Question of the Day 21 - Career Choices
The Question of the Day Marathon is almost over, only a few days left. It has been really interesting reading all of the different responses. Here’s my question:
What factors affected the career you chose? Was it purely about the pay or were there other aspects that influenced the decision?
Feel free to give some background into the reasons, events, or decisions that led to your choice. Or if your still in school like me, share some things that shaped your choice of major and what has affected the types of jobs or internships you have tried to get so far.
August 29th, 2006 at 8:14 am
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August 29th, 2006 at 8:29 am
For my wife: it was all about the money. Now she wishes she would have done something different. She’s an engineer in the chemicals industry. She’s really good at what she does.
For me: I like numbers and I like helping people. I also think there is a great need for financial planning (even though it is like pulling teeth just to get people to think about it). As far as my blogging goes: I absolutely love it. The ability to write about whatever is on my mind and the ability to link to whatever I want to link to, is simply amazing.
My advice for someone starting out is to find something you love to do and do it. As long as you are able to live within your means, you can grow wealth no matter what your income.
August 29th, 2006 at 8:56 am
When I went to college several decades ago, there was still an unwritten rule that one would join an employer and work there for life. So, my decision was based on the work that I thought I would enjoy doing for 45 years. Pay was not a factor because in my areas of interest most jobs offered decent pay.
Great question! I think it’s related to the “specialist vs. generalist” consideration many of us face throughout our careers. I’m looking forward to some really interesting responses.
August 29th, 2006 at 9:29 am
I’m not sure I’m far enough along (2.5 years) in my working life to call what I’m doing right now my career. However, I took my current job because I found the industry interesting, and the job to have potential for growth.
August 29th, 2006 at 10:18 am
Well, I joke that I ran down the list of professions and stopped at the first one I liked…Accountant.
But really I went into the field because I have a gift for growing money (and maybe because I always sorted my Smarties and M&M’s before eating them).
Plus accounting touched every function in a company (try doing anything without spending money) so I could use that as a jump off point to other careers.
I did. I’ve done sales and marketing and manufacturing and eventually settled into new business development (new product launches, M&A, system rollouts).
I’m semi-retired now but take gigs from time to time ’cause I miss it.
August 29th, 2006 at 10:18 am
I do what I was “called” to do…
I’d gladly do it for free, but thankfully, I get paid…
NCN
August 29th, 2006 at 10:20 am
I’ll mention my wife first, because she’s easiest.
Kris started her adult life as a high school chemistry and physics teacher. She did this because she loved the subject and because she loved working with kids. Pay was never a consideration. She left only when she became frustrated with the non-teaching aspects of the job: dealing with parents, dealing with administrators, etc. She was a great teacher, and it’s a shame that the crap of the job drove her away.
She moved on to become a forensic chemist. (Yes, just like on CSI, but the way it’s really done.) She did this because she loved the work. Pay was never a consideration. (In fact, she took a pay cut to switch jobs. And when she was laid-off for a few months from the forensic chemist position, she got a job working in private industry that paid much more. When her old job opened up, she went back to it.)
I was less directed. I made some poor choices in college, and found myself working for the family business, something I swore I’d never do. I worked alongside my father and my brothers, manufacturing corrugated packaging. For me, it was all about safety and security, and never about money. I’m still at that job, and it’s still not about money. I make a comfortable salary, but it’s not much compared to most people I know.
Gradually, I’m moving toward a writing career. I love to write. It’s my passion. But, again, I’m not doing this for money.
In fact, I can’t think of a single person I know who is in their job because of the money. My sister-in-law just took a huge pay cut to move from a job she hated to something new…
August 29th, 2006 at 10:57 am
Well, just being 1.5 yrs into my career, I can’t say that the job I have now is what I want my career to be. I chose this job because of the opportunties to experience all aspects of the industry (it’s a rotational position) and because part of the job is to get my master’s on the company dime.
I chose the industry because it has facinated me since I was a small child and because it is so large and multi-disciplinary, if I want to do something else I can still stay in the same industry and even company.
The pay is pretty good ~60,000 starting, but that’s more of a perk than a necessity.
August 29th, 2006 at 11:02 am
I work as a software developer, which usually pays pretty good, though I never thought of getting into it because of the money. It is just what I’ve always done. I knew this was my field when I was a kid. And I love it now. As JD eluded to, even here, you still sometimes get wrapped up into the politics. People who like to kiss butt, others with personal agenda, etc.
My wife is a preschool teacher and certainly doesn’t do that for the money. It is what she is good at and loves doing. Teachers are vastly underpaid, but that aside, at least most teachers who do it are passionate about it… or at least all the ones I’ve known/met.
August 29th, 2006 at 11:45 am
I went into software because I was always interested in computers; I was born and raised in Silicon Valley during the heyday of Apple and other early tech companies. I ended up drifting some early in my career, until I found my specialty and have spent my career doing it. I realized fairly long ago that the money and interesting work in technology was in fairly deep specialization, along with lots of project management skills and the ability to organize and get things done - and that I’d never be happy in anything but the smallest companies.
So, my niche is my deep specialty and the ability to set up and grow the engineering team as the “number two in engineering”. It pays very well - about as much pay as you’ll typically get without being a VP - and I certainly don’t mind the pay, but the work is what’s interesting.
My wife fell into her career as a business broker (think real-estate agent for restaurants and gas stations) by accident: before we were married, she had been a fairly senior manager in a shipping office in China. She was good at navigating bureaucracies and pushing complicated projects through, and we were trying to buy a business for her to run early on. She realized that she’d like to try to be a biz broker after talking to some about their listings and realizing that she thought the work was interesting. She went for it as a commission-only broker, and has done well at it; her skills from the Chinese shipping company are very complementary to her current work.
August 29th, 2006 at 12:54 pm
I got my degree in Public Relations because I love writing and I loved that the PR field was so multi-faceted. Initially I though I’d end up going for the big money, but after a couple of years working for an agency and having my efforts focus solely on lining the pockets of big execs with money, I had a change of heart. I still do PR/communications, but I now work in the nonprofit world. I don’t make as much money, but the benefits are amazing and at the end of the day I feel like I’m helping to improve lives in our community. More money would be nice, but I recognize the value of loving my job and not dreading getting out of bed every morning…
August 29th, 2006 at 12:57 pm
[…] JLP at AllFinancialMatters has organized a Question of the Day Marathon for the month of August. Each weekday during August, a different personal finance blogger poses a question for readers to answer. Today’s host is Pragmatic Finance. […]
August 29th, 2006 at 1:25 pm
The common theme to my career has been corporate america. I started by getting my Marketing degree, then started in bus dev and sales. Then I focused on the sofware industry, (in sales), then progressed to Marketing, then to Program Management.
I am not working now (planned) and loving it.
Hubs started out as a City Planner but 10 years ago morphed into bus dev for software (specifically gaming and graphics). He loves it, although his path has been very unorthodox!
August 29th, 2006 at 5:42 pm
I travelled a pretty unconventional route to a great paycheck. Personally, I think $ plays more of a decision-making factor once you’re in the real world. I think when you’re 20-21 fresh out of undergrad, $25,000 sounds like the motherload, so unless you’re 17 and really have your eye on the prize when choosing your career, I’m not sure $ would play in that much. Would take more foresight than I had — and even then probably wouldn’t have directed me into something that I wasn’t interested in or good at.
I started about $6K shy of that $25,000 in journalism for a small town newspaper because that was what I went to school for and that’s what I was good at. Made sense.
The trick was to find other, higher-paying applications of those same skills — moved from newspapering to glossy publications then to technical writing then to requirements/business analysis, which led to some testing, training, and other technical endeavors.
Same skillset — being able to take a lot of info and put it into sizeable chunks people (even developers) can understand has been the key to success in all of those. I don’t think I would have landed here if I was just chasing the money, but having the open-mindedness and opportunity to see where I might fit next has served me very well. And I’m always looking for that next natural transition into more $$$ and more of what I do best.
August 29th, 2006 at 10:19 pm
my dad is a workaholic. I have no desire to live for my job/employer in exchange for my own happiness. And realizing that I could bust your hump and still get laid off, my desire for happiness increased even more.
August 29th, 2006 at 10:20 pm
ack, that kills me your comment system converts my lowercase name into an uppercase U!
August 29th, 2006 at 10:32 pm
Hmm, well I’m guessing it automatically capitalizes all author names. If I knew enough about programming to change it I would.
August 30th, 2006 at 12:30 am
My life’s work is wrapped up in people. I have a degree in theology (thought I’d be in full time minstry! lol Although I guess you can say I have literally been an “evangelist”! I then started my own business- an online contractor research co. to help protect families- that I then sold. Apparently, I did so well with the promotion of that, I fell into PR, and found my niche in women’s business/finance online. I do not have to work- but I love connecting people. “I do people!” (PS I see my partner in crime at NLL posted above! Mwah K!)
August 30th, 2006 at 6:57 am
Very good question.
When I was in corporate America it was all about the money. I got my MBA so I could make more money. Then I changed companies for more money 3 times after that. I took the assignments that would help me climb the ladder so I could earn more money. And it worked!
Then I realized I didn’t like any of the ladders I had climbed and that I was miserable on every rung. So I quit corporate America to follow my true passion (financial planning) and spend more time with my family. Money was the LAST thing I considered in this decision.
Now I’m on my own and get to call all the shots. I don’t make anything near what I used to but I’ve been blessed to follow my dreams and I’m as happy as ever. Being “rich” is much more than cash in your pockets or a big 401k balance.
August 31st, 2006 at 10:56 am
I am a professor of economics specializing on environmental/resource issues. I just studied waht I was interested in - geography and economics - and then pursued an academic career because I liked doing research, felt I could make some contribution to society through my research and teaching, and wanted to be my own boss as much as possible while still being an employee. The latter was probably the decisive factor actually. The only downside is that there are VERY few jobs GLOBALLY available at any time in any specific niche. And so unless you are a superstar you have very little choice of location.
August 31st, 2006 at 11:16 am
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August 31st, 2006 at 6:09 pm
Well, I don’t think I really have a “career,” per se– I intend that whatever work I do will always be centered around making a positive difference in society, but I hope to try a wide variety of different experiences toward that end. Suffice it to say that money is pretty low on the list of what I value in a job (after social impact, personal enjoyment, personal growth and development, work hours and flexibility, etc)– although to be perfectly honest it pops up in my thinking more often than I wish were the case.
August 31st, 2006 at 11:00 pm
I’m certainly not in it for the money! Although I did choose librarianship because I thought it would be a useful profession–useful in terms of finding jobs, useful in terms of helping other people. I sometimes wish I’d been a journalism major in college, but they make no money either. I also sometimes wish I’d become an accountant, and I may still decide to go that route if I get bored helping freshmen figure out how to buy their textbooks online and fixing printer jams. Despite the aggravations, though, I do love what I do.
September 1st, 2006 at 6:21 am
Star Money Articles for the Week of August 28…
Here are interesting posts and news this week from the MoneyBlogNetwork members and beyond: Five Cent Nickel asks how much life insurance do you need? Blueprint for Financial Prosperity lists which closing costs are negotiable. Consumerism Commentary g…
September 3rd, 2006 at 10:30 am
[…] What factors affected thecareer you chose?Was it purely about the payor were there other aspects thatinfluenced the decision? […]
September 4th, 2006 at 1:53 am
Didn’t think too much about it — had an aptitude for math so went into physics. The money is comfortable but not nearly what I thought it would be. Looking for side businesses
September 4th, 2006 at 9:04 am
[…] What factors affected thecareer you chose?Was it purely about the payor were there other aspects thatinfluenced the decision? […]
September 4th, 2006 at 4:30 pm
[…] The second half of the questions dealt with such varied topics as side income, vices, your money management roots, landmark credit purchases, checking account balances, and unemployment disaster plans, as well as hobbies, values, careers, recent spending, and money and you. […]
September 5th, 2006 at 7:17 am
[…] I ask What factors affected the career you chose? Was it purely about pay or were there other aspects that influenced the decision? […]
September 5th, 2006 at 11:02 am
I gave up a very nice income to do what I want. While icome now is a bit better, it’s not back up to where it once was, but hopefully the love of doing what I’m doing will get me there in the next few years.
September 5th, 2006 at 2:51 pm
I’ve had numerous jobs over the years but came back to writing because it was something I was good at, and then I found out I could make money being a technical writer. I love what I do. I learn and I get to write about what I learn, as well as solve problems. And when I get to do web stuff, life is even better.
September 6th, 2006 at 8:03 am
I _chose_ a career in politics. Some ill-timed eventualities and a couple of very ill-advised actions on the internet precluded that notion even before I realized how intrinsically immoral the whole profession is. So I fell back on my hobby instead. So instead of being a politician with a technology hobby, I’m a system administrator with a political hobby.
Honestly, money didn’t enter into the decision at any point. I mean yeah…I knew I had to do something that I could get paid for, or I wouldn’t survive, but I never sat down and thought about how MUCH money I’d make. It really didn’t matter to me. Then, as now, I did what I _wanted_ to do, and simply worked to find ways to get people to pay for it. Which is good, because the money I made in the early years would never have indicated that one day I’d be getting rich as quickly as I am now.
My standards for career satisfaction are pretty high…if you don’t love what you’re doing so much that you’d keep doing it in your spare time if there wasn’t someone willing to pay you for it, then it’s the wrong career for you.
September 26th, 2006 at 9:02 pm
As a software engineer, I had factored the following into the decision:
1) Pay - Software Engineer is a white collar job, so it’s going to be in the upper range of pay
2) Effort - I prefer to think rather than lift. That’s why I’m the Lazy Man. Give me the desk job any day.
3) Satisfaction - I enjoy solving problems and creating something that helps people do something more efficiently than they did previously.