Job Hunt Thread

[dasox24]

What do you do for a living now?

 

Are you married? Do you have kids? Do you own a home? Do you have a lot of debt? What do you believe your maximum earning capacity is with your current job? How much would you like to make? How much would medical school cost? Do you have the funds to pay for it? Would you have to take out a loan? How much would that be?

 

Those are the questions you need to be asking yourself and answering.

 

At 26, my guess is you can still do it, but let's just say you go take the 3 classes you need in the fall. You then apply in the spring. By the time you start med school you'll be 27. Med school is what, 3 or 4 years? Then a few years of residency? So then you are how old when you're finally ready to start practicing and working on the enormous mountain of debt you have piled up over the previous 7 years, 34?

 

I wasn't in the exact same boat as you, but a similar one. I graduated from law school when I was 30. Then took a job at 31 which I basically knew nothing about, and had a lot of law school debt. A bit concerning, to be honest, but I didn't really want to jump into trying to practice law, because I had grown to despise law firms while working for them in law school. So I jumped into the energy/utility industry, as a trader, a position without any significant connection to my legal training. I also moved all the way across the country to do it. So definitely a bit scary, and frightening...and exciting.

 

Fast forward 6 years...I am 37 now. I certainly didn't take the traditional path of my peers. But I AM doing something I love. And I AM making the money I hoped to be making at this age when I enrolled in law school 10 years ago. I still have that mountain of law school debt, but I am whittling it down, and if I continue on this career arc I am on, I am guessing I will have it paid off within 5 years or so. Despite the law degree not having a significant effect on my career when I initially started here, it has had a huge effect on it in the past 3 years.

 

I won't tell you to do it or not do it, but ask yourself those questions. Ask whether you are willing to be patient. But do know that it is possible and it can be worth it.

Thanks for the reply and insight, Shack. I do supply chain consulting/software implementation. It's a very stable job, and I'm the lead consultant for a Fortune 50 company so it's hard to walk away from. Unfortunately, I couldn't keep this job and finish up my undergrad pre-req's because of how much I travel. I wouldn't be in town to go to class/labs.

 

I don't have a wife or kids. I don't own a home. I do still have some debt from student loans that I'm paying off, and a car loan (which is 70% paid for). I could pay it all off tomorrow if I wanted, but I've wanted to keep that cash on hand.

 

I would absolutely have to take out loans for Med School. I think I could afford the undergrad classes I have to finish by working part-time combined with my savings I currently have.

 

I know I'd have to be patient with the process. In a best-case scenario, I'd be about 29 when starting med school. It's 3 semesters, not classes, that I have left (6 total classes). Then the acceptance process can take awhile. It's entirely possible after all that I wouldn't be able to score well on the MCAT, or maybe I'll realize I don't like it. If everything panned out, realistically, I'd be 30 when I started med school. 34 when I was done. 37 by the time I was out of residency. Doesn't seem too bad, especially considering I'll probably work at least another 30 years after that.

[iamshack]

Thanks for the reply and insight, Shack. I do supply chain consulting/software implementation. It's a very stable job, and I'm the lead consultant for a Fortune 50 company so it's hard to walk away from. Unfortunately, I couldn't keep this job and finish up my undergrad pre-req's because of how much I travel. I wouldn't be in town to go to class/labs.

 

I don't have a wife or kids. I don't own a home. I do still have some debt from student loans that I'm paying off, and a car loan (which is 70% paid for). I could pay it all off tomorrow if I wanted, but I've wanted to keep that cash on hand.

 

I would absolutely have to take out loans for Med School. I think I could afford the undergrad classes I have to finish by working part-time combined with my savings I currently have.

 

I know I'd have to be patient with the process. In a best-case scenario, I'd be about 29 when starting med school. It's 3 semesters, not classes, that I have left (6 total classes). Then the acceptance process can take awhile. It's entirely possible after all that I wouldn't be able to score well on the MCAT, or maybe I'll realize I don't like it. If everything panned out, realistically, I'd be 30 when I started med school. 34 when I was done. 37 by the time I was out of residency. Doesn't seem too bad, especially considering I'll probably work at least another 30 years after that.

What is the average age a doctor starts practicing?

[dasox24]

What is the average age a doctor starts practicing?

Based on the American Association of Medical Colleges, in 2011, the average med school student was 24 when they started school. Based on that, I'd say 31 if you just become a general practitioner. If you specialize in something, then it would be longer.

[IlliniKrush]

Tough call man. I'm going to assume you'll never get sick of going to school, and will stick through it the whole time and follow your plan. If that's the case, since that's not a risk of dropping out, it's:

 

Stable job/good(?) pay/consistent money/better lifestyle now/little debt/OK satisfaction with work

 

vs

 

Poor for number of years/lot of debt to repay/better(?) salary later/more interesting work (and putting in a lot more school work)

 

I think a lot of it comes down to money vs work you are doing. How safe/secure will you feel if you have a ton of loans and are poor? How safe/secure do you feel now, when you have savings I presume, and make decent money?

 

Does having better work outweigh money to you, at least in the short to medium term? If you're staring down thousands upon thousands of dollars of debt, how does that make you feel?

 

Do you think this decision could alter your life plan as far as marrying, kids, house? If so, are you OK with that? Are you with anyone right now?

 

I'm not panning for one side or the other, just the questions I'd be asking anyone. It's a real tough decision. Definitely take some time with it.

[Chisoxfn]

One thing to consider is while you don't have a family, if you plan on starting one in the next few years, it would be awful hard to have a family and be going through school with limited to no income + lots of debt (unless your significant other was in a position to help). I mean, I don't love my job, but I am happy with my compensation and I'm in a position that one day I can take another job and really leverage it and be able to provide for my family and live the type of lifestyle I want. Plus, while the work might not be my dream job, working with the people I do makes it enjoyable and I figure the key is that your job gives you the ability to do what you want to do in your free time. I'm guessing doing what you do for your current company also puts you in a similar position that you can find another post in time with less travel and ability to give you the flexibility (and of course pay) to enjoy time with your family (when you have it) and allow you to spend time on whatever hobbies interest you.

 

That said, if it really is what you want you really really want to do, go for it. I have a few friends in the profession and all I can say is that is one tough job. So much work and debt to get through school and then the early years in the career are tough too. Its a wonder people become doctor's these days. Thankfully people do but not enough.

 

PS: Shack's list of key questions were pretty much dead on. Not an easy decision by any stretch of the imagination.

[dasox24]

Thanks Krush and Jason. Those are all good questions and things to consider. I must admit, neither of you are making me feel any more confident in making this change. Haha.

 

I think both of you nailed it regarding the potential of starting a family, providing for them, etc. I think that's the thing I'm most scared of. I'm single currently, but I imagine that will change in the next 10 years. Ideally, I don't want to wait to start a family until my late 30s. I don't want to be an "old" dad. Not that it's the worst thing, but I'd rather be a bit younger when I have my first kid. Of course, I'm assuming a lot because I have no prospects of even a girlfriend right now. But that could change tomorrow. You never know. And right now it is nice knowing that I'm financially secure if/when a girl and subsequent family were to come along.

 

Luckily, I do make a good salary and have a good bit in savings + 401k. I'm able to do all sorts of vacations and whatnot, and not have to worry about it financially. I'd never be able to do that if I was a poor student and then afterwards with all that debt.

 

If I won the lottery tomorrow, it would be a no-brainer. I'd do it immediately. Unfortunately, life isn't that easy. I know I have to be a realist when it comes to making this decision. I've mapped out my next 10 years with potential earnings if I stay in my current job/industry versus if I go back to school. It's a very significant difference.

 

Jason, you also made a good point about liking the people you work with. I really like the people I work with. In general, I love being around people and getting that social interaction at work.

 

I think part of me bringing this up is that I'm getting burned out on my job. I work more hours than anyone I know (except for some co-workers, of course). Rather than immediately finding a new job, I'm trying to consider all my options. Since the medical profession is something I've wanted to do for a long time, I want to be certain that I don't want to go the med school route before applying for other jobs. I'd hate to get a new job and then quit 3 months later because I decided to go back to school. That wouldn't be fair to whomever hired me and would look poorly on me.

 

I mentioned this earlier, but the ideal situation would be continuing to work while I'm getting my pre-reqs completed. If I could keep working throughout the whole process and then say I did get accepted to medical school, then I could work up until school started. That would only be 4 years without a regular job, and I could swing that. If I didn't get accepted, then no harm done financially (though disappointing on a personal level). To do this scenario, I'd have to find a new job and then they'd have to be cool with me ducking out early two days a week to go to night class. I don't think that would fly.

Edited March 14, 2014 by dasox24

[iamshack]

Anybody have a project manager certification? Looking into this and was wondering where the best starting point might be in terms of books...

[Soxbadger]

I think Im finally done where I work. One of my clients may hire me to be in house corp counsel (fingers crossed). Stupid law firm, you could have had me forever but you were too cheap.

[StrangeSox]

Anybody have a project manager certification? Looking into this and was wondering where the best starting point might be in terms of books...

 

Are you talking PMP through PMI?

[Jenksismyhero]

I think Im finally done where I work. One of my clients may hire me to be in house corp counsel (fingers crossed). Stupid law firm, you could have had me forever but you were too cheap.

 

Man that is my goal. No more court would be awesome.

[iamshack]

Are you talking PMP through PMI?

Well, a job came up that I'm interested in and one of the skills is project management skills. Without knowing what a massive undertaking becoming a pmp was, I made that post. Since, I've picked up a few books and realized the best I'm going to do is learn the lingo and the fundamental concepts.

 

They were helpful though.

 

Interview is Friday.

[cabiness42]

I've posted this before a while back, but it's worth another shot:

 

I've worked for the Federal government nearly my entire career (almost 15 years). I really want to get out of government work and also want to move farther north. My wife's family is in Indianapolis, mine is in South Bend/Elkhart, and we've both lived in Chicago before (and love going to Sox games). Our target area to live in is essentially a triangle bounded by I-80/90, US 31, and I-65. So essentially Hammond, South Bend, Indianapolis, Kokomo, Lafayette, or anywhere near any of those places. Would consider downtown Chicago or south suburbs if it's commutable from Lake/Porter counties. At this time I'm not really willing to consider moving outside of that target area.

 

Biggest obstacle is that government experience, especially at the mid-career level, doesn't count for much outside of government. I have experience managing call centers, but that is by no means the limit of my search. I have a lot of general management/administrative experience with a high level of analytical ability, but no real industry-specific experience. I am a quick learner and am looking to make a long-term (15-20 years) commitment to the right company, if that at all makes up for the lack of experience. There is a certain base income level that I need to have in order to continue supporting the family, but location, benefits, job security, and how much I like the company are all equally if not more important than salary.

 

If you have any connections that have anything that even remotely sounds like a fit, I'd be very interested in hearing about it. If you are on LinkedIn and willing to connect with me, I'd appreciate that as well.

[bigruss]

My boss' boss is leaving the company (Sr Directory level in charge of IT Security). The interim guy (who I'm not a fan of) is most likely getting the job as it appears he was being groomed for it. Luckily I'm in good standing with the guy, but I just don't trust him much (manages up and not down). Not sure what changes are coming, but thinking I need to keep my eyes open.

[iamshack]

My boss' boss is leaving the company (Sr Directory level in charge of IT Security). The interim guy (who I'm not a fan of) is most likely getting the job as it appears he was being groomed for it. Luckily I'm in good standing with the guy, but I just don't trust him much (manages up and not down). Not sure what changes are coming, but thinking I need to keep my eyes open.

Where is he going? Perhaps you might look there...

 

[bigruss]

Where is he going? Perhaps you might look there...

I'm guessing he followed one of his good buddies who left about a year ago for another local company (his buddy is a VP there). I'm not even 2 years yet at this company (graduated in may 2012) but a big proponent of getting promoted was the sr. director so maybe there would be interest there. I'll have to see how things shake out, I think my boss (who I have the best relationship with) has indicated that changes are coming with some of the things he's been saying lately, but who knows at this point.

[pettie4sox]

I have an interview today with a company that operates in the same building I work in now. Trying to sneak my way without being seen is hard. I was allegedly scheduled for 12:30pm. I sneak my way out of the building without being seen and apparently I'm suppose to be interviewing at 1:00pm. The lunch crowd will be back so it'll be even harder to not be seen now.

 

It doesn't help that I'm dressed up today in at a research institute. I think people know what's up but I'm sticking to I'm having dinner tonight.

[Steve9347]

...and another 14% raise.

[bigruss]

...and another 14% raise.

Congrats!

 

So what's the secret?

[Steve9347]

Congrats!

 

So what's the secret?

Be indispensable.

[Soxbadger]

So Im going to get some offers from this company to basically run it. The salary isnt going to be amazing but likely an increase from what Im making. The only catch is that right now I basically have a job for life, going to this new company there would be a risk that the company fails. It would also likely end my litigation career, which makes me feel a little melancholy to write.

[Steve9347]

So Im going to get some offers from this company to basically run it. The salary isnt going to be amazing but likely an increase from what Im making. The only catch is that right now I basically have a job for life, going to this new company there would be a risk that the company fails. It would also likely end my litigation career, which makes me feel a little melancholy to write.

Taking it?

[Soxbadger]

Well see what they offer and then see if my firm tries to guilt trip me/pay me to stay.

 

Its a tough one lol.

[Chisoxfn]

So Im going to get some offers from this company to basically run it. The salary isnt going to be amazing but likely an increase from what Im making. The only catch is that right now I basically have a job for life, going to this new company there would be a risk that the company fails. It would also likely end my litigation career, which makes me feel a little melancholy to write.

There is no such thing as a job for life. A lot of choices but ultimately being young, you can fail, but you need to make sure that as a whole, no matter what, you can continue to learn and develop yourself and improve (obviously you have to get paid) but continuous improvements helps build you for future career opportunities later in life.

[pettie4sox]

So I had interview about 3 weeks ago. I haven't heard any feedback regarding my interview or the position. I am going through a recruitment agency as a third party. The guy apparently went on vacation and just got back this week. My recruiter/agent has emailed him for feedback.

 

Should I just assume the worse here? I feel like they would have made an offer by now if they wanted me.

[southsider2k5]

So I had interview about 3 weeks ago. I haven't heard any feedback regarding my interview or the position. I am going through a recruitment agency as a third party. The guy apparently went on vacation and just got back this week. My recruiter/agent has emailed him for feedback.

 

Should I just assume the worse here? I feel like they would have made an offer by now if they wanted me.

 

Not telling you to give up on it, but your assumption is probably right. If it isn't, that probably speaks to internal problems at the company if they can't get back to someone in three weeks regarding their interview. Either one is a red flag.