Author Topic: career options. help?pleaseee?  (Read 3884 times)

resy

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 347
  • Location: West Coast
career options. help?pleaseee?
« on: August 02, 2014, 08:13:34 PM »
Hi there!
I am 28 and am attending community college (paying as I go)  and working towards a degree.
I would LOVE to hear from you guys regarding a career. I know only I can choose what to study BUT I have certain ptiorities I want to address:

1) I am paying cash for as much as I can afford to so I really want to get value"bang for my buck". Not interested in luxury degrees (ie art major...although there isnt wrong with it, just not what I need) my family and I are making sacrifices to makr this happen so I want to make it worthwhile. I dont need it to pay 120k a year but at least 60k.
2)Have been self employed (in an industry that is strictly time exchanged for money and not really lucrative) so something where I could have ths option of freelancing, consulting, making my own business is very appealing to me.

 I love talking to people about their real-life experiences with their careers so I can have realistic expectations. All and any help is very much appreciated as I am very lost.

Another Reader

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 5327
Re: career options. help?pleaseee?
« Reply #1 on: August 02, 2014, 08:26:03 PM »
Don't know if you have a science background, but I know several people that got nursing degrees and either do nursing on their schedule or have high paying jobs at pharmaceutical companies and related fields.  I believe in most areas you can do a two year degree and if necessary your employer may help with the BSN. 

Murse

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 574
Re: career options. help?pleaseee?
« Reply #2 on: August 02, 2014, 08:46:10 PM »
Don't know if you have a science background, but I know several people that got nursing degrees and either do nursing on their schedule or have high paying jobs at pharmaceutical companies and related fields.  I believe in most areas you can do a two year degree and if necessary your employer may help with the BSN.

I'm currently getting my nursing degree from a community college. It will work out great when it is all done. Depends on your area of the country, including pre-reqs it is taking me 5 years to get my associates degree however, I will come out making around 35$/hr. I have been able to do all my schooling at community college and the total cost of everything school related (tuition/books) will be 20k when I am finished. Wages vary by state. Opportunities are plentiful, options to continue on to become a advanced practice nurse if you are the ambitious type. Unsure of your gender but I am a male and have received no gender discrimination. Ask if you have any questions.

we actually live in the same state, so the wage information is accurate. Competition for nursing school in this state is fierce.
« Last Edit: August 02, 2014, 08:55:03 PM by FutureNurse »

resy

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 347
  • Location: West Coast
Re: career options. help?pleaseee?
« Reply #3 on: August 02, 2014, 09:01:13 PM »
Don't know if you have a science background, but I know several people that got nursing degrees and either do nursing on their schedule or have high paying jobs at pharmaceutical companies and related fields.  I believe in most areas you can do a two year degree and if necessary your employer may help with the BSN.

I'm currently getting my nursing degree from a community college. It will work out great when it is all done. Depends on your area of the country, including pre-reqs it is taking me 5 years to get my associates degree however, I will come out making around 35$/hr. I have been able to do all my schooling at community college and the total cost of everything school related (tuition/books) will be 20k when I am finished. Wages vary by state. Opportunities are plentiful, options to continue on to become a advanced practice nurse if you are the ambitious type. Unsure of your gender but I am a male and have received no gender discrimination. Ask if you have any questions.

Op- we actually live in the same state, so the wage information is accurate. Competition for nursing school in this state is fierce.

Im a female :) One of my options is nursing and have even talked to a counselor about it. Ya it is very competitive here but it is also well paid. I am also bilingual (spanish) so I think that gives me an advantage...I think. The one thing I dont know about nursing is that it has a relative amount of physical labor... sounds like I'm picky I know but I have been a house cleaner for 10 years; I am itching for a job that will use my intellect (NOT that nursing doesnt!).
I read a lot about different stuff. I do like science :) i also like finance and my ultimate goal is to reach FI to do charitable work (yeah... Im one of those softies). One thing that doesnt really get my attention is computers though :( nothing is as boring to me as when my husband is showing me his latest app he is working on or erbsite or whatever...

mozar

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 3503
Re: career options. help?pleaseee?
« Reply #4 on: August 02, 2014, 09:08:00 PM »
Don't know anything about Oregon but accounting has a good bang for the buck. Public, private, taxes, audit, bookkeeping, etc.

I speak spanish too and it's never helped me in anything fyi. I think it's good for social work, immigration law, and teaching.

Murse

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 574
Re: career options. help?pleaseee?
« Reply #5 on: August 02, 2014, 09:22:05 PM »
Don't know if you have a science background, but I know several people that got nursing degrees and either do nursing on their schedule or have high paying jobs at pharmaceutical companies and related fields.  I believe in most areas you can do a two year degree and if necessary your employer may help with the BSN.

I'm currently getting my nursing degree from a community college. It will work out great when it is all done. Depends on your area of the country, including pre-reqs it is taking me 5 years to get my associates degree however, I will come out making around 35$/hr. I have been able to do all my schooling at community college and the total cost of everything school related (tuition/books) will be 20k when I am finished. Wages vary by state. Opportunities are plentiful, options to continue on to become a advanced practice nurse if you are the ambitious type. Unsure of your gender but I am a male and have received no gender discrimination. Ask if you have any questions.

Op- we actually live in the same state, so the wage information is accurate. Competition for nursing school in this state is fierce.

Im a female :) One of my options is nursing and have even talked to a counselor about it. Ya it is very competitive here but it is also well paid. I am also bilingual (spanish) so I think that gives me an advantage...I think. The one thing I dont know about nursing is that it has a relative amount of physical labor... sounds like I'm picky I know but I have been a house cleaner for 10 years; I am itching for a job that will use my intellect (NOT that nursing doesnt!).
I read a lot about different stuff. I do like science :) i also like finance and my ultimate goal is to reach FI to do charitable work (yeah... Im one of those softies). One thing that doesnt really get my attention is computers though :( nothing is as boring to me as when my husband is showing me his latest app he is working on or erbsite or whatever...

Nursing does have a good amount of physical labor and if your ultimate goal is Fi then something else would likely fit your desires better. But again, nursing has many opportunities, not all of them are high in physical labor.

Roses

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 188
  • Location: Seattle
Re: career options. help?pleaseee?
« Reply #6 on: August 03, 2014, 02:43:32 AM »
This response isn't really about your future career (I was going to say Localization or Computational Linguistics since you speak Spanish and those pay well but then you said no computer stuff).  But if you're looking for a way to make pretty good money while you're in school with a flexible schedule you should advertise for Spanish tutoring.  In Seattle people pay $35-$50 per 50 mins and you can tutor students at cafes (schedule a few back to back).  I assume Portland is similar.  If you've never taught before get any Spanish 101 text and follow that method.  The easiest students are private high school kids who need help with homework and mom & dad will pay anything to see better grades.  Other good ones are adults who already speak well but just want conversational practice.  Put up a few fliers at universities, cafes, anywhere near schools, big tech companies & also craigslist.  If you're a native speaker people love that.

sarah8001

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 85
Re: career options. help?pleaseee?
« Reply #7 on: August 03, 2014, 03:25:47 AM »
I second the nursing/other healthcare option. If nursing is too physical, or too emotionally overwhelming (you got to really have your emotional shit together to be a good, happy nurse, in my experience as a nurse's aide and daughter of a career nurse) you should look into respiratory therapy or physical therapy, or the lab (I'm a Medical Lab Technician-pretty sweet job). Healthcare allows you to travel, do some freelance type work, and have a ton of flexibility in your schedule and pays very well. I would recommend getting a two year degree or completing a certificate program as cheaply as possible, then using that to pay for a four year degree. Many hospitals in my area prefer four year degrees, and there have been rumors for years about maybe getting rid of the two year degrees all together. Also travel agencies tend to prefer four year degrees, in my experience.

minkcar

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 8
Re: career options. help?pleaseee?
« Reply #8 on: August 04, 2014, 09:31:36 AM »
I work in healthcare, and there are a few other things you may want to consider for nursing. Not good or bad, just the way it's likely to be.
Existing regulatory milestones and programs are putting a crunch on small practices. Most nursing jobs through your career will likely be for large organizations (1 billion in annual revenues or bigger). Lots of these are nonprofits, but you still get some big company politics. It also means you're likely to be union.
My hospital has a policy that nobody speaks Spanish except licensed medical translators. Being bilingual may or may not help in nursing, though you may be able to certify as a translator as well.
Nursing documentation will basically all be done on computers. Nurses generally hate this. If you get good at it that can set you apart from other nurses and give you an edge. You probably don't want it to take over your career, but being a "super-user" can make you indispensable. It may also help bump you up to a higher pay bracket depending on union contracts.
There will be exceptions to all this, but that's the direction everything's heading right now with ACOs, MU, and ACA. The exceptions will end up being highly coveted, and so competition will be tougher.
These things will likely be really good for the industry and for people, so I'm generally optimistic, but it's like teaching: if you don't like the way the industry is headed you'll probably be happier elsewhere.