How many line of work have you experienced and tried to "build" as a career?
By chiyochan
@chiyosan (30186)
Philippines
March 17, 2013 9:54pm CST
This thought came to me just now, seeing a friend of mine who have had struggles and has tried to get into all sorts of career (she is hardworking but i guess often her efforts were so divided she isn't going any further).
So hers was first, a call center agent, a team leader for operations and she thought she wanted to teach and she transferred to training and became a trainer. She thought she needed more money so she is into real estates as well trying to earn additional for sales (but she hasn't sold anything yet). She applied with our company and I vouched for her so she was accepted. She told me she wanted to go back to IT and i helped her. she stayed only 8 months here and thought it wasn't " for her. She is now enrolled and is studying caregiver course and wanted to go abroad as a care giver or a Nurse-aid. She has finished the course in 6 months and she hasn't had the opportunity to fly yet... lacking experience was what was told to be the reason. She is un employed right now and is only trying to sell condo units and rest houses but is a bit tight on that too.
A total of 8 years, she ended up not having a one solid career that she wants to pursue. I advised her before to stay with us and build her analyst career. I am only an analyst for about 2 years but I have got offers in Singapore. But i am the one turning them down... and she wanted to badly to work abroad that she jumps to any idea that would bring here outside the country but she lost focused on one career and thus she always lacks something.
I feel for her and i can see her frustrations. I told her she needs to be patient and to stay in one place. She needs to master one and use that experience -- but she never listens and always wants everything to be done so fast.
She's turned up to be a Jack of all trades but a master to none...
I want to help her, but I think I almost did but she left the company last year even before her skills were ripe enough to get her a job abroad.
2 people like this
4 responses
@sishy7 (27166)
• Australia
18 Mar 13
I pretty much stick to one field throughout my life. But I do know someone who is similar to your friend. He was an automotive mechanic when I first met him back in the 80s. He then decided to take a heavy equipment license and tried to get into construction. While he was looking for ways to be a builder, he actually set up a small eatery and ran a grilled chicken restaurant. And when an opportunity to be a builder came along years later, he actually left the restaurant business and switched to a completely new line of work starting from the bottom again. All of that must have been happenning throughout at least 30 years of his working life.
@chiyosan (30186)
• Philippines
18 Mar 13
Hi sishy, i guess he loved to cook but it was the construction business that he is more drawn into. But that is really not so close to my friend who has found no passion in everything she does... she just wants a ticket abroad and whatever career or job that can give that to her, she would take the bait. often she has found herself in awkward positions. i mean she could have saved all the money spent on training of different kinds of careers out there that she thinks can help her.
Im just worried she might spend more time learning too many things and end up not getting anything that could help her go abroad. she is not getting any younger, and i think she will have to focus more now, right?
1 person likes this
@chiyosan (30186)
• Philippines
18 Mar 13
Well yes, sishy she is still single and is not married, no dependents. =)
Hmm probably the main reason why she is not yet fully matured with her way of thinking, she just doesn't know what she wants at this point - but i hope she will manage to know what it is that she truly wants to do and focus on that, and be successful in that line of business.
The trouble with her is that when she gets to chat with someone that is in a field, she thinks she will also get to be like them and so she will shift but lose interest even before she gains more experience. Its not the same for every one and people spent years and years to perfect something that they do right?
@sishy7 (27166)
• Australia
18 Mar 13
She does not have a family of her own yet, does she? Sometimes having a family responsibility make you decide to settle and focus on a particular thing.
I guess as you mentioned, the problem with her is that she has not found something that she has strong enough passion in.
@ARIES1973 (11944)
• Legaspi, Philippines
18 Mar 13
Hi chiyosan!
As the saying goes, "rolling stone gathers no moss", same with our career wherein if we keep on transferring from one career to another or maintaining several at a time, most likely, we would not be able to master anything.
Have a great day!
@chiyosan (30186)
• Philippines
19 Mar 13
Hi Aries! Thank you for your response. I sure feel the need to tell her. Her parents don't seem to mind so long as she is giving them her b share of the expenses and bills at home. I really wonder how or why her parents weren't even trying to inform her what she must do with her career and have a consistent plan.
@Raine38 (12387)
• United States
18 Mar 13
What you told her is right. She needs to at least build up at least 2-3 years of straight and solid work experience in one area of expertise. That way, more opportunity will be opened for her on a more senior level which, should be fitting by someone of her age and calibre if only she did what you told her. I graduated with a degree on Accountancy, went to work for a year in a private corporation (to save some money for my review) then I resigned and took the CPA review for 6 months. I passed the exam and went to a BPO for SAP exposure. After a year, I went to a private corporation once more and stayed for 3 years until I get promoted to managerial level. After that, I moved to work abroad for a year which is a bit of a bad move because Dubai's economy took a nose dive. Good thing I was able to be accepted into a government office because of my qualification and license. I worked there until I have to move here in the US. Now I am about to take classes about the federal tax laws and business laws and having my transcript evaluated to see if I need any more subjects to take for my CPA certification. I did not actually shift to any other area of expertise all throughout my working years because I realized that I don't wanna be back to zero again when I start another one. Also, I don't want to have a lot of things on my plate more than I can handle.
@chiyosan (30186)
• Philippines
19 Mar 13
Hi there! Hope everything is good with you. Thank you so much for sharing with us your v experience. I sure hope that my friend would be able to hear stories such as this so she would understand what I was trying to say. I doubt she was hearing me or my friends because she thinks we are not the best to give her an advice.
@Alisatan (189)
• Hefei, China
18 Mar 13
There is a popular saying in China, Choose the Job, Love the job. Then you will be finally successed. Our energy is limited, also we don't have enough time to do everything. So just focus on one thing and work hard, love it, then you will be finally rewarded, right?
@chiyosan (30186)
• Philippines
18 Mar 13
this is what my mom always told me, it was something that i have kept in mind and usually i just tell her to focus and put her energy on that so she can be familiar, and she will have the experience she needs.
Im afraid she is just so engrossed with the idea that she can go abroad if she has and IT job, when she was with IT she now is getting tired of waiting and has enrolled for a health job as they say there are many caregiver openings abroad. but she rarely gets any further because she is not concentrated on something.
