What would you do?

[rax_m]

Hi. I would appreciate some comments and thoughts on the following please.

For the last two years (almost) I have been in the middle of a career change. Changing from a lucrative IT career, to a not so lucrative Biology career. I thought that I really love biology and so thought that the drop in salary would be worth it.

Now I have just over a year left to go (to get my honours degree),and am enjoying learning new stuff. But I hate having to worry about paying bills and not affording some things that I like. And I'm not sure I want to study any more after this.

Bear in mind that unless you have a Masters (at least) in a career like Biology you're probably not going anywhere and will still be paid peanuts (relatively speaking). If I go back to IT I could be paid about 8 times what I'm currently earning :-s

Do I give up and go back to the IT jobs that people have been calling me with? Do I stick it out and finish the degree then go back to IT?

:confused:
It's one of those life changing moments (again) for me I think :lolflag:

[rax_m]

And don't worry..
I just want an opinion .. I won't hold anyone to whatever I choose

LOL

[Valok]

I would do whatever makes you the happiest overall. If you are happy more of the time, then you've made the right decision.

[littletinman]

I have two important questions for you.

1. Do you like IT?

2. Do you have a family? the reason i ask this is because family is very important. If you're sacrificing thier recourses (Mainly you as the source of income), to get you into a job you like more, that's isn't that a little hard for them? If you do have a family (Wife, Kids, grandkids) then stick with IT and spend the time you'd be studdying with them. You will NOT regret it. But i'm not telling you that you HAVE to do this. I'm just telling you, from lessons i have learned, that family is the most important thing that will ever happen to you outside of the religieous relms.

I hope this helps some. These are JUST suggestions, you make up your own mind man (assuming that you are a dude). And God bless you.

TLTM

[rax_m]

Thanks Valok.. good answer.

LOL.. I also just noticed another thread about 10 posts down with exactly the same title and also poll. This is going to be confusing! haha.

[amersault]

if you've got under a year left, i say finish the current course and get the degree. the thing with sciences is, you need a whole bunch more letters after your name, preferrably beyond PhD level, if you want to do something outside of research. and even then, depending on what you're focusing on, it may all just end up in research anyway. either way, this entails more money in the process.

what do you enjoy doing truly? IT will sufficiently pay the bills, but if your true calling is Biology, you'll burnout w/ the main gig pretty quickly.

maybe you could develop new software for a Bio research firm or join a program where your IT skills can still be showcased?

[rax_m]

I have two important questions for you.

1. Do you like IT?

2. Do you have a family? the reason i ask this is because family is very important. If you're sacrificing thier recourses (Mainly you as the source of income), to get you into a job you like more, that's isn't that a little hard for them? If you do have a family (Wife, Kids, grandkids) then stick with IT and spend the time you'd be studdying with them. You will NOT regret it. But i'm not telling you that you HAVE to do this. I'm just telling you, from lessons i have learned, that family is the most important thing that will ever happen to you outside of the religieous relms.

I hope this helps some. These are JUST suggestions, you make up your own mind man (assuming that you are a dude). And God bless you.

TLTM

Hey littletinman..
1. Yep I do like IT.. been playing with computers since I was about 10 years old.. so for the last 22 years!

2. (Yep I'm a guy). Not married and no kids. The lack of income definitely is prohibitive to starting a new relationship though!
Also, if I had the extra money I could tell my mum to stop working (if she wanted). You're right.. family IS the most important thing. I like your thinking..

And I guess having the money would allow me to do those things I love to do (that usually end up costing money like diving and photography).

[rax_m]

if you've got under a year left, i say finish the current course and get the degree. the thing with sciences is, you need a whole bunch more letters after your name, preferrably beyond PhD level, if you want to do something outside of research. and even then, depending on what you're focusing on, it may all just end up in research anyway. either way, this entails more money in the process.

what do you enjoy doing truly? IT will sufficiently pay the bills, but if your true calling is Biology, you'll burnout w/ the main gig pretty quickly.

maybe you could develop new software for a Bio research firm or join a program where your IT skills can still be showcased?

Thanks amersault.

I don't think I'm willing to spend the next 10 years of my life studying to get up to PhD level.. And I realised that I don't actually like the "nitty gritty" of science.. but more the general stuff that's generally interesting.

I have thought of bioinformatics.. I think it might be worth pursuing.. but probably means I should finish this degree first.

[littletinman]

Well man, 32 and no family? What are you waiting for? Actually, sometimes it's not meeting the right person. I like what Amersault said. Finish this year, and then decide from there. Who knows, maybe you'll meet that special someone on graduation day. You never know!!

Best of luck man.

[amersault]

i realize you're in SA, but if you were in the US, you might consider trying courses at Caltech or MIT - those have the potential of sythensizing bioscience w/ the IT flavor.

[rax_m]

Well man, 32 and no family? What are you waiting for? Actually, sometimes it's not meeting the right person. I like what Amersault said. Finish this year, and then decide from there. Who knows, maybe you'll meet that special someone on graduation day. You never know!!

Best of luck man.

haha.. thanks. Like I don't hear it enough from my mother!



i realize you're in SA, but if you were in the US, you might consider trying courses at Caltech or MIT - those have the potential of sythensizing bioscience w/ the IT flavor.


I could always move to the UK and try it there (I'm a dual citizen)..

[amersault]

Well man, 32 and no family? What are you waiting for?

definitely sounds like a planned thing - relationship would put a further strain on the ca$h flow, hahaha

[brunovecchi]

I'd finish biology if I were you. Life is hard enough to add the doom of having to work with something you don't feel passionate about.
Once I heard that the happiest man is the one that never feels like he is working, and I agree.
If you feel that way with biology, the decision shouldn't be that hard.

I'm a biologist, by the way :)

[amersault]

I could always move to the UK and try it there (I'm a dual citizen)..

yeah, so going back to that, the money right now is in pharmaceuticals, or oncology, or the human genome project.

if you could sign onto a program in Cambridge or Oxford, maybe that could lead to a gig w/ a big pharmaceuticals firm.

but not Monsanto - their business practices scare me.

[rax_m]

definitely sounds like a planned thing - relationship would put a further strain on the ca$h flow, hahaha

More like it was planned for me by my bank balance! :lolflag:


brunovecchi - I think I've discovered that I'm passionate about nature, but maybe not so much about research and analysing reams of data.
One of my family's arguments is that if I earn lots more money I can just pay and spend time in nature wherever I want.

[rax_m]

yeah, so going back to that, the money right now is in pharmaceuticals, or oncology, or the human genome project.

if you could sign onto a program in Cambridge or Oxford, maybe that could lead to a gig w/ a big pharmaceuticals firm.

but not Monsanto - their business practices scare me.

Hmm.. that's not my area of interest really. I much prefer ecology, zoology and environmental sciences.

[amersault]

More like it was planned for me by my bank balance! :lolflag:

Rax_m: you're running into the wrong sort of girl, hahaha.

well, maybe you can concentrate on IT and do work w/ a non-profit on the side? like contribute something to David Attenborough's many projects or something. that way you would still be fulfilled, either way.

[rax_m]

Rax_m: you're running into the wrong sort of girl, hahaha.

well, maybe you can concentrate on IT and do work w/ a non-profit on the side? like contribute something to David Attenborough's many projects or something. that way you would still be fulfilled, either way.

haha.. yeah, you're probably right.

I think that's a good idea.. not sure if Sir David would hire me though ;)
But I guess even volunteer environmental programmes on the side would be good.
Thanks for that one!

[amersault]

I think that's a good idea.. not sure if Sir David would hire me though ;)
But I guess even volunteer environmental programmes on the side would be good.
Thanks for that one!

i went through the same dilemma so i know that road well, hehehe

sir David: who knows, maybe the volunteer gig will end up w/ a cushy job at the BBC for ecology and zoology.... involving IT :P

[rax_m]

:D

Thanks for the suggestions all.. I'll have to sleep it over for a while

[BobLand]

I wound up in the financial side of IT. I hated it but the money kept me chained. When I see or talk to people who say they love their job I always feel a little sad.

Yes, I made tons of money and was able to buy a house with cash when I retired. The only thing I can say good about it was I met my wife where I worked. For me, that was worth it.

Having worked in IT you probably adjusted your life style to your level of income. You'd be surprised at how much you don't need. It's all in your head. If you work in a job that engages your mind, you will find a new life style that will make you very happy.

Do what you love. Your happiness will bring you wealth.

bobland

[rax_m]

I wound up in the financial side of IT. I hated it but the money kept me chained. When I see or talk to people who say they love their job I always feel a little sad.

Yes, I made tons of money and was able to buy a house with cash when I retired. The only thing I can say good about it was I met my wife where I worked. For me, that was worth it.

Having worked in IT you probably adjusted your life style to your level of income. You'd be surprised at how much you don't need. It's all in your head. If you work in a job that engages your mind, you will find a new life style that will make you very happy.

Do what you love. Your happiness will bring you wealth.

bobland

I'm pretty sure I've managed to re-adjust to the lower income.. the thing is I'm not worrying about luxuries at the moment.. just the necessities. Like will I be able to afford it if my car packs up again! Or can I afford to buy this nice pair of jeans this month.

I try to do activities that don't cost too much, like surfing, hiking, some cheap class for example.

But I agree that it's good to do what you love.
Thanks.

[gn2]

I could always move to the UK and try it there (I'm a dual citizen)..

No citizens in the UK, only subjects of the monarch... /pedantry :)

Do what's right for you, don't be swayed by anyone's opinion.

If it was my decision it would be back to IT.
When I came out the Army at age 22 my intention was to go to university, but I couldn't face life without a decent income, so I got a job.
I have no regrets about this decision, I currently earn enough to enjoy a comfortable lifestyle and have an easy job with no stress or pressure.

[billgoldberg]

Hi. I would appreciate some comments and thoughts on the following please.

For the last two years (almost) I have been in the middle of a career change. Changing from a lucrative IT career, to a not so lucrative Biology career. I thought that I really love biology and so thought that the drop in salary would be worth it.

Now I have just over a year left to go (to get my honours degree),and am enjoying learning new stuff. But I hate having to worry about paying bills and not affording some things that I like. And I'm not sure I want to study any more after this.

Bear in mind that unless you have a Masters (at least) in a career like Biology you're probably not going anywhere and will still be paid peanuts (relatively speaking). If I go back to IT I could be paid about 8 times what I'm currently earning :-s

Do I give up and go back to the IT jobs that people have been calling me with? Do I stick it out and finish the degree then go back to IT?

:confused:
It's one of those life changing moments (again) for me I think :lolflag:

Seriously, 8 times more?

I would know what to do.

[t0p]

Well man, 32 and no family? What are you waiting for? Actually, sometimes it's not meeting the right person. I like what Amersault said. Finish this year, and then decide from there. Who knows, maybe you'll meet that special someone on graduation day. You never know!!


Oh wow. Let's all go and have, like, babies. Sheesh.

Now, the careers advice:

Stick with the biology. After a few years, if the reduced income is unbearable, you can always do another switcheroo. You're still young, you've got over 30 years of work in ya before you reach even the UK retirement age.

It's best to do something you really love. And I think you must love biology over IT, otherwise you wouldn't have dropped that high-paid gig to become a student.

However, it'd be a good idea to keep up with the changes in IT. So, if you do decide it's no fun being poor, you can return to IT.

[t0p]

No citizens in the UK, only subjects of the monarch... /pedantry :)


Nah, we're citizens now. Thanks to the EU.

[t0p]

I realised that I don't actually like the "nitty gritty" of science


Hmmm. I didn't see this when I made my last posts. Maybe a life of science isn't for you. Seeing as you don't even like science.

[gn2]

Nah, we're citizens now. Thanks to the EU.

I sincerely hope you're wrong.....

Altogether now me hearties:
"Rule, Britannia! Britannia, rule the waves!
Britons never, never, never will be slaves!"

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/dd/Britannia-Statue.jpg/450px-Britannia-Statue.jpg

[rax_m]

Yep... really 8 times more.. got a call yesterday from and agency. Which means I'm really getting paid **** right now. About the same as I earned when I first started working 10 years ago (but living on my own this time around).

The sad part is I'm currently working at a research organisation while studying ... DOING I.T. !!!! Grrrrr.

[ukripper]

If you can't afford it, go back to where you have started i.e. IT:) otherwise choose the selfish route and get on with the degree!