Careers Advice

dday_throwaway3 · 2024-04-14T13:33:26+00:00

Nothing like divorce as a motivator to level up your career. I divorced around your age, and six years later my income is up 50%. About six months post divorce I switched employers for flexibility, and I've been promoted since then.

It's never too late to get into tech. Go look at the various IT bootcamps you can take. They are more relevant, way cheaper and fast (12-16 weeks) compared to a college degree. Many of them have job placement baked into the bootcamp process.

CrazySanta7 · 2024-04-14T10:48:56+00:00

Tech would be tough right now. The market was on fire a few years ago, but not so much now. Maybe if you focused on AI. After my divorce, i got my masters in IT. I see little difference. But i just wanted to learn (and am in the field), plus my ex wife went to school for 20 years, and i felt i could not go when she was. Ironically, after she got her job.....yep.....cheated. same script, different person.

Anyway....i think accounting would be good. Could you do anything medical? I read about the demand for Accountants is going up.....well, until robots take over. You are my age. You obviously need to consider the cost for the education and compare it to the salary and time left to retire. Six figures is not what it used to be. Good luck.

Maximum_Use5854 · 2024-04-14T05:57:59+00:00

Just an opinion but at age 48 adding a masters in library sciences doesn’t sound lucrative unless you have an org that’s paying for it plus giving you a role that’s paying higher now. Have you considered 1/ getting over there fact that work sucks - sorry my friend most jobs either pay well or you happen to like them with very few both. 2/ google jobs that require your current degree and see if you can apply it. You’ll be entry level potentially but it will start you down a path. Maybe see which pays highest w time / experience and choose that? Also consider looking at your countries projection on jobs created in that field annually as well as evaluate if AI will impact it. Luck

Gattsama · 2024-04-14T05:29:30+00:00

Let me step back a bit and say I don't know your situation, but it sounds like you need a lot of things to be successful.

Understanding of finances and economics. I'm not a huge fan of Dave Ramsey, but he is a good place to get started. This includes making a list of all expenses and debts, getting debt free, basic investment, etc. But also, choosing and being directed going forward with your lifestyle and goals.

I frequently meant people who are having trouble financially, and they are spending money or streaming services, eating out too much, coffee (Seattle area), living in too large a residence, etc. You don't need to suffer, but deferment of gratification is often necessary in the beginning (and often for a few years) to get ahead.

As a general rule of thumb: poor people stay poor cosplaying as rich people; and rick people stay rich cosplaying as poor people. That is, a lot of people with no wealth get money or spend their money on BS (TVs, clothing, cars, going out, etc). People with wealth invest their money into making them more money.

The ultimate goal is for your money to be making you money, not for you to work to make more money. Once the passive income from your investments allows you to live your lifestyle of choice; you are officially retired.

That means you also have to think about your end goal. Most people never do that. They just work and save and HOPE that they end up with enough to cover them. That end point is 100% up to you. But be realistic: moving to FL, ex-pat, 2bd2ba condo, etc. If you don't know what you are working towards, then you can not direct your choices. Once you know your path, it's actually often easier to save and make good financial choices because you can see how it affects the end result. Other than some nebulous 'retirement someday.'

Also recommend Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaka. Again, it's not the best source but a good place to get started.

Investopedia is where you should really spend most of your time. For people who want solid, safe, predictable returns, I recommend only investing in Vanguard Index funds to start with. Index funds take several stocks and mix them into one common fund, which is managed with the goal of following the market. You get diversification and (for the SP 500 Index funds) an overall average 9% ROI.

Finally, you need to understand taxes. You will have to pay capital gains taxes on your investments. You need to understand how the government treats property vs. stocks vs. T-bills vs annuities, etc, when making your plan.

Short-term goals: Write outALL income and expenses Cut all unnecessary expenses Down grade as much as practical Make a list of your end goal / retirement needs Make an investment plan such that that goal can be financed by your passive income from investments
New job: once you have the above figured out. THEN, you know about how much you need to make and how much you need to invest to reach your actual goals.

Next, look for jobs that might actually allow you to earn enough to work your plan. And start figuring out which of those jobs or services (including going entrepreneur) are you willing and able to do.

Happiness and fulfillment: People spend way too much time focused on this IMHO. The truth is you need to do what you are capable of and lead to success. You need to work often for years doing shit you might hate to get the opportunity to do something you love. If it so happens that what you love also pays great, then I'm glad for you. But all the time, I see people saying they want more or a better life but are not willing to do the unpleasant stuff necessary to succeed.

In my case, I'm a physician. I am a very high earner. But it took me 13 years of public school, 18 years of higher education, and horrible hours (at one point 120hrs/wk), before I got to this point. Now things are great 👍 I mean they are fucking fantastic, even after the divorce and the large spousal support I owe I am still doing great. I would have been way better if I never got married, but that's most of us here...

Again, I don't know you or your situation. Sorry if this sounds too basic. Accounting could be a good choice. But the truth is there are so many jobs out there that we can't direct you. Aviation mechanics are needed. Some companies are hiring with zero experience, will train you, and then offer you a job if you complete training = full-time employment, benefits, union, career, etc.

SomeoneInQld · 2024-04-14T04:52:47+00:00

Accounting seems the obvious choice.

Without a background in tech / data science you will have a hard time breaking into the field.

Title	Careers Advice
Author	roshi-roshi
Upvotes	7
Comments	20
Date	April 14, 2024 4:40 AM UTC (2 years ago)
Subreddit	Posted in /r/Divorce_Men
Original Link	https://old.reddit.com/r/Divorce_Men/comments/1c3l57f/careers_advice/
Archive Link	https://theredarchive.com/r/Divorce_Men/careers-advice.1515021 https://theredarchive.com/post/1515021

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