If you want to do a complete 180...

[Kerr]

Hi all.

I am a programmer. Its what I went to the university to learn and what I have spent the last couple of years doing (nothing job related though). But for a while I have had the feeling that I want something completely different. Its not that I dont like programming, I do, it just makes me feel like I am trapped in a virtual world when I do it all the time. I feel like I want something else. Something different. But I dont know what. How do you figure out what you actually want when all you know is that you dont want to do what you spent years learning?

Take care,
Kerr

 

[Willamena]

Well, if it was the 70's you take a year off a go "find yourself."

You could try an aptitude test. There may be some free ones on the Internet.

 

[Kerr]

Ok, I will check for one.

 

[jarofthoughts]

Hi all.

I am a programmer. Its what I went to the university to learn and what I have spent the last couple of years doing (nothing job related though). But for a while I have had the feeling that I want something completely different. Its not that I dont like programming, I do, it just makes me feel like I am trapped in a virtual world when I do it all the time. I feel like I want something else. Something different. But I dont know what. How do you figure out what you actually want when all you know is that you dont want to do what you spent years learning?

Take care,
Kerr

Hi.

I don't know if this relates at all, but I did a 180 some years ago.
At the time I had been working in various marketing related positions and I was employed as a marketing executive for an IT firm.
But I was slowly becoming more and more disillusioned with what I was doing and what I spent my days doing. So I quit and took some time to think.
Now, I've never been one for sitting idle, so while thinking I took a job working in a kindergarden for about a year, during which I read considerable amounts of philosophy from various schools of thought.
Eventually I realized that working with children gave more meaning than any of my previous jobs had done.
So the next year I started on my education to become a teacher, and I've not looked back since.

Was it costly?
Oh yes. As a teacher I make a lot less than I made as a marketing executive.
Was it worth it?
Most definitely. I have never been happier.

 

[Reverend Rick]

It is said that if your job is doing something you like, you never have to work a day in your life.

Myself, if I am going to work, I want to make the most money I can and then do what I want with the rest of my life. Work hard play hard is my mantra.

I have never had the luxury of doing what I like. Making money is the reason to work, not have fun.

Too many people want their cake and eat it too. Why does every thing we do have to be fun?

Work to me is just a nessesary evil. I would not do something I absolutely hated if I had another choice, but having fun is secondary in my opinion to making money.

Git er done, get paid, go play!

 

[MysticSang'ha]

It's why I started a business. I got tired of the playing the game that professional dancers earn less than $500 a month. Without health insurance.

Or retirement.

Or any other benefits for that matter. No vacation time, sick pay, NOTHING.

But I have a mission, and I'm looking to create a new game where dancers and other performance artists are treated as professionals. The cogs in the wheel are slowly turning, but there's a group of us making it happen. We want performers to be paid a living wage.

I suggest start from where you are, take baby steps every day toward connecting with various people who are already doing something that interests you, share with them what you want to do, offer to work together toward a shared vision, and then watch what happens over the course of a year or two.

Things don't happen by themselves. Dreams never come true from one person doing everything themselves. Networking is THE key ingredient, IMO.

 

[Caladan]

Kerr, what are your general interests (or specialized interests)?
I started to pursuit my childhood dream of doing archaeology seriously only when I became 26. It involved studying, volunteering, socializing, traveling, expanding my horizons on various issues, and it's still an on going process. I might have a full time job in an archaeological body, but I still have my postgraduate studies, and thoughts about various areas to specialize in.
Archaeology fills various voids in my life. It gives me motivation, it drives me to become professional, educated, or experienced. And it also provides me a unique field with interesting discoveries that an entire cultural niche socializes around.

One of the basic things you can do, is go through universities courses book, and see what they offer. Read about different fields, their prospects, their future areas of specialties and draw your conclusions. Ecology, genetics, geosciences... try to read about fields which involve more than computer programming. Some of these fields might even use your knowledge in programming and add an extra dimension that will drive you to explore, or spend time outside. And above all, stay optimistic and give yourself the chance to make new discoveries.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

My first college major was computer programming, but the idea of a hobby becoming a demanding job didn't sound appealing at all. It's something I enjoyed doing, and to have to do it, and be forced to push through with difficult and demanding tasks rather than approaching them at a pace that keeps the project enjoyable and keeps it from turning frustrating turned me away from that as a major.
Currently I am majoring in psychology, but after I took an anthropology class and realized what it is anthropologist do, I found my calling. I most likely won't make alot of money doing it, and I'm planning on teaching at the collegiate level to make up for the potential lack of jobs doing ethnographies, but it will allow for me to satisfy two goals at once which is to travel and learn about different cultures. So even if i don't make much money, I'll be happy doing it.
Or if I could ever be in a band that is stable enough to pull in a regular monthly income to pay rent and buy peanut butter sandwiches to eat I would be happy doing that.

 

[Kerr]

Hi.

I don't know if this relates at all, but I did a 180 some years ago.
At the time I had been working in various marketing related positions and I was employed as a marketing executive for an IT firm.
But I was slowly becoming more and more disillusioned with what I was doing and what I spent my days doing. So I quit and took some time to think.
Now, I've never been one for sitting idle, so while thinking I took a job working in a kindergarden for about a year, during which I read considerable amounts of philosophy from various schools of thought.
Eventually I realized that working with children gave more meaning than any of my previous jobs had done.
So the next year I started on my education to become a teacher, and I've not looked back since.

Was it costly?
Oh yes. As a teacher I make a lot less than I made as a marketing executive.
Was it worth it?
Most definitely. I have never been happier.

My mother asks me every now and then if I am sure I dont want to work with kids instead, lol. Appearently she thinks I could be good at it. Maybe I could do something like you did. Take a year or so at a kindergarden while I try and figure things out. Might need an education for that, though, but its worth checking out.

It is said that if your job is doing something you like, you never have to work a day in your life.

Myself, if I am going to work, I want to make the most money I can and then do what I want with the rest of my life. Work hard play hard is my mantra.

I have never had the luxury of doing what I like. Making money is the reason to work, not have fun.

Too many people want their cake and eat it too. Why does every thing we do have to be fun?

Work to me is just a nessesary evil. I would not do something I absolutely hated if I had another choice, but having fun is secondary in my opinion to making money.

Git er done, get paid, go play!

Unfortunately, money alone doesnt motivate me very much. Not that everything has to be fun, it doesnt, but I want to find something I find meaningful.

Kerr, what are your general interests (or specialized interests)?
I started to pursuit my childhood dream of doing archaeology seriously only when I became 26. It involved studying, volunteering, socializing, traveling, expanding my horizons on various issues, and it's still an on going process. I might have a full time job in an archaeological body, but I still have my postgraduate studies, and thoughts about various areas to specialize in.
Archaeology fills various voids in my life. It gives me motivation, it drives me to become professional, educated, or experienced. And it also provides me a unique field with interesting discoveries that an entire cultural niche socializes around.

One of the basic things you can do, is go through universities courses book, and see what they offer. Read about different fields, their prospects, their future areas of specialties and draw your conclusions. Ecology, genetics, geosciences... try to read about fields which involve more than computer programming. Some of these fields might even use your knowledge in programming and add an extra dimension that will drive you to explore, or spend time outside. And above all, stay optimistic and give yourself the chance to make new discoveries.

Thats the problem. I dont know what I want because I want so much. Astronomy? Love space. Biology? Love it. Physics? I love that to! Archaeology? Have never tried it, but it seems interesting enough for me to want to try it. And so on. How do I know which one to focus on? Or should I check if there are basic courses in them, try them out and then go for the one that seemed most interesting?

My first college major was computer programming, but the idea of a hobby becoming a demanding job didn't sound appealing at all. It's something I enjoyed doing, and to have to do it, and be forced to push through with difficult and demanding tasks rather than approaching them at a pace that keeps the project enjoyable and keeps it from turning frustrating turned me away from that as a major.
Currently I am majoring in psychology, but after I took an anthropology class and realized what it is anthropologist do, I found my calling. I most likely won't make alot of money doing it, and I'm planning on teaching at the collegiate level to make up for the potential lack of jobs doing ethnographies, but it will allow for me to satisfy two goals at once which is to travel and learn about different cultures. So even if i don't make much money, I'll be happy doing it.
Or if I could ever be in a band that is stable enough to pull in a regular monthly income to pay rent and buy peanut butter sandwiches to eat I would be happy doing that.

Psycology is also interesting. My brain doesnt just want to eat a cake, it want to steal all cakes and eat them all... and wants to keep them as well... all at the same time!

Anyway, I wish you good luck .

 

[Tarheeler]

I can relate.

I've spent the last 15 years as a skilled tradesman, and I'm good at it. When I first started, I even enjoyed it. But now I don't. Over the years, I spent considerable time and money on training to ensure I was competent at my job and had the necessary skills to demand good pay and benefits from my employers. It's a lot of investment to just walk away from.

I've spent the last six years going to night classes at a local university (graduated last December), and I'm now looking for work in a new career field that has nothing to do with my old one. As for choosing the field, I studied what I was interested in (political science ), and didn't really concentrate on future work. It might not have been the best choice, but I've enjoyed it tremendously. After all, I already have a good job that I'm well qualified for, and Ithe can afford to wait for a good opportunity to move into a new field.

My wife, however, is in a situation similar to yours; she recently completed a AA in accounting, but has decided it's not what she wants to do. We're still discussing what she's going to do. She'll most likely look for ways to make money doing something she enjoys (crafts), but can fall back on the degree or time a part-time job in that field to supplement income.

 

[Darkness]

I spent three years studying communication, wanting to work in television and film production. However, I realized that was not for me at a certain point. I worked hard and two years later I have a B.A. in Political Science, a B.A. in Sociology, and start an M.A. in Political Philosophy at a very prestigious university in two weeks.

What do you enjoy doing on your spare time that could possibly be translated into a career. For me, I realized that I spent lots of my free-time reading up on politics and social issues, and that naturally translated into me wanting to become a professor and talk about social science/humanities topics for a living.

 

[jarofthoughts]

My mother asks me every now and then if I am sure I dont want to work with kids instead, lol. Appearently she thinks I could be good at it. Maybe I could do something like you did. Take a year or so at a kindergarden while I try and figure things out. Might need an education for that, though, but its worth checking out.

I realize that working with kids isn't for everyone, and for those who don't like it or find it interesting and rewarding it's probably better to stay away.
But for me it has turned out to be the wisest choice I've ever made.