RQOTD: Pursing a new career or change of careers

[AmberK]

Im 38 yrs old and never graduated from college. I worked as a workers compensation insurance adjuster for 11 - 12 yrs until I had my kids and now Im a preschool teacher. I recently registered to go back to college to study radiology technology but I've been reading some online job forums and apparently there are NO jobs out there for rad techs/MRI techs/CT techs etc...

So.... if you had to change careers or start a new career in this day and age what would you do?

[taracotta7]

I will eventually go back to do Speech Pathology. I love that field and there are many places you can work at......hospitals, schools, private practice, ect.

Another field I considered to look into in the mean time.........my son is in therapy for sensory issues. They have lots of aids for the special ed teachers, physical therapist, ect.

[AmberK]

Occupational therapy?

QUOTE=taracotta7;1113312]I will eventually go back to do Speech Pathology. I love that field and there are many places you can work at......hospitals, schools, private practice, ect.

Another field I considered to look into in the mean time.........my son is in therapy for sensory issues. They have lots of aids for the special ed teachers, physical therapist, ect.[/QUOTE]

[Julie Billingsley]

since you were interested in being a rad tech, what about being a nurse instead?

[AmberK]

I've thought about nursing but something just keeps me from deciding to do it. I don't know if its self-doubt or what but nursing school scares me. LOL.

Originally Posted by Julie Billingsley

since you were interested in being a rad tech, what about being a nurse instead?

[Sherri Tierney]

I'm a year older than you and thinking along the same lines... what do I want to be when I grow up? LOL

I am starting a new job next year. I will be at the same school I work at now, just a different position. It has me thinking though... several of my friends have suggested I go back to school to get a teaching degree. I keep tossing the idea back and forth. The problem I have is that I would have to leave my current job in order to do student teaching and then who knows what would happen. I want to work in the same district I am in now, preferably the same building and it just isn't a guarantee. We have one spot open for next year and tons of people interviewing for it. Who knows when the next opportunity would be.

[julifish]

In Texas managed care is big around Medicare and soon to be really big around Medicaid reimbursement. What about Medical Coding? If you became a certified coder and learned how the Medicare coding system worked you could make some big bucks. You could work for an insurance company, a large doctor's group or even the groups that contract between the insurance company and the doctors' groups (this is where I work, but in Florida). Just a thought and in Florida it only takes about 8 weeks to go through coding school and then you have to go through the certified program.

[rach3975]

I'm in the same boat, too. I'm 38, and my youngest will start school in 1.5 years. By this fall I'd like to be doing something (school, volunteer position, etc) that will help me be employable by the time she starts, but I have no idea what I want to do. When I eventually get a job I need something very flexible and part time due to DS's special needs (we sometimes have frequent daytime doctor's appointments and he gets sick more often than most kids), so that rules out a lot of things. I have a masters degree in public health, but with our family situation I ended up not working for too long for it to be much help. I'll be watching this thread, too.

Originally Posted by taracotta7

Another field I considered to look into in the mean time.........my son is in therapy for sensory issues. They have lots of aids for the special ed teachers, physical therapist, ect.

One thing to look into for aide positions is who they're hiring in your area. My DS has an aide at school, and in our district many of the aides are in the process of earning a masters degree to work as special ed teachers or are already teachers trying to get a foot in the door in the district. That's not the case everywhere, of course. but it would be a good idea to look into how their recent hires compare to the qualifications they're looking for on paper. I think here the candidates being hired as aides are much more qualified than the position announcements would lead you to expect.

[AmberK]

Juli- do you do medical coding?

Originally Posted by julifish

In Texas managed care is big around Medicare and soon to be really big around Medicaid reimbursement. What about Medical Coding? If you became a certified coder and learned how the Medicare coding system worked you could make some big bucks. You could work for an insurance company, a large doctor's group or even the groups that contract between the insurance company and the doctors' groups (this is where I work, but in Florida). Just a thought and in Florida it only takes about 8 weeks to go through coding school and then you have to go through the certified program.

[SeattleSheri]

I've been in insurance for 15 years. I started out in claims and now work in Product/Actuarial. Since you have a lot of insurance experience, is there something else besides adjusting claims you would be interested in? Having industry knowledge is a stepping stone to many things.

[glumirk]

I've been thinking about this watching my SIL and another friend go through divorces. How would I provide for my family? I'm a mechanical engineer, but my only experience was interning for my last two years of college. Then we moved across the country for DHs job and I was 7 months pregnant. I'm pretty sure they would take me back, since I had proven myself valuable, but I'm already out 4 years from any experience beyond tutoring math.

[AmberK]

Nothing about insurance interests me. The thing I did like about workers comp claims is the medical aspect. The medical field has ALWAYS interested me but I never pursued it because I didnt want to go through all of the schooling.

Originally Posted by SeattleSheri

I've been in insurance for 15 years. I started out in claims and now work in Product/Actuarial. Since you have a lot of insurance experience, is there something else besides adjusting claims you would be interested in? Having industry knowledge is a stepping stone to many things.

This is another thing on my mind too. If something happens to my husband I would not be able to provide for my family with my preschool job I have right now.

Originally Posted by glumirk

I've been thinking about this watching my SIL and another friend go through divorces. How would I provide for my family?

[taracotta7]

The aide work I am looking into is in an early therapy that is here and my son is a part of. They do all the training. You are supervised by childhood development specialist, occupational therapist and special ed teachers. It is really great because they lay out the programs and you get to be one-on-one with an autisic child. Basically, you are extra hands in a therapy setting. We are so attached to all our "helpers" in my son's program. The director has talked to me about doing it but I won't commit until he is in school full time. I don't think he will work well with me being in his therapy setting. I need to wait until he is aged out of that program which will be in a little over a year when he goes to public school. PLUS.......it will give me a lot of insight on special education that I think will be helpful when I go for speech pathology. In the same field just different branch.

[julifish]

Originally Posted by AmberK

Juli- do you do medical coding?

I don't actually do the coding. I do contracting with the insurance companies and then a bunch of stuff with the doctors to make sure we make money on the insurance contracts, but I work with coders. They are hard to find and ones that learn how the whole Medicare coding part works make some really good money and it can full or part time depending on what you want to do.

[jessica31876]

my daughter is going to school to be a nurse. I dont know if it is that way everywhere but anything to do with the medical field here in Florida is always hiring. It might be because we have a large amount of retirees here. But if it is something you are not going to enjoy doing long term I would not invest that much time or money in it. Another thing to think about is just because that field is slow right now does not mean it will be when you finish your schooling.

[julifish]

Originally Posted by taracotta7

. PLUS.......it will give me a lot of insight on special education that I think will be helpful when I go for speech pathology. In the same field just different branch.

Tara - I studied Speech Pathology in college my first two years. I didn't end up finishing my degree but I really love the program. It was a breeze compared to other classes because it was so interesting. There are internships, etc involved but it's definitely something you could do in a variety of settings which makes it so much more flexible than other jobs.

I think most jobs in health care will be there for years to come. We all need medical care!

[Jenn Barrette]

I would go into natural medicine/nutrition if I magically had time and money to do so. I would probably have a small practice out of my home so I could set my own hours and do my own thing.

[MamaBee]

I don't think you can go wrong in any health area... with Obama Care hitting next year, there will be higher demand for all areas of medicine. If not sure about nursing, you could become a certified nursing assistant, my step sister in law did that from high school until she finished school, working in a nursing home - they are ALWAYS looking for people.

My mom got her certif in medical coding and wasn't able to find a job at the time... all in the area/timing, as with any job. She really liked learning about it, but it is a lot of memorizing. My mom was also an xray tech - haha... when she had me... and then she was an EMT for 9 years while I was growing up... however that might be difficult for you with kids. She LOVES medical things...

I don't know what I'd do if going back to work... I really don't want to go into my old field... and have no idea what I'd be interested.

[LeeAndra]

If I was being practical, I would go into legal or medical. People love to sue, and people love to eat Big Macs and super size fries. These are fields that will never go away.

Heck, becoming a mortician or an accountant would be good, too. You know how the saying goes --- nothing is guaranteed except death and taxes.

If I was doing what I wanted to do, I would go back to be a psychologist and I would specialize in adoption/special needs/kids of divorce.

If I was doing my dream job, I would travel the world as a photojournalist and specialize in writing abt, photographing, and raising money for children in third world countries.

I know. Not helpful at all!

[littlekiwi]

I was going to go into nursing however didnt get into nursing school so I have now started (7 weeks ago) a Bachelor of Human Services majoring in Disability Studies - not sure what the end career goal will be but probably something in the needs assessment area or person centred planning (I don't want to be providing in home care as I didn't spend 20k to do that)

[Tracyfish]

I've thought about this too as my sister is finishing up her Bachelor's in Health Care Administration this month.

My AA is in Accounting and it's not what I would want to go further in right now.

I have a friend who went to school here in Florida for the rad tech and 3 years later still can't find a job in that field. She works for a hospital just trying to be in the field if one comes up. She's very frustrated.

Good luck on whatever you decide. I don't have any advice since I couldn't decide what I'd go back for either.

[staciahall]

I'm in the "death and taxes" category myself as a CPA. I figured in good times or bad, companies still need someone to tell them how they are doing and how to make it better. I still really like my job, having enough variety and new stuff each year to keep it challenging and interesting.

One of my best friends went back to nursing school last year at age 46 to become an RN. I'm so proud of her, going from a degree in advertising and then later a paralegal and then going back to school.

As a mom of one who used speech pathologists for quite a while, I'm very appreciative of their work and dedication as well as OT. I agree that it seems professions in the medical fields and related seem to do really well in Florida.

My oldest graduates with her bachelors next week. I've always told the kids to find a job they will love and then it won't seem like work!

[DawnMarch]

I work for a big retail pharmacy company and I know pharmacists are always in demand.

[MamaBee]

I saw that career cast just released the top 10 jobs for 2013...

http://www.careercast.com/jobsated/best-jobs-2013

[nun69]

I also agree that medical coding is always a hirable job in the medical field...alot of times you can do it from home.....pretty sure that Marie does this I am a phlebotomist and draw blood all day and that is another job that people are always looking for in medicine I actually love it but if I could do it over, I would be a professional photographer with either a home or studio business with an assistant so I could have some flexibility with my kids....

[marlathrall]

My sister is graduating next month with her dental assistant degree. It was a one year program (she had already gone to school for a year) and she will have her assosiates degree. She actually has a job waiting for her already! I noticed that dental hygienist was on the list of top careers and I think that only takes two years.

My sister-in-law is also finishing her radiology tech degree next month. She's been working on this assosiates degree for four years (likes to party, too) and I'm super stressed she's not going to find a job. Ugh.

Find something you love, for sure!

[catgoddess]

I'd look into jobs that have a shortage of skilled workers in your area and choose from those. Not just hiring, but a field that doesn't have enough people right now.

I wouldn't recommend anyone go back to school for a first or other 4-year degree when so many jobs out there that are actually hiring are for careers that only require certs and pay just as much, if not more.

I've been a freelance tech writer for many years. We travel a lot, though, and I've thought about looking into the travel field now that we're in Florida and demand is higher for good agents. I have enough work now to keep me busy for awhile, so I stay put. The thought of changing careers is appealing, though!

Good luck to you.

[AmberK]

What I love is photography but I dont even know my camera well enough to shoot in manual. And there are SO MANY photographers out there that I just don't think its a good career choice.

[lovely1m]

I will have to look for a new career in 13 years when I will retire from the military after 27 years in. Originally I wanted to do photography, but I agree, Amber, that field seems oversaturated right now. I plan to go get a Masters in 10 years so it will be fresh when I retire. I have a Bachelors in Political Science. I am not sure what I will get my Masters in yet or what I want to do. Ideally, I would own my own business of some sort. Having retirement pay to sublimit whatever I do will help a lot.

[dana]

i was a CPA for 13 years - and although i don't have any real "love" for accounting, i did love my job because of the people i worked with and the flexibility/opportunities it gave me (i was able to work in CA and france, and also teach a lot of training courses, which was really fun). i would suggest accounting, in general, to anyone, because i think that there are a lot of jobs readily available.

if i were to go back to work now (i quit when i had kids), i would probably want to be a teacher so that i would have similar schedules as my kids. i am also interested in the medical field - but would want something that had the hours that i wanted and a relatively flexible schedule.

[carriesmom]

I currently work as an attorney. I really love this job and particularly what I do (an attorney for the state working in dependencies). If I had to go back, I would probably want to do trauma informed therapy and care with young children. There is such a need for good therapists to help kids who experience trauma in their lives.

[AmberK]

I've thought about teaching but it just seems like there is a shortage of jobs for teachers. IDK. Im soooo confused.

[nun69]

what about looking in to social work? I know here we are always looking for good social workers and there are lots of fields to work in in social work....kids/the state/homeless/veterans (which is that they do at my clinic), hospice care people, and normally they all involve family of some sort so you get a sense of really helping them....

if you really like photography, what about working in a professional studio and "learn" as an assistant....that would be my dream, build my skill and knowledge while working there!

[AmberK]

I had a pretty good talk with a friend last night and I think I might try and pursue nursing.

[isaacsmom]

I am a medical coder in an orthopaedic office. I don't know what the job market is like in your area, but I know there are quite a few coders out there who cannot get jobs right now because they don't have any experience. Many companies will not hire you as a coder unless 1) you are certified, or 2) you have several years of experience. And the problem lies in that you can pass the certification (CPC) but they tack an apprentice designation (CPC-A) on your certification until you have 2 years experience. But most companies don't want to hire a CPC-A. It is a catch 22. Also, be aware that ICD-10 is coming in October 2014 which will majorly change the coding world. All coders will have to learn a new set of diagnosis codes going from approx. 13,000 codes to over 68,000 codes. I don't want to deter you, but would hate to see you spend money on schooling and then not be able to find a job. Just some things to be aware of. But like others have said, your experience in the insurance piece may be just the ticket to get your foot in the door somewhere. People that understand insurance are hard to find in my opinion.

[marlathrall]

Yeah. I wouldn't become a teacher right now either. They are unappreciated, overworked and underpaid. My future sister in law is actually getting out of teaching after only two years.

Photography, while my true passion in life, isn't a very good career now either. The market is crazy- tons of photographers working for nothing. You may be popular for a bit until a new photographer comes to town and decides to charge nothing. Lol. It's extremely frustrating.