My future career (long & me-me-me)

[calpurnia]

I graduated from university with a first class degree in English Literature, bummed around the world for 2 years, started an MA in Medical Anthropology & had my daughter at 24. Now I've just about finished my MA (it's taken me 2.5 years!) & I'm beginning to think about my future.

My partner is studying medicine. He will finish school in 1.5 years & then have 2 compulsory "foundation years" in hospital (paid) before he is a fully-fledged doctor. At that stage we hope to move abroad. Pretty much anywhere, probably for a few years here, a few years there, back to the UK, off again... Not sure yet.

We are planning to start TTCing in the summer, which would give a roughly 3 year spacing. We only plan for 2.

I'm trying to work out what my work path will be or can be. I don't know "what I want to be when I grow up". I've never known. I can reel off a list of interests - public health, policy, research, development - but the more I think about it the more I realise the amount of hard work I would have to put in to get there. It takes time to build a career up, to get somewhere. I want to work outside the home but I don't want to be out from 8-8 putting in my time at the office, y'know? That coupled with our desire to move abroad, DP's clear career path, makes me kind of rule out the idea of "creating" a career...

PLUS while I love DP & he loves me yadadada (& we are getting married this summer which gives more financial security in the wake of a break up) I am painfully aware that I could end up a single mother with a great academic record behind me & ten years of practically no employment in the workforce, or as some entry level programme assistant in an NGO (=not great money).

I want to be able to support myself & my kids. I want to work outside the house in something interesting & challenging, but that lets me leave in time to get the kids from the childminder. Ideally, I would also have a job that I could pick up & leave, or even do overseas, around our moves.

So I'm thinking I should train as a teacher or a social worker. I am arranging work experience in both areas. When I got pregnant (unplanned) a couple of friends said to me "but what about your career?". I didn't really get it so much then, but I get it a hell of a lot more now!

Just wanted to put that out there somewhere. But would love to hear comments, thoughts, advice, if there is any...

[momofmine]

With your degree in English, how about being a freelance writer? This is what I did when I still had little nurslings and wanted a flexible schedule and wanted to set my own hours and not be away from them. You can totally create a career as a freelance writer, now, without having to wait, and you can continue it from wherever you end up, because most of the time all this is done over email now. There are so many different areas that hire freelance writers. From technical writing, to trade magazines, to regional parenting magazines in the US, anything really. I highly recommend the following website to get started:

http://therenegadewriter.com/

(Get their two books AND if you can swing it, take Linda Formichelli's magazine writing class, you will not regret it! It is worth every penny and more!)

Good luck! PM me if you want more info.

[gabry]

I would agree that teaching, social work, writing are probably all pretty flexible careers. What about something in the medical field? You may not want to invest the time and energy (and money) to study medicine, but nursing, physical therapy, speech therapy, psychology are other options that are pretty much "usable" anywhere. I don't know what kind of MD your partner will be, but maybe you could both work for the same organizations? I'm assuming if traveling is the goal and you say his career path is clear, he'll be working for large international organizations? If you haven't already, you may want to look into that, since medical degrees are not always necessarily recognized everywhere (speaking from my own and dh's experience - he is currently redoing residency).

[chicka]

I really feel for what you are going through as I'm going through a similar thing here...I have 3 children and my youngest is two and I'm finally ready to start working towards a "career" as opposed to a "mom job". But it's really hard for me as I never was able to choose and still feel confused.

I'm thinking about getting professional help on this! A counselor etc. This time around I'm also going to shadow people as much as possible, talk to people, get advice etc. I have a really bad tendency to make decisions in my own head based on nothing but my "Mood" which is of course always changing!

My advice would be to really explore programs, talk to folks who work in the fields you are considering etc.

For me, I've finally put my interests and my desire to make $ into separate categories...I guess I've decided that I won't be "following my bliss" so much as thinking that "work is work". Does that make sense? My degree was in history and I've finally decided that I won't / don't want to teach. But it took me 20 years to get there! I'm actually thinking medical field -- for all the reasons you mentioned: In demand, a procedure based profession, I want to help people. But it's a long haul for me to get there and it seems weird for me to be in that world in a way....ANYWAY, sorry to ramble on, just wanted to say hang in there!