Just curious as to what everyone does, does it require a degree (if so, where did you acquire your degree), do you like your job?

I am planning to attend college but I am at a loss of what I want to do. I know I sound like a 18-year-old, fresh out school, searching for the meaning of life-kid. But in reality, I'm a 31-year-old, GED holder.

I don't want to put time, money, and effort into a degree for a job that I'm going to hate. I'm currently still entertaining a bachelor's in accounting. So far, St. Leo University has my attention. TIA for your experiences and advice.

First off, dont put time or money into any 4 year school until you know what you want to do. Get your general ed classes out of the way at a community college.

I work for the Fed's, it holds me over till I complete my degree.

Until recently I worked as a medical transcriptionist. I have a degree in Health Education and a certificate in medical coding - did not need it for the job but it helped get me hired.

I plan on getting a grad degree in public health - at least I dream about it. I will then be able to use my education to not only get a job but make some decent money as well. A grad degree in public health will never make me wealthy but it will make me more money and get me a better job than my undergrad degree will.

I suggest you figure out what really interests you and then figure out a way to make it work out into a career that satisfies you, and then study it. There are a lot of paths of study that will lead you to a satisfying career with a 4 year degree, but there are also many 4 year degrees that really need to be followed by graduate study to reap their benefit.

A 4 year degree in accounting will get you work, but you will need a certain number of hours above the undergrad degree to sit for the CPA exams (last time I checked it was 150 hours needed). I know a few people who got degrees in accounting who are doing just fine without their cpa but having it really gives you an advantage. Its a great field to get into as far as job security, and a good fit if you like numbers, math, and business.

Good luck!

I am two clep tests away from my degree in psychology, and five classes away from my degree in criminal justice. I do go to Saint Leo, so if you have questions there, I'm willing to answer them.

As for what I do, it really has nothing to do with either degree that I am holding. I work as a Customer Service Officer for the Army installation that I work at. In general terms, I am the complaint department. It's my job to gather feedback, through any means I can use, although we do have a standard feedback mechanism, then work to resolve any issues or concerns that come up. It's a fascinating job, and rarely a day goes by that I am bored. I get a lot of face time with our Soldiers and families on the ground, as well as with the Garrison and directors, as they are the ones who have to actually resolve the issue. I just work with them to be sure that they are doing what our Soldiers and families want.

If you are interested, our program is rolling out across 29 more installations, so I can tell you what to watch for, or even if your installation is one of them. Although, we are only doing this for the Army right now. It's a fairly new program, so unless you are at one of the three demo sites, you probably haven't heard of it.

I work as a contracting officer for the Navy. I have an Associates in Marketing (community college), a Bachelors in Business Management (St.Leos) and am currently working on my MBA at the local university.

The DOD is going to be experiencing a severe shortfall in personnel in critical areas over the next 10 years as many retire. According to the report they filed with the GAO, some of those critical areas include, Finance, budgeting, contracting and logistics management.

If you've wanted to work for the government now's the time to get that degree and start applying.

BTW--I used to work for a state agency as an accountant (with my business mgmt degree). The only CPA was my supervisor, even the comptroller was not a CPA. Accounting has a lot of different avenues outside CPA, but if you can get your CPA you'll be a bit better off, but it's not mandatory.

Good luck.

Mustang, that was a great point about getting basics at a CC but we are PCSing in May and I have to wait a certain (not sure how long) period of time to meet the resident requirement to keep from having to pay out-of-state tuition, which is HIGH. After I meet the resident requirement, that is definitely a cheaper venue.

One of the things I like about St. Leo's is the shorter terms/semesters. I just wonder how that really works out and if you feel you're getting the full benefit of the course you're taking?

right now i'm unemployed, but i AM a full time massage therapist student. though i go to vocational school, i did go to a community college for about 2 terms before realizing it wasn't doing what i was looking for.

community college is good for degress and bookwork training... and personally, depending on the school you would choose, vocational schools are WAY better at doing alot of hands on and immediatly certifying you for the position you did your hours for.

BECAUSE you would join for a set amount of hours a month you are expected to graduate and take your exams around a certain time, but luckily there is usually no real SET date for you to graduate... it's alot more flux and you can take programs depending on your interest. like my "massage therapy program" i'm in is a 750 hour class, the class fees include your first certification exam, the lab fees, and the set class amount... that's normally minus your books.

i hope i've been able to help in some way. if you have anymore questions about vocational schools, then i'll do my best to infrm you or find out for you. ^__^

quote:

Originally posted by achseh:
I work as a contracting officer for the Navy.

I am achseh's counterpart. I work as a Contracts Administrator for a large Defense Contractor. I administrate three large prime contracts with 15 subcontractors, 5 subcontracts, and I price proposals. I also provide financial analysis and contractual risk mitigation.

I have a B.A. in Government and Politics from the University of Maryland at College Park. I am currently working on my Masters in Management Science with a concentration in Contracts and Procurement from the University of Maryland, University College.

I got my foot in the door in Government Contracting when I was in College as a summer hire for a large Defense Contractor. I was able to use those skills I learned to get my first job out of college. I started out as a Procurement Assistant, Buyer, and Subcontracts Administrator to finally a Contracts Administrator.

I love my job. I have my fingers on the pulse of what is going on in my company. I ensure that my company is adhering to the Government’s rules and regulations. I am involved in making cost savings decisions so my company and the government use the tax payers money appropriately.

Once you PCS, check with the local colleges - some are waiving the residency status for military family members.

No degree here but some of the things I've done over the years are - designer, seamstress, regular feature writer for a small regional magazine and other paid writings, consultant, management in food service and retail, and virtual assistant.



Sgt Mom

I teach 5th grade on an Air Force Base. It is part of public school system in the area. I received my Bachelors degree from a public university in Massachusetts. I majored in history and sociology and minored in education. (In MA public universities you can't major in education. They want you to be more well rounded.) Then I went on to get my masters degree in education from a private university in Cambridge, MA. I LOVE what I do!

I have been a nurse for 25 years. I am now changing careers to become a Paralegal. We just PCS'd to the DC area so in the spring I am started classes again for my Paralegal cerificate. In the meantime, I am looking for work as a legal secretary to get my feet wet.

quote:

Originally posted by mrsdlhall:
Mustang, that was a great point about getting basics at a CC but we are PCSing in May and I have to wait a certain (not sure how long) period of time to meet the resident requirement to keep from having to pay out-of-state tuition, which is HIGH. After I meet the resident requirement, that is definitely a cheaper venue.

When I first started at community college I was working in the state which made me a resident, I then changed my drivers license and had my car registered in that state. Cheaper than paying the non-resident fee's.

I attended St. Leo's when we stationed in the Norfolk area. I attended classes two nights a week, two classes a semester. Some of my professors taught solely for St. Leo, some also taught at other colleges (Old Dominion, William and Mary, etc). I loved my professors! They loved to teach and I really did learn alot.

I loved the shortened semester. Meant I busted my arse, but I was never bored and I was able to finish my degree in no time. There were no residency requirements, which made classes at St. Leo my best financial bet, too (VA does not allow military spouses residency status as do other states).

All of my credits from my associates degree (save two classes) transferred without issue. All of my credits from St. Leo's were accepted without issue for my MBA.

Good news!!! I called Admissions and they said they offered a waiver for military spouses!!! So, I won't have to pay out-of-state tuition!! This helps out sooooo much!!! Thank you all for the responses and advice!!!

I will pursue my basics and spend a lot of time in the career couselor's office.

congrats. i'm glad thinks worked ot for you!! ^_^

quote:

Originally posted by mrsdlhall:
Good news!!! I called Admissions and they said they offered a waiver for military spouses!!! So, I won't have to pay out-of-state tuition!! This helps out sooooo much!!! Thank you all for the responses and advice!!!

I will pursue my basics and spend a lot of time in the career couselor's office.

Most colleges will, you just need a copy of the orders or a form filled out by the command verifying you are living there.

Myself I have some college - Office Administration. Worked 4 1/2 years in accounting, various jobs for a temp agency including switchboard for 18 months, also did sales & retail over the years. It really can depend on where you are living if having a degree will help you get a job. Some small town areas where there are bases it can be difficult at times unless you want to do a major commute. When I am SAHM I call myself a Domestic Engineer & Professional Volunteer that is what my mom called herself for years. I think it sounds way better.

Have you looked into International Relations? That is something i looked at before but wasn't able to do. And now I am going to start taking classes in it because we could be staying OCONUS for longer than we thought. It is something that might work for you & can be interesting.

I currently work as an administrative assistant for a naval subcontractor. I got this job through a local temp agency. I make about $13.00 per hour which is the best you will do in a temp job (the range is anywhere from $8.50-$13.00) in the area I live. My commute is about 10 minutes (I live in the Hampton Roads, VA area).

Regarding education requirements it really depends. I think for most entry-level administrative employment, a bachelor's degree really does help. I, however, also have a Masters, which doesn't help me because it's in a different field... teaching. I worked various admin jobs over the years so if you have about 3-5 years experience you can pretty much get any admin job (if you're not picky). Anything less than that, the wages won't be as great.

I'm originally a teacher and it's a profession I hope to eventually return to. I also write and want to publish eventually but want a job where at least I'm making some money right now. I do agree with you, mrsdlhall, about college. Get a degree in not only something you like but what you can get a job in. If you're a lowly humanities bachelor's recipient (History) like me, it will be much harder to market yourself unless you go into a professional field like teaching, law, archival work, etc. The teaching field doesn't like military spouses either. If you've been fired and you have to put it down in a job history for any teaching job, it's frowned upon and you're never considered (I've learned this the hard way).

Anybody out there considering substitute teaching.... if you want to be a permanent teacher and think this is a foot in the door, it isn't. I've subbed on and off for about 5 years and was told that constantly. It never panned out. It's very competitive in my field (Social Studies/History) so the teaching jobs are hard to find. Any blemish on your job history (including multiple moves) will eliminate you from the job search process. Some spouses do get permanent teaching positions but from what I've learned, many (like Air Force spouses) give up and decide to be SAHM's instead (which is just as laudable).

I'm actively searching for another job (both in the civilian and federal arenas). Don't give up and always work hard. Good luck finding a career that's the best suited for YOU.

I have a Bachelor's degree in Theatre. Nothing to do at all with my job, I administer federal grants for a municipal govt., but I did have to have a degree to get hired, guess they just don't always care what your major was, but I probably will go back for Public Administration. Good luck!

quote:

Anybody out there considering substitute teaching

I did this for 3+ years while I was completing my undergraduate degree. It was the perfect job for a mom (with a deployed hubby) while going to school.

I never lacked for work (of course Virginia Beach School district is huge) and especially liked that I could refuse a job if I needed to stay home with a sick kid or to study. Of course, long-term assignments didn't offer me as much flexibility, but I did few of those by choice.

Pay- eh, I probably could have done better- especially for long term assignments- but it was a trade-off for flexibility and was more than I would earn at a lot of other jobs with the same level of flexibility.

But you are right, I rarely saw any substitutes get full time positions and didn't see any military spouses get any.

I teach middle school students who are Autistic and Mentally Retarded.