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Help Me Change my Career
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vwwestyman
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PostPosted: Mon Jun 18, 2018 10:29 am    Post subject: Help Me Change my Career Reply with quote

Tl;dr version:

I don't like my present job but feel kind of stuck and am hoping maybe someone here will know of something I'd like but haven't thought of.

Long version:

Edit to add: I'm 36, single, never married, no biological kids.

Right now, I live and work in Manhattan, Kansas at a community mental health center in the youth program. I'm currently a "Team Lead" in charge of things like planning and running our groups.

Previously I was a Supervisor over the program. I was demoted in February because, per their story, they wanted to have a licensed therapist in that position. However, I know from several sources that the reasoning is more truthfully that the Executive Director didn't really understand all that I did and was trying to juggle/balance and some smaller things that she decided to perseverate on were put on the back burner. I know this sounds like an excuse and all that, but I honestly feel it is an accurate representation.

I was frustrated with my job before that change in February, because they kept piling more and more on me, without any of the help I requested and without any change in compensation. But now, I really want to leave.

My problem is I don't know what to do from here.

So that's where I am today. Now for some background.

I do have a Bachelors degree, but it is a Bible degree from a small Christian college here in Manhattan. I was also working toward a Mass Communications degree at the same time but did not finish that. Unfortunately, I feel like that degree isn't doing a whole lot for me at this point.

I've worked at my current place of employment for 9 years total. Before being a Supervisor, I worked directly with the kids as a Case Manager. I enjoyed that work, but was frustrated with the hours (I have to work with them after school times, so it was always long into the evening) and pay, hence applying to the Supervisor position.

I also have been a foster parent for teenage boys for the last 5 years.

So I am personally invested in helping kids.

That said, I am planning on taking a hiatus from foster care for a while as soon as my current son goes home, which is projected to happen about a month from now. I intend to still do volunteer work of one kind or another to help support other foster parents and foster children during this interim time.

I've always said I wanted to own rental property. I own my current home, and have the idea/goal of eventually buying another home to move to, and renting this one out as my first. However, with working in social services, I don't make anywhere close to enough to put anything significant aside to save for a down payment on another home. Banks around here won't allow me to count potential rental income when qualifying for a mortgage, unless I've had that income for 2 years.

To that end, I've come up with a potential plan of buying an RV and living in it in the local State Park while renting the house, in order to build that history and help save. However, even saving for that with my current income is difficult at best.

So I need to make a change. But I feel stuck.

Besides helping kids, I obviously (given my long history on The Samba) like old VWs. I like the projects that come along with them, along with the fun that it brings both me and others. I like solving the problems with a project and making them better.

I also enjoy boating, camping, and the outdoors. I feel like I have an entrepreneurial spirit and would love to own some kind of business, but I lack funding to get started and struggle with knowing what direction I might go with that.

I feel like I've always struggled to answer the question, "what do you want to do with your life?"

I hope I've provided enough detail to get the conversation started, but please feel free to ask any clarifying questions.
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Last edited by vwwestyman on Mon Jun 18, 2018 10:46 am; edited 1 time in total
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Glenn Premium Member
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PostPosted: Mon Jun 18, 2018 10:33 am    Post subject: Re: Help Me Change my Career Reply with quote

Take classes in network security and you'll never be out of a job.
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Malokin Martin
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PostPosted: Mon Jun 18, 2018 10:48 am    Post subject: Re: Help Me Change my Career Reply with quote

1.) Get the hell out of the midwest > move to the coast
2.) Go to school for something related to IT
3.) Profit
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PostPosted: Mon Jun 18, 2018 10:57 am    Post subject: Re: Help Me Change my Career Reply with quote

McDonalds is always hiring.
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iowa vw
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PostPosted: Mon Jun 18, 2018 11:11 am    Post subject: Re: Help Me Change my Career Reply with quote

Malokin Martin wrote:
1.) Get the hell out of the midwest > move to the coast
2.) Go to school for something related to IT
3.) Profit


If money is tight now moving to the coast will only exacerbate that issue. Housing is more than double on the coasts compared to the Midwest. (Born and raised in Iowa, moved to South Dakota and now in Los Angeles) I travel extensively on the west coast (and previously in the Midwest) and my job is to study demographics by age cohorts to determine financial measures (Net Worth, Annual Income, penetration rates, etc). I do this for the senior housing industry. Coming to the coast in a poor financial situation is not a wise move.

IT is great but it is highly competitive and the talent pool is deep. If you are a new comer to IT it may be challenging to stand out from the younger crowd unless you can combine IT with business acumen. Entry level IT typically doesn't pay that great.


Since you like to volunteer and help people in tough situations have you thought about other careers like that? Since you have a religion education background there are a number of not-for-profits that you may be a good fit for and with your entrepreneurial spirit it could be something they are needing/looking for. What about managing people?
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Malokin Martin
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PostPosted: Mon Jun 18, 2018 11:28 am    Post subject: Re: Help Me Change my Career Reply with quote

Tell that to the young amazon employee that just bought my neighbors house for $200,000 over asking price with cash... Laughing
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iowa vw
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PostPosted: Mon Jun 18, 2018 11:44 am    Post subject: Re: Help Me Change my Career Reply with quote

Malokin Martin wrote:
Tell that to the young amazon employee that just bought my neighbors house for $200,000 over asking price with cash... Laughing


My point exactly.
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Cali_Army_Guy
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PostPosted: Mon Jun 18, 2018 12:30 pm    Post subject: Re: Help Me Change my Career Reply with quote

Have you ever thought about working in a juvenile detention center or anything like that and helping kids in that fashion? Also at 36 you’re not too old to join the Air Force.

Also about moving to the west coast. Yeah stuff is more expensive here, but I’m betting the pay for the same job here pays more than in Kansas. I make over $20hr and I’m just a parts guy at a trailer repair shop. Surely an educated person with more smarts could easily make more than I do.
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PostPosted: Mon Jun 18, 2018 1:04 pm    Post subject: Re: Help Me Change my Career Reply with quote

Different idea here. Hit the gym get in shape get a job with cruise lines, you’ll be entertaining the older single and widow ladies. You’ll have to be a good conversationalist and ballroom dancer among other things. You may also be asked to perform certain duties for which you’d receive an additional compensation if you know what I mean.
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Malokin Martin
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PostPosted: Mon Jun 18, 2018 1:11 pm    Post subject: Re: Help Me Change my Career Reply with quote

Cali_Army_Guy wrote:

Also about moving to the west coast. Yeah stuff is more expensive here, but I’m betting the pay for the same job here pays more than in Kansas. I make over $20hr and I’m just a parts guy at a trailer repair shop. Surely an educated person with more smarts could easily make more than I do.


Exactly. I mean by all means you could stay in Kansas, but the jobs and money are on the coasts.
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PostPosted: Mon Jun 18, 2018 1:11 pm    Post subject: Re: Help Me Change my Career Reply with quote

Don't get into the rental thing, you'll have to fix shit all hours of the night, weekends, & holidays unless you spend whatever profits on a management company. Then if you get a bad tenant, it can take 3-6 months to get them out if you go through the court system, in the meantime, they destroy your shit just to spite you. The best way to avoid that is to pay them to leave, their deposit back & their last month's payment to get their shit out IMMEDIATELY. No tomorrow or next week, RIGHT FUKIN NOW!

If you want a super low risk rental, storage units! They don't pay, you lock them out (which you can't do for residential or commercial without a judge & sheriff.).
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Cali_Army_Guy
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PostPosted: Mon Jun 18, 2018 1:14 pm    Post subject: Re: Help Me Change my Career Reply with quote

Malokin Martin wrote:
Cali_Army_Guy wrote:

Also about moving to the west coast. Yeah stuff is more expensive here, but I’m betting the pay for the same job here pays more than in Kansas. I make over $20hr and I’m just a parts guy at a trailer repair shop. Surely an educated person with more smarts could easily make more than I do.


Exactly. I mean by all means you could stay in Kansas, but the jobs and money are on the coasts.


Yep. Then just commute like everyone else. Work in the SF area where your income is over $100k and commute to your home in the valley that only requires a $50k a year job to afford.
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PostPosted: Mon Jun 18, 2018 1:15 pm    Post subject: Re: Help Me Change my Career Reply with quote

Malokin Martin wrote:
Cali_Army_Guy wrote:

Also about moving to the west coast. Yeah stuff is more expensive here, but I’m betting the pay for the same job here pays more than in Kansas. I make over $20hr and I’m just a parts guy at a trailer repair shop. Surely an educated person with more smarts could easily make more than I do.


Exactly. I mean by all means you could stay in Kansas, but the jobs and money are on the coasts.


The problem is the difference in the cost of living, a trailer guy making $15hr is living a lot better in the Midwest where the cost of housing might be 1/3rd to 1/8th of the trailer guy making $20hr living in the coastal states. I've known many people in my area that have gotten offers of three times their current salaries only to decline them when they found out that a 650sqft shithole costs 5 times more than their 2,500sqft house.
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Do something, anything, to your project every day, and you will eventually complete it.
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iowa vw
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PostPosted: Mon Jun 18, 2018 1:24 pm    Post subject: Re: Help Me Change my Career Reply with quote

TDCTDI wrote:
Malokin Martin wrote:
Cali_Army_Guy wrote:

Also about moving to the west coast. Yeah stuff is more expensive here, but I’m betting the pay for the same job here pays more than in Kansas. I make over $20hr and I’m just a parts guy at a trailer repair shop. Surely an educated person with more smarts could easily make more than I do.


Exactly. I mean by all means you could stay in Kansas, but the jobs and money are on the coasts.


The problem is the difference in the cost of living, a trailer guy making $15hr is living a lot better in the Midwest where the cost of housing might be 1/3rd to 1/8th of the trailer guy making $20hr living in the coastal states. I've known many people in my area that have gotten offers of three times their current salaries only to decline them when they found out that a 650sqft shithole costs 5 times more than their 2,500sqft house.


I agree completely. I pay more in rent for an ok 1,000 sq. ft than my friend who makes the same as me in South Dakota and has 1 acre lot with 3500 sq. ft. I pay more so I don't commute 1 to 3 hours a day but he only drives 15 minutes to work. Obviously there are other pros about living on the coast but not monetarily.

The company I work for has locations throughout the country and the pay for most facility locations are only a few dollars an hour more than in the midwest. That doesn't cover the cost of living. The only psotions that are substantially more than in the Midwest are key leadership and C-Suite positions.

So being in Manhattan, KS maybe Kansas City is a better option than the coasts.
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PostPosted: Mon Jun 18, 2018 1:43 pm    Post subject: Re: Help Me Change my Career Reply with quote

The Razors Edge, with Bill Murray. Recommend!


A whole lot of charity coming out of your endeavors. You’ve got some soul searching to do to figure out if that’s you or your faith. W/o knowing you it sounds like a crisis of conscience of sorts.

My short term suggestion is to keep doing what your doing until you get the degrees you need to feel (be) qualified. Long term, sure do that rental thing, self help on the stress of being a landlord is a given.

Mental Health field is huge, and getting bigger everyday the world gets smaller
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vwwestyman
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PostPosted: Mon Jun 18, 2018 1:53 pm    Post subject: Re: Help Me Change my Career Reply with quote

I'll try to respond to several comments.

I agree on the midwest/vs coastal cost of living. My 950 square foot house with 450 garage is valued at $125-130K right now. Whenever I watch those house hunter type shows which are typically on the coasts, I'm blown away at the costs. Just incredible by comparison.

Though things are kind of tight for me right now, I would have to think that a job on a coast would have to pay SIGNIFICANTLY more to be worth considering from a financial perspective.

I'm not totally opposed to moving to another non-profit, though I'm genuinely frustrated with the seemingly commensurate low pay.

Air Force... Hmm... I have always had an interest in getting a pilot's license. Might be worth at least having a conversation with a recruiter.

I'm not at all opposed to some kind of education, though I feel like I would want to know for sure that I am pursuing something I really want to pursue. Generally speaking I think going for a Master's of some kind would be better than a different Bachelor's degree would probably be the best bet.
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PostPosted: Mon Jun 18, 2018 2:39 pm    Post subject: Re: Help Me Change my Career Reply with quote

A little levity as most have been there.

Oh, you hate your job? Why didn't you say so? There's a support group for that. It's called everybody, and they meet at the bar.

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PostPosted: Mon Jun 18, 2018 2:47 pm    Post subject: Re: Help Me Change my Career Reply with quote

Zundfolge1432 wrote:
Different idea here. Hit the gym get in shape get a job with cruise lines, you’ll be entertaining the older single and widow ladies. You’ll have to be a good conversationalist and ballroom dancer among other things. You may also be asked to perform certain duties for which you’d receive an additional compensation if you know what I mean.


I like this idea. You're young (ish) and unattached, you have the freedom few of us do. Take advantage and do something interesting or even crazy. You could live on cruise ships and rent out your house. Hopefully you have friends or family that live nearby and can help keep an eye on the place. You'll still have to pay a management company, but you can take over from them when you get back. Beyond that, I can just offer my personal philosophy:

The reason we work is to obtain money to fund our lives. No more, no less. Once you accept that fact, it is a simple matter of optimizing the dollars earned per unit of suck. Note that's optimize, not maximize. A park ranger or social worker making $40K can be in heaven, while an executive making $500K can be miserable. It's all about your personal happiness.
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PostPosted: Mon Jun 18, 2018 2:51 pm    Post subject: Re: Help Me Change my Career Reply with quote

Find a group that does overseas work. See the world on their dime.
Catholic school teacher while you finish your education. (just don't have a child out of wedlock Shocked )
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PostPosted: Mon Jun 18, 2018 3:05 pm    Post subject: Re: Help Me Change my Career Reply with quote

vwwestyman wrote:
Tl;dr version:

I don't like my present job but feel kind of stuck and am hoping maybe someone here will know of something I'd like but haven't thought of.

Long version:

Edit to add: I'm 36, single, never married, no biological kids.

Right now, I live and work in Manhattan, Kansas at a community mental health center in the youth program. I'm currently a "Team Lead" in charge of things like planning and running our groups.

Previously I was a Supervisor over the program. I was demoted in February because, per their story, they wanted to have a licensed therapist in that position. However, I know from several sources that the reasoning is more truthfully that the Executive Director didn't really understand all that I did and was trying to juggle/balance and some smaller things that she decided to perseverate on were put on the back burner. I know this sounds like an excuse and all that, but I honestly feel it is an accurate representation.

I was frustrated with my job before that change in February, because they kept piling more and more on me, without any of the help I requested and without any change in compensation. But now, I really want to leave.

My problem is I don't know what to do from here.

So that's where I am today. Now for some background.

I do have a Bachelors degree, but it is a Bible degree from a small Christian college here in Manhattan. I was also working toward a Mass Communications degree at the same time but did not finish that. Unfortunately, I feel like that degree isn't doing a whole lot for me at this point.

I've worked at my current place of employment for 9 years total. Before being a Supervisor, I worked directly with the kids as a Case Manager. I enjoyed that work, but was frustrated with the hours (I have to work with them after school times, so it was always long into the evening) and pay, hence applying to the Supervisor position.

I also have been a foster parent for teenage boys for the last 5 years.

So I am personally invested in helping kids.

That said, I am planning on taking a hiatus from foster care for a while as soon as my current son goes home, which is projected to happen about a month from now. I intend to still do volunteer work of one kind or another to help support other foster parents and foster children during this interim time.

I've always said I wanted to own rental property. I own my current home, and have the idea/goal of eventually buying another home to move to, and renting this one out as my first. However, with working in social services, I don't make anywhere close to enough to put anything significant aside to save for a down payment on another home. Banks around here won't allow me to count potential rental income when qualifying for a mortgage, unless I've had that income for 2 years.

To that end, I've come up with a potential plan of buying an RV and living in it in the local State Park while renting the house, in order to build that history and help save. However, even saving for that with my current income is difficult at best.

So I need to make a change. But I feel stuck.

Besides helping kids, I obviously (given my long history on The Samba) like old VWs. I like the projects that come along with them, along with the fun that it brings both me and others. I like solving the problems with a project and making them better.

I also enjoy boating, camping, and the outdoors. I feel like I have an entrepreneurial spirit and would love to own some kind of business, but I lack funding to get started and struggle with knowing what direction I might go with that.

I feel like I've always struggled to answer the question, "what do you want to do with your life?"

I hope I've provided enough detail to get the conversation started, but please feel free to ask any clarifying questions.


Maybe you can rent out part of your home while still living there as a start to get rental income and a feel for it.

Having 9 yrs invested in a career area is a nice amount to get you another job in that field. You said you enjoyyed case work, so maybe go back to something like that and study some sort of therapy add-on courses to give you options.

Before you leave your current employer discuss your feelings and situation with your HR and manager or managers manager etc. See if there's better options for you. Let them know you're maybe gone down a wrong path (leadership/management/supervisory) and that you prefer to work directly with the kids. They may be able to help you get what you want. Much of this frustration really comes down to communication or a lack of communication. If you feel hard done by, then you come out and say it constructively with a suggestion for change. Employers don't want to lose employees they value. Remind them of your value and tell them where you'd like to be on pay and ask how they can help u get there. If it's a no win situation then look for another employer.

Do not move to IT at 36. They'll want to get rid of u by 40.

Don't move to an area full of stress and capitalism. Stay country. Cost of living is really what it's about. Will money make you happy?

"Find a girl, settle down, if you want yyou can marry, look at me I am old(er) but I'm happy..."

There's so much more to life than a job. Work to live.

Don't get sucked into this career idea and I wouldn't really go back breaking my balls doing another degree. One is enough, just bring it current with some short courses...

Above all, value yourself and don't let this get u down. You are sitting pretty and have done well to own your home. You seem to have no dependants, no debt, no commitments. Footloose and fancy-free. Perhaps if things don't work out with work right now, it is time for that long road-trip to see some new stuff and let your mind open to new things.

Good luck and take your time with decisions.
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