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what is my career goal/Newly engaged/losing my job---please help!
okay. so i recently got engaged and couldnt be happier! I also graduated college just about a year ago, last may, and now im about to lose my job and have to go back to waitressing! I've been working as a marketing assistant/ office administrator/ everyone's helper/ doing whatever needs to get done. I don't love my job at all and i'm doing it just for the money. Also, i do waitress on the weekends just to get a little extra cash. Basically i never have a day off and i make enough money to pay my bills and thats about it.
I just need some advice on how to figure out where i want to go in life. I'm going back to waitressing until i find another full time, 9-5, better paying job. When do you realize what your passion is or what you want to do for the rest of your life. Im not like those people that just know. is this normal to feel like this when your just out of college/losing your job? o by the way im only losing my job because the company is packing up and moving to california and im in new jersey. they only offered ONE person to move to the new office!!! and it wasnt me =/ but i probably wouldnt have gone anyway. so any advice about all this nonsense would be greatly appreciated!
Re: what is my career goal/Newly engaged/losing my job---please help!
My view point is a little different because I am in HR and do some recruiting. I love that you want to find a career that you're passionate about, but to be very blatant, it is tough to do that right now. The unemployment rate is high and you have little experience. I would - for now - look for something that you are qualified for. Maybe an office specialist at a company that you respect, or a marketing assistant, or an entry-level job. I am all for following your passions, but the world just isn't working that way right now. Many of us - most of us - probably fell in to careers because they are what the world offered. If your major is specialized (education, accounting, nursing), then obviously go after those jobs. If you're like me and did something general (business, English, history, etc), take what you can. I know it sounds harsh, but get your foot in the door somewhere and then try and move up.
For what it is worth, I never realized what I wanted to do with my life. That never happened for me. I found a career that I enjoy and that provides me with a healthy income, and I feel pretty grateful for that.
FET - transferred two embryos (boy and girl) - Nov 2014 - BFP!
If you have ever thought about an advanced degree, now is the time to do it. Just don't go to an expensive school and take out a bunch of private loans.
I also never just knew that I was meant to do something. I majored in education, but during my senior year I hated my student teaching experience. However, I had no idea of what else I wanted to do. I spent a lot of time thinking about my skills and the things that I enjoy doing, and I did tons of reading about different careers. This is a great place to start reading about different careers, including the training you need, typical salary, and employment outlook: http://www.bls.gov/oco/
Do lots of reading and then narrow it down to two or three jobs. Talk to people in those positions. Ask if you can shadow someone for a day. Also evaluate if you have the skills necessary for any education required for the job. For example, I fell in love with speech pathology after shadowing two speech pathologists for a day at a hospital. However, I took one science course and was so bored out of my mind that I realized I would never be happy having to take all of those science courses. After you narrow it down, get whatever training, education and experience you need to get a job in that field.
I did the things above, and narrowed it down to two choices - getting a master's degree in HR and organizational development, or going to law school. After talking to a lot of people in both fields, I chose law school and five years out of school I'm still thrilled with my choice.
I worked as a server all through college. Depending on the type of people you wait on at your restaurant, it might be a good opportunity for networking. I had personal business cards and would give them out on occasion. I received a couple of interviews that way. The tricky part is to only network with the right people, because some people just want to eat.