Considering Changing Careers

Leor, I know what you're faced with.
Upon completion of my university degree (BA in Design), I found myself kinda wondering if I had made the appropriate career choice. I got to a point where I had the wish to do anything but something in the graphic and communication arts field. I went on to look closer at some more courses (photography, typography) hoping to specialize a bit, but found none of them particularly fulfilling. I was actually facing a rising panic within, wondering what the hell I was going to do.
So, working alongside a full time job in my chosen career, I decided to take on a second casual job that I knew would give me the utmost pleasure, and offer me something so completely removed from my profession. Thats when I became a fragrance salesperson! I found that the stark contrast between wearing my "designer hat" and my "fragrance hat" actually made my studied profession all the more exciting because I could walk away from it and focus on something else when needed. I could then return to it later with a refreshed and renewed approach.
Nowadays, some 3 or 4 years later, I am a business owner working in my own design firm, content with the choice I made to go back to my studied profession full time. But I always know if I fall on hard times, or just want a shift in career again, I have 7+ years of fragrance training/sales to fall back on.

I think perhaps the best advice I can give you is to diversify your skills and experience... take some courses and try different things on for size. Ultimately you will have a vast history to draw upon career-wise, which not only will make you a career "chameleon" of course, but will also add value to you as a person, particularly when stacked against other candidates in interview situations and so on.

I am a nurse. I started out in pre med but my life chose a different direction for me (no regrets). You are fortunate that you are young and you have time and opportunity on your side. I will probably go to law school and some point in the future when my children are all in college. There are lots of oppotunities in the health care field. I also contemplated going to Nurse Anesthetist school but the time is not right for my family right now (excellent money to be made in this field though, most of the men I have worked with in critical care have chosen this path). Good luck with your decision....it's never too late to change your mind.....I do it about 100 times a day

My 2 cents:

In University I took the road most traveled and majored in Psych. After graduation I qualified for only 2 things:

1. Underwater Basket Weaver
2. Toenail inspector on Yonge Street (longest street in the world).

(This was before Psych was useful for anything besides becoming a professional student or the roadway to getting your Masters and writing papers proving / disproving Psych theories .. this was many moons ago)

I did not want to wait tables for a living (several people I knew that graduated with Honors in Psych could not get any other work), and although all work is valuable it was not what I aspired to do.

I decided to learn everything I could early on.

Learn what you can, stay in a position for 1-2 years and move on, otherwise you can end up looking back 30 years later and wondering what happened to your life and about all the missed opportunities and dreaming about what could have been.

Live life to the fullest and take the road less traveled, you will make many mistakes and learn many things about the world and about yourself but at the end of your journey you will feel like you have lived life to the fullest.

Good luck in your journey, live life and have fun

One of the hottest courses in Holland was criminology and you need a degree in psychology to start it.

Just ask yourself what you want to do in life, what could you do in life for a long period and persue that tbh

I still havent finished my philosophy course but I got into the game development industry instead because I saw a clearer future for myself there so I jumped on it, it sucks I havent finished my degree (working on it ) but I know I can get a job elsewhere with the experience I've gained. So far I haven't regretted the decision to jump on this carreer.

There are always career oportunities in the health/medical fields, so I don't think you can go wrong!
The only advice I have to give is keep moving forward, building upon what you've already achieved.

I know the feeling re: changing fields leor. After high school and USMCR I worked daily and spent 3-hour nights twice a week for 4 years in apprenticeship getting a journeyman electrician's card. Then, 6 years of night classes finishing undergrad while working 40+ hours, 5 kids along the way. Then 4 more years to a dental degree at 33. I had great support all the while from my wife. I always knew I had electrical work to fall back on if I couldn't make it, but I did make it and have never regretted going full bore for what I really wanted to do.

six words for you: Don't doubt yourself, just do it!

What about research or avenues in psychology that don't involve actual counseling or patients? Maybe something in HR? I imagine in this economy a lot of people are going to need vocational guidance, and your background may make you suited to work in that field.

leor, I wish you good luck in whatever you decide. Plan well and go for it. Also don't completely drop the thought of a computer career from your mind. The field is so diverse, with a lot of jobs requiring only little extra studies.


This is exactly what I've been thinking in the past two months. I like my job. It's challenging and pays me well, but there's just no interaction with people. And in the rare case when we have a meeting, we just do it online.. So I am seriously considering working as a fragrance SA at nights. Helping people find a fragrance they like would be very fulfilling, I'll get to test everything I want and increase my knowledge of fragrances, and it's a very nice way to meet and interact with people (read: hot girls). I think I just need to make the decision, and I'm a bit confident I would be accepted anywhere. I could make it clear to the manager I'm not there for the money (I could even ask for very little money in exchange for flexible work hours, I don't really care I just want the job because it's fun). Big chance that I actually try this out in the coming months.

Good idea Mostapha, I can highly recommend it.
I dont doubt for a second you will be perfect for the job, so long as youre outgoing, patient and confident. You will have to also exercise enormous restraint when customers feel they know better than you (even though deep inside they dont know their ass from a hole in the ground)
Depending on which house you apply to, you are likely to enjoy lots of freebies


This is a given Im afraid... you definitely won't make millions, so perhaps there's no need to ask for less pay! In these SA roles, most houses are looking at hiring for casual/flexible work hours anyway.

PM me if you have any questions with regard to whom you ought to approach etc... I have a fair bit of knowledge with regard to this.

*FOOTNOTE* Oooh look! My 3000th post!

I would caution that if you are turned off by work with people with emotional, developmental, or physical differences, consider carefully the patients with whom you are likely to work in a health care profession. You won't be able to pick and choose your patients. Even in optometry, where you are mostly doing vision checks, you will be called upon to assist disabled people--they have vision needs too. I speak as a social worker here. You will encounter all sorts of people in any health care profession, and they all deserve to be treated with compassion, dignity, and respect.
You are lucky to be young. Really. Take your time in making a career choice. Make sure that it is the right one. Try different things. See what you like.

Congratulations Sir Yap-A-Lot!!!! Too bad this career doesn't pay by the word!

Leor: it is estimated that the average american worker will change careers no less than 7 times in their working lives.

In technology it seems like we change daily.

Pick a track and go for it! Good luck!

Well,I know how it's like to not really know what you really wanna do! I started out thinking that I wanted to do a Bachelor in Political science,but changed my mind and started with Anthropology of religion instead.After I finished my Bachelor degree it wasn't any relevant jobs out there,so I stated working as a Nursing assistant at a nursing home.I found out I enjoy working with people and last year it hit me what I really wanna do.I applied for Social Worker and I was accepted.Now I'm very happy about my choice,but it took me a while to finally realise what I wanted.I will be 32 when I've finished,so you've got plenty of time!