Hey all you employed people..give me advice: I seek a job that pays in many ways.

In My Humble Opinion
1

Hey all,

I’m new here so hello to all! This forum seems very interesting. I especially like the demographics page-it seems this place has a nice/varied group.

Well my question is about what jobs are out there for a person like me.

What kind of person am I?
I’m an undergrad student studying Political Science (because I’m a news addict/love debate)/Minor in Business(because it seems a little more practical than my Poly-Sci major) , and I carry about a 3.2 gpa.

I’m not so sure what I want to do (I know this is such a common thing), but I know want out of whatever it is I decide on.

What do I want?
Can this exist: $$$+Doing something good? I want to do something that has purpose. I would like an interesting job with purpose. Most of my friends are getting into jobs that pay (like drug reps), but to me this job seems so empty. The problem is that the jobs that do seem like they have purpose, and contribute something good to the world, don’t seem to pay (or at least that is my impression).

I’m considering doing Americorps for a year, and then hopping into a law school-but this is not set in stone. Perhaps something like environmental law, or something like that would interest me? Sales would interest me if it were for something good.

What else is out there? I’ve thought about consulting, but I’m not so sure. I love to travel, and I love to work with people-provided it’s something beyond meaningless powerpoint presentations and some pointless product. I’m not set on anything. Grad school isn’t a definite-but it seems like a plus (but I need to know what I want to do don’t I :wink: )

If you give me suggestions on possible careers to explore perhaps tell me what I should do to prepare myself (so I’m worthy of such a job).

Thanks guys, I can’t wait to read through what you have to say.

p.s. If I wasn’t clear on something, or you need more info on something in particular, please let me know.

2

Go to work for a labor union. If you’re interested in politics, unions have very active political departments working on both the local and national level. Or you could be an organizer and work directly with employees to help insure that they recieve good wages and benefits and are treated with dignity in the workplace. Both positions need highly motivated, independent people with excellent communication skills. The hours are long, but the pay is decent and as employers, most unions offer good benefits.

I went to law school specifically to be a labor lawyer, and I wouldn’t change a thing (except maybe the sze of my student loans). I’m in my dream job, make good money, have a better than average retirement plan, I work with co-workers that I can respect and who also respect me, and for people (the union members) who deserve better than what they’re getting in the workplace. My skills and talents are recognized and I’m given opportunities to learn new skills without outrageous expectations. I’m part of a larger movement that I think is vital to our system of capitalism as well as being in the union that is trying to drag the rest of the movement into this century. It’s exciting, frustrating, demanding, fun, compelling and that’s all before lunch.

3

hmm…I see

What sort of things did you do to prepare for your law career?

4

I think you need to define for yourself what is “good”. It’s different for everyone.

For example, I for one don’t consider being a union lawyer to be a “make the world a better place” profession, but then I assume friend Kallessa feels likewise about my profession, a corporate executive. The way I see it, I’m building things that make peoples lives easier, and they’re happy to have them. I’m not sure that either of us is right or wrong, we’ve just each picked something where we feel we’re making the world a little better by our actions.

You’ve mentioned that you’re taking business classes. I should note that there’s a lot more to business than just sales jobs, and a lot of other fields than drugs. There are plenty of industries making plenty fo things; perhaps you need to find an industry that manufacures something in line with your moral goals.

You are correct that pure “good” work – running a soup kitchen for example – will not pay you very well.

5

Head over to this thread and check out False_God’s work. It sounds great for an idealistic person and I considered it (although he threw out a hard sell shout out to me that was a little odd), but it’s definitely got all the qualifications that you’re looking for.

6

You don’t say how old you are, but if you’re a junior or senior (or 21+) you can go work for one of your state congressmen as an aide. Excellent networking position, and you’ll learn the ins and outs of government.

Or, be a runner or clerk in a law office. If you have the basic law classes (legal research, writing, and a couple of specialized classes) you can probably find a good part-time spot.

7

Hmm, travel, desire to “do good”, interest in politics/current events…

My wife has worked with a lot of non-profits, and they do a LOT of fund raising. Some of the development folks there travel a lot in the course of their jobs, and provided you get into an organization whose goals you agree with I think that would be a pretty good fit. Somewhat along those lines, being a recruiter for a large university can be a good gig, but I’m not aware of the usual compensation structure for those jobs.

8

I’m current Americorps (Class X, stationed in Perry Point, MD) and here’s what I have to say about the program: it’s great. However, it’s great in a lot of ways you don’t expect.

First off, Americorps is NOT a “year off”. I bust my ass day in and day out. It’s 5 days a week, 8 hours a day of often hard physical labor that pays diddly squat. Be prepared to sacrifice a lot of control – Americorps is all about flexibility. You can’t pick your team, your campus, or your projects. You take what they give you, but that’s good, because it gets you out of your comfort zone. You may be working on an Indian Rez, building houses, tutoring inner-city kids, or digging ditches.

What you get: housing, food (you’ll do everything but starve in Americorps), health insurance, almost $5,000 for college or loans, a chance to travel the country and actually do some serious good. You’ll meet some insanely cool people, work in places you never imagined you’d visit, and do things you didn’t think you could do. You’ll be trained and certified by the American Red Cross and may be sent out on Disaster Relief to help victims of floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, etc. If you wish and you qualify, you can also be trained as a wildland firefighter and get a chance to battle blazes – probably the physically hardest work Americorps can offer.

Think seriously about the committment you will be making before choosing Americorps.

9

How much money means $$$ for you? Recently in Kansas City there was a huge outcry because the CEO of a non-profit agency was found to be making more than $100,000 a year. Given the size of the organization, if it had been in the for-profit sector, he probably would have been making 3X as much, and no one would have said a word.

In general, people who work at jobs that “contribute something good to the world” don’t make a lot of money, because they don’t generate a lot of money for their employer. That may sound harsh, but that’s how it goes.

There are some positions, like being a political consultant, that can be quite lucrative, but they require skill-sets that take years to develop, and the pressure for results (and the punishment for failure) is as strong as any in the private sector.

If you want to be a teacher, social worker, public health worker, minister, political activist or whatever, accept the fact that in general, the rewards of the job won’t be measured by salary.

10

You will really thrive in a job doing what you love.

That being said, you can certainly train yourself a little to love things people need, and you can certainly focus on those parts of a job you love the most.

Don’t worry too much about making loads of money. Most of us spend our most productive and most alert and sensitive hours making it, not spending it. Besides, you don’t need so much euphoria spending it when you really enjoy making it.

11

What state are you in? If you want a good, fulfilling job (at least until the election), you might want to look at America Coming Together. I work for them - they’re a 527 non-profit that works to “promote progressive causes and candidates” - essentially, we want to get Bush out of office. Take a look at www.actforvictory.org - if they’re active in your state, call them and pester them until they give you a job. That’s the way it worked for me. :slight_smile: For that matter, if you’re in New Hampshire email me at emaron 212 AT rwu dot edu, and I can probably help you out. At any rate, the pay is fairly good for all the positions. I’m a canvasser (very much low man on the proverbial totem pole), and I make $1,500 a month. Not bad for a summer job, and if you’re willing to take a semester off you might apply for a organizer or communications position, those pay more.

We’ve gotten a little bad press of late - do a Google News search on “america coming together felons” - but we’re a good bunch of people. Worth a shot.