The Beast

I wonder what you and others would say about finishing a degree, finding out from working in a field that it isn’t for you and going back in your late 30s, 40s and 50s to retrain for something else that is in demand. I’m guessing it is possible with some personal sacrifice (like selling a house for a cheaper home elsewhere or not taking vacations and working while in school), even with kids.

I may have said this before, but first of all, thank you for your service. Thinking back to my years after high school I wish I would have registered for the national guard so I could serve my country. It must have been an honor to serve and one of the things on my bucket list is to make an impact on people’s lives and on the country so that our kids and future generations can have the same opportunities we had. That being said, your post strikes several chords with me and I think there’s a lot of value for Jack to read here. How were you able to settle on teaching with a Criminal Justice degree in undergrad? I suppose it varies by state, but I thought for sure you needed a content area and not any bachelor’s degree to be able to teach, but maybe that is only in Illinois. How did you settle on teaching as a career? I have felt that way about my pursuits. If the data science program doesn’t work out, I would have invested two years of my life into something that I put a lot of time and effort into. Luckily I will walk away only paying $5,000 since my employer has picked up the remaining balance of nearly $15,000. Now I just need my next employer to pick up the remaining tab. The challenging thing is that I need to finish the program soon in case my wife gets pregnant next year and I hope to be in a job where I can use the skills I have learned rather than just do the day to day work I do and try out the work when I have time with teams in different offices nationwide. But at least I have an opportunity elsewhere to use data and reporting and eventually try data science. You are correct about college degrees. I think the four year college mindset works for some but not for every student. There are two year degrees that make more than liberal arts majors and can provide a comfortable lifestyle. I also maintain that not everyone knows what they want at ages 18-22, so I find value in working and going to a community college for a short time while doing informational interviews and observing different careers is an excellent and more efficient way of figuring out what to do as long as people don’t suffer from analysis paralysis and slim their list down. The fear that I am just going to have to overcome is the financial resources to make a change at any point in life. My concern about having kids is that if I want to make a change, I am not sure about how to make it in another educational program while being a parent, paying a mortgage and going to school. I need to tell myself that it can be done, even if sacrifices must be made. But again, there is no such thing about being stuck or it being too late, right? I can certainly see the freedom that you feel in your pursuit of this investment and would love to know more. (Not to get political but I heard one of the presidential candidates talk about economic freedom and high job satisfaction that comes from being in the right career. The challenge is being able to have the means to do so.) Anyway, please do send me a PM about your pursuit and best of luck.

I would be curious to see what you would have to say about some of my previous posts about my career dilemmas. And I want to hear more about your investment to make your dreams a reality. Giving life to our dreams gives us a positive mindset, freedom and dignity.

Jack, I have found myself using these words before, “if I could, then I would...” I have learned it is not productive to just say that, you have to go out and act in some way. The lessons I’ve learned from failure have propelled me into something better. And this is coming from someone who is trying to overcome negativity. It doesn’t hurt to go out with a plan, evaluate from it and if that doesn’t work, try something else.

What do you do and what did you do in last lives?

What if you tried a trade? I had a friend who was an apprentice for a carpenter for a while and he didn’t stick with it, but there have to be apprenticeships or inexpensive programs in the trades for you to pick up?

Nagy should be able to adapt and get Mitch in position to roll out and get a bunched up backfield of some kind to run the ball up the gut and off tackle. The i formation isn’t dead even if they have no fullback.

Bears couldn’t afford to keep Amos...

This is the game right here. Finally a post that isn’t just about Trubisky.

Chicago is now having a meltdown and I can’t wait to listen to the Score tomorrow. All of the blame is going to be put on Trubisky regardless of what happened in the other phases of the offense. What was the issue with the offensive line tonight? What is really going on with Burton? Why does Trubisky need to throw so many times and why can’t they run like normal teams do? Runs off the guard to the outside, pitches and up the gut still work in this league? Was it the best decision to not kick from 51 yards and go for it on fourth down? What was the reason for all of the five yard curls? Did they really need to play players in the preseason? I mean, would that really have helped? Maybe, but I’m not positive? This game was overhyped and they didn’t look ready for it on the offensive side of the ball.

Crucify away Trubisky haters. But he’s your quarterback and you need him to win. Also, what do they do if he’s not the guy?

That third and one play with Trubisky running for his life pissed me off more.

I’d be mad if I paid $300+ to sit there too, but if they are booing Trubisky for that drive, that is ridiculous.

I didn’t agree with trading up to get him, but did the picks themselves really matter? Kamara wasn’t even picked by the 49ers, the Saints picked him.

Nagy liked Mahomes better than Trubisky? How do you know?

I’d be willing to help you explore and find something Jack. If I can help, let me know. Send me your resume and your thoughts on fields that might be interesting to you and I’ll see what I can come up with.

What is your degree in and where is it from? It doesn’t matter that much but I thought I would ask. I don’t have a disability so I can’t say that I have been in your shoes, but I do know what it is like to study something and decide the job or career isn’t for me. I know what it feels like to feel stuck. I went to school to try and be a few things - a high school English teacher, a sports journalist or news broadcaster or work in sports in some capacity. After four years of school, multiple college majors and one college transfer, I graduated with a BA in Business Administration/Management. I have worked for a professional sports team, a PR firm, a startup, as a leave administrator and assistant account manager for an EAP company in Chicago and I have worked for an insurance company. None of the jobs have given me fulfillment and only my current one has given me a middle class wage. The current employer has paid for graduate school classes in data science and I am taking an elective in health care administration (I have also tried to pick up Python and have learned about ICD and CPT codes on my own). My wife and I own a home in the suburbs and she wants kids in the near future, something I am warming up to but concerned about with my current salary. I’m 31 and she’s older. I have a job where opportunity feels limited because the major offices are in Washington and Connecticut and I don’t work alongside a local team to learn directly from them. Opportunities I have been presented with are underwriting, data science and implementation. The issue is that I can’t learn very well with remote teams and would like to get into a health care related industry that would pay me better, gives me interesting work (data analysis, health care informatics) and may eventually allow me to go back to school for something that won’t get automated and has an impact on the world, like nursing. I have a connection somewhere that might allow me to hit on the first two of these things, along with working with a local team but it’s not perfect. My point in telling you this is that you aren’t the only one who feels stuck out there. I’ve changed jobs several times and I still don’t feel closer to finding meaningful work. And with the obligations that I have, I may never have that. But the one thing I have is hope, hope that what I am doing now will pay off for me in the future. That gives me some optimism even if there is lots of uncertainty. I certainly can’t imagine all of what you face but I would point out that with a positive mindset, some things are possible in life no matter the circumstances.

Jack, how long have you been out of work? What jobs have you applied to recently? What jobs are you targeting?

That is all you can do. I wish I could change my educational background from the past and end up in a different career. We only have today and the future to look forward to. The past is the past.

Nope, it’s the same thing on my tv. It’s driving me nuts.

Is Stone on vacation? Who is with Benetti for this series?

83!! Does anyone know if McNeil and Parkins stopped doing “Can’t Do It” on their show? Loved hearing B&B on Monday. Also love when Bernstein goes after dumb callers.

I wish the Cub games weren’t on weekdays. That’s kind of stupid.

Just a FYI that Boers and Bernstein are on again today from 9-12.

Herrera is owed too much to be released. Sanchez can be removed from the list as well, unless they were to keep Garcia.