Career dilemma

[Hoagy]

Hi everyone, I've been away for a couple of years but now I'm back. I have a question about my career choices.

 

The past year I've started retraining for a new career. I feel this is my calling. It's the job I would continue to do even if I won the lottery. I have some practical experience in the field from volunteering.

 

To complete the degree and qualify will take the next two or three years before I can practice and start earning. During this time it would be difficult to find part-time work that will pay much because of the hours I'll have to commit to study and the obligitary unpaid work placement. I'm fortunate that I have quite a bit in savings - not a fortune but enough to stop me from starving while studying as long as I tighten my belt. The point is, I'm looking at the next three years without a regular income.

 

But it is very tempting to just drop the studies and go out and just get any job. This will mean I can be earning and can get a new apartment (which I reaaly need) and maybe even a new girlfriend (I've already been on my own too long). And I'm not getting any younger.

 

If I continue with my studies and play the long game then I can potentially get a job paying £20-£25,000 a year and perhaps up to £35,000 in ten years. If I take the quick and easy option it's unlikely I'd be earning more than £15-£20,000 p/a over the same period.

 

That's the dilemma. Short term gain or grit my teeth and hope it pays off long-term.

 

Any advice would be very welcome.

[abitbroken]

Can you go through the program in a manner where you would take a semester off to work every third semester - and work two jobs to save as much as you can to afford the next? Or could you go part time? I think the answer depends on how frugal you are, and what kind of safety net you have. Can you commit to cooking at home and not eating takeout food at restaurants while you are so busy studying? Can you commit to not having any entertainment and going for the austere? Even though you only potentially earn 5K more per year after this course of studying, in the long run, it will pay you back because of the job satisfaction that you will have if its your dream job. I think if you just got any old job, in a few years or more you will regret not trying for your dream job

[gebaird]

It's always tough to balance short-term needs with long-term goals. Think of it like a sliding scale, where you can make yourself utterly miserable now so you can be happy later, or you can make yourself happier now but less happy later (or somewhere in between). Only you know what you can handle, and what mix works. Do you have the strength for three years of belt-tightening and staying single so you can get the job you want, or is there another path that would allow you to both life your life/support yourself and fulfill your calling? For example, I love teaching but have no interest in being a public school teacher. So I teach music lessons in my home during the week, speak at seminars on weekends, and write books. I'm still teaching, but I'm able to fit it in with my other work (and I don't have to take a pay cut or deal with a classroom full of brats). Is there perhaps a path like that for you, that allows you to use your gifts in a different way than you've been thinking without having to sacrifice so much for 3 years?

[Ms Darcy]

Gosh, none of that seems like a lot of money. I did the conversion to US dollars, just for some perspective. But it still doesn't seem like a lot.

 

Can you SURVIVE (cost of living while using savings) on part-time work? That's one thing to ask yourself. The second is, is the long-term gain really that great. From the numbers you provide, it definitely seems like long-term your earning potential is greater with the education in this field of interest than not. It just doesn't seem like much to help you overall. I'm not sure.

[abitbroken]

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[catfeeder]

I'm not clear what kind of program would accept adult learners yet make it impossible for those students to earn a living during the program. Can you take night and weekend classes, complete all or most of those, THEN participate in the unpaid work in semesters that are concentrated on just that?

 

What is the field?

[Hoagy]

Thanks for the responses everyone. I have a lot to think about. I'm thinking I need to talk to some of the other students because I know I'm not the only person on this course who has this problem.

 

Catfeeder, the course schedule is pretty fixed. I might be able to earn a bit of money if I start my own little business on the side or find a very sympathetic employer who will allow me to work part-time hours to suit me.

 

Ms Darcy, I believe the average income here is about £26,000 per year ($33,000?). But £20K is still more than I've ever earned before or am likely to earn if I got another job tomorrow. But there is always potential to further my career and earn even more.

 

abitbroken, I think you're right. I don't want to look back in ten years and regret that I didn't stick with this. I think I'm going to have to break the habit of a lifetime and realise I can't do this by myself.

[catfeeder]

What is the field of study?

[Hoagy]

I'm training to work in the mental health field. Ironic, huh?

[Fudgie]

I'm not clear what kind of program would accept adult learners yet make it impossible for those students to earn a living during the program. Can you take night and weekend classes, complete all or most of those, THEN participate in the unpaid work in semesters that are concentrated on just that?

 

Could be an accelerated program where adults go in with a degree already (usually Bachelor's, unrelated field) and then obtain a 2nd bachelors in 1 year. During that time, classes are intensive and there are labs/clinicals/whatever so students have to promise that they won't even try to work during the program.