What Career Would You Pick?

[PennyQuilts]

I was wondering how many people are happy they chose their current career path. I'm a lawyer but if I was starting over, I think I would be a wildlife biologist. If I were twenty years younger, I would go back and get that degree. As it is, I just take classes and workshops.

[Easy180]

I would have probably gone into the oil and gas industry instead of banking

[NoOkie]

I'm in IT. I probably would alter my career track a bit to focus on the parts I find more enjoyable now. Other than that, though, I wouldn't change it. I enjoy it, and it's a very portable skill set. IT is very similar to accounting in that everyone needs it in some form or another.

[kevinpate]

When I came to Norman in 86 the game plan was we'd both obtain our respective degrees and on grad day hand in the robes, hug a few, wave to some more and then slip into a packed U-haul and leave the little city on the prairie in the rear view mirror. But come 89, with another wee one in the haus and jobs/colleagues we both truly enjoyed, we decided instead to shelve Plan U-haul for a year. One year later, we wrote Plan U-haul II and simply moved to a different part of town.

I had a couple of careers before I returned to school, and my path today is vastly different from the earlier years of my professional life. Enjoyed all aspects along the way, but I think I am doing today what I was always meant to do.

At times I feel I wouldn't be real opposed to doing it elsewhere. But sheeesh, I soooooo hate to pack so that's not real likely to take place.

[RadicalModerate]

Interesting question . . . I think that I might have enjoyed a career in Advertising, Architecture, Journalism or Law Enforcement.
(Instead of Truck Driving . . . Construction . . . Teaching and Retail. Cooking is a hobby and involvment in that area as a job would have ruined it for me. My early experience at IHOP as a dishwasher and Kentucky Fried Chicken as a "cook" convinces me of that. =)

[PennyQuilts]

Kevin, are you practicing law, now, or something else? (you don't need to reveal the "something else").

[WilliamTell]

I'm in aviation and have been treated well but I've always wished i would have gotten into medicine. Really any level, including rn, dr, specialist, pa. It seems like it would be nice working with different people each day, the day would go by fast, and having some sort of real 'outcome' of your work. The scale of the items i work on now are so large and complex that they require tons of people so its hard to not feel like a cog in the machine.

But from alot of the stories ive read from people in the field complain (esp doctors) complain about lack of job satisfaction.

[kevinpate]

PQ, I always chuckle at our standard terminology. No matter how long we're at it, we almost universally refer to it as practicing.
So, as my own minor protest, I've taken to simply noting I helps people from time to time.

[adaniel]

I would have probably gone into the oil and gas industry instead of banking

Hilarious. I would have done the exact opposite. I'm in oil and gas (in the land and regulatory side jointly). I had a banking internship my last year in college, mainly focused on energy and real estate lending and loved it. The previous two summers I had internships in the energy sector and came away from both with an "ehhh" feeling. I tried very hard to get a job in banking my senior year at OU and had two very promising leads, but of course this was late 2008 so by that winter they were both off the table. Of course if I could REALLY go back in time I would be an architect or food reviewer. In regards to the food reviewer, I've actually had friends suggest to me to start a blog.

I certainly don't hate my job and I make a decent living for someone in his mid 20's, but its not for me. If you don't mind me asking, what don't you like about banking?

[Easy180]

Hilarious. I would have done the exact opposite. I'm in oil and gas (in the land and regulatory side jointly). I had a banking internship my last year in college, mainly focused on energy and real estate lending and loved it. The previous two summers I had internships in the energy sector and came away from both with an "ehhh" feeling. I tried very hard to get a job in banking my senior year at OU and had two very promising leads, but of course this was late 2008 so by that winter they were both off the table. Of course if I could REALLY go back in time I would be an architect or food reviewer. In regards to the food reviewer, I've actually had friends suggest to me to start a blog.

I certainly don't hate my job and I make a decent living for someone in his mid 20's, but its not for me. If you don't mind me asking, what don't you like about banking?

Oh it's not bad since I have never been concerned with job security...Worst part is if you ain't in sales you ain't making great money...I tired of selling so I now hide out in operations with the others who couldn't stomach sales either lol

[adaniel]

Oh it's not bad since I have never been concerned with job security...Worst part is if you ain't in sales you ain't making great money...I tired of selling so I now hide out in operations with the others who couldn't stomach sales either lol

Interesting. I hate sales but I never saw a lender's job as rising to the level of salesman. Maybe I just missed something.

One thing about the O&G industry is that people view it as the days of "da awl bidness" back in a time long ago where good ol boys kicked up their boots and made deals. Those days are dead. There is a lot of money at stake in this industry; I'm blown away at the huge bills our tiny company sends out. The average well drilled in western Oklahoma is about $4-5 million from start to finish. This has created a nasty level of cutthroat-ness that is very trying, if you are in the wrong end of it (which I am). In the short term I would like to do something different within the industry before I completely cut it loose, even if that means a slight dip in pay.

[Oh GAWD the Smell!]

I want that job where I play with puppies for 4 hours a day for $250,000 a year (give or take).

I also wouldn't mind going back to blowing **** up for a living. But they abused me too much the first 10 years, and now I'm unserviceable.

So I guess I don't mind being an armchair warrior in the IT world so much. It's low stress.

[BBatesokc]

My path was marketing and I got side tracked somewhere along the line. Though, now, based on my close friends and family, I'd have probably enjoyed being a criminal defense attorney.

[PennyQuilts]

My path was marketing and I got side tracked somewhere along the line. Though, now, based on my close friends and family, I'd have probably enjoyed being a criminal defense attorney.

Some of the happiest lawyers I know are criminal defense attorneys - they mainly seem to hate the bill collecting, though. In law practice, I liked employment law the most.

[bluedogok]

Race Car Driver, I would have worked more towards that as a goal.....

Rally, I always wanted to be an architect, I grew up around it and knew what I was getting into. I became disillusioned in architecture school, what they taught had nothing to do with what an architect really did (in my mind). I left and went to work and was a Business-Finance major going to CSU/UCO at night for awhile, changed my mind and went back into architecture. Hindsight being 20/20, I would have probably got more into development as an architect/developer. I still plan on having my own practice in a few years, maybe things will pick up and I will have a chance to do development as well.

[mugofbeer]

Buy, renovate and resell existing houses and buildings.

[Midtowner]

I enjoy what I'm doing. Any different career would have been "plan B." I gave some serious thought to going into television news. I was at UCO and was an anchor/reporter on the Channel 22 News program for a couple of years and was actually pretty good at it, but professionally, the hours suck. I'm all for 9-5 with weekends off.

I recently gave some pretty serious consideration to switching to the Democrat Party and running for the state legislature after being recruited by the Oklahoma Democrat Party. Maybe politics, maybe the bench... who knows. I'm in my early 30s, educated and self-employed. I feel like I can pretty much do anything I want to at this point.

[Spartan]

If I had the backing, I'd do exactly what Marva Ellard does.

[MadMonk]

I'm in aviation and have been treated well but I've always wished i would have gotten into medicine. Really any level, including rn, dr, specialist, pa. It seems like it would be nice working with different people each day, the day would go by fast, and having some sort of real 'outcome' of your work. The scale of the items i work on now are so large and complex that they require tons of people so its hard to not feel like a cog in the machine.

I've always looked at those in the aviation industry with an envious eye. I'm in IT and I love what I do and it fits with my life very well, but ever since I was a kid I've wanted to do something around those amazing flying machines (piloting or working on/around them). My one "take a chance" venture into the ATC world took much of the fight out of me though and so I took a different direction based on a favorite hobby. Not a bad way to end up and I feel very fortunate.

[Just the facts]

I don't know if I would have started different but I wouldn't mind changing careers now. I would love to get into real estate development, and maybe at some point I can.

[jmpokc1957]

Well, let me start by saying that I wished I had known then what I know now!

I have worked as a software engineer in the automation field since the early 1980's, say about 30 years. Although it has had its interesting moments, if I were able to do it over again as a young person entering college I would try and become a naturopathic physician, organic farmer and teach yoga. I believe I would have been much more useful than having set at a desk and stared at a computer screen worrying about micro seconds!

[kelroy55]

A billionaire playboy.

[PennyQuilts]

a billionaire playboy.

jethro!!!!!

[kelroy55]

jethro!!!!!

Granny!!!!!

[Bellaboo]

Been in IT for 30 something years. Worked in aviation back in the 70's...

Enjoy what I do, and that's 3/4 of the battle. Could have retired a few years back, but a person needs a place to go and something to do when they get there.
I enjoy amature archeology, I explore ancient sites on occasion all over the world.