Didn’t End Up Where I Thought I Would
by Name Withheld by RequestLink to article
I started out with a degree in psychology and early childhood education, and spent 11 years teaching emotionally disturbed children. When I moved to another state, I couldn’t afford the time or money to get another teaching certificate, so I got a job as a bartender. Then I managed restaurants for 10 years.
Now, I’m a realtor and have been for 14 years. I didn’t end up where I thought I would at age 57. I’m counting on Social Security for retirement and hoping for single-payer healthcare soon, as my health insurance premiums are out of control.
July 17th, 2007 at 6:59 am
It’s interesting reading blogs from people who are not working in their degree field.
I manage to get a degree in Computer Information Systems after going to school for 7 years. It was my dream to become a top notch computer programmer, systems analyst or even a database administrator. These are the positions I had hoped for and I actually had the audacity to think that my life would be set once I got my degree.
After getting my degree in 2000, I sent out over 250 resumes to potential employers. Looking for a job was a full-time job in itself. The jobs for which I applied sounded right up my alley and I was excited to enter this field. Days, weeks, months went by with no bites. I went to job placement agencies, searched the web day and night and even walked into several companies cold, but there was no interest. Out of the 250 resumes I only received 3 interviews. The biggest problem was that I didn’t have experience in the field even though my degree was solid and I received honors.
I am now still working in an administrative assistant capacity because that was all I could get. This is the same thing I was doing 20 years ago before I even got a degree. The pay is very low and I live with my mother (I’m 41) because I don’t make enough money to support myself and my two children. I don’t like this work and I feel like my brain is rotting. The icing on the cake is that I still have to pay back $50,000 worth of student loans and I don’t know where I’m going to get the money to do that.
I understand fully about shattered dreams and not ending up where you thought you would be. I was supposed to be in a high paying IT job with a farm and two horses. ;-)
August 6th, 2008 at 8:17 pm
What’s the problem with us bro (I’m systems engineer and I work in a factory…), do we are too fat?, I suppose you are not black (I’m not black), too white?, are we not enough good looking?, WHY WE DIDN’T ??!!!