Intelligent and driven, but with a checkered past: What career direction should I go?
Career experts, aviators, psychiatric technicians, fitness trainers, Teachers/Coaches and anyone else with first hand knowledge in these respective areas, this is for you.
I am 29. I have a 10 month old baby girl. I recently passed the GED test with my scores in the top 86%-99% rank, meaning in the top 1%-14% in each of the subjects given. I spent 10 years as a critically successful artist. However, due to the financial aspect(I refuse to go commercial and I have a family to feed), and the fact that I'm burned out, I would like to take full advantage of my recent layoff from my "day job", and find a new passion/career and excel in it, both for myself and my family.
After an entire year of 'deliberation' with myself and my wife, I have formulated a plan to obtain a vocational certificate while I am unemployed, and then to get a better job than what I had before, so that I can realistically pursue my degree.
However, I have had a great deal of stress stemming from my background, which is where you guys come in:
- Ages 15-18, I had spent some time in two private psychiatric facilities on four different occasions for depression/suicidal thoughts. Two of those were for documented 'attempts'. I was just crying for help and going about it the wrong way.
.Obviously, I dropped out of high school. I now have a GED.
.I have a misdemeanor "hit and run (property damage)" on my record(2004).
-4 years probation for this incident, 3 years for the hit and run, and 1 year for driving without insurance.
-I spent a night in the holding cell (2004).
-4 days in county jail as a result of a "failure to appear" stemming from that same case (2006).
*Apparently, if this charge isn't already, I can have it exphunged.
.The car that I had was repo'd due to the fact that it wasn't insured on the night of the accident.
-that has account has been settled and taken care of, monetarily anyway.
I ran myself into $3,000 in credit card debt with business that I started in 2006 and incorporated in 2007. One of the reasons why I am burned out.
I know that this is a train wreck, but I need another shot. Question is who'll grant me that opporitunity? The choice in certificate will also effect what degree that I major in.Here are the vocational fields that I am considering:
.Aviation certificate- civilian or military(Pursue an Aviation, Science, or Psychology degree after)
.Psychiatric Technician certificate (Psychology)
.Fitness/Athletic Trainer certificate (Kinsieology, Psych, definately a teaching credential)
.Health Care certificate- Psych(as mentioned), EKG Tech, Dental Asst, etc.
I also like LAW, and I think that I would be good at it.
I've researched ALL of these to DEATH. I can repeat the cert guidline info backwards and forwards, I do have an interest in ALL of them with the execption of Health Care other than Psychology. But, which is the more promising field? Who will hire me?
I'm going to exphunge my record, but how far will that stretch on my record?
I'm going to clean up my credit, but I need a better job, and how far will that stretch on my credit report?
What should I do?
Chris and J.B.
Thank you guys for the wonderful and thorough advice. I appreciate the thought and time that you put into them.
I'm going to the local J.C. to enroll, so that I can talk to an advisor and/or a counsler, and I'm definately going to inquire about the health care field in general.
I posted this same question in the general>Law section of Y! Answers, and all I got were two very judgemental people.
Thanks guys, picking a "best" answer is goign to be tough.
My first thought is that, given your history, whichever field you choose, one key question your next employer will have is, are you a good member of your community? Are you a "taker" or a "giver?" Will you work constructively as a team member in your career, or will you be demanding and self centered?
One great way to address this, and not at all incidentally to help with any depression and stress, especially while you're out of work, is to volunteer quite a lot. That will give you a chance to prove that you're generous, reliable, diligent, and cooperative. Giving of yourself is one of the best ways to cope with depression and stress as well. It's also a great way to broaden your networking circle to people who may be able to help you with your career. I understand (or expect, at least) that it might be a time challenge, given your baby, but it'll also give you a chance to get out of the house, and leave your wife some time alone (with the baby.)
Keeping yourself busy is vital during this period, as well. At the very least, regular volunteering will help fill the employment gap on your resume, keeping away questions an employer might have like, "was he really in prison for the past 6 months?" It will also give you plenty of people for your references section who will be happy to vouch for your character.
Another thing to keep in mind is that, as you know, this is likely to be a VERY stressful time for your marriage. Just keep it in mind, and keep communicating with your wife, acknowledging each other's frustrations every day. Truly, if this period doesn't kill your marriage, it will make it stronger. Talk, Talk, Talk - and more important, Listen, Listen, Listen. Even if you can't do anything about a particular irritant, the mere fact that your spouse understand and cares can be a huge comfort.
My first thought as a career choice would be to pick a field that's growing. Psychiatric care is perennially underfunded, however. I'd look into health care options that will grow with the aging population. If you're a quick learner, good with details, you might get into health care record keeping, a field that will explode starting very shortly if Obama's electronic health care records drive gains funding (which seems inevitable.) If you get into a field that's growing quickly, employers will have no option but to be more forgiving of bumps in your past. Plus, since the field is new, no one will be a lot more experienced than you, so you can advance quickly too.
Another sadly growing field you might consider is care of autistic kids. I don't know much about that, but it might be right up your alley, especially if you're a right brain type with your artistic leanings. At the very least, you can use your art skills to either volunteer or as an entry into art therapy for autistic care, stroke victims, perhaps brain injured vet therapy, etc. If you prove yourself as a volunteer for a few months, getting to know professionals in the field, your history may not matter any more, since they'll know what they're getting.
If you don't know where to start, and you live in a reasonable sized city, you might consider just showing up at a VA hospital and saying, I'm here to help, what can I do? (At the very least, volunteering in a patently patriotic way will help with any right-wing-judgmental future boss, the kind who might be particularly critical of your spotted past.)
Sorry for this sprawling answer. I hope you'll find something useful in there.
powered by Yahoo Answers
3 Comments »
RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URI
Leave a comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.
If you are having trouble getting hired and in need of money, I suggest that you consider working from home. There are a number of homebase jobs out there that do pay real money and can help you pay the bills.
Try some of these cites:
http://sell-anything-like-crazy.com
http://createandsellyourproducts.com
http://odesk.com
References :
My first thought is that, given your history, whichever field you choose, one key question your next employer will have is, are you a good member of your community? Are you a "taker" or a "giver?" Will you work constructively as a team member in your career, or will you be demanding and self centered?
One great way to address this, and not at all incidentally to help with any depression and stress, especially while you're out of work, is to volunteer quite a lot. That will give you a chance to prove that you're generous, reliable, diligent, and cooperative. Giving of yourself is one of the best ways to cope with depression and stress as well. It's also a great way to broaden your networking circle to people who may be able to help you with your career. I understand (or expect, at least) that it might be a time challenge, given your baby, but it'll also give you a chance to get out of the house, and leave your wife some time alone (with the baby.)
Keeping yourself busy is vital during this period, as well. At the very least, regular volunteering will help fill the employment gap on your resume, keeping away questions an employer might have like, "was he really in prison for the past 6 months?" It will also give you plenty of people for your references section who will be happy to vouch for your character.
Another thing to keep in mind is that, as you know, this is likely to be a VERY stressful time for your marriage. Just keep it in mind, and keep communicating with your wife, acknowledging each other's frustrations every day. Truly, if this period doesn't kill your marriage, it will make it stronger. Talk, Talk, Talk - and more important, Listen, Listen, Listen. Even if you can't do anything about a particular irritant, the mere fact that your spouse understand and cares can be a huge comfort.
My first thought as a career choice would be to pick a field that's growing. Psychiatric care is perennially underfunded, however. I'd look into health care options that will grow with the aging population. If you're a quick learner, good with details, you might get into health care record keeping, a field that will explode starting very shortly if Obama's electronic health care records drive gains funding (which seems inevitable.) If you get into a field that's growing quickly, employers will have no option but to be more forgiving of bumps in your past. Plus, since the field is new, no one will be a lot more experienced than you, so you can advance quickly too.
Another sadly growing field you might consider is care of autistic kids. I don't know much about that, but it might be right up your alley, especially if you're a right brain type with your artistic leanings. At the very least, you can use your art skills to either volunteer or as an entry into art therapy for autistic care, stroke victims, perhaps brain injured vet therapy, etc. If you prove yourself as a volunteer for a few months, getting to know professionals in the field, your history may not matter any more, since they'll know what they're getting.
If you don't know where to start, and you live in a reasonable sized city, you might consider just showing up at a VA hospital and saying, I'm here to help, what can I do? (At the very least, volunteering in a patently patriotic way will help with any right-wing-judgmental future boss, the kind who might be particularly critical of your spotted past.)
Sorry for this sprawling answer. I hope you'll find something useful in there.
References :
Dear Intelligent and Driven,
Congratulations on getting your GED and with such high scores! You are doing a great job getting back on track.
I am not a career counselor, but a mid-life job-hunter who reads a lot. I hope I can help you.
Basically, this isn't a train wreck. People with worse backgrounds than you find work every day. So relax and let's take it point-by-point:
Age 15-18, time in psychiatric hospital — I am not sure it would come up, except in regards to not finishing high school. Health records are private, and you were a minor. (You might want to run this past a legal expert or an experienced career counselor.)
High school dropout — You can find a way to explain why you dropped out without going into your private medical details if you would prefer not to. And the big plus is, you have resolved this by getting your GED. Good job.
2004 misdemeanor hit-and-run — Trickier, but not a career-killer. You need to be straightforward here and present the incident as something that happened that you learned from and how you are dealing with the circumstances now. For example, if the hit-and-run happened under the influence and you no longer drink or you no longer drink-and-drive. If this is true, i.e., you did learn and you can say this to a potential employer looking them straight in the eye, many will give you a chance to compete with other candidates. Then the issue is, when to bring this up? On the application if there's a relevant question. They often give you room to explain the circumstances. If so, use the same approach — this happened, I learned and I took the following steps. Yes, you could be screened out. But if you don't answer the question honestly, and the incident comes to light later in a background or reference check, that will likely be the end of your chances. Or if you get hired without disclosing it, and it's discovered, that is grounds for automatic termination. So be honest even if it's hard.
Repossession and bad debt on the credit report — It depends on the job whether this would be brought up. These things would be worse for a law enforcement or financial services position than for a fitness trainer, for example. I have had bad debt on my background report and as yet no employer has brought it up. But if it does come up, again be ready with an honest explanation that frames the bad event as a learning experience.
Of your chosen fields in which to earn a certificate, the last job outlook reports I've read seem to be big on health care. For the next couple of years, I would avoid any position that relies on non-essential spending by consumers — such as fitness training. Many people see coaches and trainers as an expense they can cut when times are tight.
There are several Internet articles on dealing with criminal records and background checks during a job search. You might also benefit from talking to a professional career counselor or employment law expert.
Also, don't be afraid to network. Let your family and friends know what you are looking for and ask for referrals at companies you like. Coming in the door as a referral from an existing employee goes a long way to offset any negatives in your history.
Don't forget, you are not the first person to have things in your personal history you're not proud of. Millions of people have made mistakes, overcome them and gone on to successful careers. And many of them are now bosses with the power to hire.
You have done a great job pinning down your interests and researching those fields. You seem motivated to get moving in the right direction, so go forward and don't let fear keep you back. I wish you the best of luck!
References :
http://career-advice.monster.com/job-search/Getting-Started/Dont-let-your-Past-Haunt-Job-Search/article.aspx
http://www.wikihow.com/Get-a-Job-with-a-Criminal-Record
http://jobsearchtech.about.com/od/laborlaws/a/criminal_record_2.htm
http://www.bls.gov/OCO/