If you were given a "career mulligan," what would you choose?

[Meadbh]

Upon further reflection, I wonder which comes first. Are we born programmed for ER, or do we settle on ER as the alternative after deciding that our career options suck?

I don't think we are born programmed for ER. At least they haven't found the gene yet!

 

[Frugality_of_Apathy]

If I knew then what I know now, I would have taken that small bit of inheritance money I used to partially fund college and just double my money every year up until now when I'd live in my solid gold tiki shack on the beach.

I still can't imagine a job I'd like, so it's either millionaire playboy or what I'm doing now I guess.

 

[NW-Bound]

As much as I had thought I wanted an academic career, there is no way I would choose one over the Wall Street career I ended up having.

WallSt is an unknown world to me, but I know, same as Taleb wrote in his books, it recruits lots of mathematicians, scientists and engineers to train as "quants".

One of the employees with PhD in our business venture left to go to Wall St. We don't know how he is doing. Can't be worse than if he stayed with us.

 

[haha]

First, this is a flawed question! You may have the same wife, as you might have met her before career started, you most like would have the same kids, if you had the same wife.

Every mating opportunity, even between the same man and woman, produces different results. Observe how different siblings often are.

So my answer to questions like this is no, I wouldn't change anything, even though much of it might have turned out better. Why? Because I like the kids I have, and I like the life I had & have.

Ha

 

[Rustic23]

agreed!

 

[harley]

I have a Zoology degree and planned on becoming a ranger. However, in the late 70s there was a glut of 'Nam vets who wanted to be out of society, so there were no openings available. I became a computer nerd out of desire to make money, and it worked out OK. Over the years I met a number of Park Service people who were not too happy with their jobs. They wanted to be Ranger Rick, but instead they were either customer service reps or DEA agents.

I'm currently applying to do some volunteer work for the Park Service in both locations I live in. On the shore I'll be a grumpy [-]old man[/-] dude on a bike chasing people away from the ponies on Assateague. When back in Northern VA I'm thinking of doing some volunteer farming up at Mount Bleak State park. I think these activities are in line with what I used to want to do, as opposed to looking for reefer farms along the Appalachian Trail.

 

[Urchina]

I've made the career choices I have because the other careers I wanted didn't offer a very stable home life. I would have loved doing national disaster response / planning (FEMA, or the Red Cross), or public health lobbying/policy. Those jobs, however, tend to require extensive travel and that's not something I'm interested in doing as a parent/spouse. So my career Mulligan would pretty much put me back where I am, as it turns out.

 

[clifp]

Sign me for the Astronaut club also. Fighter pilot would have been fun for a few years.

In the more likely category, history professor and Google Employee.

 

[simple girl]

Would have loved to be a dancer - you know, the kind in musicals or on cruise boat shows, etc. Not very practical, and my dancing skills are nowhere near that level - but had they been, this would have been a fun career for a short while!

 

[tightasadrum]

I think the answer is more about who you are than what you do or did. It's about your attitude toward whatever you are doing. A person can always find some pretty good reasons to be unhappy or to be happy with whatever the circumstances.

I look back at my short stint in the Navy, for instance, and remember those years fondly. I remember lots of excitement shooting 5" guns, ASW weapons, war exercises and all manner of manly things. I recall conning the destroyers I rode alongside replenishment ships, among ships in formation, and into new berths after being at sea. Boy was that fun. What I DON"T seem to remember as well is the tedium, the anxiety, the fear, and the lack of sleep that went along with it.

I've thought about this question before, and the answer is to do as many things as you can fit into your life and still get by comfortably. Early on, money did not drive my actions. I've worked as a laborer, a plumber's helper, an auto worker, a musician, a surveyor, a teacher, a researcher, a design engineer, a manufacturing engineer, and a corporate manager to name some. Most of these I did before getting married. The beauty of having done so many things is that you don't have to wonder "what if" so much when you're putting in the 25-30 years to support the family you created.

But, to answer the original question, what other path would have been more enjoyable? I can only compare what I've known. Here would be my perfect occupation: Teach a class until noon, survey land in the afternoon, play in a band until mid-night, and be a tour guide to somewhere new on the weekend. Of course someone else would have to prepare for class and grade papers; do something with all the data I collected in the afternoon; put in all the hours of practice necessary to perform well at night; and take care of the chores and maintenance that are needed that I would normally take care of over the weekend.

 

[armor99]

Wow... interesting question... and some great answers so far! I am currently 35 so do not have as many years in as some, but here are my thoughts. Believe it or not... I think the biggest reason I became an electrical engineer was preceisely because I was NOT good at it. Seriously though....my SAT scores were 680 verbal and 550 math. Horribly poor math score for someone seeking to do engineering work. But it was a field that I found interesting and challenging, and that is why I wanted to pursue it! I understand that I am different from a lot of people in the way I think , and do things. But I have always wanted a bit of challenge in my life. I think that if I ever found my job EASY.... to the point of not having to push the limits of what I currently know, it is not a job I would want. For my life to have meaning for me, it must be filled with challenges to overcome. I intend to earn my victories in life.

But like lots of people... there was one that got away. My biggest dream in college was to use my knowledge of electrical engineering and go into the special effects industry in the movies. To have been part of the team that built the "terminator" robot would have been my dream job. I applied to lots of special effects houses, but it never really went anywhere. (I still have the rejection letter I got from Industrial Light and Magic.) From what I had been able to piece together, almost everyone in the special effects industry works as a contractor. You work on one movie for a year or more, and then hopefully get picked up by the same, or another special effects house to work on the next film. The downside being it is a very "feast or famine" insdustry. You might find yourself out of work for years at a time depending upon what films are being made, and when. Ultimately, I decided that sort of a lifestyle was just not for me, so I went into engineering fields that were a bit more stable. Fairly happy so far... but every now and again I wonder about what if I had taken that other road.

 

[freebird5825]

Wow... interesting question... and some great answers so far! I am currently 35 so do not have as many years in as some, but here are my thoughts. Believe it or not... I think the biggest reason I became an electrical engineer was preceisely because I was NOT good at it. Seriously though....my SAT scores were 680 verbal and 550 math. Horribly poor math score for someone seeking to do engineering work...
But like lots of people... there was one that got away. My biggest dream in college was to use my knowledge of electrical engineering and go into the special effects industry in the movies. To have been part of the team that built the "terminator" robot would have been my dream job...

have you seen Iron Man? the computer generated mechanical workings of the suit were fabulous. i may buy a copy just to watch that part over and over.
test scores are not always an indication of aptitude. it is really too bad they are used, as well as GPA, as filters for aspiring technogeeks. it is the Eureka! and the ability to reduce an idea to practice that defines a good engineer, not being able to do the equations in a room full of blackboards.
let the theoretical folks do the equations - they are best at it and we love them for that . but we engineers are the designers and builders!
i had straight A+'s in HS, but barely got 2.85 for undergrad BS Physics. so, my GPA was terrible. big wooooooooo. i worked 20 hrs a week in College WorkStudy as a physics lab asistant. that's where i learned the real stuff. i started but never finished a MSEE. i got bored with courses cuz i wasn't learning anything. but...i can claim 1 US Patent, and another issuing very shortly. 2 more remain in pending status and the decision to issue or not should come very soon. these are my personal measures of "hey, i done good". my mom was so proud!
i wish i had saved my dozens of rejection letters from way back when.
Follow your dream!

 

[FinanceDude]

I would have done things a little differently. I dropped my accounting major to go to finance. If I had a "mully", I would have done the following:

1)Stayed in college an extra semester to get the accounting degree and concurrently take the pre-CPA review course. Graduate, and sit for the CPA exam ASAP.

2)Found an employer that would have paid for my MBA, I would have been willing to sign a contract agreeing to stay for a set amount of time.

3)Made sure I got a paid or unpaid internship to a local business.

That's about it. The year I graduated, I took the ARM certification (Associate in Risk Management). I passed, and my plan was to get a job working for megacorp as a risk manager. However, there were no jobs without an MBA in that field when i was looking, so I ended up working for a small insurance company instead.

Timing is EVERYTHING.......

 

[Moemg]

I am from the era when women were teachers , nurses or secretaries and since I could not type secretary was out and teaching did not appeal to me so I spent forty years in nursing . Their were days when I hated my job but they were far outnumbered by the days I enjoyed my job . It was physically hard ,mentally challenging but the gratitude I received from patients made it all worth while . So I'll pass on a do over career wise and marriage wise !

 

[Lusitan]

Something easy (once you're licensed), lucrative, flexible, and protected by a guild: pharmacist.

 

[ziggy29]

I am from the era when women were teachers , nurses or secretaries and since I could not type secretary was out and teaching did not appeal to me so I spent forty years in nursing . Their were days when I hated my job but they were far outnumbered by the days I enjoyed my job . It was physically hard ,mentally challenging but the gratitude I received from patients made it all worth while .

Not to mention it's just about THE most recession-proof career out there...

 

[Rich_by_the_Bay]

Not to mention it's just about THE most recession-proof career out there...

True enough. But what doesn't show up is that in conditions of shortage and tight budgets, there is a tendency to work your established RNs to the bone, with high patient-to RN ratios, longer hours, and ever-increasing paperwork, variable supervisors, etc.

The RNs I work with talk about that a lot. You can get a job almost anywhere, but the job itself is stressful. Like physicians, the almost universally love the clinical work and patient interactions, but are very concerned about the other aspects.

 

[ziggy29]

True enough. But what doesn't show up is that in conditions of shortage and tight budgets, there is a tendency to work your established RNs to the bone, with high patient-to RN ratios, longer hours, and ever-increasing paperwork, variable supervisors, etc.

The RNs I work with talk about that a lot. You can get a job almost anywhere, but the job itself is stressful. Like physicians, the almost universally love the clinical work and patient interactions, but are very concerned about the other aspects.

Oh, I know that. Part of it is that the hours are just destined to suck for many of them. People don't only need treatment and care from 8 AM to 5 PM Monday through Friday. Add to that the tough shifts largely caused by chronic shortages, and yes... it's a VERY tough job. But for those who can handle the stress, a very secure one.

 

[kcowan]

I could blather on about how I got to here but I decided to just summaarize the key choice that I made along the way that formed the shape of my career and life.
Choices:
1. What to take at University and where
2. Whether to do graduate work
3. PhD or not and UCB or not
4. Which employment offer to take
5. Which wife to take if any
6. First career move choice
7. Second career move
8. Evaluating attractive alternative employment offer(s)
9. Third career move
10. Fourth career move
11. Take the package
12. Consulting or seek employment
13. Stay married or not
14. Move to the Pacific Coast or not
15. Permanent CEO or not
16. Startup or continue consulting
17. Private financing or public
18. Another startup or ER
19. Stay put or move to Mexico
20. Purchase or rent in Mexico

The reason that I just provided these key milestones is because we are all faced with choices along the way that end up forming our life. For me, I voted for change because I liked that better.

 

[kcowan]

...But for those who can handle the stress, a very secure one.

In my experience, high levels of job stress are rewarded with high levels of compensation. That is why sales always gets more money than tech.

 

[NW-Bound]

I know a few whose wifes were nurses. They got burnt out and ER'ed around 40 years of age.

 

[Rustic23]

This thread reminds me of this Robert Frost Poem. Lots of paths, but you really only travel one.

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood
and sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveller, long I stood
and looked down one as far as I could
to where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
and having perhaps the better claim
because it was grassy and wanted wear;
though as for that, the passing there
had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
in leaves no feet had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I --
I took the one less travelled by,
and that has made all the difference

 

[Walt34]

The quote I most remember from What Color Is Your Parachute?:

"Why do you want to become a mortician?"

"Well, I like working with people."

Also fairly recession-proof.

 

[ziggy29]

The quote I most remember from What Color Is Your Parachute?:

"Why do you want to become a mortician?"

"Well, I like working with people."

Also fairly recession-proof.

Nah. When times are tough, they'll just choose to get cremated and put the ashes in a conch instead.

 

[Nords]

I've made the career choices I have because the other careers I wanted didn't offer a very stable home life. I would have loved doing national disaster response / planning (FEMA, or the Red Cross), or public health lobbying/policy. Those jobs, however, tend to require extensive travel and that's not something I'm interested in doing as a parent/spouse. So my career Mulligan would pretty much put me back where I am, as it turns out.

If it's any consolation, one of spouse's Reserve billets was working as a military planner alongside the Army, state Civil Defense, and FEMA. She enjoyed the planning/operations parts but politics tended to trump all. After her second hurricane season she figured that she was pushing her luck so she retired.

The "nice" thing about volunteering for the Red Cross is that they call you at least a few hours before the sirens go off, giving you a heads-up to get your hurricane checklist going. Of course the downside is that you end up setting up a shelter while your family is buttoning up the house, but hopefully you have VIP seating...

The beauty of having done so many things is that you don't have to wonder "what if" so much...

That's the main reason I signed up for USNA, although nearly every day for the next 1400+ I swore that I was going to quit the next morning. And then after that you get sucked in by the challenges and the fun...

You also never know what you can do until you're tired enough to try anything, and Navy certainly afforded plenty of those learning opportunities.