PCEngineFans.com - The PC Engine and TurboGrafx-16 Community Forum
Non-NEC Console Related Discussion => Chit-Chat => Topic started by: bob on May 09, 2014, 04:03:05 AM
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I don't know what most of you guys do for jobs/careers/etc., but I'm seriously considering a change in my life. I've been working for 10 years at one of the major financial firms as a Quant analyst and software designer. I've been monitoring another company that is local and glancing at recent openings. The problem is, it's a TOTALLY different field and industry. But a company I have long wanted to work for. At 37, I feel like I still have a good amount of work in me and change may not be that far fetched. Once in your 40's, it gets harder and harder to make a career change unless you are already sitting on a pile of cash and it doesn't matter what you do. As a middle class citizen with an at-home wife and 3 year old twins, it's scary. Especially considering I get paid quite a bit more in my current job than the new place would probably pay me. But is it worth it to get out of bed for something that feels "stale"?
Anyway, if you could flip the script tomorrow, where would you like to work? Or at least what area/industry of work would you like to do? (or you may already be doing it, and if so, I commend you!)
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Ive been a BMW mechanic off and on for the last ten years. Im planning to quit this summer and try and finish school. I want to get into alternative energy research and maybe someday teach at the college level. We will see what happens!
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I'm reaching this point myself a bit, I've been with the same company for about 4 years and debating making a move, but I've also got a 1 year old baby and stability (in pay and hours) is very nice.
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one day I'll quit and try to work for nintendo.
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Perhaps contracted or consulting firms for IT?
I work at a consulting firm as an ETL developer and work for 2-6 month at a time projects for different clients all around the US. I get options to work from home and at the office and each project usually winds up feeling very different than the last. I also work in project teams of 2-8 people each time and the team members switch in/out each time unless a few of us demand to stay working together.
Advice? Much like what others have said- it'll get easier the older your kids get and don't need as much daycare $$. However, I would say waiting even longer until they are around middle-school and more self sufficient. I went from Systems analyst/support in 2012 to this career of straight developer and also had a pay increase. Our youngest was 5 at the time and since we've welcomed another little monster into the family.
I really don't know if I'd be able to take a pay cut and sacrifice money that our family needs even if I wasn't feeling as fulfilled at the workplace. Maybe go in with the mindset that you're toughing it out for your family?
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I feel pretty comfortable at my current job. Being an IT manager in a manufacturing company has been really fulfilling, but at the same time, if I could be in charge of a larger team and work for a different kind of manufacturing business (the company I currently work for doesn't sell retail, I'd like to work for a company that sells retail), then I'd jump ship.
If I were on galam's shoes I'd probably stay at my current job if it seems stable. Basically try to do what's best for the family in first place.
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Maybe go in with the mindset that you're toughing it out for your family?
Yup, only thing that gets me up every day right now.
Also, I do have quite the flexibility that I won't find in most other places. Ability to work from home at will and vacation isn't tracked. No status reports to bother with and I get to mingle/work with the very senior folks which keeps my exposure up. So there are some intangibles that keep me going too.
Being an IT manager in a manufacturing company has been really fulfilling,
zero experience in manufacturing is what's going to keep me from the company I am interested in. they do sell retail, but I have no background in the manufacturing/retail production space.
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Crazy... You've got a couple of years on me (and a stay at home wife) but I'm in virtually the same boat. Been working IT for a biometric/forensics company and love what I do and get paid well for the region in which I live, but the atmosphere at work is growing increasingly negative and I've been wanting to either jump ship to IT for the local school systems, or go back to school for a bit to become a certified latent print examiner (since I already could pass the test).
With 3 year old twins, daycare is super expensive... so I'm stuck. No chance in hell I can change careers. Similarly, 3 year old twins keep a stay-at-home mom ultra busy so your waifu likely can't get a 2nd job to take up the slack if you were to switch to a job that makes you happier but compensates you less.
I think the answer in both of our cases is: Wait for the kids to get in kindergarten @ a school with an 'after school' program that will watch them until you get off work. In my case, that'll save me enough on day care that I can afford to gamble on a new job. In your case, that would afford the waifu the free time she'd need to get a part time or full time job to pick up the slack if you jump ship.
I used to work IT for a college im my area and I loved it. I gave it up for my second little man that just came 10 months ago. Wifey makes awesome $$$ so there is no real need for me to work but I do work from home and I hate it. I really want to go back to the real work force but I also will never trust a daycare or school system, our kids are supposed to be raised by us parents not a day care or school and with all this common core crap 2+2=5 if you can explain how you got there crap don't work for me. So it's home school for mine. I am college educated and have a degree in computer science and networking, and a cert in web design (what I do from home). In the long run for me it's about the quality of life for my kids, I won't be here forever so I have to try and make sure they get the best out of everything they can in life.
My bottom line...The kids always come first for me.
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I'll be 37 in a few. Been at my current company for 13yrs and I've been on the hunt for a new gig for about a year. Easier to look when you have a job. On my end, it seems my company decided to mimick the Titanic, on a much longer time scale mind you, so I've been actively seeking. Mostly Account Planning/Advertising gigs which is where a big core of my experience is. In my market, the biggest thing is the amount of talent far outweighs the availability of opportunities. So a company might go with a greener/less expensive person. I have a 5 and a 3yr old and my wife works. Expenses certainly go down once they start Kinder. Best of luck!
Write down all the pros and cons ala "Along came poly"
Ideal job? well I am working on Lucretia Demon princess. Too bad is a side job to everything else. Would love to be able to dedicate more time and resources to it and make a living out of it.
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I'd love to work on PCE games full time.
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I am already doing what I have always wanted to do... running a game dev studio. I am also setting up my own trading company, since my ex runs the export company now. I still plan to open my own pizza parlour/game shop/classic arcade someday.
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I still plan to open my own pizza parlour/game shop/classic arcade/BAR someday.
...I hope
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one day I'll quit and try to work for nintendo.
get a rope...
I already did ^^
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I used to work as the Art Director for a Multimedia company and made great money but hated my boss and the work environment (though I loved my co-workers and clients an projects). I finally couldn't stand putting money in the pocket of an a$$hole so I jumped ship. After working freelance for awhile (which I also loved but wasn't consistent) I got a job working for a nearby Chamber of Commerce. The work environment there is so much more positive that I'm willing to take a significant pay cut. It means cutting things from our personal life (dinners out, fun toys, etc) but I'm in such a better place emotionally, physically, spiritually that we're all doing better. I actually love what I'm doing these days, not just the stuff that I'm doing, if that makes any sense.
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It's funny this topic was brought up as I just went through this scenerio 3 years ago now.
I did do 1 year in a mechanical engineering program out of high school and realized I hated it. I was also 18 and was too tempted to party instead of study. My hobby was cars so I got a job at a local shop. I worked my way up and got a bunch of ASE certs and became a master technician. Eventually I got sick of working on other people's junk all day it made me not want to work on my own projects. I then made the move to the management. I ran a few shops around town for a few years and just got fed up with the whole business. The company I worked for was great but my assistant manager was a d-bag (I didn't hire him) and the customer base at one of the shops was not good (store in the ghetto). I felt trapped because I had a 2 year old and 1 year old at home and made awesome money. The issue was the shitty hours, working weekends and I would get pissed and stressed at work and bring it home with me.
I started looking around a bit and got an offer to be an HVAC service tech. The problem was it was half the pay I was making but the perk was they would pay for all the required schooling for a certificate and associates in order to get my local journeyman card.
I must say, I was scared as shit but I took the leap. These past few years have been hard but I knew there was no way I would be able to go back to school any other way. Now I'm back to what I was making managing the auto shops and will be making quite a bit more when I finish school in the fall. I am also so much happier and work with great people.
So happy in fact, that my wife must have started to like me again and we have a 3rd child due in September. Then a few weeks ago I stumbled upon this forum and I feel as if I have found complete zen.
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I know all about the whole working on other peoples junk until you no longer want to even work on your own stuff. My poor BMWs are so neglected these days :(
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Burp
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...
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le poseur
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This is too painful a topic since I was on track for my dream job and just f*cking gave up. I burnt out at the last mile and abandoned everything.
So, I try not to think about it.
You would think that a decade+ would dull the pain.
It does, but not enough.
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I don't know if I would be able to take a job for less money, even if I was unhappy with my work. I guess I am 30 and not nearing 40 like a lot of you guys, so maybe I will burn myself out more as the years go on, but I'm now dependent on what I make.
My advice is to work at a large corporation, which has a lot of places to move internally. Normally places will let you make reasonable moves, even if they are lateral, which will help keep things interesting.
My dream jobs... talk show radio host, professional baseball player, professional gambler, porn star... none of these will be happening any time soon unfortunately.
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Grrrrrrrrr
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I want to work for a TV show like punk'd or candid camera. Lol
anyone else like playing tricks on people?
* nullity guffaws
Got out of hand.
His joke + my joke * beer/wine = no joke
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ela works for a TV show? since when? :)
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I went to school to become an electrical engineer. I graduated with BS in EE back in 2001, just when companies weren't doing a lot of hiring so I couldn't really land any interviews in my field of studies. I was already working full time at Lucent Technology but was only doing clerical type work. Soon afterwards my department got outsource to Brazil and I lost my job with Lucent. I pretty much worked full time thru out college so that I can support my young family. I had a four years old step daughter and another one on the way at the time so I was pretty depressed when I lost my job at Lucent. I had a string of temp jobs, whatever I can get my hands on so that I can support my family. I worked as a substitute teacher, janitor, washing big metal containers at pepsi cola, data entry clerk for the post office, etc. During all these temp jobs, I had interviews at the smaller machine shop places for assembly type work but they didn't hire me because I was over qualified with my BS degree in EE. Several months past, my supervisor, whom I worked for at Lucent, got a job with another tech company called LSI Logic and offered me a job there as an Assembly Technician. Now 12 years later, I'm a Manufacturing Engineer III with Gulfstream here in Savannah, GA. I like what I do and I get paid well. However my dream was always to become an action star like my childhood hero, Van Damme (don’t laugh). I just talked to another fellow who works at Gulfstream. Apparently they do a lot of filming here in Savannah with the student film makers in SCAD et all. He's in the local theater group and have been cast as an extra in several shoots including in the upcoming Sponge Bob movies. So now I’m looking out for any casting calls for extra here. Who knows maybe I can land something and start fulfilling my childhood dream :pray:
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I can't believe all the Van Damme luvvahs here! (http://junk.tg-16.com/images/pcgs.png)
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Maybe its just our ages and the point we are at in our lives and careers. I've been in IT with a major healthcare company for 13yrs now. Started out as a developer, but now work as a designer/engineer, and oversee the technical design and solutions for major projects. I echo your sentiments on dreaming of a career change. My work has just become so unfulfilling. Spending the entire day in a cube or conference room is tiring. I feel like I'm being jerked off at work. They keep telling me, you're going places, you're one of our best, but it never translates into any tangible benefit or compensation. I just keep getting the tougest, most high risk projects, canceled leave/vacations, and all the unpaid overtime I can handle. I feel like I'm on a treadmill and they just keep turning up the speed. The sad thing is they pretty much have a monopoly on IT jobs in this area. So my options for leaving are minimal. :-(
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I feel like I'm being jerked off at work.
Dude... i want your job!
Let me clarify.... feel like I'm being jerked off with a cheese grater, not by a sexy hooker. Lol
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i sell vw parts on the phone and over the counter to shops, small stores, big stores and home restorers. all over the entire world. i always wanted to restore cars, but like many here im afraid i wont want to do my own stuff afterwards, i already got burned out on vw's after almost nin years of being here. my job is cool, but the pay sucks, my wife has a dog grooming business at home and she has always been able to volunteer at our kids school so all the staff knows my family. im lucky to only have a 5 minute commute, i love cars so much sometimes i wish it was longer. some shops come in and ask if im looking for a new job or side work but i always say no, but ive been really giving it a good thought. ps my current job starts at 8 and i come in almost when i feel like. but never hear it. my knowledge on cars is vast and thats my only saving grace.
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So now I’m looking out for any casting calls for extra here. Who knows maybe I can land something and start fulfilling my childhood dream :pray:
Whell shit, that's awesome! Best of luck!
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So now I’m looking out for any casting calls for extra here. Who knows maybe I can land something and start fulfilling my childhood dream :pray:
I know Wilmington, NC has a pretty thriving film production community. It's a bit of a hike for you, but a lot of Hollywood studios have satellite locations in Wilmington. When I was working in Fayetteville, one of our videos editors was always going on about how we need to reach out to that area because it was growing so rapidly. Good luck, TurboKon!
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I've worked in the aerospace field for 11 years. Though I love what I do I can't stand my current company which I've been at for 10 years. This wasn't my dream job in my younger years of course (I wanted to play for the New York Yankees lol). But as an adult I've always wanted to start up a landscaping company and go from there.
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I made the mistake of taking the Network Administration "track" for my B.S. in Computer Science (at my college, everyone in CS takes 2 years of "core" programming classes, then transitions to a specialization in either networking, hardcore programming, or security/cryptology) thinking that I wanted to go into server administration. Got hired by the company I was interning for at the time before I graduated, spent 2 years working on servers, and hated every second of it.
I spent a lot of my nights and weekends reading books, programming and playing catch-up, and eventually landed a new job doing strictly web/applications development and data work. Best decision I ever made professionally.
I work for a mega-conglomerate consumer packaged goods company that generally treats their employees pretty well, pays decently, etc...they give you opportunities to work on projects that really make a difference on a global scale, plus you get the occasional fun trip overseas depending on the project (trying to finagle myself a trip to Japan next year). The fact that the company is outsourcing a lot of network administration to Argentina and the Philippines makes me happy I made that career switch when I did.
That being said, dream job was always to work at Sega corporate in San Francisco. At one point last year, a job popped up at Sega corporate that was very similar to the job I do now. I started looking into it though and found out the target salary...broke my heart to find out that I would have made less at Sega, in frickin' downtown San Fran, that I would at my current job in Wisconsin (with zero job security to boot).
I did have a friend growing up back home that always said "One day I'm going to work for Nintendo." Sure as shit, he does now and has credits in Wave Race Blue Storm and Metroid Prime. f*cking bastard.
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it would be tight if Turbokon became a star, then we can say we knew him way back when....
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My dream job would be to do anything by myself
I hate working with other people
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Would still like to work on galam's mom :)
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Would still like to work on galam's mom :)
people don't forget. :lol: