I've been in telecom for over 8 years now. I have had some great years, some great positions, and have garnered some good salaries over that time span. However, my company has changed its spots, so to speak. We are marketing new products with much resistence from our own staff, and I do not think we've done our homework to see if this new offering will fly in the US (it is sold in Europe in abundance, but the market here, and call centers are so different). I will cease boring you with the sordid details, but my question to you is this.... Have you at any time in your career left your field, your industry, to seek opportunities in another? How successful were you? I am not yet sure where I am headed, if anywhere. but times are so tough right now, I am not sure the ship I am on will continue to float. I want to hang in there, but I also have to look out for myself and mine. AAAARRRGGGHHHHH........what to do!?
I'm also thinking about it. I'm a lawyer, but I have been working in general management and product management in an Internet company the past years. I am quite tired of this now and would really like to work in M & A in an investment bank...but this is probably the worst time ever to try to get in there...so I am not really sure what I am going to do next. Good luck for you, HOOP-T! What career are you considering?
Man, it is so weird that you asked this because I was thinking about starting a thread on something similar to this. I have been at my present job for going on 3 years now. As long as I want to live where I am living, I am working at the best company. Unfortunately, I live in a city that has maybe 8,000 people at the most. This translates into no single, available women (for the most part). It is like they all graduate high school and either go off to college to never return here or marry some guy straight out of school. I still have 3 years left to finish my MBA at MTSU, and that is something that I WANT to finish. So, I am giving things here another 3 years. If I haven't found anyone by then, then I may very well re-locate. I would like to stay in the South and Birmingham has been one possibility, but I don't really know at this point. I thought that I would never think this, but after spending this past Saturday in Atlanta and seeing all the gorgeous women down there (I lost count after reaching 50), I know that I won't get anywhere where I am now.
Honestly, I am very open to options right now, as I am just beginning my search. Thanks for the well wishes though. My brother in law works as a Sales Manager for a company in Houston that sells wholesale flooring (carpet, tile, hardwood, laminates, stone, etc), countertops (such as Corian), and other materials to major and custom home builders. He's done very well, and makes a handsome salary. He has given me some contacts, so I am going to check into that. Other than that, like I said, this is new. So I don't really have other leads just yet. I just wanted some feedback from some of our 9000+ members.
i got my pamplet for culinary school in the mail the other day. i think ill start in the fall. goodbye diabetes research hello food...
Good, then you can bake me a cake, while you do my laundry. HOOP-T good luck, I would like to switch careers myself. In fact I would probably be a high school chemistry/history teacher if I were lucky enough to win the lottery. Just watch Office Space and ask yourself what you would do if you had a million bucks? Two Chicks? If I won a really big lotto, then I probably wouldn't do squat besides watch movies/sports and go to the gym.
I would love to switch careers. I'm hoping my tiny gig with ESPN will open some doors, but I doubt it.
DO NOT DO THIS. I spent two years of my life working in an M&A group at an investment bank. Now is the absolute worst time to go there -- hours still are *very* long and transactions are rare. You would have absolutely no job security and absolutely no life. If learning finance is your goal, go to business school. If M&A is what you want to do, there are plenty of places to do this outside of an investment bank -- private equity firms and internal M&A groups at large companies are two obvious choices. Now is a horrible time to be working for any services company, especially an investment bank.
Thanks for the advice...I am currently attending an executive MBA program at the University of Chicago, so I have taken part of your advice already. My earliest time to start would be September or October 2003 anyway, I'm going to stay at my current job until the end of April and am not planning to work during the summer .
Sorry, Hoop-T, no advice: this thread provides an excuse for me to babble nervously about how tomorrow I am being flown to another city for a job interview. For my ideal job. I am terrified. Note to self: expect nothing and you will not be disappointed. Getting an interview is a good sign even if you don't get it. Etcetera, etcetera. Sigh. OK, as you were.
Oh, have I not made a smart-ass comment related to the main thread topic yet? I think you should open a high colonic institute. Yes, in Dallas. Seriously, it's a tough time, and many situations look eerily like frying pans and fires. I'd sit tight (since unemployment is at, what, 6%), BUT simultaneously start actively keeping your eyes and ears OPEN. Sounds like a time to be especially agile.
Well dimsie, good luck at any rate. B-bob, I have already done what you have suggested.....and have open eyes and ears. In cases like this....sometimes it's who you know. We shall see. But honestly, I wanted some commentary on who of you have made an industry change, what you came from and changed to, and the success rate, or lack thereof.
as i finish college and enter into the real world for the first time, i have found this book to lift my confidence, spirits and offer some insight: what color is your parachute? good luck.
I did it in 1993. I spent 13 years in grocery retail, at three different jobs and various capacities, then switched to petrol-chemical. I spent 1993 to 98 in environmental cleanup, then 1998 to now as an operator in an oil refinery. Was it a hard decision? Yes and no. It's difficult to leave a field that you know and feel comfortable in to do something radically different, but I really, really needed a change. Now, I have a great job, make enough money, and have security for the next 20 years. It was well worth it.
I am currently their 2003 Fantasy sports writer covering the San Antonio Spurs. I've been trying to get a dialogue going with my "boss" to get my foot in the door and find a job as a sports writer anywhere in this nation. The Link
Unless you're very very very good (which, from your post you might be), private equity/LBO/venture cap shops might be a good consideration for the future, as they'll most likely look for some industry expertise. The ibank industry is taking a beating right now, but there are still certain sectors/product groups that are generally doing well (like restructuring, defense and so on) so perhaps you can lateral to a better group once you are in. The hours are long, but if you come in at a level above associate (which is what I'm assuming) they're certainly doable---and I think especially in the down cycle if you are at a reputable bank you'll have a head start once the investors come back. But of course, KIM all this is coming from a junior guy's perspective. I would say that definitely look at it as an opportunity, but look at it long-term (life's goal, social time, family, etc.). And enjoy your vacation.
