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I tried posting this in the Work/Employment forum ... maybe it will get a better response in here.
I am slowly considering possibly going back to school for a graduate degree in something that is totally unrelated to what my background is right now. Basically, I'm in journalism, and I'm thinking about getting involved in transportation planning. For some reason I've always been sort of a road geek (now that i live somewhere where there's actually transit, I am now a transit geek/ranter), and in fact I used to write articles about it in my college classes.
Right now I'm trying to figure out how to get in with the CTA (for those of you not from Chicago, the Chicago Transit Authority). I've been applying for jobs there that I'm qualified for (i.e. customer service, administrative, and pr-ish positions) but no dice. Close one time, but no interview call. I try to attend rallies, hearings, etc. when I can and write about them for Associated Content. I have wanted to go to board meetings but I always seem to be working on those mornings.
My actual, direct question (I swear I'm not just rambling in my own thread ), has to do with my boss. The publication I work for actually has to do with the transportation industry (it's not a hard hitting news pub., more like we like to profile our advertisers and say nice things about them), and she knows someone that works at the CTA. I have met him as well. I have also vaguely met someone that retired from there. These aren't guys that are/were in any sort of planning position... more like garage management. What I'm wondering is, if I should discuss this with her... how I feel like I have an interest, and if she would be willing to allow me the time to go to the meetings and/or if she would mind if I tried to talk to these guys she knows. I wouldn't want it to come off as me trying to use her to further my agenda, I guess. I wouldn't want it to come off bad, I'll put it that way.
Also, I have someone on my facebook friends list that has the degree I'm looking into and I believe does work for the CTA as well. Although we haven't met in person, I sent him a message just for the heck of it.. haven't heard anything back yet. I'm also thinking about possibly emailing some of the faculty and staff at the school I'm interested in, just to see if this is something that would be worth my time and money - and will keep me in Chicago.
(I've come to the conclusion that I need to get more training in something, because my journalism writing concentration isn't what I really enjoyed about that field - I prefer the design end but most of my training is self taught and that isn't getting me the cash either. I just don't know if I should move on to something else or not.)
Why don't you talk with some people in this field you are interested in and see what kind of degree background they have. Some may want some specific style of classes but others may just want you to have a degree. At least they know you are teachable. Most people change their careers about four times now.
It sounds like a great idea to attend some of these meetings and get a feel for all that this may take before you take the leap to go back to school.
Good for you for exploring and finding something you love.
I grew up with a dad who said, "do something you love and then it's not work"
Yeah, I'm trying to get in touch with the one person I sort of know from facebook, and have emailed some faculty and graduate research assistants at the school I'm thinking about applying to to see if any of them have anything to say. I have to work on the meeting days this month. I'm going to have to bring up the topic with my boss... because if I do end up going back, I would still try to work for her part time.
My actual, direct question (I swear I'm not just rambling in my own thread ), has to do with my boss. The publication I work for actually has to do with the transportation industry (it's not a hard hitting news pub., more like we like to profile our advertisers and say nice things about them), and she knows someone that works at the CTA. I have met him as well. I have also vaguely met someone that retired from there. These aren't guys that are/were in any sort of planning position... more like garage management. What I'm wondering is, if I should discuss this with her... how I feel like I have an interest, and if she would be willing to allow me the time to go to the meetings and/or if she would mind if I tried to talk to these guys she knows. I wouldn't want it to come off as me trying to use her to further my agenda, I guess. I wouldn't want it to come off bad, I'll put it that way.
I'd say you'd know the answer to this more than anyone here because you know what kind of person she is, and what kind of relationship you two have. Would she be the kind of boss to be supportive or hold this against you? In my experience, bosses have been sympathetic when employers provide a sincere reason as to why they want to change/quit jobs.
I'd say you'd know the answer to this more than anyone here because you know what kind of person she is, and what kind of relationship you two have. Would she be the kind of boss to be supportive or hold this against you? In my experience, bosses have been sympathetic when employers provide a sincere reason as to why they want to change/quit jobs.
I think she would probably be supportive. And, besides, the school thing wouldn't be happening for a couple of years. Plus, saying "I will probably be leaving in order to go back to school" probably would sound better than "Well, I'm quitting to work at a job that's going to pay me X amount more."
Kudos to you for having the courage to follow your dreams! It takes chutzpah to risk possible failure, but from personal experience, I can assure you that nobody is going to come up and knock on the door to present you with your dreams on a silver platter. If you don't go after what you want, you'll never attain it.
So, now I have some questions for you. How much research have you done about the level of education that you'd need for your dream job? Is a Master's degree considered the basic, minimum qualification that would be required for an entry-level position? Or would a Bachelor's, or even an Associate's degree, give you the knowledge you'd need to do well?
The reason that I ask is that I am a hiring manager, and I am regularly astounded at the number of excessively over-qualified people who apply for openings in my department. And frankly, between you, me and the fencepost, I don't even bother to interview them. Someone with an MBA is going to come in and try to reinvent the entire Finance Team instead of doing the job that I'd be hiring them for, and that is not what I want when I'm hiring. The next time we're hiring for a VP-Finance, sure, the MBA's will be approrpriate. But not for anything less than that level of professional.
This is particularly true when I see applicants who have one (or more) Bachelor degrees, some grad school or even a Master's degree, and absolutely NO experience in the field. It would take years before someone like that would be worth even the mid-range pay level in my department, and with a Master's, they'd expect to walk into something five or six pay grades higher. No, thank you just the same, I'll take the applicant with an Associate's degree and some experience, even if it's an internship.
You've done a lot of research already, I can tell, but I'd suggest that you go back and do a little more. If you already have one Bachelor's degree, see if the equivalent of an Associate's degree would give you the training that you'd need to get a foot in the door. If a Bachelor's in that field is considered essential, then get really aggressive about trying to transfer as many of your previous credits to the new school as you possibly can; you DON'T want to start all over at the bottom in another 4-year program. Adult learning, life-long learning and continuing education are all becoming much more common than used to be the case decades ago, and a lot of colleges and universities are pretty open to transferring credits, so seek those out.
I'll pass on one more bit of advice, since you ask for suggestions. For heaven's sake, get into a school that has a strong internship program in your field. A degree alone, no matter at what level, is a very pretty bit of wall decoration, but not much more than that. A degree plus some experience in the field is worth at least an interview, and very often it'll lead to a job offer. Plus, often the internship itself will generate an offer of permanent employment.
Good luck to you, and I hope you wind up doing something you love. I can attest that it's a wonderful experience. Follow your bliss!
MidwesternBookWorm - Right now I am in the process of getting in touch with people that are involved with the program that I want to pursue. The urban planning program does not require you to have a degree in the field -- just a bachelors degree with a good GPA (I graduated with a cumulative 3.92, so I think I'm good ). Of course recommendations and a personal statement are required as well. You're not even required to submit GRE scores, but I think i would still take it because you have to have the general scores to have a graduate assistant position, which I would be interested in.
Someone has written me back and she has suggested some of the web sites I should check out, as well as someone else to write to. And she has offered to get me in touch with some alums of the program. She said that in her experience working there (and she wound up in the field pretty randomly, but I digress), she hasn't really ever seen anyone graduate without having an internship under their belt. (I myself know the value of an internship - I actually had two before I graduated from journalism school.) I definitely would be aiming for the CTA fellowships that they have during the summers (of course this is WAY down the line. )
I think forging these contacts will help me out a bunch. I'm glad that I have at least one person willing to help me.
An update - I now have a meeting Tuesday morning with a professor in the program, and someone else I wrote to forwarded my email on to the listserv at the school.
The people I have contacted have been more than willing to help, and it's exciting. I will probably tell my boss next week that I am exploring things.. because by the time I go to work on Wed. I should probably have a better idea of whether I'm going to go through with it or not.
An update - I now have a meeting Tuesday morning with a professor in the program, and someone else I wrote to forwarded my email on to the listserv at the school.
The people I have contacted have been more than willing to help, and it's exciting. I will probably tell my boss next week that I am exploring things.. because by the time I go to work on Wed. I should probably have a better idea of whether I'm going to go through with it or not.
With your journalism background, you should also be able to do some investigative reporting.
Maybe you can convince your boss that you want to do a piece on the different jobs and people that work in the transportation industry?
That might help you to talk to these people about their careers without arousing suspicion.
With your journalism background, you should also be able to do some investigative reporting.
Maybe you can convince your boss that you want to do a piece on the different jobs and people that work in the transportation industry?
That might help you to talk to these people about their careers without arousing suspicion.
Ahh yeah, that's a good idea.
Right now I've just been dropping emails to people (grad. assistants, professors... i'm going to try to get in touch with a planner that I interviewed LONG ago as well) just to get an idea of what they are doing and how they got there. A few people have replied and have been very receptive.
My family and my boss are supportive of the idea - although i think my boss was a little shocked at first.
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