this thread strikes a chord, though my experiences are slightly different.

I am in my early thirties now, have a wife and a very small child and my perspective has shifted completely.

I was good academically, and probably could have entered almost any profession of my choosing on the basis of LC points.

Lamentably, I cruised through most of my teens and twenties thinking that "career", "pension", "security" were dirty words; I studied things that were of interest to me in the humanities (a degree and two post-grads) with little or no focus on future employment prospects. String of dead-end jobs in between, a bit of TEFL, some journalism here and there. No job currently.

I will hopefully make a stab of things via night classes. One problem now, however, is that I have to be extra-pragmatic, to make up for zero pragmatism earlier on. For instance, if I were younger, I would go into law. Because of my age, I have to bear in mind the current bottle-neck in the job market created by an over-supply of graduates. Whatever I choose will have to be chosen on the basis of a hefty degree of hard-headed pragmatism. Unfortunately for me, the question of job satisfaction would be very low on my list of priorities from now on.

HellFireClub

Jimmyhologram wrote: »

Goodness me, but this thread strikes a chord, though my experiences are slightly different.

I am in my early thirties now, have a wife and a very small child and my perspective has shifted completely.

I was good academically, and probably could have entered almost any profession of my choosing on the basis of LC points.

Lamentably, I cruised through most of my teens and twenties thinking that "career", "pension", "security" were dirty words; I studied things that were of interest to me in the humanities (a degree and two post-grads) with little or no focus on future employment prospects. String of dead-end jobs in between, a bit of TEFL, some journalism here and there. No job currently.

I will hopefully make a stab of things via night classes. One problem now, however, is that I have to be extra-pragmatic, to make up for zero pragmatism earlier on. For instance, if I were younger, I would go into law. Because of my age, I have to bear in mind the current bottle-neck in the job market created by an over-supply of graduates. Whatever I choose will have to be chosen on the basis of a hefty degree of hard-headed pragmatism. Unfortunately for me, the question of job satisfaction would be very low on my list of priorities from now on.

A not unsimilar story from my own, I spent 6 years in a large MNC in Ireland, got too cozy with good pay and the perks that were thrown at us back between 2000 and 2005 to stay in the job, a job that I more or less hated but stayed in it due to a good circle of friends that I made there for a few years, and also stayed in it for much promised career opportunities that turned out to be for the "anointed few".

The years immediately after college where I should have been aligning my career with a view to the years ahead, were foolishly spent, working in a MNC position that I had absolutely no interest in, listening to schpiels about career promotion at every review, a very well paid job back in the day and it was also a handy number, and had a social life based around it.

Thankfully I got the fúck out of that place and started up my own biz 5 years ago, no sooner had I done that and the place was falling down into a recession. I can say that it's only now that I've gotten things back to where I really want them, in terms of being back on my feet, even though I wish I had chosen a completely different career path and had more sense over the last ten years in particular, with regard to decisions made...

Having said that, as for growing a business in a recession, I've learnt some seriously hard lessons in the university of life over the last few years, that a lot of people would never see in a whole lifetime on this earth, so I'm only regretful to a small extent really I think...

the_syco

Jimmyhologram wrote: »

I studied things that were of interest to me in the humanities (a degree and two post-grads) with little or no focus on future employment prospects.

What about a financial or retail job? But you'll need to go looking; most jobs will want X, but if you show that Y is just as beneficial, you may get the job. Best of luck.

Elephant9

I read all those threads with interest. I left for the UK in the last recession in the 80's and got a job in IT, I never went to college, just worked in IT from the age of 18 and worked my way up. Working in the UK was like a breath of fresh air. Myself and my wife only intended to stay 2 years and come back to Ireland, well we got on so well and time just flew past, 2 kids and 17yrs later I decided to pack in IT and do what I really wanted to do, which was healing.
Guys in work told me I was mad, giving up a huge salary, but looking back 8 yrs on, it was the best thing I ever did. We also moved back to Ireland and now we are in another recession. Business is slow, but I'm still getting clients. I know it's what I'm meant to do and I don't think I was ever really happy in IT, it just gave me a salary.
For the past 8 yrs I was at home with my kids, which for me was brill and I did the work most housewives would do, plus I run my business. My advice is, if you don't like your job, get out of it, or you will regret it when you are older. Good Luck all.

take everything

I'm around the same age, in what most would regard as a good profession, but i'm often ambivalent about it.
Have "what could've been" thoughts a fair bit, particularly with regard to one area. I always wonder if my life would be radically different if i did it.

boobar

I'm 40 and working in IT, an area that I really enjoy. When I was in my late 20s I had spent the best part of 7 years pursuing a career in Accounting, it was only by accident that I got an opportunity to take a job in an IT area as a programmer. I'm very glad that I made the move, enjoy work much much more now than I did in the past. So for people who are asking themselves should they look at other options if they're unhappy in their current work, I say go for it.