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This might turn out to be a lengthy post, so please bear with me if you decide to keep reading.
I'm at a point in my life where I should decide what I want to do with it-career wise. I was always thinking to myself that I am fine as long as I'm making some money doing what I do and I was happy. The problem is that 1. I wasn't truly happy and 2. The reason I came up with this "excuse" was because I didn't know what I really wanted to do. I don't really know what my passion and interests are, I don't know (well, now I kinda know but I didn't before) what type of personality I have to help me decide on a career that would suit me.
As silly as it may sound, I started reading about my zodiac sign-and I have to say it describes me pretty accurately. In order to "double check", I also took a few personality tests and I got a better picture of the type of person I am, what makes me happy and what "bugs" me. Long story short, I'm the type of person that likes to interact with other people in a positive way (by helping them, counseling them, giving advice etc). I do not like confrontation, working under stress (meeting strict deadlines, high pressure sales etc) or doing repetitive work. I'm also not interested in details, numbers or working with my hands. I need to find something where I can use my brain and creativity-without becoming an artist and starving to death-while I get to do something positive and good. I don't like working with large groups of people, giving speeches and would rather work with a partner or a small group-or alone 1on1 with a client or similar. I tend to like my work environment to be more casual than professional in a way. By the way, and if it matters at all, my sign is Libra and I'm a INFP.
I'm approaching 30, I'm a male and have not finished college even though it will only take a semester or so to finish my AA in communications/PR. The problem that I have is that I don't know if an AA will do anything for me and if it has any value anymore, so I'm contemplating doing some sort of training where I can train to do something specific and hopefully will be something that is fairly in demand which will allow me to find a job fairly quick. The problem here is, I don't know what it is that I will be happy doing+that only requires some sort of training or certificate. Most jobs in this category are trade jobs, and like I mentioned I'm not interested in those and my personality doesn't match.
I need some help deciding what is the best route to take and what careers would suit me, considering my situation. I am not opposed to going back to school, but at my age I kinda need to get started working in a field and have the option of going back to school if I want to advance, that way I'll have both experience and a degree in the end. Fields that interest me are psychology, counseling, nutrition and basically anything where I can use my knowledge to help other people. I have thought about more "niche" jobs such as teaching english abroad or working as a personal trainer-but I'm not really sure about the first and I don't consider pt an actualy job that is steady, it's not really a career either.
What are some options that will fit my personality and what makes me happy, don't take 4+ years in schooling and have a descent pay and good outlook. There must be something that I just haven't thought of and need an outsider's point of view. I'll appreciate some help!
I would finish the AA, if you can do it cheaply. Finishing looks good and having an AA is better than not having one.
The other plus about finishing is that you can make use of the career center services at your school. Teaching abroad and doing PT both sound like good ideas. People make a living doing PT, so I wouldn't rule that out as a career option. It sounds like you have a bit of an entrepreneurial bent - maybe your school has some sort of counseling service for would-be business owners?
Thank you harlowvart and thanks for mentioning the career center services at the school, I never thought about using them. I was very interested in PT but it does have its negatives-for ex. working at a gym pay is commission only=barely minimum wage and you have to "push" products so you 're more like a salesman. The successful ones take the clients with them and do the training outside the gym, in peoples homes or a studio they rent. The majority of people only do PT for a little while and as a side income so I'm worried about that and why that is. It is too late to enroll in college now, so if I go I'll have to go in August.
I used to have my own business for a short time. It was fun yet stressful, but as I found out you do needs lots of money to keep it going til it can stay afloat. It's definitely not a risk I can afford or I'm willing to take at the moment.
I'm currently thinking about doing something as an EMT or physical assistant aide. Still not sure if either of the two are a good fit though.
I don't want to sound too harsh OP so I'm not going to say much but it seems to me that you would benefit from being more realistic than depending on zodiac signs. And just so you know, whatever career you choose, you likely won’t be happy all the time or even most of the time.
Work on being more flexible and learning how to deal with things you may not like at first. You can overcome things like being ok with confrontation and other things. Don’t use those things as excuses, look at them as challenges to overcome – there are many many resources.
Grow a thicker skin, be flexible, adapt to dealing with some stress and pressure. That’s what adults do. So like I said, I want to avoid going too far but I think you know it may be time to put on your big boy pants and start dealing with life and a career in a different way.
You 're right Gfused. I do need to be more flexibile with what I choose to do, and I know I can adapt and grow a thicker skin because I have done it in previous jobs that I hated at first but learned to deal with it and I was fine. It's just that since I'm starting "fresh" now, I'm trying to find something with the highest probability of being satisfying in the long run.
You 're right Gfused. I do need to be more flexibile with what I choose to do, and I know I can adapt and grow a thicker skin because I have done it in previous jobs that I hated at first but learned to deal with it and I was fine. It's just that since I'm starting "fresh" now, I'm trying to find something with the highest probability of being satisfying in the long run.
I wish you the best of luck. Make sure to mix that desire to find something enjoyable with income. So more specifically, if there is a career that sounds ok and has the potential to earn a decent living, don't let your current lack of whatever skills you need stop you.
Don't necessarily exclude things that call for deadlines and that may have some stress associated with it. It's uncomfortable for sure but can help you grow as a person. I had a supervisor who I thought was a complete jerk at first. He pushed me and pushed me to ends that seemed unreasonable. At the end of the month I looked back and saw how productive I was and all I learned. It felt good. If he didn't push I would have gotten only half of those things done. Most importnat though was that that experienced opened my eyes to my propensity towards procrastination. It made me better.
Again, best of luck.
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