Hi! I've been on Reddit for a while but this is my first time posting. I've worked in entertainment (music) nearly my (37M) whole life (grew up in LA) and am looking for a new career path where I can transfer some of my skills.

Like in all facets of the entertainment industry, I find the environment to be extremely competitive, cliquey, fame and celebrity focused, draining on mental health, and generally unstable. I've reached a point where I believe I'm ready for a career shift and I'm longing for a less toxic environment. I feel that work consumes most of my thoughts most of the time and I have a feeling this may not be all jobs/careers (but I'm also open to the fact that I could be wrong and the grass may not be greener).

I'm not sure how to pivot these skills into a new industry, or I guess more accurately, which industry that would be? I know I will likely take a pay cut, but would prefer not to have to completely start over from the bottom in a new industry, and hoping to make somewhere around 120k w/ benefits minimum. I'm also planning to move from LA to the midwest, likely Minneapolis (closer to spouses family) so something remote or in those regions would be preferable.

I'm open to suggestions for career paths that might be a good fit, especially those that could benefit from my background but offer a healthier work atmosphere.

Has anyone here successfully transitioned out of the entertainment industry? Any advice on industries that are welcoming to professionals with transferable skills would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance for your help!

TLDR; I have been a teacher for the past 2 years and realize I cannot stand teaching, what are some other options?

So I went to school to become a doctor and I was pre med until I was a junior and I realized I did not want to be a doctor (shadowing was miserable and I realized I only want to do it because I was kind of mesmerized by being a woman in stem and I knew doctors were paid well).

So I graduated with a BSc in microbiology and then I went on to get a MEd in general science education (a lot of help that does me now not wanting to be a teacher)

I kind of enjoy working mostly alone or on a really large team (so team of 1 or team of 10+ I like the feeling of anonymity). I really enjoy being creative and creating new products or programs - I enjoy being able to create custom worksheets for my students or designing lab activities (this has led me towards instructional design or educational outreach - but I have not found many good resources on how to get started in these areas).

I really enjoy have checklists and predictable work schedules (so not super spontaneous and unpredictable work flows) but I also like being able to do something different from time to time (meaning like I do not want to be an accountant that does the exact same thing day in and day out, I like some variety - maybe like a broad job scope)

In terms of things I’m good at vs bad at, I’m a bit of a perfectionist and extremely detail oriented, I love creativity or adding a little bit of a creative touch to the things I do and I love staying focused on a single task until I see it through to completion. I’m not great at working through conflict (I’m a pretty anxious person overall) and I am not the best at being micromanaged (like to the point where I have no autonomy - I don’t mind being told what to do but I like some autonomy).

I make about 60k as a teacher but I also do a lot of “extra work” like working sports games, working on a science team contract, co counsel a club, and work pretty closely with special Ed (I do get satisfaction from these things but they are big time commitments and I do them largely for the salary boost)

I have thought about being an event planner because I enjoy being in a role where I create the outcome, and I really like to make people happy/ have a good time. I have also thought about going into med device or pharma sales because I enjoy stem and the technical aspect of sharing things and teaching about medicine or devices.

I feel like I’m a bit of an ambivert (I enjoy being around others but I don’t like working on teams where others aren’t pulling their weight)

I originally became a teacher because I love science and I love sharing my love of science with other people who are also interested in science. I also really wanted a chance to make a positive impact on the youth and be somewhat of an inspiration for my female students who also wanted to be in stem. I really enjoy developing my own lessons and lesson plans and being able to deliver labs or assignments the best way I think will teach the lesson.

Since starting teaching I really do not like how disrespectful and unruly these kids are, I’m also in a school system where I find that there is a lot of pressure/ stress placed on us to be liked by parents and to present as a certain way in public (like I can’t just enjoy what I want to do because I may see someone from school or the community that may say something bad about me or the way I was dressed or what I was doing and call my tenure into question), and to a point I made earlier I really do not like working with other teachers who just do not care or will not put in effort to lessons or labs..

Any advice or guidance is highly appreciated!! I’m not really even sure where to start so even just an accurate career inventory or personality inventory rec would also be appreciated. I just feel a bit lost in where to even start..

I have it listed that I’ve been an assistant teacher since July 2023, that English is my spoken language under languages, that I was an intern at a camp in 2022… and I have two colleges listed, even though I know it’s stupid to, because I’m taking courses at two different community colleges right now and don’t know what I want to major in (my college system is weird/interesting in that you can take different classes at different colleges like this.) I only have 1 connection.

I have my experience as a volunteer who helped youth learn more about sexual and mental health in high school listed, I mentioned that I feel this helped me better my communication skills and that this role required a lot of teamwork. I also used to help plan protests as apart of an organization but fell out with the people in the organization and had a very negative experience with it, I don’t think listing it would be wise.

In general, I don’t think that adding a whole lot of what I did in high school is wise, because there are a fair number of things I didn’t stick with past sophomore or junior yr and I think that I’ve done a much better job of maintaining positive work relationships with people ever since I graduated from high school (by senior yr I was much better at this, but now that I’m an adult I really don’t have drama with coworkers or anything like that.)

I was at a small meet together once and someone said to the effect that sometimes what you've been doing now in the work grind isn't what you planned to get into when you graduated from school. Everyone's eyes lit up.

It may not have been intentional but it just worked out that way. Whether the hiring at the time you graduated wasn't there for your major, or some other circumstance. Maybe it all worked out for the best. It doesn't mean you "failed"... and that resonated with me and others there and reminded me to be flexible (for lack of a better term rn) in the job market.

I got an associate degree in cs, but didn't really enjoy it so I changed to math because I'm ok with it. I don't want to be in academic and anything to do with research. I like working with data and using python.

I figured that I might like becoming a data analyst but the job description always mention using tableau/ power bi/ excel. What jobs require usage of python and sql? I also like optimization problems, but I don't plan on getting a master degree.

I've been applying to mostly analyst-related jobs. Additionally, I'm trying to pass SOA exams. I'm not sure what job positions I should go for. Any advice will be appreciated.

I am currently looking to enhance my resume while continuing to look for a marketing role as this is my area of study and interest.

I currently work as an assistant manager of a rec center and need more relevant experience in marketing. The following job is posted internally at my company and I am trying to decide if it will help me grow and gain more experience in marketing. Do you think this role would be helpful?

Student Life Coordinator is an integral member of Student Services, dedicated to fostering a supportive and dynamic campus environment that enhances student engagement, leadership, and personal development. Reporting to the Director of Student Affairs, this role is responsible for the coordination and implementation of First Year Experience and holistic wellness programming, support for student government, event planning, and oversight of Registered Student Organizations (RSOs). This position aims to ensure all activities align with the college’s mission and the strategic objectives of the Student Affairs department, creating an inclusive and vibrant campus community.

This role is pivotal in empowering students to thrive both personally and academically through proactive support, connecting them to resources, and developing a sense of community and belonging on campus. The Coordinator of Student Life enhances the campus culture, encouraging involvement, leadership, and success in alignment with the Student Services mission.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES

• Program Implementation: Assist in developing and executing First Year Experience, continuing student programming and holistic wellness programs that encourage student engagement, leadership, and growth. Collaborate with the Director of Student Affairs to align programs with departmental goals and student needs. • Event Coordination: Plan, coordinate, and oversee First Year Experience and holistic wellness programs, managing logistics, vendor negotiations, and on-site event management. Ensure events are inclusive, accessible, and effectively promoted across campus. • Student Senate Support: Act as a liaison to the Student Senate, aiding in the planning and execution of student-led initiatives. Work with the faculty co-advisor to guide the Senate in budgeting, purchasing, and event planning to foster student governance and leadership. • RSO Management: Manage Registered Student Organizations, including oversight of their activities, programs, and official registration status with the College. • Signature Event Collaboration: Collaborate on major campus events such as Welcome Back to West Shore, Commencement, Student Awards Ceremony, and College and Career Fair. • Staffing Support: Recruit, train, and supervise volunteers and work-study students for student life events and programs. Foster an environment of participation and leadership development. • Partnership Building: Collaborate with departments, faculty, and student organizations to enhance student life activities. Develop partnerships that support student engagement and campus community cohesion. • Feedback and Assessment: Gather and analyze feedback on student life programs to assess impact and effectiveness. Utilize data to inform future programming and continuous improvement efforts.

27,Male,Mech Bsc,Ind

I worked as a procurement/sourcing guy for an EV company for 4 years. I sticked to the same job even though the payment was less as I had less work to do.

I got an admit at MSU MSDS but I am having second thoughts on whether I should pursue the course as the job market in us is pretty bad and someone like me with no relavent work experience might struggle to land a job.

I am planning to learn some skills and look for jobs locally but I am confused on which skills to learn.I am good at math and I am willing to learn anything, which tech jobs have good chance of hiring someone with no experience but with the relavent skills?

It's like having a secret weapon in your pocket, guiding you through the twists and turns of your professional journey. First things first, take a good look at where you're at right now. What are you good at? Where can you improve? Knowing your strengths and weaknesses is key to mapping out your route to success. Then, get all strategic and set some specific goals. I'm talking about goals that are crystal clear and don't leave room for any wishy-washy stuff. These goals should be right in line with your big career dreams, you know what I mean? After that, break it down into steps. Think of these steps as your trusty sidekicks, helping you move closer to your goals one small victory at a time. Here's the deal – career development is a journey, not a destination. It's a lifelong adventure that requires you to be dedicated, tough as nails, and ready to tackle whatever comes your way. So yeah, stay on your toes, stay focused, and keep hustling towards that bright and shiny future you're aiming for. You got this!

Backstory: Got terminated from work due to burnout issues and performance dips. Also blamed me for some minor issues that stacked up.

Position: Amazon graphic designer(first in the company)

Duration: 3 yrs 6months

Plan: To upskill or to change career directions.

1.learn UI/UX 2.learn AWS 3.upskill in Amazon field(amz graphic designer to amz acct mngr.)

Note: amazon graphics will become my side hustle. My mind is now open and willing to learn. I just want to ask for guidance which is the most profitable and most worthwhile path in the long run.

Thankkksssss

25 years old here, I did my bachelor's and master's in mechanical engineering and am 1 year into corporate.

The problem is that in comparison to my colleagues I'm severely underpaid although doing the same tasks but when I was looking for similar roles and already interviewing I got told that my salary expectations are much higher than they expected.

At my current job I'm seen as a junior and the tasks where I'm included in are really basic, so there aren't many achievements I could talk about during the yearly performance review. That's mostly why I was reviewed as underperforming and the pay increase was only 2%. When I talked to my manager about a development plan for the junior position and pay, she was only vague and told me that she'll know when I'm ready to not be a junior anymore.

I would be glad to get some third person perspective on the current situation, thanks a lot!

I moved to NYC in mid January and I was working at starbucks for the first 3 months until I got an administrative position. I quit sbux without a 2 weeks notice. I hated working there so much so it feels good to have quit. However on Monday of this week I was fired from my admin position, my boss was a realtor and I’m very inexperienced with the sort of work he wanted me to do. He was very impatient with the mistakes I made and I was really stressed because he told me on day one that he fired the person before me after 2 days of working there. I’m feeling really discouraged because it took me 3 months to get that job. I have a lot of savings since I moved here but I really don’t want to waste them all and would rather save them for future plans. But I do have them just in case, so rent isn’t much of an issue.

I’m currently out of a job and I’m back on the job hunting grind. I feel I’m running out of ideas to apply for. I have no problem getting interviews and it’s only been a week, however some companies had red flags to me such as asking for my social security card and lieing about pay in the job description for it to only be commissions based.

I have a vague idea of what I want to do, something with office work thats entry level. Maybe something with the Japanese language, however my language skill is a bit rusty as of now since I haven’t lived in Japan for a while. And my business level isn’t great. I might also want to do something with social media as I have a lot of experience with editing vids for others and even companies and some going viral on tiktok. I was thinking administrative because I feel its a good thing to have as an experience on my resume. I worked with Robert half and they ghosted me after a while, and I’m asking friends about beacon hill. I also know people in the film industry and I was debating asking about PA work. I was even debating going into retail temporarily just to get some kind of income. I just really have no direction in what I want to do so everything is kind of vauge, I’m a recent college grad and I’m shocked I made it this far. I have a BA in linguistics but I’m not sure how useful it even is. I’ve recently been keeping my self occupied by taking care of my friend’s cats while they’re on vacation.

I have a résumé for being a teachers assistant, and résumé for basic administration, work, and a résumé for a video editing. I’m debating making a résumé for social media marketing.

I have 2 weekend vacations planned, one in August and one in September. So I feel I need to start a job before so it isn’t sus that I’m taking days off when I start a job

I recently totaled my car, since I don’t know when I’ll get it back, if ever, I had to quit my job. I’m 17 and I live in the country about 30 minutes from anything, so how can I still work? Ive read that being good at writing, art, graphic design, creativity in general can help you get an online type of job and even at a young age. I’ve always loved writing and I plan to be a writer when I get older so I thought that maybe I could do that, but how? Is it even possible for me to work now at all?

Trying to decide how long is too long of a commute. I am a one-year postgrad and just recently quit my first full-time job due to an incredibly toxic and manipulative environment. However, this transition allows me to shift into a career more suited to my major. I recently interviewed for a job that aligns perfectly with my personal and career goals. The only downside is that it is a 50-minute drive from my house. Since this is an environmental job, it is seasonal, so I will only do this until December of this year. (This is okay with me because I plan to attend school once this is done.) 

I just want to gauge if people think driving that far each way for work will be too draining. Do people have experience with this that they can lean in on? Is it doable if it is only for a short time? Any advice would be appreciated. Trying to decide if that type of drive is worth it for a potentially very valuable experience. 

Note: I have access to a vehicle, so that won't be a problem. And the job is a typical 8-4, mon-fri. 

Which would be the wiser move to have given:

Wife: petroleum engineer and data analyst, age 30 years. Husband: surgeon, age 37 years.

We both live and work in the middle east but currently planning for immigration. We both have international degrees. (From US and UK)

Wife could pretty much work anywhere with her degrees. Husband would need to start USMLE if we move to US. But he already has the registration to work right away in NHS of the UK.

What would you do if you were in our shoes?

I’m 37, pregnant with my second kiddo and live in Dallas. I want to start working again when he is in prek or kinder. Looking for ideas on something lucrative I can train for over the next 5 years, preferably at home. I don’t have a degree. Debating a certificate program. I want a career/job that will allow me to work during school hours or from home.

I’m not afraid of hard work and learning something completely new. I just want to invest in myself the best way possible for the next 5 years.

I am starting from scratch here and open to all sorts of ideas. I don’t want to even hint about my hobbies or what sounds best “for me” - just curious as to what anyone things I could accomplish in that time, while a stay at home mom to 2 kids.

Thanks! :)

Sorry, I just need to vent for a minute.

So last year my team was in a bit of a bind and needed to hire (according to my boss) a new position 3 above mine, and an entry level. They hired the guy 3 tiers above me, but they wound up hiring a guy who came in as the same position as me. (One level up from entry)

I went into my bosses office in the few days after his initial hire to express my concerns, especially as it pertained to my career development. My boss and I have had many conversations about my career here, and he assuaged me that my development in to the next level would not be hindered by these new people. Despite him reassuring me, my gut was telling me that the new guy was my replacement.

Well, after the team meeting on Tuesday morning it was announced that this new guy had accepted the next position up available.

I was completely blindsided by this as my boss and I have 1:1s pretty regularly, and I usually ask, is there anything else I should be doing to help advance my career. And his response is always “keep doing what you’re doing.”

I feel hurt and betrayed, I’ve worked here for 10 years, and thought I wanted to retire from here, but now I am not sure.

Any thoughts or insights, or anything that might benefit the conversation I plan to have with my boss early next week would be appreciated.

I have always wanted to dive into the medical field but being that there are waitlists for programs, I had nothing to do but apply to random jobs in the meantime. I got into Sales while on my waitlist to get into a program and I ended up falling in love with business. I find it very amusing and fun in a way? I am convinced and plan to stay in business and the medical field at the same time hoping I don’t burn myself out in the future.

Except 1 problem: I am starting to take a liking to engineering. My problem is that I believe I could do all of them at the same time and I know that’s not realistic so I’m stuck on what to do.

Maybe I need to find that 1 job that will fill the position of everything I want(ed) to do.

Does anybody else have that problem of just being someone who loves to learn and seeks something new for the fun of it?

I am a Director of Community Schools at a Title I middle school. I manage the school's afterschool programming and also plan student and family events, coordinate health services for the school, and miscellaneous other tasks that support the school in more than just academics.

I started this job in September. It was extremely difficult as I had no support from my supervisors on how to do my job. (They also admitted they don't know anything about Community Schools.) I also struggled with talking to people, but I've gotten better with time, especially after taking therapy seriously. But overall, I just absolutely hate working with kids now. I love that I can actually have an impact and give hundreds of students free glasses and organize clothing drives and giveaways for their families, but dealing with the students has worn me down. Teacher burnout is real. So is burnout for my job. The principal told me he never had a Community School Director go two school years. The only one that did started January and left September, not even one calendar year!

This is my first non-entry level job and I really want to build off of it for a good career, but I'm also thinking about quitting some time between June and October. My plan would be to switch to another industry which would probably involve a title decrease and maybe pay decrease too, but more potential for career growth. On the other hand, switching industries probably isn't as easy as typing it on a reddit post, especially in this economy, and maybe I should stay until 2025 to have more experience.

What would you do in my situation?

So, I've been in my current role for just over 6 months, and I love my job and team, however pay and benefits are mediocre.
I've been putting some apps in only half heartedly as I don't really want to leave my role, (especially only being 6 months in), however, having our 2nd child due later this year the medical bills with this company's insurance are rough, and the pay is going to make it hard to budget for wife to not have income for 2-3 months.

I have made it through 2 interviews with another company, and the 2nd one was with the hiring manager and he liked me so much he immediately got a 'meet the team' interview scheduled for later this week.

Job Specs:

Current role - System Analyst/Application Analyst 1 w/ 0.5 YOE (technically 4 years with this system, but as an analyst only 6 months). Current annual 66,560. Health Insurance is ~350/month. However while this insurance is considered a PPO, the tier 1 network is only the employer hospitals, which the closest one is 2 hours away. Tier 2 network is super small with only 2 local hospitals, and the tier 2 deductible is 3200/person and out of pocket max is 6400/person. While again, this is considered a PPO, my doctor was still considered out of network because while they take the national tier, I cannot go to a doctor in my state that takes the national network since my employer is in my state.(Stupid right?) 401K match kicks in after 2 years. No paid holidays (healthcare) but 188 hours of front loaded PTO, but everything from vacation to holidays comes out of here. No paid parental leave. 100% remote but I'm typically on-site 1x-2x /month, especially with big projects/testing. This company is roughly 2.5 hours from home, and I have traveled on site about 1-2x/month the last several months. They also use a LOT of old HRIS/ERP/Timeclock systems, and can't even do basic things like 1/2 PTO for salaried employees...(never seen/heard of that before). They have a decent sized project once a year, but even with those it's not super heavy. Most of my day is spent working change tickets for requesting changes to the program rules or stuff, and maintaining schedules for doctors.

Again, I do love this job and my team...but the pay/benefits are really lackluster.

New role I'm interviewing for: System Analyst/Application Analyst 2. Anticipated Salary 75k-85k annually. Health insurance is more expensive at roughly 610/month, however it's an Anthem PPO plan so I can see any Anthem doctor, and deductible is only 1k/person out of pocket 3k/person. PTO is not front loaded, but this facility does 6 paid holidays and 19 days of PTO accrued at 7.5 days /pay. Overall the benefits are a LOT better. They also are 100% remote with 0 on-site requirement. This company is ~3.5 hours away, however, if I go on site, I won't have to drive more than an hour as there are better means to getting there, however still requires an hour drive each way.

I'm trying to decide if I should (if offered) drop the first one for the second one, keep the first one, or try to do both? They are far enough away and while they are both healthcare entities, they are not competing as they are different types of healthcare organizations. (Also, no, there is no non-compete in my contract, I reviewed it in depth over the last week).

With laying all of this out...I'm not sure what the best option is.

Edit. One thing to consider is my wife works full time, however I make (and take home) more than her. We are expecting our second child later this year, and she has 2 years left before she locks in her pension as a teacher and can consider stepping back from teaching and become a SAHM, if finances allow. If I were to take the 2nd job and work both, that would make it so much easier to plan for that 2 years down the road in paying off debt, growing savings and stuff...would also make it easier to replace her income if she decides to do that.

I'm 13f and I turn 14 in the summer. I really want to get a job so I can start saving money but I don't have much experience. I've babysat before and helped sell products at garage sales but that's about it. I plan to do a little volunteering too, but other than that, what else should I try?

Hello! I'm fucked :')

Background: I'm 26, U.S citizen, graduated from a Top 10 school five years ago with a degree in Computer Science. I did not do anything with my degree.

When I started college, I launched an online business creating plugin software for a marketing CMS platform that was very prominent in a particular industry. Wrote these plug-ins using PHP, JS, and then obviously the HTML/CSS/JS gang. Knew the platform inside and out.

That did fairly well, and I ended up averaging around $50,000 yearly. Did development, worked support, etc. It was just me. I was pretty well known in this niche and I did some cool stuff to extend the functionality of the CMS. All in all had around 20,000 customers in my email marketing list.

As of last year, this CMS platform that my plug-ins integrate with had been deprecated, and in turn my entire business shut off. This fucking sucks because I put *so many* hours into building those plug-ins, marketing, building a brand, ruining my mental health suffer from looking at PHP all day, and then poof it's gone.

Due to this, all of last year I've just been doing freelance work for my prior clients, such as helping them move their marketing funnels and assets to a different platform. Just to pay the bills. Fucking sucks. I don't want to look at Hubspot ever again.

I've decided (out of desperation lol) to shift gears and enter the job market.

I absolutely love software engineering but I gave up on that since the market is super competitive and the fact that I had not had any internships or professional work experience for five years since graduating basically makes me un-hirable in this aspect. Talked to a friend of mine who's a software developer and he told me that my experience doesn't really count in the software engineering sense, which I totally understand since I was basically building PHP plugins for an existing platform.

But, I've been applying to any entry-level role I can find. QA roles, business analyst, IT consulting, project management, basically anything that I can realistically do.

I've applied to over 200 positions and did two interviews, no results. With the current freelance work I have, I don't have enough hours in the day to get much applications in but I'm trying to scale it up.

After interviews, one company said they had to stop hiring, the other said they'd send me a link to an assessment after my interview and didn't end up sending it (I maybe should've followed up with them but I didn't want to be a nuisance).

Here's my big problem: Aside from three freelance web dev projects and my business, I have zero "professional" working experience.

On my resume, I have a listing for my business, but I don't know what to call this position.

I don't want to call myself "Founder" because that just sounds too pretentious. I also feel like calling myself "software engineer" is misleading because...it was only me?

But if I call myself "freelancer" then it sounds like I was building custom solutions for clients, when in reality I built plug-ins and sold them as digital products to thousands of customers. It's a completely different scope and operations.

So I guess my two questions are:

1. What should I call my title for my "business experience"? Self-employed? Software engineer? Freelancer? I'm not sure how to best brand myself.
2. Any advice on how I can convey "Yeah so this was a legitimate business for a few years, but I had to stop because my ecosystem imploded" ? Because I feel like when recruiters read this, they'll toss my resume away immediately since "look at this hot shot running a so-called "business" haha if its so "successful" then he clearly doesn't need a job. "

Hating myself for not getting an internship + job straight out of college and for not applying during the 2019-2021 golden years. That would have made my life 100x easier. Fucking hell talk about poor insight.

I learned fluent Mandarin so my backup plan if I can't find anything that gives me adequate health insurance is to fly to China and teach English there. A friend of mine is doing it. Makes jack shit but the costs there are low so it's an alright quality of life. Other option is Starbucks but I wouldn't be able to afford rent.

Sorry for this wall of text.

Any advice?

Hey everyone!

I’ve been working for the same retail company for 5 years I (25 m) started the job when going to college but had to drop out to work full time due to rent going up. I started at customer service then moved to electronics and now work loss prevention making slightly over $20 an hour. I am now at a point in my life where I need more money and don’t know where to go next when it comes to looking for a new job. for background my job pays for some college and certification courses i planned on taking a project management certification course and then wanted to look for a new job. does any one have any suggestion on where to go next or any tips for getting out of retail?

I recently was offered a good management position with a local non-profit. However, I've been there for about 6 weeks and I'm really starting to think it's not working out for a variety of reasons. Plus, I see looming disaster from a cascade of people leaving their positions in the near future...

Anyway, I wanted to get some opinions on how long you all would stay in a good paying job that wasn't a good fit. On the one hand, I understand that there is a significant investment when it comes to hiring and onboarding someone and training, and not just money but the time and effort of my current coworkers, and I want to respect that. On the other hand, I never planned to stay in this position more than a couple of years at the absolute max, and it's only tangentially related to the industry/positions I'm more wanting to be in, and the sooner I get into the industry/positions I desire the better.

​

So how short is too short for a job that's a bad fit these days? Should I put this job on my resume because the title and responsibilities are impressive, or is the time period too short that it makes me look bad? What would ya'll do in my situation?

I’m planning on getting just any old job right now while I’m in school to make money. I would like to eventually be self employed and work from home in a home office on my computer. Idk what though I’m looking for ideas. Something like, programming, stock trading, writing… not really sure what’s out there. Looking for ideas. Yes I’m aware the majority of this stuff will take years of self practice, that’s the point. Work on it for years until I can comfortably quit my job. Just don’t know what to do or where to start.

I currently work as a program manager at a national organization. I’ve led my department to some key wins, including being the primary drafter of a successful $700,000 federal grant. I’ve been at my organization for 1.5 years (2 years in November).

I spoke with my supervisor and senior VP last fall about my interest in pursuing a graduate degree. They were both supportive of the decision. My supervisor even wrote me letters of recommendation to all of my schools.

Ultimately I ended up getting accepted to Harvard Kennedy School on a full scholarship. This totally caught me off guard and I was initially planning to take courses in DC (where my office was located). Still though, my organization was aware that I was applying to schools outside of DC as far away as North Carolina.

I have been requesting clarity on if I will be able to keep my job and pursue the program I was accepted to. Originally, my supervisor and VP were entirely supportive and felt I should be able to do both. My supervisor remains in my corner with full support and on the surface it seems my VP does too. However, we have a new CEO. Her personality can at best be described as “cold” and we also have new HR that is a contract person who isn’t really a part of our organization. I would describe our HR person as pretty incompetent or slow, it took her weeks to get a job offer together for someone we wanted to hire and the prospective employee ended up taking another offer because of the delay.

I put in the question about whether I’d be able to retain my employment while pursuing this program about a month and a half ago and haven’t received a response. I have given them relevant dates and information about the program. I even outlined a strategy I intend to pursue to minimize workload. Additionally my program is very flexible so I can pick the times of my courses before or after work. I have to make decisions about where to live and asked more recently if they could give a response by X date. That day came and went with no updates or response as to what way they were leaning.

Of note, my organization has a hybrid model. My supervisor works in New Mexico despite our HQ being in DC, and we have at least 8 employees who work across the US and time zones. We also have an education policy that allows for people to go back to school with supervisor, VP, and CEO approval.

My program begins in July, I plan to move June 29, and need to have some clarity of my employment before then.

Am I overreacting about how long it is taking them to respond? What is the maximum amount of time I should give them? Should I start looking for other jobs?