Chosing a career thats different from your field

[katiztic]

Join ako dito ha!

I am a lawyer by profession, but just last friday, I got news na nakuha ko yung job na inaaplyan ko sa isang international NGO. so total career shift from lawyering to international NGO work, which was what I really really wanted to do, bago pa man ako nag lawschool.

sobrang laking wake-up call sa akin yung nag-open yung position at nabasa ko yung announcement, UMIYAK AKO talaga! tapos when I got the call that I got the job, umiyak din ako! so yey!

[joban99]

Wow! Im happy for all the sisses here who have found their career eventhough they graduated from a different field. Also, for people having a hard time getting their dream job or just finding a job in general due to the fact that they graduated from another field, my tip would be to prepare a very good answer to that question in the job interview. Halimbawa during the interview the person says, graduate ka ng nursing, why not just work at a hospital. Have a reply to that which will make them remember you. Maganda yung witty/funny reply or basta anything that will leave a good impression.  Ganito rin ako. I graduated from BA management (which in my school was the most generic major to take, hehe..), but Ive had so many different jobs and none really needed a BA in management. It all depends naman on how you sell yourself. Anyways again, congrats to everyone who found what they wanted to do and good luck to everyone still looking.

[shrewd]

I am thinking of going back to school pero hindi post grad kundi bachelors degree. I finished BS Nursing nung college pero hindi ko talaga like un. I am working as a pharmacy assistant at 26 na ako. I Really don't like to practice [textspeak!] course ko kasi wala sa puso ko, alam kong hindi ako mageenjoy. Natry ko na rin kasi as a volunteer nurse, ayoko talga. Practical ba kung bumalik ako sa school para pag aralan yung gusto ko o continue to work na lang. Sa age ko na 26, may makukuha pa kay akong work after kong grumaduate if itutuloy kong mag aral? Feeling ko kasi super tanda ko na. Balak ko naman apply sa abroad if ever hindi ko matuloy mag aral.

[anj3ll]

I've been in the HR field for the past 4 years. Took up psych in college. Been applying for the past 4 months pero wala pa rin luck. I don't know where to go now, ni wala man lang tawag at text. Kung meron naman and attend all the interviews and exam, wala naman feedback na marereceive.
I wanted to shift career pero the big question is ANO and HOW.

[definedelirium]

what kind of career are you interested in? it really depends on your goals.

there are short courses and certificate programs for certain fields, maybe you'd want to look into those? or try setting up a business. there's a lot you can do but it's hard to give any concrete advise because there are no details.

[ecnarfoj]

Graduated with Advertising and PR course..
Now, I'm working with HR and IT background.. HRIS kasi hawak ko.
Nag-co-code ako ha.. natutunan ko na alng sa work yan.. napalad naman akong nakakuha ng company na willing mag-train saken. kahit may 2 year bond, OK lang.

Mas malaki ang kinikita ko than most of my classmates. Minsan napapaisip ako sa fullfilment kasi iba nga ang course ko. Although music talaga ang gusto ko, hidni naman namen afford nun.
Advertising ang pinili ng tatay ko.

Since breadwinner ako, I had to grab the first opportunity na dumating after graduating. Working at BPO company. Dun nag-simula ang pag-shift ko sa IT.

We make decisions in life na minsan hindi acceptable para sa iba or hindi sang-ayon sa standards ng karamihan. Pero kung masaya ka sa ginagawa mo at kaya mong panindigan yung choice mo, in the end ikaw lang talaga ang makakahawak ng destiny mo.

Sina Steve Jobs at Mark Zuckerberg nga hindi nakatapos ng pag-aaral, at least tayo may natapos - ibang field nga lang. Hindi tayo nauubusan ng chance to succeed.

Pasensya na at napahaba - lage kasi ako tinatanong kung bakit IT ako kung advertising ang course ko.

I salute all of us who found careers kahit iba yung course sa school. Mahirap kasi pagdating sa work back to zero and parang triple ang effort if you want to prove yourself. Still, kaya natin.

[Superjoie]

Ako.. di ko pa alam.. parang gusto ko mag public practice.. pero parang di ko [textspeak!] kaya.. I will start again from the scratch pag pinursue ko to. Hindi kayang tapatan ng beginner in public practice ang salary ko ngayun.. Im a bread winner.. so di ko rin [textspeak!] maiwan pa [textspeak!] work ko.. di lang [textspeak!] ang maapektuhan pag nagshift [textspeak!] ng carreer.. pati family ko.

[xta]

Hi girlies, yung job ko ngayon, milya milya ang layo sa natapos ko. I took Business Management in College, tapos ngayon nagmamasters ng Speech Comm while working full time sa field ng IT.  Though may hint of HR, more of IT yung line and nature of work. Sometimes, it's not about your passion or what you love the most, it's about what brings food to the table. Swerte nalang if you happen to love what it is that you were made to do. And so i guess, lucky me!

[jowawie21]

Hi mga Sis! Nice to know na hindi pala ako nagiisa. Im also a BSN and an RN, at sadly, unemployed... malapit na mag - anniversary sa December! And that depresses me... Kaso, hindi ko talaga alam kung anong gusto ko.. Nag - Nursing naman ako, thinking na ito talaga ang gusto ko simula pagkabata kasi nurse ang mother ko.. at nakikita ko nageenjoy siya sa gawa niya. Pero nung ako na... Ewan! Feeling ko hindi para sa akin ang nursing.. tinapos ko ang nursing para lang masabi na nakatapos at nakapasa ng board... pero 2nd year palang ako nun, parang ayoko na. gusto ko magshift.. kaso nga nakakahiya at magastos! Kaya eto ako, hirap maghanap ng trabaho.. kasi gusto ko mahanap yung work na mamahalin ko talaga na, yung hindi ko iiwan.. I tried applying for Public Health , natanggap naman, kaso mababa masyado sweldo kaya iniisip ko eh blessing in disguise na siguro na hindi ko tanggapin, at nagapply naman ako sa hospital.. ayun, 1st day of training pa lang.. umiiyak na ako pauwi. ewan ko kung bakit e wala namang nangyaring masama sa akin sa hospital. Ganun lang siguro kapag hindi mo gusto ginagawa mo. So, now.. hinahanap ko pa talaga yung gusto ko. .at sana tulad nung iba.. mahanap ko talaga yun. Na - inspire naman ako sa iba na nahanap nila yung talagang gusto nila. Sana ako din, someday.

[swit_squiggle]

i was a registered nurse then finished my masters on the same field, but things started to change when I  gave birth to my 1st born son and met a lady from a financial institution by coincidence. She invited me to attend trainings and be certified to sell investment products. It's like two opposite poles - my profession and what I'm doing now. 

Only then that I realize that I dont have the heart watching people suffer from their hospital beds giving them comfort in their dying moments but alleviating financial pains brought by hospitalization and other financial crisis before it strikes.

[jo1]

same here mga sis... i have a degree in journalism and a career in bpo project management... someday soon, i'll be taking my mba... a headhunter once told me i've a confusing resume kasi parang unfocused daw my career goals... medyo napa-defensive ako kaya sinagot ko -- i found that i've unlimited talents, so why limit my options? 

[ecnarfoj]

^^ I think it's very offensive for a head hunter to say that you have "unfocused career goals".
Kasi if they would've asked why you deviated from your degree, baka maiintindihan nila. Siguro kung iba iba yung work mo pwede nilang tanungin yung career goals mo and give an advice na lang para ma-direct ka sa tamang track.

When people ask me bakit ang layo ng course ko sa career ko the answer is - i had to provide for my family then so I had to grab the first opportunity presented to me. Pero it was a blessing in disguise kasi it gave me a new direction on what I wanted in my career.

Hindi porket iba yung degree sa current work eh unfocused na.

Pero gusto ko yang sagot mo.

[jo1]

^ thanks sis ecnarfoj... needless to say, that was our last conversation ...  same situation din ako - breadwinner kaya i took the best offer at the time... and i agree with you - it can be a blessing to be out of your comfort zone...

[snix]

wow im so glad this thread still exists..anyway, may work nako after 8months of being unemployed..ended up working as an id rin.madalas tinatanong ko pa rin sarili ko kung masaya ba ko dito..im happy about one thing, may job nako..its taking me time pero siguro baka matutunan ko mahalin career ko..if not, then i just have to keep looking..goodluck satin

[jaded1025]

^ako din nagkawork na after almost 7 mos na bum. Licensed nutritionist-dietitian ako pero I work now as a crew claims handler. Masaya naman ako sa new work ko and mas nacha-challenge ako kesa sa work ko dati.

[craziestqueenever]

Hindi pala ako nag iisa. I took up BSN and I'm now a RN unfortunately. I'm still confused on what will I do in my Life. Akala ko pag nag nursing ako yayaman ako hindi naman pala. I'm still undecided.

[iyaika]

This is one of my dilemmas right now. I started working as a recruiter/talent specialist. However, I know that what I love to do is writing and/or events. I tried sending my applications to different companies geared towards the field that I want to venture in kaso lagi nila akong hinahanapan ng experience. I know I shouldn't give up and I'm still young and still have an opportunity to explore on what I really want to do but, can you give me some advice as to how can I land a job in the field that I want to be part of? I'm actually willing to sacrifice pa nga e (like I know they might offer a compensation package waaay lower than what I am currently receiving.)

TIA, sisters!

[joban99]

Hi iyaika, fortunately both fields you want to pursue as a career can be started off as part time work and then later on become full time work. As you said medyo bata ka pa so keep your job as a recruiter/talent specialist and make your writing/events job as a sideline. Once you get more experience (maybe 6mos lang kailangan mo, depends on how many writing/event jobs you get) and get more and more contacts then you can make writing or events a full time job. You wont even have to send out your CV as alot of times if you do a good job, your customers will offer you a full time position based on the result of your work.

In regards to finding these jobs, I saw that alot of sisses her use ODESK, I think theirs a thread about it in this forum. Also, there are tons of part time writing gigs online. As for events, its the same thing, just look for gigs online. Or if you have friends or friends of friends who do events, you can ask them if you could be part of it.

Anyways, good luck and if you do want to take this advice, start immediately.

[Dyuan]

Ako lang ata ang registered social worker dito, hehe
pero right now im working as admin assistant, pwede na din, kaso minsan pag naiinis ako sa job ko gusto ko mag practice ng profession ko, kaso ulit na naman sa umpisa, lower ang salary at kung ano ano pang nasa isip ko. Naisip ko kasi pag social work ako mas tumatanda nag ka ka value, kesa dito na lang ako sa opisina.. though ciempre madali ang trabaho, ayos ang sweldo at malapit sa bahay. nakaka tuwa talaga mag back read dito! dami kong aral napupulot,

[carmilina]

hi , ako namn registered nurse na, 2 yrs din ako staff nurse, right now almost  mag 4 yrs na ako sa BPO industry , first sa cvg then sitel, medyo okay namn sya, pero minsan hndi maiwasan ma inggit na bumalik sa pagiging nurse, if veer may ggood slot ulit at good salary balik ako, pero as of now, practical wise, TRUTH hurts man, baba [textspeak!] sahod ng nurse, pinbablik ako sadati o ospital kaso start from training ulit, yaw ko na ganaun, senior na ako dati dun eh...basta nkaka help ako sa family nmin un ang importante..