Career Advice

[Cecily]

Arguably the most interesting facet of the online game Everquest is its homogeneous community of diverse socioeconomic classes and backgrounds. Where else would you see a drug addict having an intense conversation with a millionaire over current events or imaginary items? They might even be friends. The drug addict might be the millionaire and he's just ranting to himself. Point is some people here have made it and some people definitely haven't; however, unlike Everquest, American life isn't necessarily a meritocracy.

If you're doing OK in life and you're comfortable sharing how you got there, please do. there might be some unconventional advice others not doing so well can use, like ass pennies (http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/f7112b01fb/ass-pennies-from-greatest-comedy-sketches) or something.

[Cecily]

Posting in RnF (RIP) out of habit. Move to OT please.

[Wonkie]

that's not what homogenous means

heterogenous

the difference is mostly erogenous

[Cecily]

Whatevergenious.

[radda]

I’m a mascot as a side job for an expensive school on the east coast, got my foot in the door for being the lakers mascot but I hate LA and this was 3 weeks before Lebron joined them.

The only way I even got into mascoting 3 years ago was a buddy I worked with saw I needed help after I got a wreck less driving ticket for smoking a joint.
and my personality fit.

Do exactly what you want and don’t pass up Up stuff cause ya mostly who you know anyways

[Cecily]

I bet that's fun as hell.

[radda]

I bet that's fun as hell.

Like to dance almost uncontrollably? Energetic? Like going into your attic mid summer for for an hour or two 2-3 times a week?

Perfect job,

Also must know who to deal with kids with out talking to them

[LulzSect©]

Professional Yiffer

[Topgunben]

Thanks for starting this Thread Cecily. I think it's a great idea for people to share how they are making a living, and also where the money is at.

I'm in Real estate and new construction home sales. The money is pretty good, I'm on route to make over $100k this year, but last year I only made around $80k. In my area the average household income is around 65k so I feel like I'm doing pretty well, but I also feel like the kind of work I do is knocking years off of my life because of the stress. I worked construction before this as a block and stone mason and really enjoyed it, but the money just wasn't there when I stopped 4 years ago. My step brothers are still in the masonry business and I often want to go back to that, but I also don't want to cut my income in half.

I've looked into long haul trucking and if you become an owner operator, there is potential to make upwards of $180k a year. It's a lot of work, but to be your own boss and see the country, sounds great to me.

I hope more people share what they do, I'm always looking for inspiration, even if it is from an elf sim forum.

[Cecily]

I bet that's fun as hell.

I actually said something similar to a hell's angel once. That was the wrong thing to say.

[Canelek]

Mascotting (that correct?) sounds fucking rad. Solid choice for fun + exercise.

I'm a DBA for the day job. It's nice to work from home, although I really need to get my indoor bike set up again to keep in decent cardio health. I've been doing this shit for ages. Pays well, and it is pretty easy for me for the most part.

BUT

I hate working for others, so, my wife and I run a small cidery. We got our liquor license a couple years ago and operate out of our basement. Recently, we signed a lease on a production facility so will be going from 2 x 4bbl stainless brite tanks w/ 200 gal fermenters to 2 60bbl brites, 2 60bbl fermenters and a 40bbl foeder.

Hopefully, we will be up and running, including tasting room, by next spring. Maybe in a couple years we can replace my day job salary and I can finally have a bit more time for woodworking and doing other shit I really enjoy.

[Wonkie]

Whatevergenious.

Whateverogenous - a sexually adventurous individual

[radda]

Whateverogenous - a sexually adventurous individual

Lol

Anyways and reread what I wrote,
The lebron and lakers bit was suppose to read as I just recently had my foot in their door but turned them down but with all the hype to come to the lakers and la in general I feel as if I may have passed up the number one gig.
Oh well, it’s really not as if I’d make anything close to the actual players.

Besides this job and my main 9-5,
My Career path if you can call it that is to tour the world once more with a much better band that considering my past experiences I’ve decided to start solo and grow from there.
There’s not much money in it unless you have the dream team but cost wise it is one of the easiest and cheapest ways to see the world. IMO.

Phew I’m chatty

[shuklak]

Door to door kitchen cleaners. Pays alright but perks of railing desperate housewives is the reason i stick with it.

[Kaight]

I went to school for artsy things; got job in non-artsy thing; was bored as hell for five years; went back to school for graphic design; now I'm the creative director of my company. I love it. When I was in the job I didn't like, I told myself I could satisfy my creativity with outside projects, but that never worked. I need a job that's fulfilling otherwise I am miserable. I like making things.

[Wonkie]

I went to school for artsy things; got job in non-artsy thing; was bored as hell for five years; went back to school for graphic design; now I'm the creative director of my company. I love it. When I was in the job I didn't like, I told myself I could satisfy my creativity with outside projects, but that never worked. I need a job that's fulfilling otherwise I am miserable. I like making things.

cool. make me a sandwich.

[Kaight]

cool. make me a sandwich.

http://imgur.com/UYVq7Vy.jpg

[Wonkie]

http://imgur.com/UYVq7Vy.jpg

so much for the tolerant left

[skarlorn]

Get an entry level position utilizing your existing skills and talents. Then, figure out how to make the company a shit load of money or save them a shit load of money. Leverage your successes for more opportunity, promotion, partnership, or a better offer with the competition.

[clevergirl]

Anyone telling you they have the secrets to life and prosperity and happiness are likely trying to sell you a giant brontosaur sized pile of shit.

[Jimjam]

Get an entry level position utilizing your existing skills and talents. Then, figure out how to make the company a shit load of money or save them a shit load of money. Leverage your successes for more opportunity, promotion, partnership, or a better offer with the competition.

If you do this make sure it's demonstrable the successes are yours. You don't want colleagues or managers taking your credit.

Be friendly, but not a bother to, the boss of your boss.

[Troxx]

Arguably the most interesting facet of the online game Everquest is its homogeneous community of diverse socioeconomic classes and backgrounds.

You mean heterogeneous?

[Troxx]

If you're doing OK in life and you're comfortable sharing how you got there, please do.

I went to school for 12 years. After that I went to school for 4 more years. After that I went to school for 4 more years. At the ripe old age of 26, I finally had a full time job that required 3 more years of intense training.

Lots of school and hard work pays off.

[Cecily]

You mean heterogeneous?

I don't have you're quarter million of colledge debt nor did I have the privillege of life going well for over a century so bare with me if I mispell things.

[Cecily]

Thanks for the replies everyone! Keep those dad paid for my doctorate stories coming in.

[Troxx]

Paid my own way. I'll have the last loan paid off by January.

[Cecily]

Word. Congrats!

I need to decide IT or nursing very soon cause picking out fall classes. Is a "cybersecurity" degree worth anything or do I want a straight up CS path? Nursing is more my calling, I think, but I do have some serious issues with authority and that job puts in a subordinate position, likely forever. Everyone has to deal with a boss though and I'm willing to suck it up. As far as IT goes... I'd love to be autonomous but logic, math, and non-verbal intelligence aren't my strong points. I'm not weak in them, but I wouldn't be a prodigy. I'm stupid good in verbal.. Need input, halp!

[clevergirl]

You need a third option.

[khanable]

Word. Congrats!

I need to decide IT or nursing very soon cause picking out fall classes. Is a "cybersecurity" degree worth anything or do I want a straight up CS path? Nursing is more my calling, I think, but I do have some serious issues with authority and that job puts in a subordinate position, likely forever. Everyone has to deal with a boss though and I'm willing to suck it up. As far as IT goes... I'd love to be autonomous but logic, math, and non-verbal intelligence aren't my strong points. I'm not weak in them, but I wouldn't be a prodigy. I'm stupid good in verbal.. Need input, halp!

I watched a lot of people go through CS with not much interest in it (as a math person that had to do some CS, I had a genuine interest in it and literally shit on all the pure CS nerds that were just looking for a fat paycheck someday). They couldn't land jobs because CS just never clicked for them. You'll get some bullshit low-tier programming job in this market, but probably ain't worth it if you're not going to actually enjoy it.

What do you like to do on the daily? What drives you? What can you spend hours doing and not think twice about it? Write them down. Think of what they tap into inside you (creative energy, problem solving, etc). Use that as a basis for what you want to look into.

[Danth]

I need to decide IT or nursing very soon cause picking out fall classes. Is a "cybersecurity" degree worth anything or do I want a straight up CS path? Nursing is more my calling, I think, but I do have some serious issues with authority and that job puts in a subordinate position, likely forever. Everyone has to deal with a boss though and I'm willing to suck it up. As far as IT goes... I'd love to be autonomous but logic, math, and non-verbal intelligence aren't my strong points. I'm not weak in them, but I wouldn't be a prodigy. I'm stupid good in verbal.. Need input, halp!

Why is this in RNF? You seem sincere. Well...I ain't going to rant or flame.

Nursing: Do this if you want back problems later in life. Also do it if you like wallowing in blood, urine, vomit, or feces, any of which might quite often be infested with various highly contagious diseases. Added bonus, you're liable in a civil and potentially a criminal sense if something goes wrong (including easily-made mistakes like getting a med count wrong). Oh, and in some fields your charges might abuse you or beat you up and you have basically no recourse.

Think that sounds negative nancy, just wait till you run into a patient who defecates all over you then laughs, or an MRDD patient who starts gut-punching you because he doesn't know any better. If you work a nursing home and you're a woman, wear a thick padded bra because those old dudes sometimes get pinchy. Even if you don't plan to work in such facilities as a career, you might wind up in them during clinicals and may not have much of a choice.

Not telling you not to go that route--it truly is some folks' calling. But it takes a certain type of person, and you had best know what you're getting yourself in to. I know a lot of folks who do that for a living. Some of them are content with it. Some aren't.



Danth

[Aeaolena]

Word. Congrats!

I need to decide IT or nursing very soon cause picking out fall classes. Is a "cybersecurity" degree worth anything or do I want a straight up CS path? Nursing is more my calling, I think, but I do have some serious issues with authority and that job puts in a subordinate position, likely forever. Everyone has to deal with a boss though and I'm willing to suck it up. As far as IT goes... I'd love to be autonomous but logic, math, and non-verbal intelligence aren't my strong points. I'm not weak in them, but I wouldn't be a prodigy. I'm stupid good in verbal.. Need input, halp!

A couple thoughts -

1. CS is in high demand. Very high demand. My husband is a senior software engineer and they can't fill jobs fast enough where he works. It's a problem.

2. For Software, math and logic are indeed key. His company does interview a lot of CS people, but they have an entry "homework question" they want people to solve before they get an interview. You have to solve it and explain your logic behind solving it. They also, during the interview, have a white-board part of the in-person process where they have someone write out their code to a few simple problems. Often times he said a candidate will have a fantastic resume and seem like a great fit/personality.. but then they get to the technical part, and do a hard pass on the guy. I once asked him if maybe it was just nerves or the math was too hard. He said the interview white-board questions involved 5th grade math, so when CS people bomb it it's a huge red flag. It's really just there to test how fast someone can solve it.

3. However, strong verbal skills are very important in government contract work. Often times the tech companies have problems interfacing with potential customers because some (not all) software teams have very introverted people who cannot communicate well. But often, the 'managerial' types that would be good interfacing with customers don't interface well with the software engineers. They don't jive well together because their personal interests don't line up. As a gamer, you'd have an advantage here. I have yet to meet a single software engineer that wasn't a gamer in some sort of way. If you can have both the trust of the software developers, and create the trust between clients and the company -you'd be invaluable. Now, what degree you need to land that sort of position? I unfortunately have no idea.

[LulzSect©]

civil service tests is probably a better idea for someone with no job experience to land a city/govt job

[clevergirl]

I went into CS and that was even my MOS in some ways I excelled at it. However I was never driven or motivated or talented enough mathematically to really master it beyond a basic level. That held me back and contributed to complete burn out in 17 years with no real accomplishments to speak of. No advancement made in the field.

Nursing is brutally hard and I feel you need a better option just from cursory intuition.

You don't need a CS degree to build your own game or design your own website. I would only take the CS degree if you want to create hardware. Or build the engines that drive various aspects of software development. Interim you can get certification and go be a DB admin or something.
>
I struggle with this too because for me it's Everquest>cooking>exercise>cleaning>gardening. I'm an OCD freak so cleaning is compulsory.

All the other stuff I am talented at (makeup, hair, conversation, exercise) don't translate well because I can't stand people in close proximity on a continual and daily basis. Otherwise I'd run an LGBTQIAN+ salon, spa, gym, and healing center + makeup boutique add on.

[Cecily]

Didn't know about that test. Is that like the ASVAB? Could be helpful, but I know I've tested to have a extreme affinity for "helping" and "thinking" careers in the past. Those two fields I mentioned seem like the most pragmatic and relevant to those categories I can go with. I really enjoy writing as well, but an English degree seems like financial seppuku. Comedy writing would be my absolute dream job, but don't think I'm consistently funny enough. I'd love to teach, and I'd do it well, but I hate the school system too much.

I think I going with my original gut instinct for psych nursing is making the most sense atm. It's a outlet for my need to help people. Money is not my end game. I want a few elective procedures and I have almost no desire for anything else. After that I just wanna spend my life helping to unfuck what life does to people.

Thanks for the thoughtful replies.

[Wonkie]

Didn't know about that test. Is that like the ASVAB? Could be helpful, but I know I've tested to have a extreme affinity for "helping" and "thinking" careers in the past. Those two fields I mentioned seem like the most pragmatic and relevant to those categories I can go with. I really enjoy writing as well, but an English degree seems like financial seppuku. Comedy writing would be my absolute dream job, but don't think I'm consistently funny enough. I'd love to teach, and I'd do it well, but I hate the school system too much.

I think I going with my original gut instinct for psych nursing is making the most sense atm. It's a outlet for my need to help people. Money is not my end game. I want a few elective procedures and I have almost no desire for anything else. After that I just wanna spend my life helping to unfuck what life does to people.

Thanks for the thoughtful replies.

is teaching english internationally still a thing? i think you have a degree and that's all it used to require. gets around the rude american student issue.

chime in here if you know better folks.

[clevergirl]

The nurses I knew all got something from being able to help people and touch lives in a positive way. My mom treated a lot of critically ill patients and she's proud of what she did looking back. That helped sustain her despite the profession being incredibly hard.

[clevergirl]

is teaching english internationally still a thing? i think you have a degree and that's all it used to require. gets around the rude american student issue.

chime in here if you know better folks.

Teaching in South Korea or some other non eurocountry isn't viable for out LGBT. It's even hard in places with good support and laws like UK or Germany.

[Cecily]

Yeah that's why I want to do it. A nurse helped me out of a dark place once and I've always wanted to do that for others since.

[Cecily]

Teaching in South Korea or some other non eurocountry isn't viable for out LGBT. It's even hard in places with good support and laws like UK or Germany.

Yeaaaaa. Fuck being the trans ambassador of the US.

[clevergirl]

Yeah that's why I want to do it. A nurse helped me out of a dark place once and I've always wanted to do that for others since.

Yeaaaaa. Fuck being the trans ambassador of the US.

+1 (sorry the replies are messed up)

[Troxx]

Nursing is more my calling, I think, but I do have some serious issues with authority and that job puts in a subordinate position, likely forever.

I've never viewed or treated my nurses as subordinates. We're all a team. Everyone who isn't self employed has a boss or someone they are responsible to.

[loramin]

I really enjoy writing as well, but an English degree seems like financial seppuku. Comedy writing would be my absolute dream job, but don't think I'm consistently funny enough. I'd love to teach, and I'd do it well, but I hate the school system too much.

I think I going with my original gut instinct for psych nursing is making the most sense atm. It's a outlet for my need to help people. Money is not my end game. I want a few elective procedures and I have almost no desire for anything else. After that I just wanna spend my life helping to unfuck what life does to people.

It sounds like you're pretty sold on nursing, which is meaningful, pays pretty well, and has almost guaranteed job security. But here's my (IT) story anyway.

I was a Literature major, Education minor in college. I learned to program on the side (didn't do CS because I hated most of the math), and while it took a little awhile because of the dot com bust I eventually got a job, and progressed to leading a team. Then I switched companies to one in the precision medicine industry (ie. looking at your genes to fight cancer). While there I wrote a book on a programming framework, and (after a few jobs in-between) this fall I'll be teaching an online Intro to Web Development online class.

What's my point from all that?

you don't need to like CS, or get a CS degree, or even get a degree at all to get an IT job. Just teach yourself or spend 12 weeks at a good boot camp (eg. Hack Reactor in San Francisco) and you can learn everything else on the job.
Even if you become a programmer, you can still help people. I helped people survive cancer by building a web application.
Even programmers can do things like write books and teach classes.
Programming pays well ... even (especially?) for Literature majors; so well I've been able to live off my savings while getting paid next to nothing to teach this course.


So IF nursing doesn't work out for you, a career in IT might be better suited for you than you realize. My advice would be to try a small IT project (eg. build a basic website) and see how you like it: it will be a completely different experience from a CS course.

[Cecily]

That's the type of story I wanted to hear. I love the kind of people who go into Lit., English, and journalism and it's interesting to see how they use it because its oftentimes an indirect path to income. You've hit most of the check marks of seemingly unrelated things I'd like to do professionally. That's pretty cool. Thanks for sharing and high five.

[Cecily]

I've never viewed or treated my nurses as subordinates. We're all a team. Everyone who isn't self employed has a boss or someone they are responsible to.

Yeah I acknowledged that last part. I'm useless for anything if I can't learn to be professional. Is your attitude the exception or the rule, because I feel like one of us has the wrong impression and I don't think it's me. Do you not tell nurses what to do? If they disagree, do you listen to them? I'm not saying you're wrong but I don't see that being the experience with every doctor or surgeon I work with.

Like Sedyt is a doctor and he's a massive c[Insult edited out by Sedyt. Application forums are not the appropriate place for name calling and flames.]

[Troxx]

Yeah I acknowledged that last part. I'm useless for anything if I can't learn to be professional. Is your attitude the exception or the rule, because I feel like one of us has the wrong impression and I don't think it's me. Do you not tell nurses what to do? If they disagree, do you listen to them? I'm not saying you're wrong but I don't see that being the experience with every doctor or surgeon I work with.

Like Sedyt is a doctor and he's a massive c[Insult edited out by Sedyt. Application forums are not the appropriate place for name calling and flames.]

It's all over the place really. Of those I've known I'd say about 25% follow my line of thought/behavior, 50% are more neutral and 25% are patriarchal to the nth degree (many of these are frankly dicks).

Do I tell them what to do? Yes and no. I direct the patient care and am ultimately the individual most responsible. We call them orders for a reason. If anyone on my team disagrees (nurse, respiratory therapist. technician, whomever) we pause and discuss/debrief immediately. Most of the time all it takes is explanation and we're back on track, but there have been occasions where a different perspective has saved the bacon of both myself and other docs I've known. This is especially true for seasoned and highly specialized ICU nurses (both pediatric and adult), oncology nurses, and obstetrics nurses. We're all human ... and humans make errors (at all levels of care). They watch my back. I watch theirs.

I think the first decision is to decide rather lifestyle is more or less important than career success/satisfaction. If you love skiing move someplace that allows you ample access to ski and figure out a way to make a living while you're there.

The important things for me are living in a place I like and having weekends off to spend with my family. The place I chose to live is expensive, so a decent income is a necessity. I also like a flexible schedule, again to make time for family.

I'm a commercial real estate broker for those reasons. I don't love or hate my job. The down side is an unreliable income stream -- I've paid more money in taxes in some years than I've made in others. The upside is the flexible schedule. But again, all of those are really secondary concerns to me.

Man ain't that the truth. There are those who live to work and those who work to live. If I rolled out of bed 18 tomorrow morning knowing what I know now, I'd likely take a different path. I'm here now and very happy with the work I do but if I knew just how long and hard the road would be I'd probably do something else. Something less stressful ... and something that would have me drawing a paycheck before I turned 26 (and not eating ramen until nearly 30). 9 years on I'm just now almost free of the debt and I'm pretty sure I've taken years off my life from lack of sleep and stress.

[Phenyo]

I play elfquest 16 hours a day professionally

[LulzSect©]

livin' the dream

[Jimjam]

^ Heal thyself, physician.

On topic: I taught business English to non native speakers. I was not formally qualified, just used relevant materials I could gather off the web and did a free Cambridge course to give me ideas for content and delivery.

Was fun, did some face to face (group seminars and 1:1) and some online (1:1).

Obviously living in Greece at the time facilitated this as I could use contacts to receive clients. Had clients flown in from Eastern Europe and Russia, so obviously they thought it was worth it.


Create a web presence then go directly to regional HQs of international corps. Describe you want to run a special offer exclusive to their staff, Explain the value of your coaching for their staff and management (many will have meetings, conferences and correspondence with English speakers at the international hq in New York or London). Improving their English improves their bottom line.

You may well find companies willing to shit money on you.

[Cecily]

It's all over the place really. Of those I've known I'd say about 25% follow my line of thought/behavior, 50% are more neutral and 25% are patriarchal to the nth degree (many of these are frankly dicks).

Do I tell them what to do? Yes and no. I direct the patient care and am ultimately the individual most responsible. We call them orders for a reason. If anyone on my team disagrees (nurse, respiratory therapist. technician, whomever) we pause and discuss/debrief immediately. Most of the time all it takes is explanation and we're back on track, but there have been occasions where a different perspective has saved the bacon of both myself and other docs I've known. This is especially true for seasoned and highly specialized ICU nurses (both pediatric and adult), oncology nurses, and obstetrics nurses. We're all human ... and humans make errors (at all levels of care). They watch my back. I watch theirs.

I hope I end up working with people like you then or at least that first 75%. If I only have personality conflicts with roughly 1 in 4 doctors I think I can make it work. Thank you for the inside perspective.

[Tethler]

is teaching english internationally still a thing? i think you have a degree and that's all it used to require. gets around the rude american student issue.

chime in here if you know better folks.

It's still a thing, yeah. That's what I do currently. People like to do it as a year-off kinda job before their "real career", so it has a bad reputation in the host countries sometimes due to many unqualified teachers. I got a degreee in Linguistics and a teaching cert so I wouldn't be like those guys. In my second year now and I really enjoy it. The pay isn't amazing, but it's enough to live comfortably (able to pay all bills and save $800-$1000 a month) and I am able to explore Asia cheaply (based in Japan).
There aren't many advancement opportunities though unless you get a masters or doctorate and teach at university level.

[Kushie]

Can i get some career advice?

[Cecily]

Chaturbate, get them tokens.

[shuklak]

Are they hiring eq devs? That's the dream job.

[Aeaolena]

Can i get some career advice?

Growing weed is legal in Colorado now. Move and start a farm.

If anyone is going to care about quality weed, it's Kushie.

[maskedmelon]

i wrote a big long uninspiring anecdote, butt realized it could really be distilled down to a single sentence: "don't give up." i am pretty incompetent at all, but a few things, which I excel at and have managed to succeed in a field in which I lack almost the entire skill set because I haven't quit. I can't take credit for that though. I've had a small group of people continue to boot me in the ass along the way and would not be where I am without that.

[LulzSect©]

never give up is useful advice melon 🍉

[Emerald_keep]

I've been on P99 long enough to be firepot bound, have been in just about every raiding guild throughout my 8 years here.

I'm an EMT and CPR Instructor that works in an ER, Father of a 2 year old and another one due next month. Working long shifts combined with self-scheduling allows me to have long stretches of days off, Which is nice for ToV repop days. I just want to say that it is possible to maintain a healthy marriage, raise kids and work for a living while keeping a good raid attendance on DragonPuncher 2k10.

For anyone that feels like they are in a slump, just remember that you always have options. Don't settle for anything less than happy.

[Wonkie]

It's still a thing, yeah. That's what I do currently. People like to do it as a year-off kinda job before their "real career", so it has a bad reputation in the host countries sometimes due to many unqualified teachers. I got a degreee in Linguistics and a teaching cert so I wouldn't be like those guys. In my second year now and I really enjoy it. The pay isn't amazing, but it's enough to live comfortably (able to pay all bills and save $800-$1000 a month) and I am able to explore Asia cheaply (based in Japan).
There aren't many advancement opportunities though unless you get a masters or doctorate and teach at university level.

this is very cool!

have you been to oppai pub yet?