OT: Career advice

I need some career counciling from people that have been successful in the business world...and are making more then 70K (sorry to put a financial limit here...but I believe the best way to find out how to dig a hole is to ask the man standing in the one he just dug)...... I  went to college for all the wrong reasons.....my parents told me to go.   I had no direction..they never went to college, so while it was a good thing that they told me to go...I graduated with a degree in Pol. Sci......it was the course of least resistence for me.  I was able to maintain almost a 4.0 average with very little effort for almost my entire college career...and thought I'd eventually pursue a law degree.  Enter senior year....I was tired of being in school, I decided not to go to law school....and go to work...but had plans to go back and get my degree.  Long story short...(very typical)...got married had kids yada yada yada...i'm now 35..have a degree that you could basically wipe your butt with...and have decided to go back to school in Jan. ...after plastics (which I hope will be in the fall).    I want a new career..that will pay enough money to live a better life.   That might sound weird, but I'm old enough now to say "i don't care what i do ...I just want to make a good living at it." ...lol. But what do I go back for?  I'm not looking for you to make a decision for me....just some imput.  I've thought about going back for my MBA...i like the business world....but I don't see any value in an MBA persay....I mean I don't think it would open up that many doors for me business wise.   I could be wrong...and if you think I am ..please comment.    I've been in middle management...and while I want to be in upper management, I realize that getting an MBA is not a direct line to that...... I've thought about getting an MBA with a  concentration in Human resources managment....always my favorite part of my job...but is the money really there to pursue that?  I've even thought about going and getting a masters in Crisis management (i guess there was a lot of funding after 9/11 which had universities looking to cash in ). Finally I've thought about going back to law school.   Which was always my intention ...but i the market over saturated with lawyers?  Is it a dime a dozen?  I could specialize.....or I could get an MBA and Law degree. I've even thought about teaching.....but I'm not sure I have the patience to deal with the issues of young kids.....esp in the public school where 50 percent are on ridlin.....and the high schools are becoming more and more like dentention centers.   Even with that, I'd consider it, but the NY market is kind of saturated with teachers, and to get into a district that would actually pay you well (over 60k to start)...it is very competitive. But I'm seriously open ......As you can see my concentration is on business/law....... I figure time will pass anyway....I feel better now then I did at 20, and I'm more focused in my life. Thanks for your imput. Scott

First, the disclaimer: The ideas expressed in the following post are those of the poster only. Your mileage will vary. If you want to be in upper mgmt in corporate america, you need to get the MBA, period. One with an emphasis is even better. With an MBA, and your previous experience, you should start out in the 120K range, especially in NY. If you want to do something outside of corporate america, the extra paper is almost worthless, in my opinion. However, it is my belief that if you do not have a passion for what you are doing, you will not do it very well or for very long. My advice: Find your passion and pursue it. Money will follow. Best to you, whatever you decide to pursue. JP

A couple of things.  Go back to your old university and talk with their placement office.  What about a law degree with an emphasis on labor law?  I like the idea of an MBA in human resources.  From someone who has a BA in physical education!!  I never used it except to substitute teach for 3 years.  I fell back into the family farms.   Thirty five is still young to go back and pursue that MBA or to pass the state bar.  Brian 

Money is WAY overrated your parents were smart to make you go to school, however they should have also pushed you into something that will make you happy.  Life is all about being a good human, good husband and good parent. Money is a necessary evil But be happy above all else. My resume- kicked out of HS never finished, own 2 homes in So Cal made over 100K in my own biz With any luck will semi retired by 45. and owning one house in So Cal( with 2k a month positive cash flow) a house in Colorado and 40-80 of land for future developement (Paid in full),In the end, what the hell do I know it worked for me.

you actually mentioned a couple things my brother did. he did an excellerated dual degree program at the U of I in illinois. he became a lawyer (ranked 19th school in country) and his dual was in industrial relations where he got his masters and that school was rated 2nd in the country behind cornel. so what did he do? he worked at pratt and whitney starting in HR with labor law. got bored and moved to contracts, then sold jet engines overseas for commercial then military. a very cool ride. all i remember is they wanted all those tons of degrees behind his name. He's on the bar in several states and even graduated first in class to get his LLC for insurance law. well, then he got bored again and left the corp world to be a lawyer specializing in insurance and bad faith at a very prestigeous firm. bored, you guessed it and is now a deputy district atty! loves it. see, just keep on going. now i took a different path. i didn't have the big degrees but have been self employed almost my entire life with tons of businesses. we've both done well in the money arena so the whole point of this post is twofold. either get the degrees if you want to work for the man or you better be a good gambler with high stakes if you set out make your own way and own a business. see which suits you better and just drive away at it like there's no tomorrow. build it and it will come.....carbonblob

How great to be faced with the ability to "Re-Boot" a Career at this point. New Body, New Life… but not at all unique… I think the stats have it as -- "Most can expect to change careers three to seven times during their working lives." I have an odd job that is off the beaten path, but connected to many other fields. I do love it. Half of my time is teaching at the university and the other half is free-lance in my field. I’d toss out the same advice I give my students- Figure out what it is that you would do for free If money didn’t matter. If you were independently wealthy, Living on a generous trust fund, what would you spend your time doing? What would you do as a volunteer if they’d let you? Then do that, and figure out a scheme to make that activity make money. Before looking at various fields or degrees, Look at You, your values, and the things that excite you. Once you’ve figured out what’s really important to you, Then I’d also say figure out your natural talents. Do some aptitude tests. Personality tests. A cool page of free-online stuff is at- UniversityofKent AptitudeTests

There’s also the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. Something like- FreeTeamTecTest

There are tons of Jung-Based Myers-Briggs Tests online for free. To quote Jung- 'every individual is an exception to the rule'. Knowing "Who You Are, is of utmost importance. Then it’s a matter of looking for others who are doing what you’d like to do And finding those jobs and seeing if they require skill-sets or info That you’d need to pick up at a University. Education just for education’s sake is nice, But your suspicions about the MBA are correct. But a master’s degree won’t help in most instances, even an MBA Unless it’s specifically tied to your Passion for something. It’s What you know, or more importantly What you know How to Do, that’ll get you into a new job, or position. From my own experience, I have a handful of older students coming back To finally get their Masters each year. For half of them it works, for the others it’s a waste of Time and finances. "Teaching" is a very low-paying career opportunity until one is a professor With tenure and some publications in their field under their belt. It does make a stable base to operate from. About a third of my income is as a college professor, and the rest from my free-lance work. The nice part of my University system is the insurance and the "Matches Funds" for any money I sock away for retirement. I’ve been taking full advantage of that. It’s a great problem to be faced with. I turn 51 at the end of the summer And feel "younger" than I did at 30, so I understand your view. If you can sort out very specifically what "floats your boat," And find a path to achieving That as a future pursuit, Then you’re looking at years of "Happy Ever After." Best Wishes- Dx

 AAAAaaaaahhhhhh to have such problems. About 5 years ago I had a slight heart problem and alot of weight. Now I seem to have my heart problem under control and I'm dropping weight thank God. For the last 15 years or so I have been in business for myself. Well a couple of years ago I lost my best friend and business partner to cancer. When customers found out that I had a heart problem they couldn't disappear fast enought. The sad part is I have been working at some sort of job since I was 8 years old. I have done everything from delievering newspapers to designing fire sprinler systems. With the great economey we have I could stand out in the street with a sign on my forehead saying "will work for minimum wage" and I'll never get a hit. Don't get me wrong I'm not feeling sorry for myself I have a home a great wife and family and it's a beautiful day outside. Now that I have brought everyone down let's get back to loosing weight shall we?