Rate your profession (collect, transaction, accountant, job)

[don1945]

I work in the retail marine industry and my job security is pretty good. They do cut down on hours sometimes, but I seem to still get 40 per week because I have been doing it so long and make myself available whenever they need bailed out.

Stress level can be high if you let it get to you, but if you take the pressure in stride and just do your job it is fine. We are constantly busy, going from one customer to another, but I like it that way....makes the day go faster.

Pay, not great, retail never is, but my tenure helps get me more money than some. But I don't have to rely on this money, except for my mad money, so that helps.

People I work with are actually pretty good. Little or no drama, I like them all, and we are too busy to get into the usual issues that some workplaces have. We don't socialize outside work, that is a good thing IMO, but it doesn't mean we don't all like each other, it just means we keep our private lives private.

For me the best part is that I have been doing this long enough that I kinda know what I am talking about so I can give customers pretty good advice on how things work and how to solve problems. That is pretty satisfying to me.

So, overall I rate my job pretty good and I like it.

Don

[Serious Conversation]

IT call center.

Job security: very poor - an upset customer can rate you negatively and you get talked to. You are scored on calls and given a grade, so I'm more worried about making sure the "boxes are checked" than really helping. As most jobs of this type are through staffing agencies, you can be walked to the door for any reason. I've had three jobs of this type just this calendar year.

Stress: very high. You're constantly talking and there is one call after the other usually. There is no time to research a problem to honestly fix it. Stress is also high due to no job security. I also don't PTO or benefits, so the holidays are unpaid furloughs.

Pay: not much above minimum wage once you factor in furloughs. I hired on 9/16 and after furloughs and working 36/hours a week, my "40 hour effective wage" is $10.82/hr. This is with several years experience, degree, and certifications. I am probably going to a better state in the spring as I've hit rock bottom and can't go anywhere but up

[babysladkaya]

Controller at a hedge fund:

Job security: very low-you could be cut at any second, and in most cases, nothing to do with your performance but with how the fund is doing.

Stress: Extremely high, at times, unbearable.

Pay: Outstanding

[UrbanCheetah]

Communications Manager for a major global Advertising Agency

Job Security: Low. Like in any agency losing an account really hurts the organizations pockets. When we lose a major clientwe lose people. I have had 10 people on my teams in the past 2 years, and out of the 10, 7 have been let go I the past year.

Stress: High. They try to exploit you as much as possible, make one person work the job of four people. Also turn around times for projects and assignment projects unrealistic. They will come to you out of nowhere asking you to work on a project that takes two weeks to complete but only give you four days to complete and no resources. Causes high stress and very late hours I to the night working.

Pay: Moderately low. Pay does not match the job duties, but its a livable wage.

[nikitakolata]

Compliance officer in the financial services industry:

Job Security - Very good to excellent; the government is adding new regulations all the time, so there's currently a strong demand for compliance

Stress level - Varies depending on your exact position; I've had periods of very low stress and other periods of very high stress. Generally I would say the stress levels are moderate.

Pay - Pretty good. I started out at $40,000 in 2004 and have gone up from there. The mid to high 100's are not unusual for a chief compliance officer and every firm's got one...

Employee personalities - Eh, not great. It's a lot like accounting; no one seems all that happy. Generally as a compliance person you're giving out bad news a lot and asking people to do things they don't want to do. Some associates will accept that you're just the messenger and complete training you ask them to do and fill out forms or whatever; others will fight you on even the smallest request.

Whatever else you can think of, positives and negatives, biggest complaints - I personally find compliance to be extremely boring and isolating. Compliance departments are generally pretty small since they aren't revenue generating. I've often got way more work than I have time for. Upper management is really what determines how you are perceived within whatever company you work for; if they see compliance as important and communicate that then the job isn't too bad. On the other hand, if management sees compliance as nothing but a thorn in their side your job can be hell.

If I knew 10 years ago what I know now I definitely wouldn't have gone into compliance; but, that's is my personality. If all you want is to go to work, get paid and live for the weekends, then compliance could be great. It's just a job; you won't find any deep personal fulfillment here.

[goodlife36]

[quote=jobaba;32735635]I thought it might be helpful to create a thread to help some kids who are deciding which profession to enter or career changers. Rate your profession on:

-Job Security
-Stress level
-Pay
-Employee personalities
-Whatever else you can think of, positives and negatives, biggest complaints



Good job security
Stressful
Not good enough to lead the type of life style I want.
I do not like them at all.
I hate my profession.

[Rambler123]

Originally Posted by jobaba

I thought it might be helpful to create a thread to help some kids who are deciding which profession to enter or career changers. Rate your profession on:

-Job Security
-Stress level
-Pay
-Employee personalities
-Whatever else you can think of, positives and negatives, biggest complaints

I'm an Environmental/Civil Engineer, mostly Environmental. The pay is mediocre to OK. Not too many people make bank, but nobody starves. The job security is mediocre. We fly with the swings of the economy and construction and get laid off, but unlike Electrical Engineers and Computers, we do not get outsourced. The stress level is low to moderate I would say. Depends on the sector and job, but in general. The type of employees are generally pleasant and laidback, consisting of engineers and scientists. Cutthroat/competitive people generally do not enter this profession.

A big part of this job is being outside all of the time, which could be a positive or negative, but generally it's a negative. The duties of the job vary which is good. The biggest complaints I have are lack of pay and job security.

Broken remnant of a mechanical engineer here.

What can I say about that field?

1) Job security: Laughable. All engineering work is being outsourced and insourced (visa workers) as fast as possible. Heck, I know of places that are sending our jet engine technology to be designed and made in China because "it's cheaper" so job security is virtually non-existent. The only saving grace some people in this field might have is a Top Secret Clearance, so that's hard to outsourced. But military spending is declining, layoffs continue, and the only form of engineering our leaders seem interested in expanding is "cyber-security" since I guess NSA needs to spy on us all some more.

2) Stress Level: High. If you screw up, people could die. If you do a good job and something is missed - even something nobody knew about - people can still die. And, of course, you get worthless managers beating you into the dirt for miracles to meet their impossible schedules. Naturally, they get paid a lot better than the engineers and do far less real work with far fewer consequences for failure.

3) Pay: Decent, but declining. Engineering still pays well, if you can find a job and keep it. To keep it, I recommend not aging past 30 years. Still, you will work a lot harder for that pay than many other people, and you'll answer to clods that do half of your work for twice the pay... and who are eager to lay you off since your paycheck cuts into their bonus.

4) Employee Personalities: Insane. Engineering does attract dysfunctional people. Some of them are tolerable... some are stark raving mad. You'll get to work with all of them - oh, joy!

5) Positives: You do get to make a difference. At least your work matters. Without engineers, society as we know it would not exist.

6) Negatives: Nobody cares. Engineers work very hard for mediocre pay and dwindling job security. They are treated like black sheep by society as a whole - cast aside as "nerds" and "losers - while everyone happily worships idiots who chase balls around a field or who backstab their way to the top of a company. It's a thankless profession, and one that I would never recommend to anyone, at least not anymore and not in this nation.

[Tekkie]

Originally Posted by Rambler123

6) Negatives: Nobody cares. Engineers work very hard for mediocre pay and dwindling job security. They are treated like black sheep by society as a whole - cast aside as "nerds" and "losers - while everyone happily worships idiots who chase balls around a field or who backstab their way to the top of a company. It's a thankless profession, and one that I would never recommend to anyone, at least not anymore and not in this nation.

Dang. That sucks that you feel that way. I have mad respect for engineers and appreciate their work very much. Not that my opinion matters to you, but I hope you know that there are many of us out here who are well aware of your contributions to society and appreciate them.

[caligirlz]

BRN - compliance auditor/health insurance

Job Security - excellent; frequent recruiter contact trying to lure me away
Stress level - easiest job I've had yet. The stress is nothing compared to previous jobs
Pay - not as high as acute care, but very comfortable
Employee personalities - overall good

We have a large campus with some of the nicest people I've met in this region. There are always bad apples in the basket however; I avoid them. March will be my 5 year anniversary, and I'm still really liking this job. There's lots of variety and lots of flexibility. Since I am a "seasoned" worker (a SME), I get to do a lot of extra projects that make the job more interesting.

In Sept, several people in my department transitioned into telecommuters. We finally had the technology to do so. Overall techology is sort of a joke. We have a lot of legacy systems and the company has spent a lot of money over the years trying to upgrade. Supervisors/leads tend to be micromanagers, but there are ways to avoid scrutiny, like doing a great job! Overall, as I said, I'm happy. The pay is good, it's close to home, the work/people are enjoyable.

[AbqTeacher]

I thought I'd lighten things up in here with a fun job- park ranger!

Job Security
Very low when you're just starting out. Jobs are seasonal in nature (some places spring-fall, some just the summer), and available jobs depends a lot on how much funding is available. You can widen job security quite a bit by being willing to move around to find the next season's job. If you work your way to a permanent position, security becomes moderate-high. Oh, and when congress can't get it's **** together you'll be out of work for a couple of weeks.

Stress level
Very low to moderate. The most relaxing shifts are the ones where you just roam trails talking to folks. It gets more stressful when you're leading tours in hazardous areas or are dealing with hordes of people in a visitor center. Still, you're doing it in a beautiful setting with people who usually generally want to be there, so it's not too bad.

Pay
Low but liveable. Plan to start at $15/hr, but you can work your way into higher paying positions as you get more experience. Seasonal employees generally don't get benefits, but they often do provide cheap housing, which is helpful.

Employee personalities
Some of the best in the world. You get the combination of people who love what they do, love where they are, and enjoy many of the same things you do. Each park staff turns into its own little family, especially if they're isolated parks. Every once in a while you get a bitter bad apple, but they're usually the exception.

Whatever else you can think of
Even on the worst days, you're spending them in beautiful locations, working outdoors, and staying active and healthy. On the best days you're helping people make lasting memories and translating your love of a park to another person. The biggest drawback is the lack of security and the difficulty in acquiring the jobs in the first place- especially if you aren't a veteran.