Chosing a career thats different from your field

[andee how?]

Just turned 25 couple of weeks ago. Quarter life crisis starting to kick in.
Hindi ko pa alam kung anong gusto ko kasi ang dami kong gusto.
Fine arts grad ako, been working as a graphic artist since after graduation (2008).
Nagsasawa na ako although thankful ako may steady na trabaho ako ngayon.

Ang gusto ko po talagang gawin ay kumanta...

[mishy]

Hi everyone! I'd like to ask for a suggestion, I've been working in a family corp for 8 years, i'm actually , one of the niece of the owner, right now we do have a personal issues, it really hurts me a lot and I felt that it ruin my life., and I want out and want a career change. My problem is we dont have a specific Job Title in the company, since we are relatives, more or less we are all part of the management. i don't know what would I put in my resume and if ever during the interview of course they're going to ask why would I leave my current job, should I say the real reason or can you suggest a better answer. Thanks in advance.

[MalditaNgaAko]

andee how?: Hey sis, I know the feeling. I graduated in BA Public Administration, but I work as an IT. Para ko na din sinabing pula ang kulay ng dagat. haha Why don't you make a band? Kung may mga kakilala ka namang marunong sa instruments diba? I have officemates-friends na may band. Me regular job sila, at the same time nagagawa din nila ang gusto nila. Don't pressure yourself. Malalaman mo din kung ano talaga ang gusto mo... eventually.

mishy: First things first. You have to tell your relatives about your plan to resign. Pwede mo pang magawan ng paraan yung problem mo sa job title since you're currently working in a family corporation. Kausapin mo lang sila. Tska kailangan mo din ng clearance, COE, etc diba? Sa interviews naman, explain mo na family-owned yung current company mo. Never mention your or the company's issues. You can just say na you want to be independent and you want to make it on your own. Ganun naman talaga sa interviews diba? Konting bolahan. haha

[Jon24]

Nakakatuwa naman ang thread na to. Gives me a glimmer of hope. Ako naman gusto ko lumabas sa practice ko. I'm a professional librarian. Graduated with honors and board exam topnotcher. Pero kahit successul ako sa school at hindi ako nahihirapan maghanap ng work, I've been wanting to leave librarianship and burn bridges behind. Problem is, I don't know where to start. My degree is very specialized and hiring managers often think that our skills aren't transferrable into other fields. I know I love to write but I'm a very private person who doesn't want to attract attention. In other words, if I were a writer, I wouldn't want to be read. In fact, I've closed several blogs because of this. Plan ko maging small time venture capitalist and tap or bet on the talents of creative students. Maybe a year or two from now. Meanwhile, I'm self-studying entrepreneurship and hopefully makahands-on rin soon. Tska sumisilip silip na rin ng jobs where I could possibly start anew. Sa mga katulad ko, let's do it! JFDI: Just Do It. Hehe.

[coolkitten11]

i'm a psychology graduate with honors last year. Nung college pa lang, i had a realization na that i'm not passionate with my course anymore. I wanted to shift pero hindi ako makapagdecide kung saan. I ended up getting delayed for one sem (deliberately) kasi I used the time to think. Last sem ko, it hit me na I wanted to pursue a fashion-related course but I couldn't shift anymore kasi it's not practical. Now I am job hunting and have received some invites na rin. I've been invited for HR position dahil yun naman ang common path ng Psych. I passed the exams and minsan job offer na talaga, but every time nandun na sa point na pipirma na lang, i can't bring myself to think na i'll be doing this job for a time. A friend told me na i'm not getting any younger, so why not try a job first and then when the dream job comes, grab it. Kaya lang hindi naman ganun kadali yun, kahit that dream job comes eh kung wala naman akong skill eh di wala din.  I have a part-time homebased job now which earns well naman, same pa nga dun sa offer nung ibang companies sakin. Pero at least dito walang bawas sa transpo and other expenses. I thought I would just save and enroll for short courses in a fashion school. I am 21 now and sometimes I feel like I am running out of time. Like, I should be working right now already. I am just really hoping na everything would turn out fine in the end, and I can finally start honing those much desired skills and education before this year ends!

[freelancebuddy]

I graduated civil engineering at dahil alam kong ang baba ng sahod ng ce sa pinas, i chose not to practice my profession. I also wanted to help my family send my siblings to college. Next year graduate na si sis sa college. Yey!

Mag25 na ako, working as a freelancer in oDesk. I'd like to shift to IT sana. Do companies like Accenture or HP accept non-IT graduates? In the future kasi, kung di na ok sa freelancing, plan ko na talaga magshift ng career. Pinakadilemma ko eh kung may tatanggap pa sakin at 26 or 27 y/o.

[rockstar]

sis freelancebuddy, why not try it out? age won't be an issue, imho. And yes, Accenture accepts non-IT graduates. Madami ako kakilala (me included) di IT-related ang course (ex. Political Science, Nursing, Business Administration, Economics, Mass Comm., Mechanical Engineering, Philosophy, etc.), nakapasok sa Accenture and some of them are doing great sa IT field. Basta kung willing ka naman matuto and yun talaga ang gusto mo then GO FOR IT sis. Good luck!

[freelancebuddy]

Hi sis rockstar. Thanks for the motivation. I guess that's just what i needed to hear.

[rockstar]

you're welcome sis.

[cool_chique]

I graduated tourism almost 2years ago. after I graduated, I made a small food business. But as a starting entrepreneur, hindi sapat ang kita to provide for my family (Im a single mom). So I worked for a f&b company. That was just last year and that time, confused na ako on what to do. I really like to expand my small business but it will require a capital too and money was an issue since Im supporting my kid and paying utilities at home. so i just grabbed the first job offered to me in a F&B company, na ok ang offer considering first real job ko yun. But I didnt like it there coz walang benefits, hindi hinuhulugan yung sss, philhealth, pagibig namin plus long hours of work without pay. So i resigned after 6 months.

I did not apply to any company before resigning because I still dont know what field i would like to work for. I would like to try those jobs related to my course especially in airlines due to travel perks. problem is, i dont have experience and in that field, since ang practicum ko was in a hotel before. I also tried sending resumes through my batchmates working in hotels pero wala daw vacancies. Im also thinking of applying as med rep, real estate agent, that could give higher compensation than other jobs. Yet, still confused and jobless for 2months now. Im 25 and i can feel na parang last year ko na to know which field I would like to work for since gantong age ang limit ng ibang companies.

How do you answer questions in interviews kung bakit nagshshift ng career?

[karla]

GT Sisters, don't lose hope.  I am turning 25 years old this May, a licensed nurse and is about to be an IT trainee.  However, it was a very complicated road before I am about to embark on this career. When I was younger, I had these dreams of having a stable career by the age of 24 but it was just a dream. I took up nursing because of my parents' choice but I chose to work as an online teacher while waiting for the board exam results. Though I passed, I didn't pursue nursing as it was not the career I wanted. I continued working as an online teacher while taking up education units. I resigned then had my practicum but I found out that I didn't like to be a classroom teacher. I preferred teaching a small group. I then had the opportunity to work homebased as a virtual assistant where I realized that I love working with software programs and this is an area where I can see myself working for long-term. Ever since I was in high school, I love tinkering with computer programs and self-studying web design.

I feel excited but nervous at the same time to start working as an IT Trainee but I know that this is what I want. Whenever interviewers ask me why I want to shift careers, I tell them how it's never too late to change the future cheesy as it may sound. I may have made the mistake to take up a course I didn't like but I want to be in charge of my career now and where I am headed.  Ang hirap din kasi talagang mag work if hindi mo siya gusto. Basta take the risk. Try and try lang mga sis to apply sa jobs na interested ka and where you can see yourself for long-term. You will never know what the outcome will be unless you try. Sometimes life will surprise us in a good way.

[ybev]

buti may thread na ganito..i'm turning 31 na this year with 1 baby, gusto ko sana mag aral ulet but i feel old for going back to school. gusto ko sana mag pharmacy sa pwu, hindi kaya too late for me ro start? 

[isha17]

almost all sisses here are nursing graduates. well, i am too! i am one of the many who unfortunately wasnt given a chance to practice the profession. Now,super layo ng napuntahan ko, from being a nurse, naging mananahi.=) but im happy to say that im glad, i always pray to Him na,if hindi ako magiging nurse, i guide nya ako sa path na tatahakin ko, and he answered my prayers. Now, i am about to open a new business, food naman with my bf. Don't lose hope sisses! pray lang at sipag =)

[kuliglig^^]

why not try to teach in a classroom setting, sis? you can actually get certificates or vocational courses in teaching diba? like in Tesda and etc. I'm sure pwede mong gawin yan.  isa yan sa mga regrets ko, i should've taken those short courses when i was in the PI. now i'm based overseas, i'm in the education (early childhood) setting. i have a corporate background but it was a blessing in disguise na nabigyan ako ng chance 

Sis, I tried pero conflict sa sched ko sa work. Di pwede kasing isacrifice ko work ko. Tas nagkaroon na rin ako ng family, so lalo nawalan ng time.

I passed the CTP entrance exam sa PNU nung 2009, kaso di ko natuloy. Kung natuloy sana yun, nakapagboard na sana ako ng LET. 

[FOURever]

share ko lang before ako mag backread, i had this professor. He graduated BS Education. He's just 25, I think. Pero nakaka-26+ na siya na work. Pinakita nya resume nya samin eh. Nakalista dun, iba iba pang field. Tingin namin di pa nya alam ang gusto nyang buhay.. Nakwento namin sa tatay ng friend ko.. Nagulat sya. Sabi nya, as a head of their company, hindi daw niya tatanggapin mga ganung tao.. I forgot the term pero something like job jumping or job hopping.. Ang kalaban kasi ay yung loyalty.. So sa mga sis natin na di pa sure sa career, at least stay in your company/job for 1+ years to establish your credibility hanggat di nyo pa sure ano yung right career for you kesa laging trial and error tulad nung ex prof namin. Hopefully, wala naman sa inyong ganyan no? Hahaha!

[Insomnia]

My course was Banking and Finance and i ended up working in the call center industry for 7 years and now i am a freelancer/blogger. I guess what lead me to choosing a different field was my need to earn a decent income and opportunity for career growth and development.

[Frozen Toes]

I feel like I belong sa thread na 'to.

I've been working for 6 years now (2 years BPO, 4 years banking) and I'm considering shifting to another industry (again). Job stability is important to me and my current employer is known for providing not only stability but also a good retirement plan. Okay naman ako sa ginagawa ko, pero recently naiisip ko na ayoko na "okay lang" yung words to describe how I feel about my job.

I've been praying about this. Sana makapagdecide na ko soon.

[galexy]

nakakatuwa naman ang thread na to... well i'm resigning on june 30. so i have roughly a month to prepare para sa "indefinite" leave ko. I am planning to change my path from being a nurse to an entrepreneur. I've tried doing small business and it is so rewarding. one month salary ko as a nurse, pwede ko makuha within one week lang sa business. sana i-continue lang ni God yung blessing Nya sa amin dahil alam ko, without His grace, wala kami.

[Cesg]

How do you answer questions in interviews kung bakit nagshshift ng career?

You can say that you've been shifting because you were taking jobs based on your priorities at the time, and only now (at the job interview) are you finally building a career. Pero before you say this kailangan naka-decide ka na what the next move is and naisip mong pwedeng pang long term ito, at least maybe five or ten years down the road.

Hirap kasi with deciding on a career path based on convenience or perks of the job (like travel opportunities, etc), talagang hindi siya matunog sa interview kasi it implies to your interviewer that you're not in it for the job, but for the perks. Hindi masyadong gustong marinig ni interviewer yon, and they'll probably move on to a person na gusto talaga yung trabaho kahit walang perks.

And maganda kasi with wanting the job because you really want to build a career in that field, you usually don't need that much experience. Ang pagiging bibo at willing to learn counts, sometimes even more than years of service.

[littlekinselle]

can i join mga sis... me too i was graduated BSN way back 2010.. and currently here in kuwait... after  ko pumasa.. me and mama went here kinuha kame ng papa ko. so before na vacant ako ng 1 year. sa pinas  then punta na dito last year. and then nag work ako dito sa kuwait sa manliit na clinic kumikita ako ng halos 31k a month hindi ako naging masaya.. nag tagal naman ako ng 8months ngaun,, gusto ko umuwi at hanapin kung saan ako sasaya.. gusto ko mag aral ulit yung IT, or pumasok sa corporate world...  feeling ko di ako sasaya dito sa pagiging nurse ko.. kaso di ako maka uwi dahil ang nag de-decide sa career ko yung magulang ko. may time na gusto ko pumasok sa office dito sa kuwait american office mataas pa sweldo ang sabi nila i practice ko daw ang pagiging nurse ko. which is ayoko na.. pero bakit ganun di ako masaya!! sabi nila gang bata kapa mag explore ka.. pero di ko magawa since para akong naka tali...
parang nag sisisi tuloy ako dahil bakit pa ako pumunta dito.. di ko makita ang sarili ko na nandito.. and there's no turning back... di ako makapag open up kila mama and papa since di naman sila makikinig saken.. sana suportahan ako ng magulang ko sa gusto ko