Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Career path advice needed
I was talking to my H this weekend about my career goals and I'm not quite sure what they even are.
Here's my story. I have an undergrad degree in business administration and marketing. After college, I had trouble finding a job so I considered my options. Teaching made sense based on my volunteer work and my personality so I went back to school. Since finishing my elementary education master's two years ago, I've been a teaching aide and currently substitute teach. At the end of college and during my master's I tried to get into event planning but I look very young and felt I wasn't able to be taken seriously. Now after getting married, I think I would have more clout but I'm not so sure it's something I want to do. I like the idea of working from home but I also like the structure of working for a company with business coming in for a steady paycheck and benefits. My H has benefits but his company doesn't pay toward family so mine is very expensive.
I'm not sure how long I should try to find a teaching job before giving up on it. I'm a hard worker and when I have a passion I am very determined. At the same time, I want a career that will lend itself to raising a family someday. My mom was home with me when I was growing up and I'd like to do the same.
I don't have student loans and I contribute to our household. My H is not pressuring me to work. He just knows I'm a motivated person and I've sort of lost my way in this economy. If anyone has any advice I'd be thankful to hear it!
Re: Career path advice needed
I have the same exact degree. I got a crazy busy, high profile advertising job after graduation and got burned out by a verbally abusive boss after one year. I left. In my job search, I stumbled up on the banking industry and loved it!!!
In a down economy, advertising/marketing jobs are often the first to go since they are considered non-essential positions, as in, the company can usually get by without them or with them but on a limited basis.
What you might want to look into is a larger company that has its marketing department in your city. Maybe you could take a job with them in another field and after awhile swap to marketing (apply from with-in) if a job opens up.
If a job doesn't open up, you'd still have the benefits and paycheck you desire, plus you'd be building your resume with some real-world, professional experience.
Another thing to highly consider, which I have told to other posters here, is to consider banking. If you work in a branch, first as a teller and then as a banker (get promoted) you will be using some marketing because those positions are highly sales-realted these days. They are closed weekends and banking holidays and you cannot take ANY work home with you (security reasons). Plus, banks have massive networks of internal departments that the general public doesn't know about and you may find one of them interesting.
Once you are hired by one bank, getting into another is pretty simple too.
Check out listings online from the small/mid-sized and national banks in your area. Small ones will probably have a morehomey feel, but advancement and job options may be limited. Larger banks will be highly numbers driven and a bit more impersonal, but you would have a ton of growth potential.
Thanks for the thoughtful response! I have actually been considering getting into banking for the past year, maybe starting as a teller. It's nice to hear the same thing from someone else. I'm organized and responsible and I like the "not bringing work home with you" part ;-) I know I can be happy doing almost anything as long as I'm in the right environment with good people and I'm motivated.
I know someone who worked their way up in a small bank, and it's nice to know that it's still possible to do things like that. I am going to look into it now!