Such a pretty and colorful lunch today!
My midday meal included a toasted onion bagel topped with two slices of provolone cheese, lettuce and plum tomato slices.
Roasted green beans plus Tribe roasted red pepper hummus (for dipping!) and a bag of Brothers All Natural strawberry and banana crisps served as my sides.
I washed everything down with a small bottle of (expired) cranberry juice that I nabbed from my parent’s pantry yesterday.
Moving on to career talk!
If You Could Get a Different Degree…
My sister graduated from college earlier this year and over the weekend I asked her how her friends were adjusting to life in the “real world.” Fortunately most of her friends have found jobs or are in graduate school.
Some of them are working in jobs in entirely different fields than their degrees would have you think, and often by choice! The same thing happened to many of my friends after college as well.
I switched my major several times in college (education to psychology to advertising and public relations) and graduated without really knowing what I wanted to do.
I figured I would pursue a career in public relations, working for a large corporation in a professional setting.
While my first job out of college was in the public relations and marketing field, I quickly realized that all of my favorite tasks involved writing and began to shift my career focus in that direction, eventually taking a job as a content team manager for an internet marketing company.
Though my major was advertising and public relations, my favorite classes were my writing classes or the classes that involved creating some kind of a campaign where copywriting was prominent. Perhaps that should’ve been a sign?
I absolutely love writing and feel very fortunate to be able to have a career in freelance writing and blogging, but I still have a bunch of “wouldn’t that be neat” career ideas in my head.
Other careers that interest me include:
- Teacher (I went to college planning to be a high school English teacher, but my interest has now shifted to elementary school)
- Physical Therapist
- News Anchor
- Dietitian at a University (When I worked for UCF dining services after graduation, I got to meet with a dietitian at UCF who helped craft meal plans for athletes which seemed like such a cool job!)
- Guidance counselor
Question of the Morning
- What jobs intrigue you?
- If you could go back in time, would you pursue a different career?
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I am a School Counselor and love it. I have a BS in Psychology and EdS in Administration and Supervision. Working with children on a daily basis is so rewarding. Even on a really bad day a hug from a child makes everything ok. I could highly recommend this field for anyone interested.
I majored in Business Management because I went to a small liberal arts school and they didn’t have any smaller focuses or I probably would have gone with Advertising and/or Marketing. However now I wish I would have studied nutrition and become a RD…
I’m a junior in undergrad at the University of Michigan. I started out as a nursing major, switched to biology/pre-med, and now I’ve found my calling as a Women’s Studies major.
I (think) my dream career would be working for a national non-profit like the American Heart Association. Right now I’m at the point where I have to decide between persuing a Master’s degree or getting out for the workforce to gain experience and ensure I want to be in the non-profit sphere. Decisions, decisions…
I ended up getting a major in economics and minor in political science, and am not doing anything related to either. If I could go back, I would have wanted to major in either biochem, dietetics, or integrative physiology. These weren’t fields that interested me at the time, but I’m all about it now. Just the thought of going back for an entirely different degree is daunting and not too realistic for me right now.
If I could go back I would definitely go back for education. I am in finance and am an analyst now, but I desire a career that is more personally rewarding!
All though high school I was completely geared towards going into the medical profession (most likely ending up in med school) but for some reason I just switched my thoughts and went to school for architecture.
(“It’s like she woke up and said ‘I think I’ll go to Law School today'”)
If I could do it all over again I might just pick a different area of architecture to study, like historic preservation. While I like architecture, I’m not finding the career to be as rewarding as I had hoped.
I’m currently in grad school for Physical Therapy! If I could go back in time I might consider Vet school but I think I made a good choice 🙂
I got my degree in Business and definitley think that it was worthwhile. However, now that I have some alternative interests, I think I would have focused on Communications/PR. Oh well!! No use crying over spilt milk..
1. Meteorologist
2. Chef
3. Museum critic
Those three jobs would be fun but I am in the public health field now and I love it 🙂
i wanted to be a meteorologist when i was younger!
Having just graduated in May like your sister did, I am still figuring out what I want my career to be. I majored in Neuroscience (which I loved) and am now working as a research assistant at a small health policy research company. i feel so lucky to have found this job! it’s perfect for the “in between” time.
i’m considering a lot of different (yet similar) options.
1. doctor
2. pharmacist
3. clinical psychologist
4. public health/epidemiology researcher
i graduated in finance, and confused about what job to take, went to work immediately on my m.b.a…..2 years later i was stuck in a gray cubicle, sad, stressed out, and completely unhappy! through volunteer work, i quickly realized i loved working with kids. i continued working while completing night classes to become an elementary teacher. I LOVE my job! i believe finding a career has more to do with following your personality, not your easiest academic area. you can learn any occupation if you love what you’re doing…learn what motivates you! everyone has to work– you might as well pick something that makes you smile
true story: I went to college saying I was going to be the next Ron Burgundy.
…I changed my mind since broadcasting is going towards automation, but still stayed in the Communications field… yeeuh for PR! 😉
I spend a lot of time thinking about something, ANYTHING else in life I could do and be happy, and I always come up with the same answer: there is just no other option for me to feel fulfilled. A career in theatre and performing arts is no easy task, and when you work in youth theatre, there is a lot of parent drama and aspects to the job that I really don’t enjoy, but there is nothing else I would ever love as much. Sometimes I think about personal training or something where I can help others to lead a healthier life style, but it would have to be an in addition to, not instead of situation. I’m one of the few lucky ones that’s known what i wanted to do since I was 5 years old 🙂
that really is wonderful! i’m glad you found a career you love!
I wish I knew…I’m completely lost when it comes to that. The only thing I know is that writing is one of the only things that has brought me joy, so I’ve been sticking with that most of my life.
I’m going to graduate with a degree and chemical engineering in the spring and I know now it is not what I want to do! It is extremely discouraging but I’m still going to work in the field at least for a few years.
I don’t know what I would really love to do, but that will come with time I hope!
Great question! I’m a school psychologist now, but I also think I would really enjoy being an occupational therapist.
And what I would REALLY love would be to go to culinary school and open up my own bakery! 🙂
Was a History/Classical Studies/Religion major in college, wrote my senior honor’s thesis in History/Religion and then went to law school and got my JD after being talked out of getting a PhD and becoming a history professor.
These days I really think (and am constantly told) that I should have become a pharmacist….
This post’s title instantly ingrigued me. When you were saying how you went back and forth several times throughout college about what you wanted to do in terms of a career, I could totally relate. I still wonder whether I want to be a elementary school teacher or a registered dietician. I’ve already had a career as a personal trainer, and now I’m the Children’s Director at my church…both of which I have enjoyed, but I always wonder if there’s something more/different out there if I would’ve gotten a different degree. It’s interesting to think about, but at the same time, I strongly believe that God has me where I’m at for a reason, and I need to do the best I can at it with lots of passion.
i think about it a lot, too! i love my job, but i am interested in a lot of things and other careers as well!
I have a degree in finance and work in my field. If I could go back and do it all over, I would study something less analytical. I feel my creativity was stifled by my business classes. My college had a unique major called Humanistic Studies (“Humanistic Studies examines the literature, history, and art of western culture as an integrated whole, from the end of the Roman Empire to the present. Founded as the Christian Culture Program in 1956, it features a “great books” program and pays special attention to the role played by Christianity, by women, and by non-western cultures in the making of western civilization.”) that I wish I had considered. Although it doesn’t have as ‘clear cut’ of a career path, the critical thinking skills are universal.
I have a BS and an MBA, each with a concentration in marketing, which I absolutely love. There are so many different things you can do within marketing, that I’ve been fortunate to do a little bit of everything in order to find my niche. I now get a ton of recruiters calling me for opportunities, which is awesome.
I used to think that I should have been a Finance major, mostly for the job security of it. But, I wouldn’t have had as much fun and I just wasn’t built for it. I love writing content, managing events, writing for websites, running programs, and all that other fun stuff.
I thought for a long time that I would be a teacher too. A job as a camp counselor made me realize that I love children but that I enjoy adult conversation too much to do that all day 🙂 I love what I do right now (graphic designer), but I do have a desire to go back and get my Master’s in French and be an academic at some point. Totally different lifestyle, but I’d love to try it out.
This topic is the story of my life!
I have a BS in Biology then was pursuing my PhD in Biochemistry but decided to leave the program (with my MS degree in Biochem) because I hated bench research. Then I went back and fourth between a MD or PA. Now that I’ve settled on a PA track I’m pretty sure I’ll still pursue a PhD afterwards (but in clinical/translational research) because a PhD has been a life long dream of mine.
Anywhooo, long story – student for life! haha
A mentor of mine once told me there is no point to ever stopping your learning and education. I think this resonated a bit much with me…
i love your mentor’s advice!
I have a journalism degree and work in social services. My husband has a degree in family studies and works for Hobby Lobby. So neither of us is using our degrees – not necessarily by choice. He especially feels like he wasted 4 years and also wasted the money we are repaying in student loans. But at least we have jobs!
We are both still trying to figure out what we want to do when we “grow up.”
Your timing on this post is impeccable. I just wrote on my blog today about how I just got the acceptance letter to nursing school…which will be my second degree! I went to school for graphic design and graduated over three years ago, but since then life has caused me to completely change my mind!
I think it’s just important for people to follow their hearts!
congratulations!!! my mom is a nurse and never looked back on her decision to pursue nursing. 🙂
Unfortunately I have NO idea what I want to do with my life. I have always thought about teaching but the money has held me back. I have also always thought about dietetics and fitness but I thought the science would kill me because I’m not that great at science. I majored in Business when I first went to college at UCF because I figured I could do anything with it. And now since starting my blog I am thinking about Journalim/PR/Communications route. I do enjoy to write and I feel like it would be a better fit for me. I am not exactly sure still but I am taking different classes to help me figure it out!
I have my BA in Psychology and my MS in Instructional Design (basically, I design/develop/evaluate training).
When I am at a job where I love what I do I am happy with my choice (like right now!). The job market is excellent and I could probably find something anywhere (or work remotely).
When I am bored out of mind or unhappy at my job I wish I had picked a different career path. Sometimes I wish I went to culinary school, became an RD, or a personal trainer. Those are definitely where my outside interests lie.
I have 2 undergrad degrees right now…BA Psychology and BEd Secondary English & Drama. Currently I am a substitute teacher and a youth worker. I love both (but would love a full time teaching job more)!
I’m hoping to go back to school and get my MEd in School Counselling eventually.
If I chose something else to do, it would probably be something a little more creative (although I can’t draw to save my life): Graphic Design, Photography, or Interior Design. When I was little I did want to be a magazine editor and a little part of me would still love to do that too.
I am currently a student at the University of Florida (GO GATORS!) and my major is Marketing.
But I did switch it a few times from nursing to advertising, and then I finally decided to go the business route with marketing which I hope is a smart decision!
I would love to go to culinary school, specifically for pastry (I love dessert!). I’d also be really interested in studying nutrition.
This post really caught my eye because I am currently doing my undergraduate degree in English Literature but I have my eye on all of sorts of different careers and contrasting master options!
Like you I would be interested in some sort of teaching but I would want to work with disabled children.
I’d also be interested in something like speech therapy, or social work.
Something I’ve always been fascinated by is criminology and psychology is always something I’ve considered.
Oh and becoming a dietitian!
At least I’ve got three years to decide… 😛
Oh my gosh, I think about this nearly every day! Although I really enjoy my intended career path (I’m currently in grad school for speech-language pathology), sometimes I wonder if I’m on the right track since it’s not “my passion.” I realize the vast majority of people support themselves doing a job that’s not their passion, but I wish I had that feeling. I’ve had quite the variety of career ambitions over the years: whale/dolphin trainer (this lasted about 10 years), physical therapist, sports newscaster (Erin Andrews has it MADE), elementary school teacher, nutritionist….the list goes on! In the end, I had to settle on something that meshed with my talents, would provide job stability and a good salary, and that would allow me to work with kids. BUT, I haven’t given up on my ultimate dream: having a “hobby” job working at a Lilly Pulitzer store!
My degree and certifications are in accounting, but I would have loved to get a degree in Journalism or Interactive Media! Although, I’m not sure I’d be as successful in those fields!
I would love to write articles for a magazine, and hope to one day successfully produce a novel =)
LOVE LOVE WRITING
I was an English Education major my freshman year of college, but I fell in love with Health and Physical Education in the second semester of my freshman year and switched. I’m so glad I switched and I haven’t even thought of going back to English.
Oy, I think about this ALL THE TIME. I went into college a secondary English education major, I graduated a secondary English education major, and now I teach middle school English. I do love my job, but I often wonder what else I could’ve done with my English degree (I got a BA in English and another one in education, so I do have two individual degrees). I love writing and I love working with people; I often think PR would’ve been a good fit!
I have a degree in Psych, but often think it should have been in nutrition.. but everyday I think I should have done something else so I really don’t know haha.
I am about to graduate with a B.A. in Middle Eastern Studies with a minor in Arabic and I LOVE my major. That said, getting a job right now with it is super difficult (if any one was an ideas, hollar haha). I wish I would have pursued a degree in nutrition as well because after spending time in the Middle East, I’ve seen how poor the diets can be and would LOVE to work with child nutrition in the region.
I graduated college with a degree in elementary education. I had some pretty bad experiences, but also a few good ones. I lost my job several years ago due to budget cutbacks (low people on the totem pole…not fun). I started substitute teaching in another district and loved it for a while. I now work part time for my dad’s office and actually do not want to go back into the education field. I actually got sick of parents that didn’t care and little kids and their attitudes (even the little ones were bothersome). Even just substitute teaching was sometimes a nightmare that I would either not answer my phone when they called me to work or lie that I was sick or had something else to do. Sounds horrible, but when you know how some of these kids are or how disorganized a teacher is (I’m super organized) you sometimes have to say no.
I studied Psychology and Neuroscience in College, and was very lucky to be offered a job at Harvard. It took me about year to realize that wasn’t my calling, and I’ve spent a lot of time deciding what it is I’d like to do. I got out of the lab, and into Biosafety, where I ilke, but don’t love my job. I’ve actually decided Physical Therapy is the perfect route for me, and I’ll be applying soon for the DPT. I love people, and helping them to recover from injuries of all types.
PS, since I know you’re on Pinterest, I thought I’d tell you that’s how I actually found your blog. I saw a picture of you and Ryan from your wedding day when you guys had the door between you. I followed the link, and it lead me here! Just thought I’d let you know that picture’s in Pinterest space!
I’m going after a TOTALLY different career path than my major was. Sometimes I think it would have been easier if I’d majored in food studies or nutrition or even communications, but I know it will all work out in the end and that you can take a lot of different paths to any destination 🙂
Hi Julie! I love reading & commenting , but today especially was one I needed to reply to…
I feel like we are very similar in a lot of ways…only I’m a few years behind you in blogging, (not as funny I’m sure), and a few thousand followers away from where you are. BUT, I thought you would find it interesting to read something I have on my “about me” page on my site:
“By the time I left for USF, I finally found my two niches: dance and health & fitness. I graduated with a B.A. in Mass Communications, Specializing in Advertising with a minor in Communication. Although Advertising was my focus, I really enjoyed the copy writing, designing, and Journalism aspects more than anything.”
In college, I changed my major from Architecture (what?!) to Marketing to Advertising and then started a masters in Elementary Ed. Obviously, I still don’t know what I want to do…I’ve been a professional dancer for the past 4 years, but that ship has sailed, these joints have healed and now my interests lay in writing & blogging.
Your freelance jobs fascinate me and I would love to one day be in your shoes writing for a living…(only less Peanut Buttery and more “HB+SH”y). 😉 I’ve only been running my HB&SH blog for 2 months now so I still have a ways to go.
*OHHH, and in response to your twitter comment earlier: I work at a breakfast place and YES every time someone orders cranberry juice, I laugh to myself a little because I TOO think of it as the UTI remedy. *Sigh!
Just thought I’d share! 😉
I applied to University with the intention of going to Med School (Got in on full-scholarship, yay me for having no life at all in highschool!) But right before I was suppose to go my father got sick so I stayed behind to be with him before he passed. After that I had no interest in it, after spending so much time in the hosptial I decided it wasn’t for me. I never did end up going back to Univ but I landed a job as a Maintenance Manager for a large Oil Pipeline Company so I can’t really complain. Fun place to work, greaat people and the pay is lovely. Most of my friends who went to College/Univ and finished are either out of work, or doing something totally not related to what they studied. I have a few friends who went to Nursing School who are now in that profession but that’s about a it. A LOT of people took like Bachelor of Arts and stuff and have gone nowehere with it.
Couple careers thoughts I toss around are Nurse, Pharmacist, Police Officer, EMT. Anything active and busy.
It seems you and I have had really similar career paths 🙂 I too graduated with my BA in advertising and PR. I thought I wanted the PR route until I ended up updating media lists all the time. I now am a marketing manager for a major ad agency in Philly. If I could do it all over again, I think I would get my degree in hotel- restaurant mgmt since I’ve alwys wanted to own and run my own B&B
So I love this question.
I got my degree in Communication (emphasis in PR). I’ve been doing something related for a non-profit for the last 18 months and today I submitted my two weeks notice so I can go back to school full time to get my masters degree in Professional Communications (related field, obviously) because I want to be a communications professor when I “grow up.” I’m freaked out and excited all at the same time to leave what I know and am comfortable with for the unknown.
I think if I didn’t go down the Comm path at all I would have done my minor which was Exercise Sport Science. I would love to be an athletic trainer.
And then there’s the whole mom career path which I know my husband would be very disappointed with if I didn’t pursue that one!
I was in my late-twenties before returning to school to get my degree. I’m a bit sad that I’ll be 30 before I graduate and get to start on my career but on the other hand, I’m 100% confident that I’m studying what I am meant to do. By the way, I’m going to have a joint honours degree in psychology and therapeutic recreation and am dreaming of a job on a mental health outreach team.
I’m really happy with my choice of degree. I graduated with a BS in psychology and now I’m getting my M.Ed. in Counseling – I hope to be a career counselor on a college campus. 🙂 But as I’m finding out, as long as you have one, degrees don’t really matter!
I will be graduating in December with my BS in Nursing. It makes me sad sometimes to think that I’m not sure that this is what I want to do anymore. I think being a dietitian/personal chef would be a great job. I think it would be so fun to go into people’s homes and help teach them how to cook healthy meals to nourish their families.
I think being a Marine Biologist or something equally as nerdy would be fun! 🙂 My degree was in Psychology and I am a Veterinary Technician–totally unrelated! 🙂
I literally think about this every day. I wish so badly I would have majored in education instead of marketing. I have a corporate marketing job now that just doesn’t inspire me at all. Hoping to save up some money and go to grad school so that I can pursue my dream of being a nutrition teacher! (I wish I would have known that was my dream when I was 18!)
I was a biology (& spanish) major & really loved it & what I’m doing with it now (in grad school), so I would not change a thing. However, if I HAD to choose a different major today, I think I would take whatever path was required to be a comedy writer for a TV show or website. I’m not that funny, but it’s my secret (& unrealistic) dream job.