Liffguard Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 As some of you may or may not know I'm currently in the UK military. I haven't been in for all that long and - whilst I was never planning on staying in that long anyway - I'm seriously considering getting out sooner rather than later. The reasons aren't all that relevant right now.Anyway, I've been putting a lot of thought towards what career I plan on moving on to. And I'm drawing a blank. I honestly have no real clue about what I want to do with myself. This is weird for me because I've never really been unsure of myself like this before. I've had setbacks and frustrations and problems but there's always been a definite goal that I knew I was working towards. Being directionless kind of freaks me out a bit.My qualifications aren't great. I have: a middling grade humanities degree from a middle ranked university; a couple of out of date teaching qualifications for fitness and water sports and; a dangerous goods consignor certificate which at least has vocational employment value but it really needs to go with other qualifications which I don't have.One thought I keep circling back to is to go back to university and study something more practical and/or technical but there are some major practical hurdles to overcome going this route. Most importantly, how would I pay for it and support myself?Another thought is to go into teaching. If I'm being totally honest I have no real enthusiasm for this route. The main attraction is simply the career stability and relatively easy transition from the forces.This is mostly just me venting but if anyone has any random thoughts then ideas would be welcome.Edit: formatting. Stupid phone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pebble thats Stubby Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 The simple yet really not helpful advise - Work out what you love to do then get someone to pay you to do it. You allready have a degree, there is no point in doing another one unless it becomes really necessary in what you choose to do. Often just having a degree is enough espeially with your millitary service for someone to give you a chance. Obvioulsy if you do decide on something that requires a particular qualification then you will need to get that. What do you enjoy doing? Why are you drawn to something more Technical or Practical? Why did you join the millitary? What sort of lifestyle do you want? Moving arround a lot or staying in one location? Meeting lots of people (that you will have to be polite to) or mainly with a handful of people in your ideal workplace? Do you like flexibility and constantly changing situations/jobs or do you prefer the more stable? I know when in school we regually had careers evening when lots of different companies would set up a stand and answer our questions, I wonder if there is something like that you can attend desinged for the more mature person? Does the millirtary offer some form of Career advise? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigFatCoward Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 most people i know in the military have managed to get trained for the real world while still in. could you not put up with it for another few years and get some vocational training?my cousin for example is a mountain leader in the marines, when he comes out in a couple of years he will be fully trained to teach people to do what he loves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arkhangel Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 I'd really suggest not going into teaching simply because you can't think of anything else. Any chance you could update your fitness and water sports qualifications and find a resort in some lovely sunny part of the world looking for an English speaking instructor? It needn't be a long term career, but it would be a pretty great way to fill the time until you figure out what you really want. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sj4iy Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 I'm 33 with two kids and a bachelor's degree in business. And I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up. I don't think everyone has a 'perfect job' waiting for them- I can't ever see myself having one career and sticking with it my entire life. That sounds boring as hell. I think I'm doomed to be a journeyman of sorts. But I don't really mind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterbound Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 Fire fighting man! Best job in the world, even on that side of the pond Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jet199 Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 I went on a few evening courses and one day workshops to figure out what I enjoyed. Probably better to do that than jump straight into a serious full time course. Of the few people I know have left the military they have gone into, Ambulance drivingPersonal trainingSaving endangered animals in Kenya from poachersWalking tours so quite varied (and possibly not that helpful). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lessthanluke Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 Fire fighting man!Best job in the world, even on that side of the pondRidiculously hard to get into. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterbound Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 Ridiculously hard to get into.No different from here. 3000 people applied for 10 jobs our last hiring cycle. The good ones make it through. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lessthanluke Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 No different from here.3000 people applied for 10 jobs our last hiring cycle.The good ones make it through.Fair.I'm pretty much in the same boat Liff.I don't want to do manual labour forever. I have no advice :( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerraPrime Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 Every career is a compromise between how much you can tolerate the job and how much it pays. Better qualifications just make the balance in favor of your sanity. One model is to find a job that is also your passion, but that is rare. More common is to find a job that pays you enough that you can then pursue your passion. If, in general, you have no outstanding passion for one thing or another, well, then, you just need a generic job that pays decent. Obviously, if you can parlay your current credentials into a job that you can tolerate for the pay, that'd be great. What you might need help on then is some guidance on whether this is possible. I will start with professionals in fields that are similar to yours and talking to them. In many professional fields they have organizations that help promot the profession, and you might be able to get someone there to shed some light on how someone with your credential can transition into that field. Perhaps the miltiary has some guidance counseling available for post-military options? Otherwise, it will be up to you to identify the jobs that you want to do and then work backwards to how to get the credentials needed for that job. Finally, sometimes, the passion for a job is developed once you start on a job because it is not always clear to outsiders what the intricate steps in a job that grab your attention might be. Also, sometimes, the job context is just the shell. For instance, being a processing manager at a car parts can provide the same satisfaction as being a QC manager at a light bulb manufacturing plant, so don't get distracted by whether it's car parts of light bulbs - look at the actual job responsibilities instead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S John Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 Any chance you could update your fitness and water sports qualifications and find a resort in some lovely sunny part of the world looking for an English speaking instructor? It needn't be a long term career, but it would be a pretty great way to fill the time until you figure out what you really want. I think this is a great suggestion. Sounds like fun and it'll buy you a little time. Several years ago I did my basic SCUBA certification while on vacation in Thailand. Instructor was an English dude. I still think that guy had one of the coolest jobs of anyone I've ever met. He gets paid to live in a tropical paradise and go diving just about every day. I don't know what the pay is like, and I suspect it probably isn't that great, but all in all a pretty sweet set up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Underfoot Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 My senior year in high school, when I was thinking about university and what I wanted to study, I seriously considered skipping college altogether and getting certified in court reporting or closed captioning. A college nearby offered those certifications. Apparently, at least in the midwestern U.S., all of the court reporters are about ready to retire and there is huge demand for new blood. Starting salaries for a court reporter were like 60k/year, and closed captioning was also pretty high paying (and apparently you could work from home!?). I have no idea if the market for court reporters or closed captioners translates across the pond, but whenever I see this sort of question come up, I always think about those two options. Whatever you decide, good luck!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deleted01 Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 The National Careers Service could help you out. You can go on their website and do a "skills health check", which can help you find careers you're qualified for. It's a bit long, and may seem like a waste of time, but it can throw up decent career paths that you may not have considered. Or you can go and see them. It's free, and the people tend to be nice and helpful. I'm in the opposite position. I know what I want to do, I just can't bloody get into it. :( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerraPrime Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 Also, remmber that you will need to take Potions if you want to become an Auror. (sorry, am re-reading HP) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LogicalLeopard Posted January 22, 2015 Share Posted January 22, 2015 One thing you should know is that you are NOT alone. I'd like to think that most of us don't know what we want to be when we "grow up" at young ages and experience a "crisis" during young adult hood. I went to college here in the US because I thought I could be a teacher, even thought I didn't particularly want to be. But I loved the tv crime series, "Homicide: Life on the Street." I didn't want to be a police officer, because I didn't want to be shot at. But I considered corrections or probation, got my criminal justice degree, and have been working in various parts of the field for 14 years. I like it, and am blessed to get better and better jobs. Don't be afraid to take something you like and interests you and explore all the possibilities behind it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
all swedes are racist Posted January 22, 2015 Share Posted January 22, 2015 Purchase feeble public access cable show, and exploit it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BookWyrm2 Posted January 22, 2015 Share Posted January 22, 2015 Do you like computers? There's a free, online school called University of the People that offers business and computer science degrees. They're accredited in the U.S. (not sure what sort of water that holds over there though). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dog-days Posted January 22, 2015 Share Posted January 22, 2015 Echo what Arkhangel said about not teaching just because you have a humanities degree and the transition is easy. It's like becoming a trappist monk because your hair happens to be receding in the right place for a tonsure. I went on a few evening courses and one day workshops to figure out what I enjoyed. Probably better to do that than jump straight into a serious full time course. :agree: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rozemarijn Posted January 22, 2015 Share Posted January 22, 2015 International development and NGO's. They need people with international experience, a university degree in humanities and knowledge about security. Security adviser or something like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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