Changing Careers

I've mentioned my plans to change careers.

When I graduated HS I really had no specific career in mind, but I'd though about Law. Engineering was out because I found math incomprehensible. I knew I was going to college but that was about it. And the college plan was 2 years at community college to get some cheap, transferable credits.

My father had done a few jobs, blue and white collar, and owned his own business. He decided that I should get a business degree. So I looked around for a school that would give me a bachelor’s degree without the need for calculus. I found one and off I went. My plan was to get a marketing degree and go into outside sales. Pharmaceuticals looked pretty good back then.

I got the degree, got an inside sales job, eventually an outside sales job and then a couple more jobs. The upside of outside sales, especially if you're single and working for a small company, is the freedom and the travel.

I would see my boss once a month or so, turn in a weekly report and otherwise live a pretty relaxed, semi-retired life on the company dime. I would spend about 120 nights a year on the road. I went to some of the worlds great cities and had experiences not available to most people. But it was impossible to have much of a life when you're never home.

That company got swallowed up in a merger and I ended up as an outside rep again. This time it was a different industry that required no overnight travel. The pay and benefits were great. I had few bills, lots of money and plenty of time.

The tough thing about this job was the monthly quota. Don't hit your quota, or have your average drop below a certain percentage for any 3 month period and you're gone. Most of the people who were there 5 years ago are gone now. The turnover numbers don't look high because of a merger. They simply don't fill the jobs that people leave. When I started there were 19 people with my title in the office. There are 8 now. I've been put on probation for not hitting my numbers at least 5 times and have come within days of being terminated.

On the other hand, when I've had good years I've made a great deal of money. There are doctors out there who made less than me. The really successful reps make over $150 K. The top rep in our office (who was to 20 out of 400 in the company) made a quarter million. This year she went on probation for not hitting her numbers.

There are other stresses and the usually office BS, but I figure you get that no matter where you go. The biggest problem I have with all sales jobs is the uncertainty. I know there's no such thing as job security anymore, but trust me, there's even less with sales.

So my wife and I talked and we came up with a plan. I'd go back to school and get a nursing degree. Unless you go around killing people regularly, a nurse can always find a job. In addition, there's a shortage of male nurses. They're in demand for ER and OR especially.

There are a number of schools that will give you Bachelors in nursing in a year if you already have any other Bachelors. They don't care if it's in marketing, or engineering or English. Do the science pre-reqs and you're in. The programs basically teach you how not to kill someone. So I've got a couple of pre-reqs left and have been accepted into a program that starts in early 2009.

All I have to do is get a B in 2 more classes and stay employed in 2008.

If figure that after a year or two as a clinical nurse I'll have some more options. First, administration, since I have a business degree and I'm a guy. Second, back to sales, but in high end medical equipment or devices. None of that drug rep stuff. Third, flight nurse on the medevac helicopter, just because it looks cool.

The thing that concerns me is whether or not I can make as much money as I want. If I go into the medical sales thing the answer is yes. There's no doubt about that. Administration? Maybe. Actual patient care? I fear possibly not.

Am I doing the right thing? Or should I have chosen another path? So many questions.

Tell me what you think. Please.

Grades, Students, and my childs future.

As I mentioned earlier, I'm a part time student. I'm taking prerequisite classes in preparation for a career change. I've already applied and been accepted into a program that starts in 2009. By 2010 I'll have a second bachelors degree and a new career.

I just finished 2 classes at a local community college. I'd been a student there almost 20 years ago and went back for the same reason that I started in the 80's; cheap credits.

The classes I took were Organic and Biochemistry and Ethics. My grades were an A+ and an A, respectively. I’m not bragging. In fact I'm a little surprised. Heck, more than a little.

I did OK in the Chem class, did all the homework, turned in all the assignments and learned some good stuff. Same goes for the Ethics class. I earned the Ethics grade but I'm not so sure about chemistry. I went into the final with an A and am pretty sure I didn't get higher than a C on the test. It was fairly tough but I wasn't really concerned about my final grade. I only needed a 52% or better to guarantee and A-, but I would have had to score in the 90's for the A+. So how the hell did I get an A+?

I think I was a beneficiary of grade inflation. First of all, an A- is 85 to 89%. Second, the drop rate was something like 50%. I did do well compared to the rest of the class, but I know for a fact that I didn't set the curve. In taking the class I got the impression that the instructor was doing whatever he could to boost class grades without acting unethically. Did I get the grade because I actually earned it, or because the school needs to retain students? Or was it because I got along with the instructor? I'm just not sure. I'll take the A+, don't get me wrong, but I'll also always wonder if I got the grade I earned.

As for the Ethics class, I learned a lot. One of the things I learned is that there are few things more useless than a philosopher. I don’t have a problem with people thinking things through. Quite the contrary, I encourage it. But these people are nuts. They argue and they rationalize and support their arguments with nothing more than logic. And guess what? Unless we’re talking about science that can be backed up with numbers, there’s no such thing as logic.

A friend once told me that lawyers are often philosophy majors and now I understand why.

On the other hand I now have a better understanding of where people are coming from when they state a position about how things ought to be. That’s ethics in a nutshell. Ought, not Is. The really interesting part about understanding this is applying it to people. And to myself. After all, I’m people, aren’t I? It turns out that most people, in my experience, have an inconsistent moral philosophy. I know I do. It was a surprise to learn that, and in the future I hope it will help me think through my oughts.

I earned my Ethics grade. Of this I am certain, but still I’m troubled by some things. There were nearly 40 students in the class on the first day and by the final only 12 were left. What is going on with these drop rates? I don’t recall that kind of attrition 2o years ago.

I do think that the quality of students has diminished. These kids can barely form a thought. I’ve heard them read aloud and it makes me cringe. They can’t read smoothly or pronounce words with more than 2 syllables. I know I sound like a cranky old man. That’s because I am one. But that doesn’t mean I’m wrong.

The thing that concerns me the most is The Peanut. What the hell is she going to learn in school? How can I make sure that she actually learns how to think? It seems like school is now all about feelings and self esteem. You only need someone to pump up your self esteem if you're an idiot. Smart people understand their worth.

Have you had a similar experience, or care to share a story? Please tell me what you think in the comment section.

All the best.

The First Post

So someone recently suggested I get my own blog and I just figured why not?

I've been reading other peoples thoughts for some time now. Most of it's trivial and mundane nonsense. But if I'm willing to read it why not write some of my own trivial and mundane nonsense? So here we are.

And now that I'm here what do we talk about?

I suppose I'll give you some background. I'm 38, happily married to a woman I honestly love and the father of a little girl henceforth referred to as The Peanut. I'm a business sales rep for a telecomm company, part-time student and inactive SCUBA instructor. I read a lot, watch some TV and am surprisingly handy.

So that's the short version. I'll do some actual blogging in my next post.