talk about your job / ask about other people’s jobs

by Alison Green on April 15, 2014

Reddit has a feature called “Ask Me Anything” (AMAs), where people make themselves available to answer any questions people want to throw at them. Bill Gates, Louis C.K., Barack Obama, and loads of other celebrities have done them (I recommend Bill Murray‘s), as have tons of regular people who identify something interesting about themselves that people might want to ask about (for example: a  woman who was attacked by a bear, a tattoo artist, and so forth).

We’re going to steal the idea, because we have tons of people with interesting jobs here that others might like to ask about.

So, the rules:

  • Start a new thread. Put your job title in the “user name” field so that it’ll show up as a label for your post and make it easier to skim.
  • Include a short blurb about the work you do.
  • When you see other jobs that interest you, reply in that thread with your questions.
  • When people leave questions in your thread for you, answer them.

Also, if you have a regular user name, it’s fine to include that too if you want. For example: “Snake wrangler (Myron)” or whatever.

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{ 1,311 comments }

{ 1,311 comments… read them below }

  1. Ali (web editor)*

    I am an editor for a large website that brings in about 20 million visitors a month (last I was aware). I spend my days editing articles that are bound for the site’s front page, and we cover all types of articles from ranked lists to breaking news and opinion pieces. I do pretty much anything a copy editor at a paper might do such as checking spelling and grammar, fact-checking and adhering to a style guide. I started as a copy editor, where I was not responsible for doing the more in-depth fact checking and taking care of photo or formatting issues. I just made sure names were spelled correctly and that the piece was overall good quality.

    I also have more admin work in my current job such as preparing feedback reports on writers and filling out a log for each article I complete.

    I work from home, which can be nice since I basically get to wear jeans and t-shirts/hoodies everyday, but I often miss the social interaction that comes with being in an office.

    1. NEP*

      Interesting. Thanks for posting. Just the kind of work that would suit me perfectly right now (including the from-home part). I’m pretty sure I was born with a red pen in my hand. Often I get the sense that people care less and less about proper grammar, spelling, and punctuation. In your experience are such things still valued and given the importance they’re due? Great to hear from someone whose job it is to keep watch.

      1. Ali*

        Well I still value proper grammar, spelling and punctuation. But I unfortunately cannot say the same for every writer. We have some paid writers who mix up its/it’s, for example, or don’t seem to know how to break up sentences. I don’t know if it’s because of their own lack of knowledge or being in a rush, but there are some that are just really rough writers.

        1. NEP*

          Oh, man — the it’s / its mix-up kills me. It’s truly not that difficult to grasp and yet the mistake is so commonly made (including in published text…including on Trader Joe’s arugula packaging, for example). Copy editors and proofreaders are very necessary.

        2. Elizabeth West*

          I edit technical reports. They’re full of passive language, and due to the nature of the subject, I can’t always edit it out. When I run spelling and grammar check over it, I have to grit my teeth and ignore it. >_<

      1. Ali*

        I do not really determine what gets put there. We have a team of front-page editors and they do the handpicking. Whatever articles they want go into a Google document that we work down, edit the article and approve it for publication.

        But…if an article isn’t up to par for one of many reasons (lack of factual support, for example), we can tell the front page editor and they can help us decide if it’s best to ask the writer for a fix (via their section editor) or if we’re going to reject it all together. Rejections are rare for us these days, but they still happen.

    3. NYC gal*

      What would be a way into this kind of role, or the more junior version of it? I have experience in social media and digital marketing but my writing is limited to blogging. Do I have a chance without a magazine internship?

      1. Ali*

        Honestly, I had never really worked at a print publication before getting this job, save a summer internship at a weekly newspaper three years before I even applied. Of course, I had also written for my college paper, but that was it. You have a chance at my company for sure without doing print work, but you have to have had some experience in writing and editing. Last I knew, the hiring process asked for writing samples and required an editing test.

    4. Julie*

      Thank you for doing this job! I’m a grammar and punctuation nerd, and it seems that web content is somehow “allowed” to have errors because it’s not actually printed on a piece of paper. So I appreciate being able to read content on a site that follows a style guide, has proper spelling, subject and verb agreement, etc.

      1. NEP*

        Amen to that. It’s refreshing to hear of people out there who care about proper grammar and punctuation.

    5. ali (a different one)*

      if you don’t mind sharing, what kind of salary do you bring in for this? are you salaried or hourly? or paid by the amount of pages you edit?

      I work from home 2-3 days a week doing web development. I find that going into the office a few days gives me just enough social interaction. It’s a great balance.

      1. Ali*

        I am salaried. I used to be an hourly contractor before the website was bought by a larger company. Since we’re not print, I can imagine it would be near impossible to pay based on number of pages edited.

    6. Katie*

      Thank you for posting this. I’m currently a copy editor with a big trade publisher, but I’ve been wanting to switch to something web-based. Was it hard for you to find the job as an “editor” when your background was “copy editor”? (Though I’m realizing more and more this is a distinction not used by many outside of the publishing industry).

      1. Ali*

        I probably wasn’t very clear when I originally posted. When I applied for my job, it was a copy editing internship at first. I really hadn’t edited much beyond helping out with it at my college paper, but again, I had journalism experience in writing that helped. I started as an intern, got promoted to copy editor and now still do copy editing, but on a higher level and with a different title.

        It wasn’t hard for me to switch at all really. But like I said above, they do ask on the initial application, even for interns, what your journalism experience is. They don’t care if it’s print or online; just as long as you have something.

        1. Ali*

          Forgot to add the last paragraph, especially the last sentence, is relevant to my particular company. They’re not as overly picky as some employers might be, although standards have changed as the site has grown.

          1. Katie*

            Thanks for the reply! Yes, a lot of the job listings I’ve been looking at have required writing samples. I do write, but fiction, and I only have one published title under my belt at this point (a short early-reader book for kids). It’s tough because I’ve been in the publishing industry for ten years and tons of experience futzing with grammar and editing, but when it comes to the part on job applications about writing samples and clips I can’t provide much. Sigh! Thanks for sharing your story.

    7. anna*

      Hi Ali! This is exactly what I would like to be doing. Can I email you for advice on how to find a job like yours (helpful experience, where to look, etc.)? It would be much appreciated!

  2. Grants Manager*

    I manage and secure grant funding for a nonprofit community health center in a major urban city for low-income and uninsured populations.

      1. Grants Manager*

        I have an undergrad degree in Biological Sciences and a Masters in Public Administration. I have always worked in the nonprofit arena. First in the sciences and then to community/social services etc. I kind of fell into grant writing. A friend who was a freelance grant writer needed help and I offered to help. She taught me the basics of grant writing and I enjoyed it so I took classes and got a certificate in grant writing and grants management. From there I transitioned into grant writing full time.
        I’m not sure how to answer your second question. Are you asking about how to learn about grant writing or how to learn about available grants? If you want to know about how to learn about available grants there are numerous ways to find out about grants. Most people start with Foundation Center but there are other sites. You can also check websites of foundations and corporations.

        1. Development Manager*

          Do you find your MPA useful for your role? I’m doing almost entirely foundations/grantwriting and I’m considering pursuing an advanced degree.

          1. Grant Writer*

            I think it depends on the type of nonprofit you are working for. It is somewhat helpful but I wanted the MPA to move into a director level position.

    2. Anon for this*

      I’m currently a contract negotiator (non-JD) in the private sector–is that the kind of experience I could migrate over to grant work for non-profits, if I wanted to?

      1. Grants Manager*

        There are some non-profits that have people who just work on contracts. They are usually larger non-profits whose primary source of funding is from the government (state and local). I have seen contract positions with health care related nonprofits and mental health agencies. I have also seen position from agencies that deal with public housing. If you know contacts, then I don’t see why you couldn’t transition into the nonprofit sector.

        1. Mimmy*

          What is the difference between contracts and grants? I thought I knew, but I’ve reviewed grant proposals from nonprofits for my county human services advisory council (all voluntary, not paid), and the end result is they get funded and enter into a contract. This is done on an annual basis as part of the county Freeholders’ support grant process.

            1. Grant Writer*

              In the context of this conversation, contracts and grants are two separate things. A grant is the actual written request to the funder and the contract is the agreement between the grantee and the funder once the grant has been awarded.

      1. Grants Manager*

        I have always used Foundation Center. To me it has been worth the cost because I always find 1-2 new funders every year so it has paid for itself essentially. I don’t get the highest membership just the mid-level one. My employer has always paid for it. Some comapnies are expensive and want all of the fees upfront. FC lets you pay monthly which helps.

    4. Mimmy*

      How would you describe the workflow? I’ve been thinking on and off of getting into work similar to yours. While I would do very well with the actual writing, I’ve heard that grant writing can be incredibly stressful due to tight deadlines, juggling multiple grants and building relationships with funders.

      My background is social work (MSW) and, as I mentioned above, I’ve been volunteering as a grant proposal reviewer for a couple of committees, which I have really enjoyed.

      1. Development Manager*

        Hi Mummy, I’m not the OP here, but I also handle grants for my agency. Grants management to me is really more about being organized and detail oriented… You collect details from other people, complete the forms for each grant application (no two are alike), check and triple check that the numbers add up, never miss deadlines, keep all communications and paperwork for the audits, and are responsible for reports and communicating the Level of Service to other branches of your agency. Only a small portion of my job involves actual writing.

        Not at my current job, but at many smaller nonprofits you will also be responsible for preparing the project budget.

        1. patty*

          Grants Manager, do you mind sharing where you got your grant writing certificate? I believe it might be valuable for me to do this.

          1. Grant Writer*

            I got mine from California Polytechnic University in Pomona but I don’t think they offer the program anymore.

      2. Grant Manager*

        You do have to be very detailed oriented and have good time management skills. It can be stressful when you have multiple grants due at the same time but if you pace yourself and keep yourself organized the stress can be minimized. I primarily do all of the grant writing and the grants management at my nonprofit. I would say it is 60% writing and 40% grants management. At my previous employer it was 80% writing and 20% management. It all depends.
        Grant writing isn’t just about being a good writer being able to find funders and making the right ask is also important. Being a good researcher and being good with data is also important. I would suggest volunteering for a nonprofit to write a couple of grants to see if you really like it. I volunteered for a nonprofit to improve my skills before applying for my first full time job.

  3. Dir IT PMO (Coelura)*

    I’m a Director of Infrastructure Program Management. I manage a staff of project/program managers as well as lead several large programs myself. My team has led programs from building out entire data centers in the US and the UK, consolidating data centers, implementing data masking software to going into other companies with major infrastructure issues and resolving them. I have hired over 20 project/program managers in the past two years.

    My staff ranges from five to thirty years of experience and resides in two countries. Everyone is a telecommuter including myself. We work for a fortune 50 company. I have over 20 years in this arena and have been an executive for over 10 years.

      1. Dir IT PMO (Coelura)*

        The biggest challenges in my industry are the difficulties in meeting all the international laws while still providing consistent infrastructure services. We have to have data centers in a number of countries because certain types of data have to be kept within geographical borders. That means storage becomes more expensive due to geographical duplication of base infrastructure. It also makes it hard as we have to be familiar with many different laws and regulatory guidelines.

        The other challenge is the lack of talent coming up. Many companies stopped hiring people to train because there was so much talent available at a reasonable cost during the economic downturn. Now that same talent is increasing in cost and we have lost out on ten years of training the next generation. That will really hurt in about another five to ten years.

        One thing that has been interesting to watch and learn about through the past two decades has been the rapid advances in basic computing equipment. I remember all the excitement when Compaq came out with the first ten gig hard drives for servers. That seems almost laughable now, but it was only about 14 years ago. The rapid progress has resulted in infrastructure and computing hardware changing from a high margin business to a commodity. Many new recruits do not understand the basics of how networking, computers, and storage work. Infrastructure has become as assumed as the lights coming on when you flip the switch. It’s a radical shift in our culture and industry.

    2. A Jane*

      I’m a new IT project manager, and I’ve worked on tech teams in different capacities (superuser, scrum master, UAT). What are some of the common traits & skills that your best PMs have?

      1. Dir IT PMO (Coelura)*

        The ability to adapt to rapid change. Doing the right thing (or at least advocating for it) even when it’s outside the standard. Ability to communicate at all levels of the organization and to build collaboration across multi-functional teams. Understanding process, willingness to follow process, but not married to process. A solid understanding of project and corporate financials – go to a finance for non-finance professional course if you can! Someone who can embrace change and help others to do so as well. Learn to see the big picture while still managing the details.

        Those are some of the most key ones.

        1. A Jane*

          I haven’t thought about the finance for non-finance professionals course before. Definitely something I will look into as I’m just starting to go into fiscal planning and budgeting. Thanks!

    3. Julie*

      What challenges have you faced in managing a team of people who are not in the same office (or possibly the same time zone)?

    1. Bryan*

      I know you used to be chief of staff, what was your management experience before that? Was it more of a general management type position or specific like chocolate tea pot designer manager?

      1. Ask a Manager* Post author

        Department head. I ran a communications department, a publications department, and a membership department (in that order, but at three different organizations). After the last one, I moved into a chief of staff role at the same organization.

        1. Technical writer (Jen)*

          Um, what’s a chief of staff? :) My knowledge of US job titles is very limited.

          1. Ask a Manager* Post author

            Basically the second-in-command in the organization. I ran the day to day operations, managed a bunch of department heads, oversaw hiring and firing, etc.

            1. Bryan*

              At your/most organizations, is it the same as a chief operating officer or are they usually divided into two roles?

              1. Ask a Manager* Post author

                Depends. At mine, it was basically COO. Think Leo on the West Wing, but much less glamorous.

                But there are also some orgs where chief of staff doesn’t manage staff directly but manages the planning and operations of the leadership team.

    2. Rayner*

      How did you start the blogger thing? What made you move from “distant internet blog out in the internetosphere” to a reasonably high trafficked blog? How did you make that move?

      And what would you say to others hoping to start out blogging in a general sense about the whole AAM experience/being a blogger? (No specifics if that’s too close but maybe some pros and cons that other people might not think about?)

      1. Dan*

        I’ve been reading AAM since I was in grad school, sometime back in 2007-2008, which apparently dates me to the early days of the blog. I don’t remember how I found the blog.

        I’m not aware of anything AAM did to make these “leaps” that you are asking about. If she’s done anything specific, she rarely talks about it.

        What she does do is crank out solid content on a regular basis. I’d venture to say that after six years of reading just about everything she’s ever written, she’s managed to maintain a really high signal to noise ratio. Few things she writes come off as fluff pieces just to fill space.

        The funny thing is, that’s the advice I’ve seen from others on how to grow a big blog — write solid content on a regular basis. She certainly knows how to do that.

      2. Ask a Manager* Post author

        Starting the site was an entirely impulsive, spur-of-the-moment decision — it wasn’t well thought out at all. I had the idea, set it up on Blogger, and an hour later, Ask a Manager existed. I figured I’d do it for a few months, no one would read it, and that would be that. I started in May 2007, got one question from a reader in June, none in July … and then suddenly in August, I started receiving questions regularly, and it’s steadily increased since then. Seven years later, here we are!

        As for how it transitioned to a pretty well-trafficked site, my best hunch is what Dan wrote above — I think it’s just about content. I’ve never done anything with SEO or so forth; I just write stuff that interests me and that I think I’d want to read. I suspect that one thing that’s helped is that it was different from what anyone else was doing online (with the exception of evilhrlady.org, but she was doing it from an HR perspective); very little else in this space is (a) written from the perspective of a manager, explaining what your boss might be thinking, and (b) written like a normal person talks, as opposed to … being more generically packaged, maybe?

        Advice for others wanting to blog: This is a list of questions that I put in a US News column on this topic a few years ago, and I think they’re still the right things to ask yourself:

        • How’s your writing? You don’t have to be Hemingway, but you have to be able to express ideas clearly.
        • Do you like to write? Will blogging be fun for you, or a chore you don’t look forward to?
        • Are you willing and able to post at least once or twice a week, at a minimum?
        • Can you picture yourself doing this for at least a year or more? Blogs aren’t short-term projects.
        • Will you stay motivated and keep going if you don’t build an audience right away?
        • Do you have at least a little technical knowledge (or a comfort level with learning)?

    3. Diet Coke Addict*

      Regarding advice: do you ever get tired of endless variations of the same essential questions showing up in your inbox? A la “Can I be asked to do things outside the scope of my job?” and “My coworker is annoying, help!” and so on? Or do you receive enough variety in questions to keep it interesting?

      1. Dan*

        As I mentioned above, I’ve been reading this blog pretty much since it’s inception. While AAM has a lot of general themes, there seems to be enough differences to keep the reading interesting.

        I can’t figure out how she can post three times per day and not get all that repetitive.

      2. Ask a Manager* Post author

        I do get a ton of variations on the same questions. Of the 40+ questions I get a day now, probably half are things I’ve answered in the past — but I understand that, since lots of people find the site through Google and aren’t regular readers. I’d probably get sick of it if I had to write out a new answer to it each time, but I don’t — I either send them a link to an existing post on the topic or they just get put into the bucket of unanswered mail that I’ve resigned myself to having at this point. But it’s useful to see, because it helps me keep a sense of what things people want to know (which is especially useful for the stuff I write for other publications).

        Of the stuff I publish, I’m continually amazed that I keep getting questions I could have never dreamed up. You wouldn’t think there would be enough variety to keep a workplace blog interesting after seven years … but there’s so much weirdness out there that we can probably keep going forever.

        2. Eudora Wealthy*

          Do you get a huge amount of spam at your published email address?

          Also, are there people who become a little too interested in you personally? I mean, you’re a little bit famous, and fame isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, right? I’m sorry if even just asking that question is inappropriate, but it’s something I’m genuinely curious about. I’ve found in my job that there are some very difficult people to deal with–and it seems that being a more public figure would make it even harder.

          Last question: Do you just handle the content? Or do you also take care of the design, widgets, beacons, etc? It’s such a simple, elegant site. Really crisp and clean. Do you just have the knack to make it look easy, or do you have somebody else handle the technical stuff?

          1. Ask a Manager* Post author

            Spam: I do get a ton, but I use Gmail to manage my AAM email account, and it catches the vast majority of it (it also catches some things that aren’t spam too, but I’ll take that trade-off when it’s keeping literally thousands of spam emails a day out of my in-box).

            Being a little bit famous (I would like to pretend that I am, but in reality am probably not): I’ve only have two incidents that made me uncomfortable. One was mild and I might have even misinterpreted it. The other was actually the revival of a stalking situation from my pre-AAM life — he found me through the site and harassed me here by email for a while, but (having read the Gift of Fear) I didn’t respond at all and it stopped (for now, at least). Other than that, my fake fame has been pretty fun :)

    4. Jubilance*

      In the beginning, when you first started out and were writing while working a full-time job, how did you find the energy to do both while you built up a following? And at what point did you realize that you could do blogging/freelance writing full-time?

      1. Ask a Manager* Post author

        Well, I used to post far less frequently. When I first started the blog and was working at a regular job full-time, I only posted a few times a week. It wasn’t until I left to go freelance that I increased the pace.

        When I started seriously considering quitting my job to work for myself, I was pretty sure it wouldn’t work :) I figured I’d do it for six months to see what happened, and then would have to return to a normal job. I’m still pretty surprised that that hasn’t happened!

        1. Gaining Experience*

          How does one transition into freelance work? Do people seek you out or do you have to seek out a lot of your work yourself(especially when you first started out)? What signals that you are ready to go freelance?

          1. Ask a Manager* Post author

            I’m in kind of a weird situation; for mine, I’ve been approached by clients, but that was because of AAM or existing relationships/contacts. It’s more common to have to pitch yourself, at least in the beginning (which I hate, and probably wouldn’t have gone freelance if I was going to have to do). But if you can get yourself into a situation where clients are coming to you, you’ll be really well set up.

    5. CTO*

      Where do you see yourself in a few years? Is AAM your long-term vision, or would you like to focus more on your consulting, or do you see yourself doing something completely different?

      What changes have you seen in your readership, blogging in general, etc. since you started?

      1. Ask a Manager* Post author

        The future: That’s a question I’m asking myself! I don’t know the answer yet. I could be totally happy doing AAM full-time if it ever came to that, but it would be at odds with something essential about the site, which is that I’m (hopefully) grounded in the reality of the work. But I really like what I’m doing now, actually — I just feel pressed for time, so I’d like to find a way to do less of it while making the same or more money :)

        Changes: The comment section has changed over time. If you go back and look at comments from 2009-2010-ish, they weren’t as high quality overall as they are now. That’s an interesting change; you’d almost think it would be the reverse as the site gained readership!

        1. Susan2*

          How are you able to find/link back to a repeat question w/o having a massive search on your end? Is it the type of software that you use?

          Not sure if this is too personal, so apologies in advance, but I’ve always wondered if blog sites provide an income? Or more of a vehicle to get your writing out there for online publications? Or possibly, advertising dollars? Thank you :)

          1. Ask a Manager* Post author

            I have a weirdly good memory for past posts — or at least I used to. Less so lately, now that there’s more content. But I have a pretty good back-end search engine (that only searches the post contents, whereas Google also picks up the search terms if they’re in a comment on the post).

            Some blogs provide revenue, and some don’t; it depends on how much traffic you get. This one does, through ads and ebook sales. It earned a decent amount of money last year — enough to live on very frugally if I had to, but not enough to live on comfortably if I weren’t also doing other work.

    6. LBK*

      Do you watch any of those shows like Bar Rescue, Restaurant: Impossible, Tabatha Takes Over, etc.? Ever since I started reading this blog I’ve imagined seeing you swooping in to set failing businesses straight (although you are obviously much less dramatic than most of those hosts!). Just saw an episode of Bar Rescue last week where a manager assaulted an employee and the owners decided to fire the employee, not the manager. I can only imagine the field day you would’ve had dealing with those people.

      1. Ask a Manager* Post author

        Ha! I used to watch Restaurant Impossible, Hotel Impossible, and the hair salon one and would always think that I wanted my own Management Impossible.

        1. Joey*

          Are you worried that not managing people currently will change your perspective over time?

          Your site seems to attract more people that are fairly new to the work force or managing. Is this perception accurate? Is this who you want to target most?

          1. Ask a Manager* Post author

            I think it’s actually a lot of mid-career people, a lot of early career people, and then a smaller number of later-career people. I like that mix!

            I do wonder if not managing people currently will have an impact on the site over time. In my consulting work, I do a ton of helping managers sort through sticky challenges they’re facing, but it’s not the same thing. I always figure that if one thing eventually kills the site, it might end up being that … but I’m relying on feedback from y’all to signal if that’s happening. As long as I keep getting the same amount of “hey, it worked” from people who try the advice, I figure I’m okay.

            1. Ann without an e*

              I didn’t realize you were from the south. I assume you are from the south or lived in the south based on your correct use of the word y’all, as that is unique to the south eastern US.

  5. Research Analyst (Fundraising)*

    I am a research analyst in the development office at a University. I do an analysis of donor’s (alumni, parents, etc) wealth so that the gift officers know how much to ask for. I also do work with the data in a broader sense, basically providing strategy for the office’s fundraising efforts.

    1. Lo*

      I am extremely interested in working in development/fundraising type positions, especially at a university. I am also interested in research (such as being a prospect researcher). Would you mind sharing a bit of your background, specifically how you got to this position? I also would very much appreciate some general pros/cons of working in a university setting, if you don’t mind! Thank you!

      1. Research Analyst (Fundraising)*

        I was going for my masters and was presented with an opportunity for a paid internship at a nonprofit. I didn’t know what it would entail (prospect research) but the fact the internship was paid was enough for my poor butt. The funding fell through but based on the organization I thought it was a dream job (my mistake) so I stuck with it.

        Their research department consisted of a manager and an associate, the associate quit without notice the day before I started so I got a lot more responsibility than I think I would have gotten otherwise. I applied for the newly opened associate position and got it. My situation is not going to be that helpful for most others as I got lucky.

        Prospect researchers have a variety of backgrounds. I know a lot express their interest in report writing and that’s how they get interviews. I think it really depends on the university because you are raising funds for them. Mine is very well off so they don’t hire a lot of adjuncts, professors are well compensated, class sizes are small, and there is a very generous financial aid package in place. It gives me great pleasure to raise money for them.

        Compare that to my alma matter which is hiring almost nothing but adjuncts and paying them pennies on the dollar, doing many pointless capital improvements, and keeps raising tuition to fund these stupid projects when their student base is local kids who barely have the means to afford school. I honestly wouldn’t feel right asking for a dollar for them because I know it’s probably not going to be used well.

        1. Lo*

          Thank you SO MUCH for responding. Follow up questions–I will be brief I promise! I am wondering whether it is worth it to go to grad school for this type of work (nonprofit management program, or a more business-y type of program? Or higher ed. administration?). What do you think? Thank you. If grad school isn’t necessarily the right route, would it be better to just work from the ground up, getting a admin kind of job in a university and working up from there? Your opinion on this would be so very much appreciated!

          Also, based on your description of your alma mater, we either went to the same college or there’s more than one school that is currently under that exact umbrella (and I describe my feelings towards the school in the same way….). An odd coincidence, made me do a double take!

          1. Bryan*

            Don’t worry about being brief, I love talking about prospect research, career paths (thanks to this blog), and myself! Google apra jobs and look at the listings there, see what entry level positions are asking for. I know for associate director positions masters are preferred but I’m not sure for entry level.

            I’d be wary about trying to work up from an admin position. At my school it’s pretty hard if not impossible for admins to work their way up.

    2. Sunflower*

      I’m very interested in this- especially the reesearch analysis part. What is your background? I’m interested to know how much time you spend alone in front of a computer and how much working with other people

      1. Research Analyst (Fundraising)*

        For background, please see above, if that leaves any holes I would be more than happy to provide more information.

        I spend a ton of time in front of a computer. When I first started my eyes really hurt from doing it so much, they have since adjusted. Since I am at the bottom level I don’t work much with others but as you move up the chain you work more directly with gift officers strategizing. There are some institutions where even entry level people work directly with gift officers however mine is not one of them.

    3. Dang*

      How much statistical analysis/training is involved? i’ve tried to get into institutional research/development (I have a healthcare and education research background but not stats-heavy) and have had no luck.

      1. Research Analyst (Fundraising)*

        My department is divided into research and analytics. I am on the research side and we are more micro with how we work while the analytics team is more macro and does a lot with Tableau. Even in smaller shops where roles are more merged I would say there isn’t too much statistical analysis. You tend to pull information from the database and analyze it from there. Nobody that I know has a strong math background and they’re fantastic at their job. If you want to go specifically into data mining type stuff you might need a moderate ability.

      2. Lia*

        I am in institutional analysis, although I came from fundraising analysis and prospect research. You might have better luck breaking into IR at smaller institutions, where most of the work will be reports and less will be on modeling/stats.

        The main professional organization is AIR, and there are regional organizations too.

    4. mortorph*

      I have experience with both non-profit development and geographic information systems (GIS). I am interested in the intersection between the two, and see a potential in using place-based information in fundraising analytics. As a fundraising research analyst, do you see the potential (or a growing need) for mapping and place-based data within your field?

      1. Bryan*

        Many organizations are only regionally based and I’m not sure if they would benefit from this.

        For organizations with a national donor base we are already able to analyze by region and there really hasn’t been a time where we need more information than knowing where our highest rated donors live.

        Did that answer the question? I feel like it didn’t but I’d be happy to try again haha.

      2. I'll think of something later*

        Wow that’s like me! GIS –> Development –> GIS –> Development. I currently work in non profit development and GIS is not on the radar of my office but it’s definitely something I’ve been thinking about myself. There’s so much spatial data available that could be really useful and relevant but the hard part is that people who aren’t familiar with GIS don’t get that it’s not just for making maps and I’m lucky if my co-workers have even heard of GIS.

    5. summercamper*

      This is fascinating! What’s the basic method for analyzing someone’s wealth? Are there public records available somewhere that can give you clues, or is it more based on where they work and financial aid records?

      1. Bryan*

        It’s mostly public information. We do not see financial aid, ferpa. We use what information is available if they’re high up in a public corporation, salary surveys, and formulas for investment bankers. We also look at real estate, any public stock holdings, if they have a family foundation, and other charitable giving. The only thing we use that’s not public is if we think they have a certain amount of wealth and they have given to us at a level higher than we estimated.

  6. Digital Strategist*

    I work for a company that does digital strategy (online fundraising/social media, etc…) for political campaigns/political parties (and a few non-profits, but the majority right now is political campaigns). I do everything from writing emails, working with CRMs, tweeting/posting on Facebook, to communicating with clients, and analyzing return on investment data.

      1. Ali*

        Is this a good fit for someone with a background in journalism, like writing and editing? I am looking for a change from my job, but I would like to stay in a job that makes use of those skills. How can I gain additional experience if so?

        1. Digital Strategist*

          Nina – if you’re specifically interested in political digital strategy – any kind of campaign experience is a huge plus. That’s how all my co-workers and I first got into this – a lot of us did other work on campaigns (often fundraising) and gradually worked our way into this niche. If you’re working on a smaller campaign (i.e. a Congressional campaign or local campaign), there’s generally more of an opportunity to work in different areas, which really helps. Also, making the contacts – politics is a very small world, and working for one campaign really opens up your network enormously. (I didn’t have a ton of experience – I had worked on only 2 different campaigns, but found my current job through my boss on my first campaign).

          Ali – it really depends, I’d say. Writing and editing skills are definitely huge, but technical skills are also really important. HTML skills and familiarity with different CRMs/CMSs are also really important. I work for a pretty small company, so all of us do a little bit of everything, and you really have to have some knowledge or experience with the systems that we use. But some larger/older companies have people who are more specialized, including people who primarily/only do writing and editing. (I should say that this also only applies to political/non-profit stuff as well – I would assume the same would apply for similar industries like online marketing for companies, but I really can’t say). In terms of gaining more experience – there are training programs (depending on your political affiliation – I really only know about Democratic ones) through organizations like the New Organizing Institute, which offers “bootcamps” around specific skills, including digital strategy. However, those are often geared more towards getting a job with a campaign than an organization like mine. But a lot of political campaigns do have Digital Directors who do a lot of the same things that I do, just for the specific campaign, and that can be a great stepping stone into further work.

          Sorry, apparently I tend to get a little long-winded when talking about my job…

          1. Ali*

            Thanks for the info. Design is really not one of my strong suits, and I don’t have much desire to learn it, so I’d imagine that alone shuts me out of a lot of similar jobs. I am willing to learn social media management and that, but I’m just not a visual/artistic person.

            1. Digital Strategist*

              Not necessarily, actually! The HTML skills are more important for loading emails (making sure they’re properly formatted, links work, etc…), and I have co-workers who refuse to go anywhere near photoshop/do zero design work. I did some design work until about 4 months ago, when we hired a designer full time, but it’s actually usually divided up in most shops. Learning social media skills (or the ins and outs of Facebook/Twitter advertising) would probably be more useful to someone with a writing/editing background than design. (And in a lot of places, you might not even need that).

    2. Sunflower*

      How did you get into digital strategy? Most of my experience is marketing and event operations but I’m really interested in strategy of it all. Any advice on how to get some experience?

      1. Digital Strategist*

        Well, I worked for 2 different Congressional campaigns (doing a mix of digital strategy/scheduling/admin on the first, and doing a more finance-focused role on the second), and got my current job through a connection with my boss on the first campaign. I was lucky, because when I started my job, our company was still very new, and my boss was looking for people who were known quantities, but didn’t necessarily have to have tons of digital strategy experience (I was hired for a more junior role).

        Marketing is definitely a great background for this, and if you’re interested in digital strategy for political campaigns, it could be a great avenue to get into it. The biggest difference between traditional marketing and political digital strategy is that while your ultimate goal is to raise money, messaging is also a huge portion of it. So any political/communications experience is huge. Depending on what exactly you’re interested in, volunteering or working on a campaign could help you get some of the right experience.

    3. Athletic Trainer/Teacher*

      How do you expand your presence or grow your following on twitter/pinterest type boards? I run twitter for our local foster group (dogs and cats) that does animal rescue. I would like to expand our following moreso, right now FB is winning that a lot but I see all 3 as important–we are also starting to use Instagram more.

  7. Application support Apollo Warbucks*

    I work for an accountancy firm looking after their time and billing software. Mainly writing lots of SQL and html code

      1. Jamie*

        That was my question – and when you answer can you include if it’s db platform specific.

      2. Apollo Warbucks*

        Our system is so out of date, I write the code directly against the database and put the results in an excel spreadsheet.

      3. Apollo Warbucks*

        The platform is Microsoft SQL server it’s a 2000 database that is running on a 2008 server. I use the studio management tools that come as standard.

    2. Cajun2core*

      When you hire someone, do you require that they know and have experience with SQL specifically? If so, I ask you to please reconsider this. I have years of experience doing report writing and other database transactions but not with SQL. The database I used was a hierarchical database called IMAGE (made by HP). I picked up an SQL book and realized that the only difference was the syntax. The database concepts are basically the same. So, if you are looking for an SQL person, please consider people who have experience with other databases.

      1. Apollo Warbucks*

        I agree so much with you about looking at transferable skills / knowledge.

        I had never worked on a relational database or even heard of SQL before my boss gave me a chance working on the system. I started with some pretty basic stuff and have moved on to more advanced concepts over the last few years.

        I’d seriously consider anyone with an aptitude to learn the system we use, it’s a very bespoke set up so no matter what background a person has there’s a lot to learn, and being able to deal with users we’ll is a must.

        1. cajun2core*

          Thanks for the info.

          With 11 years in tech support, I can easily and I do enjoy dealing with users.

        2. Midge*

          I’ve spent a lot of time working with relational databases from the data entry side, and it’s sparked my interest in the systems themselves. Is this the kind of thing people teach themselves, or do they typically have some formal education?

          1. cajun2core*

            It is something that I had some formal education on in college but not that much. I also had some on the job training. However, if you have technical skills and *any* programming skills (even the slightest) you should be able to teach yourself SQL. Finding a database to learn on though will be the tough part.

            1. Apollo Warbucks*

              You can download fully copies of SQL server from Microsoft and there are a few different databases to download as well adventure works is a good one to work on. I’ve got a 2012 set up on my machine at the moment for some training that I’m doing.

          2. Apollo Warbucks*

            I’m self taught I applied for an internal job I was grossly under qualified for and was offered a junior role in the same team and have been learning ever since, my boss is hugely supportive and cut me lose on the system to do a lot of reporting writing / data extraction which meant my coding improved very quickly.

            There are many different roles that use a similar skill set to what I have, proper developers have a high level of training in database theory and design as well as a programming language or two. Database administrators (dba’s) have a good technical understanding of the nuts and bolts of the actual database mechanics and hardware requirements / configuration they might well have something like a Microsoft (or other vendor) specific certification.

            Being tech savvy and having good customer service skills would be enough for a job like mine, working with the system day in day out means technical knowledge is soon built up.

            w3 school has a good SQL tutorial for beginners. Or you can code SQL in access if you have a copy, and that will teach you

          4. Data Architect/ETL Coder (Windchime)*

            Midge, I learned SQL on the job and it’s definitely something you can teach yourself with some good books and by playing around with SQL on your own. There is a business analyst where I work who has zero programming background, but she is very interested in understanding queries and she is starting to just pick it up on her own. Now that I know she is interested, I’m giving her little examples to look at. I can’t speak for all programmers, but most of us love programming and love to share information with budding programmers-to-be. So if you have a nerdy friend, that’s also a way to help learn the skill.

          5. Jamie*

            Midge – just wanted to chime in also that I learned SQL on the job as well. When I was first introduced to the backend it was how I imagine a musician feels when they pick up an instrument for the first time. Once you figure out how to get out it of what you need it’s a huge rush of power – harnessing the raw data to do real things and make real decisions.

            When I was new at it I was in the dummy database just playing all the time.

            Nothing would make me happier than if one of my coworkers was interested and wanted to learn. Sometimes I could really use another set of eyes or pov, sometimes I just hate that there is no one who really appreciates it when I do this new cool thing – but mostly to have someone to share it with.

            1. Midge*

              Wow, thanks for all the responses! I’ll be teaching myself how to run queries on our database software over the summer so hopefully I can start to delve into SQL, too.

  8. Workforce Consultant/Unemployment Guru*

    I work with mostly with people who are unemployed through the Reemployment and Eligibility Assessment Program with the Montana Department of Labor.

    I talk to UI claimants about their rights and responsibilities for unemployment, what they can and can’t do on unemployment and how it will affect them (part time/temp work for example). I also work with them on their resumes, cover letters, and applying for Government jobs. I do mock interviews with them and give them feed back.

    I am the Vice President of the Montana Chapter of the International Association of Workforce Professionals as well as a trainer for Return $mart, which works with women on getting Equal Pay for Equal Work. Ask away!!!

    1. Ask a Manager* Post author

      Ooooh, I have so many questions for you! You probably know how frustrated I am with a lot of the advice that workforce consultants in government agencies often give out (I am exempting you from that since you’re here). What kind of training do you get for the role? What kind of support is offered to make sure that the advice being given out is high quality? (Again, I’m exempting you from my ire in this area — just genuinely curious about how this works.)

      1. some1*

        Yeah, I had to attend a mandatory re-employment seminar at my state’s workforce center when I was laid off and one of the things the trainer said was to always answer your phone because Hiring Managers will not bother to leave a VM and will move on to the next candidate.

        1. Workforce Consultant/Unemployment Guru*

          That is really good advice, but again it will depend on the employer.

          1. some1*

            Honestly, I don’t know that it is. It may be true in some professions, but I have never known an employer who refused to leave a message when asking to interview me or offer me a job.

          2. Ask a Manager* Post author

            Uh oh, I’m going to disagree here :)

            Good employers leave messages and don’t discard candidates just for not answering the first call.

            2. HR Empress*

              +1
              I do a lot or recruiting/interviewing and I will leave a message, email and possibly even call back if the application/resume hits on specific marks.

        2. Cajun2core*

          I am not sure if I would want to work for someone who doesn’t leave a message. I mean really, one can’t help but be “indisposed” at times.

          1. Workforce Consultant/Unemployment Guru*

            I agree with you Cajun. We recently advertised/hired for a position and called each one to schedule interviews. Those we couldn’t reach, we left messages. Employers that don’t leave messages could be missing out on the best candidate.

      2. Workforce Consultant/Unemployment Guru*

        Thank you for the exemption!! I am not sure I deserve it but I will take what I can get. A LOT of the people I know and work with try to do the best job they can for the applicant and the employer, but we still run up against all the frustrating job advice that you do.

        With us, the local labor market dictates a lot of what we do. We work a LOT with local employers through our J.S.E.C. (Job Service Employers Committee) and we base a lot of what we do on what they want to see. We want them to have the best possible applicants and we try to influence what they put on their job orders, like listing a wage/benefits and considering if you really need someone with a Bachelor’s Degree to bag groceries so they can get the best person for the job.

        We are well aware that the information we are giving a job seeker is very localized and might not work in another City and we make sure if they are looking for work elsewhere, so speak with a Job Service in that area. I don’t know how many times we have worked with someone who saw the latest advice on Linkedin or CareerBuilder or Salery.com and decided to change their resume/cover letter without asking someone. Or, they will ask but it’s someone who doesn’t have any experience applying/hiring/firing in that field.

        We get a lot of feedback from the job seekers and the employers about what worked and what didn’t and fine tune what we teach as a result. I work mostly with people looking for Government work, since that is where most of my experience is (this is my 4th State job and I have worked for both the City and the County) but I do give advice on resumes/cover letters. I always have a second set of eyes look at everything I work on; just to be sure I didn’t miss anything.

        I am very fortunate to work with a great group of people who have many years in different industries, including supervision, hiring, and firing but I do read your blog a TON and refer many a job seeker here (shameless plug).

        1. Lar*

          I have worked with a state dept. of labor for 17 years. I really like what you said about the local labor market and your advice being localized. Very true.

      3. AnAmy*

        I work the same sort of job in a different state. Here, the training was really only about the Unemployment aspect of things. I trained myself for the workforce side (resumes, cover letters, shouldn’t I call the hiring manager every day so they know how interested I am?, etc.) by reading your blog. It can be frustrating to listen to my well-intentioned coworkers give out bad advice, but the agency as a whole is slowly moving toward 21st century ideas and the bad advice has gotten less bad over the last couple years. But if other states are like mine, it’s an entry level job that just requires a Bachelors. Some take learning how to do it well seriously, others don’t.

    2. Unmitigated Gal*

      How do you get into that work? I have 20+ years of HR experience, and would love to do something like what you do. However, from what I can tell a government job like that requires me to start at an entry-level job making less than 1/2 what I make now. Is there another way?

      1. Workforce Consultant/Unemployment Guru*

        That is a really good question. I did take a pay cut to come here, but that’s because workplace culture is more important to me then making more money.

        I would talk to your local Job Service and ask them what it would take and what other options there may be. They are going to be way more familiar with what they do then I would be.

    3. MF*

      What do you do as a trainer for Return $mart? (are you training women on salary negotiations/that sort of thing?) That sounds really cool!

      1. Workforce Consultant/Unemployment Guru*

        That is exactly it! The Wage Project (http://www.wageproject.org) was established for one purpose: to end discrimination against women in the American workplace in the near future. To do that, WAGE inspires and helps working women to take the steps needed so that every woman is paid what she’s worth.

        Return $mart works with women returning to the workforce. We talk about the wage gap, why there is one, and work with them on how to benchmark their salary so they can get what they are worth.

  9. Human Resoureces*

    I am the Director of Human Resources for a 20(ish) person company. I manage a staff of 5. Most of the staff are admin as I also wear the hat of Dir. of Operations, a common combination for small companies. The majority of my time is spent on personnel management, benefits administration, payroll, etc. I have hired or overseen the hiring process of over 70 people during my career. I have over 15 years of experience and have done everything from managing an internship program; creating mentoring relationships; overhauling the benefits packing; hiring and firing; employee handbook creations and revamps; etc.

    1. Human Resoureces*

      I forgot to mention that I have also brought payroll in house and oversee all of the payroll processing, withholdings, etc.

      1. some1*

        As an admin, what’s the best way for one of your reports to explain a struggle she is having related to her tasks or responsibilities to a supervisor who has never held an admin role, or hasn’t since the Reagan administration?

          1. some1*

            Say you receive a complaint that one of your reports is taking too long to do a data entry project – How do you weigh the complaint if you aren’t sure how long it *should* take?

            1. Human Resoureces*

              Ah, ok. Good question.

              So the first thing with this is knowing and trusting your staff. For example, I know that Joe is going to get something done about 20% faster than Max but Max’s will contain fewer errors so less rework or scrutiny is required. Also, I know that Joe is working on 5 other tasks at the moment so this may be at the bottom of his pile and I should shift it to Max.

              With that being said, I guess, for me, I know my staff and work closely enough with them that I don’t have a frame of reference for not being able to respond. I’m going, to the complainer, apologize that the task is taking longer than they would like and find out what sort of deadline they’re facing. Then, I’m going to talk with Max/Joe and figure out why it is taking so long (if it is) and what challenges they’ve run into. If I need to shift everything to Darlene, then Darlene gets it but if Max or Joe just needs a kick in the pants to hurry along or to adjust their priorities, I’m going to do that.

              I’ve also set the expectation that if an admin isn’t living up to what they should be doing, that’s on me and I will take care of it. I think that is the role of the boss. Doesn’t mean I won’t also hold my staff responsible, but to outside parties, it is my fault and my problem, not theirs.

    2. Eric*

      I’m curious what you think of the combating ideas that HR is there for the company/HR is there for the employee. Is there always going to be a tension there? Should employees never trust HR? Should employers never trust HR?

      1. Human Resoureces*

        It really is a double-edge sword being in HR and I’ve found that you’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t. My goal is to find the middle ground. I am generally considered more employee-friendly. I truly believe that if you hire the right people for the right jobs and then encourage and support them to do the job for which they were hired, you should have few problems. There are always exceptions to that rule of course.

        There will likely be tension there for a long time to come. One of the discussions happening in the HR community is, how long will the HR function be around. It is currently going through changes as it has previously been such a large department, usually with just a few people covering a wide-array of subject matter. So, more and more there are compensation specialists, benefits specialists, payroll specialists, etc. Some of these positions are less contentious but the overall placement of wanting whats best for both parties will always create friction for one of both sides.

    3. Bryan*

      My cousin is interested in getting into HR. She graduates with her bachelors next month but isn’t quite sure how to start out. Do you have any advice I could give her while she looks for her first job?

      1. Human Resoureces*

        Absolutely! Contact the local SHRM chapter. Society for Human Resources Management. If she isn’t already a student member, she should become one. Also, don’t be discouraged at first. The jobs will be menial and low paying but you can move up quickly if you keep a good head on your shoulders and learn to stay calm in all situations (the biggest thing I’ve found necessary in HR).

    4. Rayner*

      What do you look for in someone who’s trying to get into human resources? What skills do you need/qualifications/experience? What do you think the work is like at the bottom, middle, and top levels of Human Resource department? What’s a good way to advance through the levels of HR?

      I’m interested in moving into that world because at the moment, I travel but I don’t have anywhere to GO and it’s about the only office work I think I can take, but eh. Your answer might change things.

      2. Human Resoureces*

        More and more a Bachelors in Human Resource or even that coupled with an MBO is desirable by many employers. I would much prefer someone with actual experience. Like I said above, the biggest thing I’ve found is the importance of a level head, ability to stay calm, and knowing when to speak and when not to. Most of the time when someone comes to see me, they just want to vent and actually expect nothing from me. I’ve learned, I hope politely, to cut them off after a certain point but to try and let them get what they need out. That is definitely a skill I’ve acquired and not one with which I started but has added me a lot over the years.

        The beginning work is straight admin. Filing, filling out forms, data entry, etc. It can be mind-numbingly boring but, if you’re paying enough attention, you will learn the necessary information for moving up. Learning the ins and outs of Benefits is really difficult, especially as everything continually changes so filling out those forms and having to explain information to an employee is actually hugely beneficial to you (the HR person) as well. The middle is a little more interesting but also more of the same. Still forms – SO. MUCH. PAPERWORK. But you should be getting a deeper understanding of the inner-workings of the company, learning the company and how to navigate through everything. It is also where I focused on building relationships across all levels as they will aid wildly in the future. Senior level is definitely interesting but it also means that I take everything home with me, all the time. Many of my friends joke that similar to psychologist/psychiatrists, you need an HR representative for yourself to help you come to terms with what is going on. No matter how terrible an employee is/was, it is still difficult to let them go.

        The best way to move in and through HR is by building relationships. Again, at all levels. So I am as friendly and conversational with the janitorial staff as I am with the CEO. I will wish each a happy birthday, work anniversary, ask about their child’s wedding, etc. In HR, the people are what make your job important and if you lose sight of that, you need to change professions. IMHO

    5. business manager*

      Our organization is in the process of developing a job description for a position that would handle the administrative work of payroll and benefits, as well as worker’s comp claims paperwork, and other similar administrative tasks. This would be at the administrative assistant level, or perhaps one step above. In your opinion, do you think it would be reasonable to expect the person in this position to have wide-ranging knowledge of employment-related law and be able to coach functional managers regarding performance evaluations and other employee management-related issues? My gut says no, but I would like an experienced opinion.

      1. Human Resoureces*

        I would expect that to be outside of their realm of expertise. However, and this is coming from a small company perspective, I don’t think it is crazy to ask that they learn that sort of thing. You would obviously need to support them (time-wise, financially, etc.) in gaining that knowledge, but if it is something you need and are willing to train, or support the training of, then you can always try. Just don’t reject candidates out-right for not having that experience or you will seriously limit your applicant pool.

        1. business manager*

          Thank you for your reply. I would hope the person would want to learn these things, but our needs are for someone to handle the administrative side of payroll, benefits, worker’s compensation, recruiting, etc. Several managers and directors, myself included, are knowledgeable regarding employment laws and developing/implementing training on a variety of topics. We need someone to handle the day-to-day and if this person grows and takes on more, then that’s a great benefit.

    6. Penny*

      If someone came to you with issues regarding the indoor air quality in your office building, or with an allergy/reaction to the cleaning products used by your cleaning staff, how would you address it? Do you view staff wellness as part of your job?

      1. Human Resoureces*

        Absolutely staff wellness is part of my job. My course of action would depend on whether the space is leased or owned. I used to work for a Property Management firm and learned that that is a very important distinction.

        If the space is leased, I would go to the Property Manager and explain the issue and work with them to determine what was causing it and how to come up with a reasonable solution for both parties (the employee and the cleaner/space owner/etc.). This would likely involve many of the steps below.

        If the space is owned, I would go about determining the root cause of the issue. This could involve an air quality test, allergy test for the employee from their physician, talking with the cleaning staff to determine if they’ve recently changed chemicals, reviewing MSD sheets, etc. Then, the same as above come to a resolution that works for everyone.

        I don’t want one of my employees breaking out in hives while trying to do their job. That doesn’t help anyone.

    7. HRKitty*

      In your experience, how many HR staff do you feel companies need to have a fully staffed and not overworked HR team? I’m HR Manager for a non-profit with 300+ people (mix of seasonal and perm staff) and we have literally 2 HR staff (myself included) not counting payroll.

  10. Library Tech-Digital Projects (O)*

    I work in a large university library in the digital collections department. I’m currently working a grant funded project that involves digitizing publications and maps.

    1. Malissa*

      I envision you spending a lot of time in front of a plotter/scanner. Is there more to your job than just scanning?

      1. Library Tech-Digital Projects (O)*

        It is a lot of scanning, but I’m also pulling maps from the publications I’m scanning and I’m watermarking them. Unfortunately since it is such a massive project, the slightly more interesting work, the georeferencing of the maps is done by GAs. When I got hired, they had already started on the project and done some preliminary scanning of the publications that had to be redone, but I also doubled the collection of publications were scanning (added 200+). I’m hoping to get a little more responsibility soon, like getting to use the map scanner and it’s software (I love learning how to use new hardware/software)….but yes, the majority of it, is scanning, but we do have a bookeye scanner, which is great. Fortunately for me, no one minds if I listen to music/watch stuff on my ipod.

    2. Jessica the Librarian*

      This is so cool! We’re working on a (smaller scale, I’m sure) digitization project at my library, and we’re trying to decide whether we want to continue to host the digitized content on our servers or pay to have it hosted somewhere else (i.e. our state historical society). What did you guys do, and how is it working out for you?

      1. Library Tech-Digital Projects (O)*

        Since it is such a large university, we do host everything ourselves, and that’s been the case at other places I’ve worked at also. But we also have tech guys who can manage that side of it, if there is an issue.

    3. limenotapple*

      How do you decide on things like resolution, formats, etc? It’s been a while since I was in library school and I’m not sure what the standards are now.
      Also, do you worry about your position being grant-funded?

      1. Library Tech-Digital Projects (O)*

        Since the project was already started when I was hired, I didn’t have any input on things like that. But most of it follows the standard. For text we use 300 dpi, for higher quality, usually for really detailed maps in publications, I bump it up to 600 dpi, and I believe that’s usually used for photos also. We currently scan everything in TIFF (which has also been the case for other digitization projects I’ve worked on), and we store the original scans on an archive server. The actual publication are exported from the scan software as PDFs, and when I pull maps from the publications that are going to be added to collection as maps, for georeferencing, I save them as a standard JPEG.

        Honestly, yes I’m completely worried that it’s grant funded, I love the people here, and the environment. I almost didn’t take the position because while I had been out of grad school about six months, and was working about 30 hours at the state archives digitizing, I wasn’t completely sure it was a step up experience wise, and it has been more a lateral move in that department, nothing really new for me, but in learning about how departments/offices are run, it’s been great, because I’m no longer the student assistant in the meeting, but a member of the department. But because it is grant funded, the money is…not great. The grant is finished next year, and I’m hoping they might have another one already lined up by then with the possibility of a slight pay increase. Otherwise I definitely know this job has helped me get much of the working experience I needed, which was the main point of feedback I was getting for jobs I had applied for.

        1. Brett*

          As a piece of advice, you should considering using GeoTIFFs. These are relatively easy to mosaic in commercial GIS software. Once you do the mosaicing, you can do image tiling (e.g. with ArcGIS Server or TileMill) and serve out the map images online as a tile cache similar to google maps.

          But the great thing about GeoTIFFs is that you do not need all the mosaicing and tiling to use them in GIS software. You can just load the image directly, and the metadata header lays the image out in the correct location on other spatial data.

          2. Library Tech-Digital Projects (O)*

            We do also use Google Earth and Google Maps, so you can overlay all of the maps in the collection, and change their opacity to compare them to the current Google map.

    4. Brett*

      So what types of maps are you scanning? Certain locations, types, or historical periods? Or just all sorts of things in your collection?
      When you are digitizing, do you just mean the scanning, or are you also getting vector features extracted from the maps?

      1. Library Tech-Digital Projects (O)*

        I believe we do use GeoTiffs, unfortunately I haven’t been shown how to scan the sheet maps, or the software for those yet. The project is for a large metro city, and how it was planned, I believe it is from around 1940s to current, the majority of the publications/maps are from the 60s-80s. So I’ve pulled publications from the stacks on things like sewer, water, housing, population, public transit, land use, neighborhood planning, environmental statements, annual reports from certain city departments, all which may have maps. The majority of the project is focused on transportation, so must of the maps are highway planning, public transit routes, with any other type of thing you could think of when planning a city.

        When I scan, it’s strictly scanning, but I believe the large map scanner for sheet maps, probably do the things you are describing, but I do know they can georeference the map files I give them…I just don’t know how.

  11. Customer Trainer for a Library Vendor (Liz in a Library)*

    I love this idea! I’m not sure that my job is interesting enough to garner questions, but…hey, I want to read the others!

    My official job title is eLearning Specialist, and I train English-speaking customers worldwide on a variety of technical products. My customers are usually librarians, and I generally train via webinar (with some very light travel). I came into the vendor world after several years in a small academic library where I served in functions throughout the library.

    1. Jessica the Librarian*

      I think your job is interesting, but I’m kinda biased :)

      Do you run into problems with librarians who lack computer skills when doing training via webinar? It seems like every time I attend a webinar, half the people in the “room” are struggling to use the chat feature or can’t seem to find the mute button for their phone (ugh). It astounds me how many of us lack basic computer skills, especially when so much of our training takes place online now!

      1. Customer Trainer for a Library Vendor (Liz in a Library)*

        Yes, that is definitely an ongoing issue.

        Due to the nature of my products, I tend to work a good deal with systems librarians and serials/eResource librarians, so many of my customers come in with excellent tech skills, but for those who don’t, webinars can cause real problems. Day-to-day, we do the best we can to troubleshoot issues and get people into the webinar without problems, but one of the biggest things I’ve had to learn is to weigh the needs of one against the needs of everyone else…

        What has been surprising to me has been that, in addition to occasional tech illiteracy, many librarians do not have the “library vocabulary” I would expect. I find myself explaining concepts often that I wouldn’t have expected…but I love it, because I can’t help but feel that I am helping people do their jobs better!

        1. Public Library Reference Department Manager (Jessica the Librarian)*

          Thanks for the response! In general, all the trainers I’ve worked with have been fantastic and super helpful. You are DEFINITELY helping us do our jobs better!

    2. JMegan*

      Actually, your job is almost exactly where I want to be! I also have a library (~ish) background, and am also thinking about making the leap to eLearning.

      So I have three questions…
      ~How much software/IT knowledge did you need coming into the job, vs how much did you acquire once you got there?
      ~Did you need any special training on the “training” side – Adult Education or similar?
      ~Where do I look for jobs of this type? ;)

      1. Customer Trainer for a Library Vendor (Liz in a Library)*

        I have to say, this job can be stressful and isolating (I’m 100% work from home), but can also be absolutely fantastic in so many ways! So, I encourage you to look into if you are interested!

        1.) I didn’t go into this job with any formal tech background. My company really wants librarians in this role, so that was the main background they were looking for. At my previous job, we didn’t have a systems librarian and we had 11 campuses, so my director and I just kind of took over. I ended up doing most of our day-to-day training, customization, and troubleshooting of our ILS by default, and I think that background impressed them. I also happened to have used and administered a number of the vendor’s products (including the ones I now train on), and I was told that was a huge plus mark for them.

        2.) I don’t have a training background, but I came into this job with seven years of library instruction design and delivery history, as well as stints adjuncting and tutoring, and I had done a fair deal of staff training. I’d recommend getting as much experience teaching to a group that you can; at least in my role, it is really highly valued.

        3.) I looked with the vendors my then-library was using first, but really I just checked the career pages on their sites and started applying. If you have the possibility to work directly with a vendor on a project (a beta, a publication, even something custom that you are buying from them, a conference presentation), those relationships can really help. It’s not how I found this job, but my boss at my last library went to work for a different vendor after working in tandem with them on several library projects.

        1. OliviaNOPE*

          Uh, is your company hiring? I think the idea of doing library work from home is the most ideal situation.

          1. Customer Trainer for a Library Vendor (Liz in a Library)*

            Hah! My department isn’t at the moment, but check out your favorite vendor. I really have enjoyed this job!

    3. Michelle*

      I think your job sounds really interesting. I had a similar one about 20 years ago not long after college (software trainer for a magazine circulation software vendor) and looking back I recall how much I loved doing it and am considering getting back into it. How much ongoing training do you do with the customers after the initial training? Or do they get handed off to someone else for everyday support?

      1. Customer Trainer for a Library Vendor (Liz in a Library)*

        There are several different groups at my company who support customers, so it can vary. At the least, I might have someone attend one of my public open sessions (that many different customers might attend), and then never see them again. At most, I might meet with a customer several times via webinar (occasionally in person) over an implementation and follow up via e-mail and phone regularly for as long as they need me.

        We try to differentiate who the customer should contact by the kinds of questions they need answered…so if something is broken, or they need to change a setting, they can contact tech support, but if they need more of a training or consulting session, they will talk to me.

    4. Jen RO*

      Actually this sounds interesting, because eLearning specialist is one of the titles that come up related to mine (tech writer). Am I right in assuming that it mostly means training other people via various means? I don’t really like interacting with people directly, so I’d like to know if I should avoid these types of jobs :)

      1. Customer Trainer for a Library Vendor (Liz in a Library)*

        You should. Honestly, the thing I like least about my job is that I’m never not on call for customers if I am at work. I have fantastic customers, but I am fundamentally introverted and tend to get stressed if I can’t work some quiet work time into my day, which is not always a luxury here.

        1. Customer Trainer for a Library Vendor (Liz in a Library)*

          Errr…by which I should probably say, never really a luxury except for Christmas week. ;)

    5. Julie*

      When I worked for a software training company, I had a gig training librarians at the Brooklyn Public Library on how to use computers (NYC was putting computers in the public libraries, and the librarians were going to have to help people use the computers). What a great group of people! We had fun in those classes once they realized they couldn’t break the computer. I wanted them to play solitaire in order to get familiar with using the mouse (this was a while ago), but a lot of them didn’t know how to play, so we paired up the players with the non-players, and by the end of the day, everyone knew how to play solitaire and everyone was (more or less) comfortable using the mouse.

      1. Customer Trainer for a Library Vendor (Liz in a Library)*

        Librarians are FANTASTIC! I probably shouldn’t say that because I am one, but seriously they are the best people to work with. I bet that was a fun training.

      2. Persephone Mulberry*

        Any other tips for bringing the less tech-savvy up to speed? We are implementing electronic documentation this summer/fall and I know getting some of these clinicians who have been putting pen to paper for 20 years are going to struggle with the transition.

        1. Julie*

          This reminds me of another gig at a clothing retailer. They had put all of the information their buyers needed in a database that could be accessed by a user-friendly front end. But the buyers were so used to carrying around a 2-inch thick slab of computer paper (it was big, 8.5 x 14 or larger, and all connected – the paper that comes out of a dot matrix printer) that they would rather do that than learn the new software. Eventually management forced them to switch. Even if you provide written instructions and materials, I think most people would appreciate instructor-led training, and if it could be hands-on, that would be even better. The most important part is having upper management strongly endorse the new system and provide people with the time they need to take training and to practice with it so they can feel comfortable using it.

          1. Liz in a Library*

            This is great advice. I would also add that if you have any time to work with folks one-on-one, that can really help for those who might be wary of a new system, because you can slow down or speed up to their need. Anything that you can individuate helps (so, if they have a great grasp on one area, speed through it and use the time somewhere else they need more help with).

            Attitude helps too, along with management support. If you approach it as, “this will make your life easier, and here’s how,” that will come off a bit better than just “here’s another thing you just have to do everyday.”

    6. Cajun2core*

      Your job is very interesting. I am an extreme extravert and I have over 10 years of experience in technical support. I would love to get a job like yours.

    7. limenotapple*

      I think it is interesting, and when I took my current library job I relied on our vendors to help me figure out what was going on because things were such a mess. It really takes the right personality and definitely savvy and smarts! We couldn’t do it without you.

    8. Meredith*

      Hi Liz! I’m also in the library training world! I work at a university and develop continuing education programs for librarians. I’m much more back-end (I design our schedule and hire instructors), but I do some teaching as well. I have an MLS, but have done much less work in actual libraries than in my current job.

      How do you like working for a vendor as opposed to working in a library? Do you feel that you have an advantage after having spent several years in a library?

      1. Liz in a Library*

        The vendor world is definitely different, but I do enjoy it. I absolutely hope to return to an actual library some day, but I love the ability to see new technologies as they are being created and to give feedback on how they will be used and what can be improved from a library perspective. I think one of the best parts has been getting to meet a variety of very cool, very smart people in our customer group who I might not have run across before.

        I think having worked as a librarian helped me enormously, both in getting the job and then in doing the day-to-day work here. It helps to relate to our customers, and it also helps me to troubleshoot issues for libraries, because I can think back on what worked in my last library/what problems we had/etc.

  12. Operations and Fiscal Analyst*

    I’m an operations researcher for a large federal organization. I don’t have a routine schedule, but I do work on large scale data projects. Basically, if you want a lot of unstructured time, like to find out the answers to questions that no one has yet asked, and love wading through data in order to find opportunities for efficiency gains, you’d enjoy this type of work.

    My background is 8 years of work experience and a masters and bachelors in the “dismal science” (economics).

    1. Mloor*

      What are the skills needed for the job? Is it a data mining job? Is SQL one of the skills needed?

      1. Operations and Fiscal Analyst*

        Honestly, I’d say that the two biggest skills necessary for the job are:
        1. A healthy sense of curiosity and
        2. The ability to communicate to people in plain language what the devil you’re talking about.

        Have I done data mining and SQL? Yes. I’m not sure that it’s a requirement of the job, necessarily, but having those skills can certainly make you more marketable or make your job easier. My career has been mostly involved with collecting and analyzing data using both inferential and descriptive statistics (everyone loves a good pie chart!) and then creating actionable process improvements.

      2. Apollo Warbucks*

        Check out a web site called w3 school it has some very clear SQL tutorials if you’re interested

        1. Operations and Fiscal Analyst*

          Good call. I would also suggest a book called “Teach Yourself SQL in 10 Minutes” …It’s a great place to start for people who are interested, but don’t have any kind of background in programming or databases.

    2. LBK*

      How did you end up in this field? I really like this kind of work – collecting, organizing and summarizing data, showing historical trends and using all that information to prove how and why people should do things a certain way. It sounds like that’s a lot of what you do.

      I work in sales support now, so I try to produce this kind of information on a small scale when I can. I do a lot of coming up with “what ifs?” or wondering if/how strongly certain practices are correlated to success, then putting together the numbers to see if they support my hypothesis. It seems hard to break into this area since I don’t have a background in statistics or economics.

      1. Operations and Fiscal Analyst*

        Honestly, I’d say that the two biggest skills necessary for the job are:
        1. A healthy sense of curiosity and
        2. The ability to communicate to people in plain language what the devil you’re talking about.

        Have I done data mining and SQL? Yes. I’m not sure that it’s a requirement of the job, necessarily, but having those skills can certainly make you more marketable or make your job easier. My career has been mostly involved with collecting and analyzing data using both inferential and descriptive statistics (everyone loves a good pie chart!) and then creating actionable process improvements.

        1. Operations and Fiscal Analyst*

          Whoops! It gave the same answer twice.

          I got my start doing analysis for programs at a state agency. They really didn’t need any statistical heavy lifting, just wanted pretty pie charts. I’ve found that this type of work has MANY different titles…management analyst, program analyst, data analyst, operations analyst, etc., so you may want to start there.

          I’d say that your description of what you do in your current job is an excellent start. Not every organization is going to require a PhD level statistical dissertation about how to improve a process. That would be incredibly ironic since creating such research in itself would be an ineffienct process. A lot of my analysis comes by observing a process, mapping that process and coming up with common sense tips to reduce redundancies. Then take a peek at the data. Does the data support your observation? Boom. Make a recommendation.

          1. Cajun2core*

            Wow, that sounds wonderful. I never really thought about that as a career but it is something that I have done part-time in previous jobs and I enjoyed it. I am especially referring to taking inefficient processes and finding ways to make them more efficient. I will have to start looking for jobs in that area.

          2. LBK*

            Awesome. That’s exactly what I try to do now, as much as our horrible reporting systems and our limited available figures will allow, although we’re moving over to Salesforce this year so hopefully that will allow me to expand my research. And yeah, I was looking at one internal position recently that was listed as something like Reporting Admin and Sales Assistant, even though it was basically exactly what you describe. Thank you very much for all the info, and I’ll keep my eyes open and my curiosity active!

    3. Research Consultant - Healthcare Policy*

      How long have you been working for your organization, and what was the hiring process?

      1. Operations and Fiscal Analyst*

        I’ve been at my current organization for 2.5 years.

        It’s a federal agency, so the process for applying to jobs can be described as:
        Imagine you take a jar of pickle chips and fling them against the wall one by one. Most will bounce off, some will stick for a while, and maybe one or two will stick around for the long haul. Which ones stick and which fall off can be described as mostly random.

        Before I accepted this federal job, I had applied for 45 federal jobs. I never heard from most of them ever again. I got four interviews and two jobs offers. The job offers came 7+months after my original application. It can be a long and disheartening process.

        The actual interview for my current job was 15 minutes (!) long. They agreed to all of my terms, so I accepted the job. The way Uncle Sam hires people is cray.

    4. Operations and Admin Manager / Internat. Development*

      What data sets do you have at your disposal to work with? What kind of qualifications do people actually hire on / list on the job description? What is your education and skills background?

  13. Former Peace Corps volunteer (the gold digger)*

    I was a Peace Corps volunteer in the business development program after I got my MBA. I worked in Chile. I have friends who have set up pharmaceutical tracking programs in Zaire, who have developed water systems in Chad, and who taught restaurant management and food marketing.

    I worked with a group of indigenous women who had a co-op where they sold their traditional textiles. I was supposed to make them profitable, which is not easy when you are funded by a grant (and get paid whether you sell your product or not) and when the competition is willing to sell at 30% below your prices.

    1. Lillie Lane*

      Wow, that’s really cool. I love traditional crafts and always get excited when I see them in shops. Do you have any tips for buyers to ensure that they are supporting good dealers and fair wages for the artisans? It’s confusing and hard to tell sometimes.

      1. Former Peace Corps volunteer (the gold digger)*

        Lillie Lane, we didn’t export any of our products, so I am not sure about the best channels to ensure fair pay for the producers. I did volunteer here in the US in a church-run traditional crafts shop – we got our product from Ten Thousand Villages. The church donated the space and everyone who worked there, except the part-time manager, was a volunteer. At the end of the year, either the church or the board that ran the shop – can’t remember – would distribute any surplus to various producer groups. I would look for that kind of setup.

        1. Julie*

          I hope it’s OK to mention another site I like for fair-trade and handcrafted items. It’s called SERRV (serrv.org). Here’s what they say about themselves: “SERRV is a nonprofit organization with a mission to eradicate poverty wherever it resides by providing opportunity and support to artisans and farmers worldwide.” I found out about them when my sister-in-law’s mom sent us gifts from their catalog. They have great gifts, and the sales benefit the actual people making the items.

    2. Technical writer (Jen)*

      On the work side: Did you project in Chile continue after you left?
      On the personal side: Have you been back to Chile since then to visit friends you made during your service?

      1. Former Peace Corps volunteer (the gold digger)*

        Yes to both! I returned to Chile five years after my term ended and visited my former co-workers. I was so excited to see that they were still making some of the new products I had developed. (Small, lightweight, and easy to transport in a backpack textiles vs huge rugs – and the smaller products had better margins, t00.)

        Even more gratifying was when my former counterpart, Monica, found me on facebook. We used to argue about how to run the business – I wanted her to reject poor-quality product because we wouldn’t be able to sell it. I also maintained we would only have to do it once or twice before the women made sure that everything they brought us was perfect. But she didn’t want to say no to anyone.

        Anyhow, when she found me on FB, she told me that I had been right about everything I wanted to do and she had been wrong. Are there sweeter words to hear from a former business associate?

    3. Penny*

      Who are the best candidates for Peace Corps? Do you have suggestions for other, shorter-term projects for people who can’t handle the 2-year commitment?

      1. Former Peace Corps volunteer (the gold digger)*

        Hi Penny,

        I am not sure what the PC is looking for right now, but when I applied, it really helped that I already spoke a foreign language and had significant work experience. Everyone in my program had an advanced degree and had been working.

        Still, I think they always want math and English teachers, I think.

        The Peace Corps was the best professional experience I’ve ever had in my life. I am so glad I did it.

        As far as shorter projects, I think a person who is willing to spend some time can make a difference anywhere. Posters here have mentioned that it’s hard to get volunteer positions sometimes, but I’ve always been able to find opportunities through church. None of these are full time and none come with a stipend, but I think it is possible to contribute in so many ways.

  14. Public Health Analyst (Xay)*

    I am a public health analyst for a small/medium federal contracting company. Currently, I work on site at a large government health agency. The contracting company that I work for places me on contracts as appropriate or needed: currently I am supporting two adult vaccination projects. As far as day to day work, I work site states and cities to make sure they are meeting the goals and following the guidelines of the project and collect data from them. Then I report this data in a variety of ways to my assigned program office.

    1. Anonsie*

      What’s your background?

      You work for a company that’s contracted by the federal government, right? How is that different from working directly for a government agency? For someone interested in this kind of work, would you suggest one over the other?

      1. Public Health Analyst (Xay)*

        I have a bachelors degree in Psychology and I am working on my MPH. I worked for a state health department for about 6 years, mostly in HIV and hepatitis and I have worked for my current company for 3.5 years.

        If you want to work for the federal government, you have a better chance of getting a contract position than an FTE. Right now, there are significant restrictions and challenges with federal hiring in general, but public health positions are extremely competitive.

        The difference between contracting and being a government employee is that you do all the work, receive comparable pay, but have none of the protection. My company has been pretty good about moving me from one contract to another, but others are not. It isn’t unusual for contractors to be laid off between projects or because a contract was not renewed. During the recent government shutdown, my employer required us to use PTO or LWOP. Some contracting companies laid off their employees. As far as I know, no contractors received back pay – government employees did. It’s also much easier to fire a contractor than a government employee.

        If you want to get into federal government work, I would recommend contracting as your best bet. It gives you a chance to build your experience and relationships and can give you an inside track on hiring. That said, do your homework on contracting companies along the way.

    2. Anonimo*

      What was your experience before working in this role? Do you have a MPH? If so, do you feel it was needed/worthwhile?

      2. Public Health Analyst (Xay)*

        As I mentioned above, I worked for a state health department for 6 years and I have worked as a federal contractor for 3.5 years. I was fortunate to get into public health when I did because it was still possible to work your way up. I am working towards my MPH now because I can’t move into the kind of positions I am interested in without it.

        Because there are so many MPH programs and so many new MPHs, I think it is very close to being a requirement for federal and some of the bigger non-profits and NGOs. Local/state health departments and small non-profits/community based organizations aren’t quite there yet because they can’t offer the kind of salaries and benefits that are expected. I think that whether or not you “need” an MPH depends on what kind of work you want to do – if you want to work for a local community health organization, you will be fine without it. If you want to work for Clinton or Gates, it’s required.

        1. MSW/MPH Grad Student*

          Hi there! I’ll soon be entering my third and final year in a MSW/MPH dual-program. I’m curious about your thoughts on licensure/certification. I know that Public Health just recently started pushing for folks to get licensed, but it’s very early on. In your experience, do you see a lot of value in being a licensed Public Health worker? Are a lot of employers looking for that certification? Thanks!

  15. Customer Service Quality*

    I work on a team that monitors our first line of support. (You know when how you call a helpline, it tells you your call may be recorded for quality purposes? My team is the team that listens to them.)

    I don’t directly monitor, though – I help develop processes and standards, and I also do general process compliance (i.e. I look at whether support is following processes in general, with an eye to fraud prevention).

    1. AMG*

      What are the key metrics and primary compliance standards you focus on? What are the biggest challenges and the most common issues you encounter?

      1. Customer Service Quality*

        Overall, our first line support is judged on things like average handle time (call/chat length + after call/hat work), first contact resolution (i.e. solving the issue the first time), and quality.

        My team is just involved in the quality piece.

        For the quality piece, we look at:
        – do they ask the right questions to understand the issue?
        – do they resolve the issue at first contact (or take the right steps to get it resolved without the customer having to contact us again, if we can’t solve it on the spot)
        – do they listen to the customer, catch information the first time, and give the customer enough time?
        – do they explain things to the customer in a way the customer can understand?
        – are they following the right process?
        – are they sharing private information out of process?

        The most common frustration on my part is when the first line agent skips asking questions and jumps right into trying to solve the problem without really knowing what the problem is.

        The biggest challenge right now is getting people to understand that quality is as important (or more important) than solving the issue the first time or having a short call.

        1. Cajun2core*

          “The biggest challenge right now is getting people to understand that quality is as important (or more important) than solving the issue the first time or having a short call.”

          AMEN! I have worked in tech-support for over 10 years and I wish more people had the attitude that you do. I hate call metrics, especially, call length. I believe that closing the call the first time is one of the best metrics.

          1. Customer Service Quality*

            I believe that closing the call the first time is one of the best metrics

            … as defined by the customer never having to contact us again.

            Sadly, that’s hard to measure.

            1. Cajun2Core*

              The way we did it at a place where I worked we kept the call open until the customer gave us the Okay to close it. For us it was easy to measure.

          2. Liam*

            YES. My ex-manager (and to an extent, his managers) did NOT understand this. It was call time, period, full stop. And it was a “first contact” solution ONLY if you resolved it while they were on the line.

            1. cajun2core*

              Yuck. Especially in Tech Support, while they were still on the line was not always an option. Sometimes they had to test it after hours.

              Glad to hear he is an *ex*-manager.

        2. Em*

          I used to work in a call center and what I hated the most was how I had to repeat back to the customer what the customer just told me, just to make sure we were on the same page.

          Example:

          Customer: Hi, my name is Joe and I want to know my how much a past due fee is, if I’m late?
          Me: Hi Joe, I understand you want to know how much past due fees are in case you’re late?
          Customer (not happy): Yes, that’s what I just said!!!!
          Me: It’s $10.

          1. Customer Service Quality*

            Yes, that drives me nuts, too. I think people do it because they think it is paraphrasing, but it’s not, and it adds no value.

            In your example, you could still communicate that you understand by saying something like “Let me check and see if there is a past-due fee on your account”.

    2. Knowledge base author / FAQ copywriter for large sports / tech company*

      I work closely with the quality team in my organization–I sit in on calibration calls and often identify action items for my team in those meetings. It’s interesting stuff–half art and half science. There’s more and more data available that can be used to spot trends and create standards, but there’s no substitute for being able to gut-check a consumer interaction, I’ve found. Would you agree? Where would you put the art/science split in your approach to quality?

      1. Customer Service Quality*

        I’m trying to get us closer to the science side so that our results are more consistent, but it will never be completely objective! It’s hard not to let what you know about someone influence your evaluation, so I’m hoping more rigorous evaluation processes will help remove some of the bias.

  16. AndersonDarling*

    I am a data analyst at a non-profit (Healthcare). I work primarily in Tableau.

    I didn’t go to school for data analysis, so I may be a good resource for finding the stepping stones into this kind of career.

    Also, my organization has a focus on Quality and Improvement (and I actually mean that, it’s not just a promotional blurb) so I am a good resource for Performance Improvement questions.

    2. CollegeAdmin*

      I’m actually looking to move into the data analysis field, although not in healthcare. Can you talk about what your general day looks like? Do higher-ups give you projects to run with, or do you tend to create your own tasks?

      1. Dan*

        I work in this field as well. It has different titles with different implications, but oh well.

        Most of the time the higher ups have some loose idea on what they want done, it’s on you to shape it and execute it. If you want autonomy, well, I have plenty of that.

        Day-to-day is a nice little mix. Some days it’s meetings (be it internal or external) other days I’m doing the implementation (banging out a lot of code) and other days it’s doing reports (gotta write up what I did).

      2. Data Analyst (AndersonDarling)*

        My schedule runs around month end. The first half of the month, I am validating data and compiling the monthly reports for each department.
        The rest of the month, I am creating new reports, updating old reports, and doing deep-dive analysis into issues.
        I make a lot of reports for end users to find relevant information quickly and easily, and if possible, pretty!
        I have many meetings with department heads to understand what they are looking for and relaying what I can give them, which is sometimes not what they want, and sometimes it is what they want and more.

    3. Dan*

      My company has a bunch of Tableau freaks. You mentioned school; as of this very moment, I think it’s hard to go to school for data analysis — it’s still an up and coming field where you learn on the job.

      And that’s a Very. Good. Thing. for people looking to switch into a career that they don’t have a background in. If you’ve got a mind for numbers, work it into your current job or work on side projects, and then you can move on. Companies won’t reject you for lack of an education, because no such education exists.

      I just started getting into text mining. Good luck getting a college degree in that — you’re lucky if you can find a course. You certainly won’t find a full degree.

      Come to think of it, most people who have a job in an “emerging technology” didn’t go to school for it, they kinda fell into it. 20 years ago, there was no such thing as a Computer Science degree. People just learned to write code. My uncle was a mathematician, and another guy I work with has his PhD in physics.

      1. CollegeAdmin*

        Re: going to school for data analysis

        I’m actually looking at a masters program in business/data analytics. I currently do a bit of work with Pyramid Analytics and love it (I think it’s like Excel on steroids), so the lead person on the tech team suggested I look into it.

        If you don’t have a degree in the field, can you (or AndersonDarling) talk about how you ended up where you are? My BA isn’t math or tech related (psych & linguistics), so I figured I’d need to do some coursework to be an attractive job candidate.

        1. Dan*

          I think you’re right, that you would need a degree to be attractive. Since grad school, I’ve been employed in government research, and in this arena you really do need to have a technical degree to get hired. My specific focus is in aviation. My career path was calculated, at least from the point I entered grad school. I have a blue collar background in aviation, and decided I wanted to work in a field where I could apply math skills to aviation operational problems. Every once in awhile, life works out the way you planned, but I still consider myself lucky.

          It’s worth mentioning that “data analytics” is an off-shoot of some disciplines that are quite a bit older and DO have established academic programs. My MS is in operations research, a sibling of industrial engineering.

          I should also say that many of these disciplines don’t have clearly defined boundaries, or for that matter, are buzz words thrown around in the media/popular culture with very loose definitions. OR, for example, has a lot to do with optimal allocation of resources. With that, I build a lot of mathematical models that sit on top of the underlying data. People can get PhDs in this discipline and focus on very specific aspects of it. I’d consider them to have a focus more narrow than what a “data scientist” does.

          “Data science” or “Data analytics” is a bit looser in definition. Not every data problem is an optimization problem. Some involve statistical prediction models.

          “Big Data” is a bit different. This is more of software engineering discipline — these guys process large amounts of data in different formats. They work on the best ways of processing and retrieving that data quickly. That’s not what I do — I’m a consumer of the work these guys do.

          IMHO, good data scientists have a broad over view of the various tools available to solve different types of problems, and know how to manipulate the underlying data. A little coding will go along way. Understanding the right tool or model to apply to the right problem is key. If you only know one thing, well, when you’re a hammer, the whole world is a nail.

          Note that the data science field is pretty young, so finding established jobs in it is no easy task.
          I’m not saying that they don’t exist, but different companies will house them in different departments with different titles. I.e., sometimes they’re IT, sometimes, finance, other times engineering. And they will have a wide variety of titles. You really have to dig into job descriptions, it’s a royal PITA.

          If you link to the program you’re thinking about, I can give you some feedback on it.

          1. CollegeAdmin*

            This is great info, Dan, thanks! I really appreciate the time you’re taking.

            The program I’m looking at is through Brandeis University (http://www.brandeis.edu/gps/courses/programs/listings/strategic-analytics.html). A flag for me, though, is that they don’t offer anything on SQL, Oracle…really anything on the tech side. There are a few courses at other institutions local to me (UMass, Northeastern) that do focus on those, so I might just take those elsewhere. Any thoughts you had would be welcome!

            It’s worth noting that the work I do now with data analysis is (in my mind) very basic/easy. My boss gives me an idea of what she wants (e.g. data on minority students in the STEM fields at the college) and lets me do what I want. All the data is already stored in the program; I just starting selecting items and running reports until I have a wide range of data to transform into various graphs for her. I have no idea how the back end/”insides” of the program works, but I think it could be interesting.

            Before we got the Pyramid program with all of this data, I entered data from our fact books by hand (several hours/days worth of time) into Excel and then created simple graphs from it. On the one hand, it was fun – I enjoy working with Excel, but on the other hand it felt…messy, I guess – I knew there had to be a cleaner/faster way. (And then Pyramid arrived and I rejoiced, because I was set to enter a whole new set of data that would have taken forever.)

            Also, I’m typing this at work while on hold, so if it seems like disorganized rambling, sorry!

            1. Data Analyst (AndersonDarling)*

              I’m not an expert in hiring, but I think HR is looking for any kind of degree that is technical/math/science related for analyst positions. Your experience and certifications is what make you ready for the role.
              So I agree with your line of thinking, get the degree then fill in the gaps.

            2. Dan*

              Hm. A few thoughts:

              I’m not bothered by the lack of a formal SQL class. It’s easy enough to pick up on your own, and TBH, I’m surprised that you’ve found schools that do offer it.

              As to the core of the program you linked, it’s certainly designed to be more managerial than technical. I’m not certain that’s what you want. It’s not going to teach you the back end of the software that you said you were curious about, and if you like doing complicated stuff in Excel, this program won’t build on that.

              If I were hiring technical staff in my department, I’d be looking for more hands on experience. I might be curious enough to call you in for an interview, but you very well could find yourself “second best” unless you have other criteria to supplement it.

              If I were hiring to replace my boss, then I would consider this degree to be an asset. At the same time, though, this degree won’t replace experience, which really is important for managers. Part of me thinks this degree is a bit ahead of its time, because for the types of roles that this is best suited, I’m not sure exist yet.

              When I put my critical hat on, the “featured faculty” aren’t technical folks. Only 1 out of 3 has a PhD. Of the student testimonials, two mention nothing about the careers they got afterward, and one only makes a passing reference to his job.

              I’d be looking for more technically oriented faculty (particularly the ones they choose to showcase) and student testimonials that focus more on the jobs they get after school.

              My program was a technical program with more of an emphasis on the business aspects of it. It is, in fact, a math degree from the business school. I liked its philosophy, and was subsequently sold after reading the list of 50 or so companies where the students went on to work afterwards. Some of those were companies in the domain in which I wanted to work. In school, I spent my days working with real world data sets learning how to apply various mathematical models. I didn’t have to waste my time with theorems and proofs nobody cares about.

              Just to be clear, I’m trying to give you pointers on how to pick a program, not necessarily advocate one or the other (although I was a huge fan of mine). $30k is a lot of money if you have to pay out of pocket — I’ll note that I paid the same amount for mine. It was an expense that is/was well worth it. Data analytics is going nowhere but up. FWIW, in this field, a Masters is highly recommended — it’s almost a minimum requirement. Few places will hire a grad with only a BS.

              AAM’s written about going to grad school for the heck of it (don’t) but go if you have a specific purpose and goal. Be clear on what your purpose is, and how a given program is going to give you the skills you want to reach that goal. Don’t go if you “think” it’s the right thing. Go when you *know* it’s the right thing.

              1. CollegeAdmin*

                Wow, Dan – thanks for the details!

                I agree that the program seems to cater more toward managerial courses – I was looking at selecting more technical courses from the electives list, but I’d definitely be constrained by whatever was being offered in a particular semester. It’s also worth noting (re: the faculty and the student spotlights) that the program was just launched this past fall. It definitely makes me cautious, since I would think a more established program might be more solid, but at the same time, all programs have to start somewhere (especially in a newer field).

                In light of that, I looked up a few other programs last night and clearly noticed a difference in the curricula – far more tech courses, which since I’m not aiming to be a manager (at least any time in the near future), seem to be a better fit. If you have time to take a peek and don’t mind (I really appreciate the time you’ve already taken and don’t want to impose), I’m curious to know if you think either of these programs would be a better fit:

                http://www.umuc.edu/academic-programs/masters-degrees/data-analytics.cfm

                http://www.snhu.edu/online-degrees/graduate-degrees/data-analytics-ms-online/curriculum.asp

                It’s also worth noting that the college I work for has a very generous tuition reimbursement program; I’d end up paying about $15K out of pocket if I took 2.5 years to complete a $30K program. (Still a lot, of course, but easier to handle.)

      2. JC*

        We just got Tableau where I work, and I am just now starting to hear of other people using it/considering it a skill and haven’t really played with it much yet. Glad to see it’s something worth using.

        1. Data Analyst (AndersonDarling)*

          Oh yeah, Tableau truly revolutionized how we work at my org. I’ve been rambling a lot, so I don’t want to dig to far. But we keep finding more and more ways to use Tableau and it blows my mind how we became more efficient and data driven.

          1. Mike C.*

            I can’t tell you how excited I am to have a copy in my hands. Holy crap, I am never touching Excel again.

    4. Dang*

      So I was a research coordinator at a university for 3 years- healthcare. I also have a master’s in public policy and admin. My problem has been that most positions I’ve seen like this want a very heavy quantitative background that I just don’t have. Do you have any advice on what kinds of things I can do to make myself a better candidate for these types of jobs? And any specific quantitative skills I should be honing? I had to take statistics and the like in school but haven’t had to use them much since we had people doing the analysis for us, mostly.

      1. Data Analyst (AndersonDarling)*

        If I were to go back and do it again, I think I would have gotten some software certificates, like advanced excel and access. Then a few classes at the community college, like statistics and data management. I think that would have pumped my resume up so I could have gotten into this field earlier. Oh, and some SQL language training would be good to, even if you are just running excel, you will need it eventually.
        Id find what software you fit well with and run in that direction with training. Many people are looking for someone with SAP Analytics, Tableau, or Excel training. If you become an expert in one thing, there will be a job for you somewhere.

    5. H. Rawr*

      I’m really curious about what your day-to-day is like, or your primary tasks. I guess I’m not clear always on if this job would entail evaluating or making recommendations or compiling or all of the above.

      Also, care to go into how you made your way into the position without the schooling? Was it purposeful or did you kind of just twist and turn your way there (I feel like that is more often than not the way most of us get our jobs)

      1. Data Analyst (AndersonDarling)*

        I was an administrative assistant for years. In every position I was in, there would always be one big number project, or big data project that I would end up doing, and doing really, really well. Then I would get more of those kind of projects.

        Just thinking about it now, I think a big key was being nice to our IT folks. Once they understood that I wanted to handle some of their grunt work, they were happy to get me access and show me how to run my own reports, and eventually build my own reports.

        I taught myself excel to a point that I was making insane spreadsheets. It seemed like that was the gateway into big data.

        Not many people like messing with data, so once someone finds you like it, they will find the work for you! Eventually, a positioned was open for a data analyst and I was directly asked to fill the role.

      1. Data Analyst (AndersonDarling)*

        I really don’t know how we ended up with our first Tableau licenses… but I was offered one. I started off with a Tableau Book (not too helpful), then I watched all the lesson videos on their website. That got me to a point where I could start making basic visualizations.
        Then I was ready to start making calculated fields, which was a huge knowledge jump! I mostly used the Tableau forum on their website to search for my questions and find answers. It was a lot of trial and error.
        Then we connected our database live through tableau server! Woo hoo!

        I did a Tableau class, and I didn’t find it really helpful. It was just the learning video topics presented by a live person. So check out the videos, and practice. Remember, there are about 10 ways to display the same data, find the style that works for you!

          1. Data Analyst (AndersonDarling)*

            There was a bit of a learning curve. In the beginning, I would try to make the most simple report and nothing would happen. But we weren’t using it much. So it took me a few months to get a good footing. Then it took a few months to get calculated field language down.

            I’d say it took 6 months of use to really get comfortable with Tableau. But it took a year to get to a level where I could tackle everything that came at me.

    7. Sharm*

      I think I have an aptitude for data analysis — but I don’t know! I’ve worked in marketing, where I would pull lists and reports from our CRM. In my current job, the queries are less complex, but I’m in Excel a LOT more. The most advanced formula I use is offset match to bring in information from other data sets, and I do use pivot tables. From what I gather though, this is basic Excel, and not that exciting.

      What would you recommend I do to practice building data analysis skills when it isn’t my job? Are you asked to answer questions where there’s one answer, or are you looking at trends? Do you do regressions? What places do you recommend for people who want to teach themselves?

      1. Dan*

        The real payoff in data science is way beyond excel.

        First, there’s a book called “Data Science for Managers” which is a big-picture view of the field. There aren’t any how-to’s in there. It’s an easy enough read, I’ve read it and recommend it.

        Second, for “nitty gritty” stuff, there’s an open source software package called R. It competes with a for-profit package called “SAS” that costs a crap-ton of money. R is really blowing open the data science field for students and others without big budgets. A decent book (on my to-read list) is called “Data mining with R.” It’ll give you real code-based examples to show you how to actually implement some of the data science concepts.

        As I’ve mentioned elsewhere, since this a very immature field, an employer is not going to hold the lack of a related degree against you. You learn on your own, see what you can do with it at your current job, and use that as your resume fodder to spring into the more technical roles.

        Do this and you will eventually get nice promotions at your current employer, or you will be positioned for some nice roles at other places. And they won’t tell you they “went with someone with more experience” because that more experience really doesn’t exist.

        1. Data Architect/ETL Coder (Windchime)*

          I’m on an EBI team and one of our team members is playing around with “R”. Currently he’s doing some kind of geospatial analysis with it. It’s crazy cool stuff that we used to pay consulting companies to do for us.

          And now you guys are making me want to find a copy of Tableau.

      2. Data Analyst (AndersonDarling)*

        Is it the right job for you? If you love data, then it is. But there is a lot of pressure to check/check again/recheck everything and make sure there are no errors in your data. 80% of the job is starting at a screen of numbers.
        A good place to start is pushing your excel to the limit. If you have an idea for a calculation, see if you can make it happen. I learned a ton by building a “backwards” vlookup. (Vlookup grabs the “largest without going over”, and I needed the record after going over.) It ended up being a 2,000 character formula, but I made it happen.
        I’m a nerd, so I found data stuff to do away from work. I made a probability spreadsheet for lotto numbers. And I made a formula to assign zodiac signs to birthdates. Think of something, then see if you can make it.
        In my role, I only do basic analysis, I’m not delving into p-values or exact predictions. I clean data, build visualizations, build everyday reports, and provide data in a way that others can find trends.
        I learned mostly by typing questions into google and finding forums with answers. As you build more, you will have more questions, find more answers, and before long you are an expert!

    8. Mike C.*

      I do much similar work to you in a different industry (Aerospace), and incidentally I’m trying to move away from Access to Tableau. Could you suggest any sources (books, non-official sites) that you found really taught you the software well? I’m looking to do some real crazy stuff. :D

      And boy are you right about Quality/Process Improvement/Data Analysis not being something you go to school for. Though a program with lots of lab courses helped me a great deal.

  17. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)*

    You know those search results in Google that are not ads? I help make companies web page rank higher in search results. I love my job, its part creative and part technical. It is not spam or manipulation, but using best practices set by the search engines.

    1. Ask a Manager* Post author

      You might be the perfect person to shed light on this for me: I do nothing with SEO. I don’t even really understand SEO. I’ve never made any attempt to write SEO-friendly headlines or posts. And yet … I have what I think are pretty good search results rankings (in that when I search for workplace-related terms, more than half the time a post of mine shows up on the first page of search results). My theory is that it might be just because there’s so much content here after 7 years of daily blogging. Would love your insights.

      But then, despite the above, my page rank used to be 6 and now it is 5 (I think the algorithm changed a couple years ago). Is there anything I can do to make it higher, or is that out of my hands?

      1. Dan*

        A lot of that has to with how many people link back to you.

        BTW, have you had any luck with your interns? IIRC, your original ad was looking for a part-SEO person, part data miner.

      2. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)*

        It does help that you are building the authority of your domain with all this content. Search engines love fresh content. Also for every commenter that adds a new comment to an old post, the bots will see that the page was updated so letting your readers be the source of freshness on old content is great.

        Pank rank – don’t worry about it. In fact, Google will only update it once a year – if that. Inbound links to a site are not all equal. I will use page rank to determine the value of a page that I may want to try to get a link from. .gov and .edu sites have higher page rank so those links are more important to me, but they have to be relevant as in the page must actually be talking about HR stuff when linking to AAM.org.

        Besides content, try to get more inbound links from relevant sites (but don’t worry about page rank) like HR sites, college career pages, blogs, articles that you write for other sites, etc. Also, build your social signals. FB Shares are better for SEO than Likes. Google properties like G+ tend to carry more weight so kill the (share expander button), and add individual buttons per post (FB Share, Tweet, +1) at the beginning of each post vs. the end. While repeat visitors read til the end here, most don’t but will share it based on title alone.

        Think bigger, site-wide improvements like page speed. http://developers.google.com/speed/pagespeed/insights/?url=askamanager.org&tab=desktop
        You could improve your site by enabling compression and setting dates for browser caching. Most likely just settings in your wordpress theme, or can be done with a plugin.

        Use analytics and site search to find new content topics. What are people using the search box for? And, try this reg expression in Google Analytics \b(adding|does|do|who|what|where|when|why|how|will|can|\?|am|is|are|was|were|be|being|been|versus|vs|vs\.|best)\b to get more content ideas. Most keywords are invisible under ‘not provided’, but before that change happened, you had a ton of keyword data that you can leverage.

        Ok, I love my job too much … I will stop now.

        2. teclatwig*

          Oh! I find it very encouraging as a reader/fan to know that new comments on old posts can be useful for bloggers’ SEO. I tend to read in big batches (especially when first discovering a gem), but I usually refrain from adding to a dead conversation.

    2. Sunflower*

      This is really interesting to me as I’m looking at marketing jobs. My last job was a lot of copy writing and being stuck in front of a computer alone all day could be brutal. How much time do you spend in front of a computer churning out work and how much do you spend collaborating with other people?

      1. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)*

        I read a ton. In fact, I read industry blogs for 2 hours a day. Google has tweaks and updates every day to their algorithm, but most is still just about best practices. I am constantly IM-ing links to coworkers, and past co-workers about what new developments happened and spend the other time coming up with POVs or my take on that development and how it relates to a specific client. I look for tech things that might be prohibiting bots from getting to the site or indexing it. Always looking for new content ideas for clients and reviewing analytics to determine content tweaks that could push them higher up.

    3. Looking for Free Help*

      We are just beginning to embark on SEO, and are limited on funds so we’re learning as we go. What search engines do you recommend tackling first and can you give some “must-dos” as you get started?

    4. Persephone Mulberry*

      What are your best recommendations for someone (hint: it’s me) who wants to work in marketing and probably should know more about SEO, but has no idea where to start?

      1. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)*

        Read the Google starter guide above, and you will know the gist of what SEO is and entails.

    5. Outsider*

      Wished I had caught this earlier – unfortunately missed this as I am in a different time zone. Just hope you catch this!

      How easy/hard is it to get into the web analytics space for a mid-level (10yrs) marketing research professional? I love all things web but I’m wondering if there is any hope for me to make a career in this – it mustbe flooded with far more savvy kids :)

      Regardless, what should I be studying/reading up? I know one needs to get the certificate from Google for google analytics…what else would help?
      Thanks!

      1. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)*

        Are you looking to be a data analyst for web traffic? GA certification is good, but learn Omniture too. SQL seems to be a big one lately in those job descriptions too. Look at job descriptions, and see if there is a pattern of the programs that are required for you to know then get the certification or some training in each.

        If you I think those analyst jobs are easier to do than say being “in analytics” as that could mean someone that find solutions to analytics issues through coding. Some people find that all they end up doing is being a data analyst pumping out reports every day. Getting into analytics depends on what you want your day to day to be like and what HR thinks the job entails as it could be widely diff from what it actually is.

      1. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)*

        I am at a small agency in Boston, but we have some really nice national brands. So did my last agency, but unfortunately I can’t mention client names.

  18. Children's Librarian*

    I’m the head of a children’s department at a public library in the Midwest. There are 4 of us in my department–I do the scheduling and budget for books and DVDs, etc. I also present programs like children’s storytimes, book performers (magicians, musicians, etc.) and things of that nature. I’ve been doing this for about 6 years.

    1. Diet Coke Addict*

      I have ALWAYS wanted to ask this: how do you determine what books and DVDs get bought? Are there surveys, etc., or do you work off a larger list? Are people at your library able to request books?

      1. anon58*

        Good question!

        We work heavily off review journals. In children’s, we get School Library Journal (SLJ), Publisher’s Weekly, The Horn Book, Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, and Book List. There are some DVD reviews in SLJ, but we primarily base our collection on bestselling DVDs and things we anticipate will be popular (like Frozen).

        Our patrons/customers/guests/whatever you want to call them can make requests too. We usually buy them unless they’re
        1) out of print or unavailable
        2) too expensive
        3) outside of the scope of our collection (so we typically wouldn’t buy textbooks or the kind of workbooks kids write in to learn subtraction for example, but there can be exceptions here depending on demand and the ever important budget)

        1. Diet Coke Addict*

          Do you find that people ever argue the things that are or aren’t available–people don’t like that the Captain Underpants books are there, or there aren’t enough “good books,” etc? Do you focus your collection in certain areas where there’s a lot of demand? On average, how many books do you purchase a year–and how many are taken out of circulation due to damage, non-returns, unpopularity, etc?

          This is utterly fascinating to me!

          1. Children's Librarian*

            Sometimes people will make a formal complaint (we have a form for it), but usually they just ignore anything they like or maybe grumble a bit. We try to have something for everyone, but we’re only human of course.

            Our budget does reflect to an extent what’s popular, so in a way that focuses our purchases. Typically, children’s picture books make up about half our circulation (number of checkouts), so the biggest chunk of money goes to them. And anyone who buys picture books regularly knows that they are expensive and you will read zillions of them to one kid!

            We purchase thousands of books per year. The children’s budget varies between $40k-50k. We do get a discount from our book supplier so we get books cheaper than you would be able to get them from a local bookstore. A small percent (maybe 3-5%) of our collection is removed each year due to any number of factors :
            1) low interest (few checkouts at all or recently–generally within a certain time span
            2) poor condition (this is why most picture books are removed–they get “well-loved”, often we will buy a new copy, if it’s something we still see demand for
            3) out of date information (more of the case in nonfiction, particularly in the sciences where information can change quickly)

            If you’re interested in the process of books being removed from the collection (aka weeding or de-selection), this is the manual many public libraries use: https://www.tsl.texas.gov/sites/default/files/public/tslac/ld/ld/pubs/crew/crewmethod12.pdf

        2. Children's Librarian*

          Oh, we also look at award-winners. In children’s we try to have the winners and honor books for the American Library Association’s children’s division (Association for Library Service to Children)’s big awards (John Newbery, Caldecott Medals) before they’re announced in January. They are voted on in secret so there’s a bit of guesswork involved, but we usually do pretty well!

          The librarians also read a number of children’s literature blogs, especially those ones hosted by School Library Journal and The Horn Book, as they are consistently high quality with their reviews and recommendations as well.

    2. MF*

      That’s so cool! I don’t really have a question, just that your job sounds like a lot of fun!

        1. Journalist, too*

          Woohoo! I’m currently working for a newspaper, but headed to grad school to become a librarian :)

    3. J.*

      Oh, this is totally up my alley! I’m not a librarian but would have loved to volunteer for fun at my library, and my favorite books to read are always children’s/YA. How did you get your job/what education and experience preceded the position you currently hold? I’ve heard a lot (probably through AAM) about Master’s graduates who still only get to volunteer or work part-time, so I’m curious at how you managed to find your way in. :)

      1. Children's Librarian*

        Long story short–I worked my way up through a lot of part-time jobs while I was in school. I started as a book shelver in college. After graduating with my BA, I started working at the checkout desk. I knew I wanted to work in children’s so I took lots of classes in that area. Eventually I was able to get a job in the kids’ section after someone who had that job moved out of state. Luckily for me it was at the same branch, so I had the same boss. At that point I was about half-way through with my master’s degree.
        After graduating, I had about 18 months experience in children’s and was able to find a full-time job in another part of the state. This was a small library and gave me great experience in all the different areas of a public library.
        Meanwhile I had been writing a blog about children’s library services and started giving presentations at local conferences. After 4 years at the small library, I decided to try for a management job. It took a few interviews and about 5 months, but I eventually got the job I have now, which is better than I could have hoped for!

        So long story short, a lot of hard work & a few years of experience, networking (through my blog/Twitter, and also the conferences), and a fair amount of luck.

    4. LizNYC*

      I love your job! I read a ton of children’s and YA fiction, despite the fact that I’m, um, not a kid anymore.

      –Have you found that lots of adults are browsing your sections (and is it creepy or OK)?

      –What are the next “big” books for people who’ve read the big stuff in YA lit (Hunger Games, HP, Divergent, etc.)?

      1. Diet Coke Addict*

        Oh yes, your first question! I read a ton of kids’ and YA fiction because it relates to my academic interests (presentation of history/historical fiction as a teaching tool for youth, formed part of my Master’s thesis) and I’ve had some librarians give me the stinkeye for taking out kids’ books. Thoughts?

      2. Children's Librarian*

        I should probably confess that I am not super up to date on YA lit (my department goes through about 5th grade, and it’s all I can do to keep up with the younger kids!).

        I have no problems with adults browsing my children’s section. Back when I did teen too, I loved having conversations with adults about YA books. We put up a sign in the YA section that said “It’s OK for adults to like YA” and recommended a lot of YA books to anyone who might have been interested. I find the plotting to be “tighter” with YA myself. Never let anyone try to shame you for what you like to read!!

        One YA book I’d recommend to Diet Coke Addict is CODE NAME VERITY, if you haven’t read it already.

      3. Children's Librarian*

        OK, thought about this a bit more. Here’s some YA suggestions:

        Legend by Marie Lu
        In a dark future, when North America has split into two warring nations, fifteen-year-olds Day, a famous criminal, and prodigy June, the brilliant soldier hired to capture him, discover that they have a common enemy.

        Delirium by Lauren Oliver
        Lena looks forward to receiving the government-mandated cure that prevents the delirium of love and leads to a safe, predictable, and happy life, until ninety-five days before her eighteenth birthday and her treatment, when she falls in love.

        The Maze Runner by James Dashner
        Sixteen-year-old Thomas wakes up with no memory in the middle of a maze and realizes he must work with the community in which he finds himself if he is to escape.

        The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness
        Pursued by power-hungry Prentiss and mad minister Aaron, young Todd and Viola set out across New World searching for answers about his colony’s true past and seeking a way to warn the ship bringing hopeful settlers from Old World.

        1. LizNYC*

          Wow, thanks for the synopses! I was just hoping for titles. Adding them to my reading lists now…

          1. Children's Librarian*

            Sure, I must confess that I copy and pasted the book synopses from the library database NoveList. See if your library has a subscription. It’s a great place to get reader’s advisory (library-speak for book recommendations). You can also ask your local librarian for some too. Although I will admit that some of us are better at this than others. :)

          2. Library Tech-Digital Projects (O)*

            I love YA books, and I’m totally biased but I really enjoy the ones that came out when I was younger. Lynne Ewing has a great series with a little mythology, absolutely love Amelia Rhodes Atwater, Tamara Pierce is the best, and Garth Nix books are awesome.

            1. O*

              Ha, finally remembered! Honestly I might like these even better than Harry Potter, “So you want to be a wizard” series by Diane Duane, is great

        2. family law lawyer*

          I really enjoyed Rick Riordian’s work.
          Lightening Thief Series
          Kane Kids Series
          And his new one…

          His focus a bit on mythology and have been hugely entertaining and enjoyable to read. A lot like Harry Potter.

          1. Children's Librarian*

            If you like Rick Riordan’s books, I’d try The Skeleton Creek books by Patrick Carman. Also The Chronicles of Prydain series by Lloyd Alexander is somewhat similar to Tolkien (but more accessible) and Brandon Mull has a great series called Fablehaven.

            Skeleton Creek by Patrick Carman
            Although housebound following an eerie accident, teenaged Ryan continues to investigate the strange occurences in his hometown of Skeleton Creek, recording his findings in a journal and viewing email video clips sent by fellow detective Sarah. The reader may view Sarah’s videos on a website by using links and passwords found in the text.

            Fablehaven by Brandon Mull
            When Kendra and Seth go to stay at their grandparents’ estate, they discover that it is a sanctuary for magical creatures and that a battle between good and evil is looming.

            The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander (Chronicles of Prydain #1)
            Taran, Assistant Pig-Keeper to a famous oracular sow, sets out on a hazardous mission to save Prydain from the forces of evil.

      4. Elizabeth West*

        I read a lot of it too! I love it. People keep telling me I need to write it, but kids/ YA lit is VERY difficult to write effectively and it’s just not my niche.

    5. limenotapple*

      I’ve heard that challenges are decreasing. Is this a problem in your area? I’m in an academic library, but in my last academic library, we did get a few challenges :( Mostly things like someone counting the evolution and intelligent design books to make sure we have the same amount of each, that sort of thing.

      I’m so glad there are wonderful children’s librarians around!

      1. Children's Librarian*

        It’s been my experience that a true challenge, where someone actually fills out the form and we follow the whole procedure through, is quite rare. Maybe once every few years? Hopefully I am not jinxing myself here.

        What is much more common is people grumbling about their kid bringing a certain book home or “why did you let my kid borrow this trashy book?” Well, we’ll let them borrow anything and leave the monitoring to their parents is the truth.

    6. Sharm*

      This is probably my dream job. My mom didn’t have an MLS, but she worked at our public library for years growing up. I always, always wanted to do this, but it just doesn’t seem like a viable option for anyone who wasn’t already in it years ago. Most MLS grads here say so, and so does everyone else I ever seem to read, but — do you think there’s any hope for people to make this a career? Or is it simply too late given what’s happened to funding and cutbacks nationwide?

      1. Children's Librarian*

        It all depends. I was willing to move across the state (and would have considered moving across the country) for a job. I had experience. I was able to cobble together a living from part-time employment for several years before getting a full-time job. I didn’t have a spouse or kids to worry about. I didn’t have any debt from my bachelor’s degree, so I was able to make a lot of sacrifices and it paid off for me.

        The biggest mistake people make IMO is going to grad school before they’ve ever worked in a library before because
        1) How do you know you’ll like the work?
        2) You won’t have any experience once you graduate. You need to be able to take a (probably part-time) job in circulation or a similar lower level job before you will even be considered for a librarian job.

        There are tons of people with MLS degrees and they far outnumber the jobs available BUT it can still be hard to find good people with the right kind of experience when we hire.

        I also think that children’s is a less competitive environment because so many people don’t want to work with children.

      2. Schnauz*

        Please take this with a grain of salt as I am not a librarian or employed at a library.

        I used to volunteer at one of my local branches. I mostly shelved books, sorted carts for shelving later and boxed donations. Once I even got to used books from the weeds list to set up a display to see if they didn’t get a little attention.

        I had no intention of parlaying that into a paid job, I just wanted to get out of my house, I love to read and I love my local library system. :) However, they liked my work and when a p/t page position opened up, the asst. branch manager encouraged me to apply. Now, I couldn’t do it because of my f/t job’s schedule and encouraging me to apply is NOT the same as a job offer, but it was very flattering.

        So … if you’re interested in going for your MLS, why don’t you volunteer right now? You can negotiate your involvement (I was just there 3 hours every Sunday) level and find out how you feel about the job. Yeah, you won’t be doing the really meaty stuff, but you’ll be exposed to patrons and other employees and get to be in a great environment. And, if you go to school in the same area it could give you a leg up on paid work down the road.

        1. Public Library Reference Department Manager (Jessica the Librarian)*

          I AM a librarian, and you absolutely nailed it. The MLS/MLIS is essential for some positions in management and academia, but if you want to work in a public library, volunteering is a way to get your foot in the door– no degree required. I hire people for my department based on intelligence, soft skills, and enthusiasm, and volunteering is a great way to show me all of those things on a consistent basis instead of one time at an interview. I’d be much more likely to hire a volunteer without a degree who I knew could produce quality work over a new library school grad who is an unknown quantity.

          My advice to anyone thinking about library school is this: make sure you’ve worked or volunteered in a library before you commit. The job market is still not great, but your real world experience will count for a lot more than your degree (at least in the public library world). You can always go back and get your degree once you have some library experience, but if you get the degree first, you should be prepared to take a library job anywhere doing anything once you graduate. Once you have to start paying back loans, you can’t afford to be too choosy. I adore my job, and this is a great profession, but breaking in is TOUGH!

          1. De Minimis*

            I see a lot of library jobs where I’m at, but they are all part-time and the pay is low [like fast food level, but with very few hours.]

            1. Public Library Reference Department Manager (Jessica the Librarian)*

              Unfortunately, this is pretty common. Lots of page and lower level positions start out at dead minimum wage– you may as well be volunteering at that pay rate. In my system at least, good performers move through the ranks quickly, but it’s still pretty bleak for a while. Lots of us cobble together 2 or 3 part time library jobs for years at a time before we get our big break in the form of a full time position. I did this for 4 years before landing my first full time librarian job.

            2. Schnauz*

              My local library system starts at 10+/hr for p/t pages and whatnot. The pay range is often up to $18/hr but I imagine only someone with previous library experience is hired on at anything over the base.

    7. Agnes*

      Do you have any literacy programs in your library, with people who come in and read to a group of kids? Do you have any recommendations for how to become that person? In about a month I’ll be switching over to primarilly private nglish (ESL) and literacy teaching, and getting that sort of early literacy gig once or ttwice a week would be amazing!

      1. Children's Librarian*

        Usually the people who read to kids are just the children’s librarians. It’s harder than you might think to get a group of kids into the library.

        One thing you could inquire about is offering a free ESL tutoring, and a lot of libraries would jump at the chance. It’s more likely that it would be with adults though and in the evenings or weekends.

        My suggestion would be to ask at the reference desk and not the checkout desk (if your library happens to have both, many places are combining into one.)

  19. Technological Sales Account Rep*

    I work for a company that manufactures renewable energy training equipment, and we represent other technological training companies all over Canada. We sell to high schools, colleges, universities, unions, government/military, and others, and we focus mostly on green technology, emerging technology for the classroom like 3D printers, and industrial training equipment. We travel throughout Canada.

    1. Ask a Manager* Post author

      Do you basically travel around visiting customers and potential customers? If so, does that get exhausting? Do you get fancy travel perks? What’s a typical day like?

      1. Diet Coke Addict*

        Well, yes and no! We’re a small company in Canada and my territory alone spans five provinces, so it’s not feasible for us to travel all the time, especially since the bulk of our customers are located in major cities. So during the busy times of the year, spring and fall (to follow school budgets), we go to many, many conferences and trade shows, instead. We lug out a demonstration piece and booth setup to a provincial trade show, notify our contacts that we’ll be there, and spend two to five days talking with people. Usually we’ll combine a trip like that with visiting existing customers, too. Occasionally if we have a really big customer we’ll go out to visit them specifically, but our territory is so massive we can’t do that for everyone!

        We don’t get travel perks, really, other than flyer miles and a boss who doesn’t really care too much what we expense (within reason), and it’s nice to be able to wine and dine potential clients.

        A typical day in the office during the busy period of the year will be lots and lots of talking on the phone to technology coordinators, school board consultants, professors/instructors, and our suppliers; drawing up quotes and adjusting them; sending follow-up and clarification emails; and answering millions of questions. A typical day traveling may consist of attending an early-morning breakfast meeting at a school to give a presentation to school board consultants and teachers, followed by a lunchtime meeting at a different school district, and a dinner meeting with instructors from a local college. Repeat for two or three days, then go back to the office and start sending out quotes and follow-ups. It can be exhausting, but like I said, it’s limited to a few extremely busy weeks a year, and the rest of the time is in the office!

  20. Project Manager (AMG)*

    Supply Project Management
    Vendor Management
    Analytics & Metrics for strategic analysis, business case, and budget funding
    Project budget funding and cost management
    coordination with intradepartmental stakeholders (IT, Finance, Marketing, Sales, Accounting, Operations, etc)
    Process Improvement & Compliance
    Oversee project deployment & issue resolution

    1. Anonalicious*

      If I want to get more into project management from just regular IT and Finance stuff, would you say it’s better to go for a PMI certification or perhaps a masters in PM?

      1. AMG*

        I would caution you against either without knowing what the company values. Some companies function absolutely by-the-book with PMI standards and some barely write requirements and do guerilla-type testing. The same general arguements about not getting a master’s degree apply to getting a master’s degree in PM. It may not pay off. It just depends on the industry, the company, and how high up the ladder you can start. Don’t get me wrong though, it could be highly valuable.

        The way that I got into it was by volunteering to help on projects, became point person for projects whenever there was a need to integrate with our department, and now it’s all I do and I love it.

        Another good suggestion to ‘fast track’ into project would be to join a consulting firm. With a background in IT and Finance, you surely have some valuable skills already in place. Good luck!

    2. Sunflower*

      How much IT experience is needed and part of your job? I’m mostly interested in dealing with the supply and budgeting of project management and have no IT experience which I often see as a requirement on a lot of job descriptions. Not sure if every job needs or it I’m just finding ones that do

      1. AMG*

        There is usually some level of need, but in my role it is minimal (although I was a system analyst in a previous job). I think the important thing is to have a basic understanding of how the systems function, which can be not technical per se, but very company-specific. It would really depend on the role. Some PM work is almost entirely technical even if it isn’t in the IT department.

        I participate in systems-related topicsabout 10-15 hours per week but it’s mainly important for me to articulate how they changes would impact my group.

  21. Email Marketer (kristinyc)*

    I send marketing emails. A lot of my work involves coordinating copy/design/code, and then doing QA on all emails (checking links, making sure emails are rendering across different email clients, browsers, and devices). I also do segmentation and reporting. My work involves having a little bit of experience in a lot of different areas – copyediting, coding, analysis, etc. I’ve been doing this for about 6 years, and really love it. I started out in more general marketing roles and moved over to specializing in email once I saw how nerdy fun it is.

    1. ArtsNerd*

      Are you in-house or agency? If in-house, how big of a company? I do email marketing but it’s one of many duties, so the analysis and coding parts get sacrificed to templates and not-analysis for me.

      1. Email Marketer (kristinyc)*

        I’m in house at a rapidly growing startup. We just hired two other people for my team, and we’re working on automating a lot of our emails.

        We have copywriters, designers, and front-end developers who are putting the emails together for the most part, but my team and I are the ones giving direction for what kinds of emails we send (based on what we see in our data about what performs well).

    2. Mary*

      What systems do you use to do this? Our company does email marketing through Constant Contact, but I’m curious about other kinds of solutions and systems. Are they enterprise-level, or third party things, or what?

      1. Email Marketer (kristinyc)*

        I’ve used ExactTarget for quite a few years, and I’m a big fan. It really depends on the scale of your email program. If you’re just doing a basic newsletter to the same list every time, something like Constant Contact or Mailchimp is fine. We do a lot of automations, triggered sends, and transactional emails, so we need a more robust system. Most of my experience is with ExactTarget, but I’ve also worked with Eloqua and really like it. Again, it all depends on the scale of your email program.

  22. International development Programs Manager*

    I manage international development/aid projects in developing countries (mostly Africa and Asia). I am based at a headquarters office in North America but correspond from here with partners in the field and conduct field visits to my projects’ sites a few times a year.

    1. AMG*

      Best job ever! How did you get into that field? I would imagine the number of people competing for positions like this is very high. What’s it like??

      1. International development Programs Manager*

        For me it started with my undergraduate studies — which were in international development, and included a year abroad in an African country. Then an internship abroad right out of University (not unpaid, but just paid enough to cover expenses) and then I was lucky to find full-time work. I took 2 years out to do a Masters degree after a few years of work, which is more or less mandatory in the sector. In my Masters I specialized further in a sub-sector of international development, though my work since then hasn’t always been in my sub-specialty area. I’ve been very lucky to find work in what is a competitive field — many colleagues haven’t been as lucky. I should mention that it is also often quite low-paying, for a highly specialized field requiring a graduate degree.

        Travel to the field is always exciting and inspiring, but I do spend lots of my day to day doing things like staring at spreadsheets, writing reports to donors, sending endless emails and holding long and incomprehensible conference calls with field-based staff over bad connections! So it’s not generally all that glamorous. I do like what I do though.

        1. EngineerGirl*

          What discriminator do you think you have over your unemployed friends? Or do you just consider yourself “lucky” by being at the right place at the right time?

          1. International development Programs Manager*

            I think it’s helped me that much of my work has been for small organizations, so I was quickly given quite a lot of responsibility in spite of limited experience — this has been good for my CV. A strong professional network helps (I network deliberately but have also lived and worked in the same city for 7 years and have met contacts at meetings, workshops, trainings, conferences, etc). I think I present myself fairly well in interviews too. But definitely some of it is pure luck. My current position is a limited term contract, and I am quite concerned about my ability to find employment when that is up, even though by then I will have worked in the sector for ten years and have strong experience and references — there are just a very limited number of jobs.

        2. Operations and Admin Manager / Internat. Development*

          Ahhhh… you are exactly me! Spot on final paragraph.

    3. Miss Evy*

      What would be considered a strong background for someone looking to get into this line of work, or what would you recommend experience in for someone who is trying to move in this direction with their career (program management with an international focus)?

      1. International development Programs Manager*

        Most people I know working in this sector have some formal education directly relating to international development. This is now quite a popular undergraduate major! In some organizations, formal certification in project management might be viewed as an asset, though I’m not convinced this is that essential or even always all that relevant. Strong writing skills have been important in all my past roles. Experience abroad in non-western countries and working in cross-cultural contexts is very important. If you have managed social programs in your own community, rather than abroad, that might well be considered very relevant. Experience dealing with major donors and writing grant proposals and reports is also often a key to this kind of job.

        If you are coming from a different sector, one route in might be to look at jobs with international development NGOs that connect to your past work experience (eg administration, communications, fundraising, graphic design, etc). Particularly in small organizations, there are sometimes (though not always) opportunities to move among job roles once you are “in”.

    4. Sheep*

      I’m in the same field / trying to get in. I’ve already done two internships (one in the field and one HQ), then had a break to earn some money. Now I’m soon off to the field again for another internship. Very excited about it, but getting a bit tired of not having a real job. Out of my uni friends (MA), it’s about 50/50 how many people have real/related jobs or not.

      Have you ever been field-based?

      1. International development Programs Manager*

        I’ve only been field-based as an intern, for six months. I also spent a full 8 months in an african country as an undergraduate student (studying and volunteering) which certainly helped boost my cv at the start of my career. When I finished my Masters, I suspected that it might be a good career move to go abroad for a field-based position for a couple of years, but there were personal circumstances that made that less than ideal, and then I was fortunate to find good work based at home. I have seen senior HQ positions expect candidates to have long-term field based experience before, so that concerns me a little bit in terms of my long term career. If you’re prepared to move to a field-based location for a couple of years I do think there are more opportunities and it’s probably a smart career move.

        1. Operations and Admin Manager / Internat. Development*

          I’m dying of curiosity now, because this same thing happened to me and I have the same concerns about long-term opportunity. How big is your organization? Does it have a specialty?

      2. International development Programs Manager*

        I’m curious about your experience doing multiple internships. Do you find that you’ve been offered greater and greater responsibilities in your various internships? like, do you feel a sense of career progression through them?

        Back when I was applying for internships, there were some that were more rigorous and prestigious than others, and I wonder if I would have had a better shot at the more interesting internships (with great possibilities to move in to interesting jobs from them) if i’d already a completed a more junior/basic internship. As it was, I did my internship with a tiny organization that wasn’t particularly prestigious, then just got terribly lucky when they had a job open up just as my internship ended.

        1. Sheep*

          Thanks for your reply! My internships have been very different. The first one was at my country’s embassy (in the Balkans), and the second a for-profit ethical consultancy. The one I’m starting now is a large NGO. To be honest I have felt like a regular employee at both places, I was given a lot of responsibility, and both wanted to employ me at the end (but couldn’t, for various reasons). Having these two experiences under my belt definitely helped me get the third internship. Now, that doesn’t mean much unless I manage to get a real job soon. (getting frustrated)

          1. International development Programs Manager*

            That does sound like you’re really building your cv through the internships at least. See, you not getting hired after an internship (when they wanted to hire you!), and me getting hired after mine — that’s just pure dumb luck! Not fair at all.

            1. Sheep*

              It’s a part of this field to be lucky though! It’s often about being there (at least in the field), so I’m hoping this internship will be my last one!

  23. Athletic Trainer/Teacher*

    I currently work in two different fields at the same time. My background is as an athletic trainer and I am nationally certified and carry a state medical license as well. I worked full time as an athletic trainer for a large physical therapy company with offices in the Midwest and on the East Coast before becoming a teacher. Today I primarily teach dual credit Health Sciences in an adjunct role to a public high school so that my juniors and seniors receive college credit from the local junior college. I also adjunct for the same college. I keep up as an athletic trainer by working on a PRN basis for a physical therapy company near me and cover local high school/college athletics. I also teach water exercise one night a week. So I guess I’m someone that’s switched careers, done the grad route twice (traditionally and while working FT) and have finally settled down to what works for me.

    1. LBK*

      So as an athletic trainer, is that like personal training in a gym with one-on-one clients, or more focused on activities meant to hone certain skills for specific sports?

      1. Athletic Trainer/Teacher*

        Athletic trainers are slightly different than personal trainers. While my bachelors is similar (Exercise Science) and I do have a master’s in kiniesiology so I could work as a personal trainer, I also have a strong medical background. I had to take and pass national boards and am required to be licensed as a medical professional (athletic trainer) in my state. We are the ones that you see run on the field when injuries happen in sports. We also provide follow up care for orthopedic injuries at high schools,colleges, for professional teams, and work in physical therapy settings. Some people also work as physician extenders for orthopedic surgeons. Some of what we do is similar to physical therapy although we both have our own scope of practice (i.e. me running on a field to treat and assess an injury). I do teach water exercise at a fitness facility so I do some personal training/fitness instructing its not my main focus. Thanks for asking!

        1. LBK*

          Ahh, very interesting. I always wondered what the distinction was/what kind of training or role the people that treated sports injuries like that had. Thanks!

    2. YR*

      Fascinating. Thanks. In my 40s and just started working part-time in a fitness-related job — nothing to do with my professional background, but over the years I’ve seen the power of clean eating and wellness/fitness and want to be involved in promoting such. Any tips for one without a background in exercise science and the like — beyond personal training courses/certification (in the works), ways to deepen one’s practical knowledge in fitness and training?

      1. Athletic Trainer/Teacher*

        Pay attention to and read up on biomechanics and anatomy. The worst thing and the hardest for me to watch as an athletic trainer when I go into fitness facilities is a personal trainer that doesn’t know what the heck they’re doing. An online certification doesn’t make you knowledgeable–just as only book knowledge doesn’t teach you how to do a job. Be able to actually know when someone’s squat is off because their glutes are too weak or when someone’s quad to hamstring ratio is incorrect so you can correct for it. The mechanics are SO important. Make sure you know what muscles someone is working and how their are different parts of that muscle and what that muscle does in the body. Example: lots of knee injuries happen because someone doesn’t have the right quad to ham ratio and then the secondary stabilizer which is the IT band is also having issues. You should know how to help someone with all of those.

        1. YR*

          Brilliant. Thanks so much for these important insights. All great points. (I would certainly do an on-site certification course that involves hands-on work and requires us to design programs for various cases.) Much appreciated.

          1. YR*

            Meant to add — well noted and completely agree, it’s not being book-smart and having some letters with my name that’s going to equip me to promote health and fitness, but deeply understanding the why and the how.

  24. PBS Fundraiser (Sam)*

    I work in fundraising and membership for a local PBS station. Formerly worked in fundraising for a zoo. In my spare time, I save endangered species :)

    1. Children's Librarian*

      I don’t have a question, but that sounds awesome! We watch TONS of PBS. :)

    2. Forrest*

      Do you see any value in a fellow fundraiser getting her CFRE or masters in nonprofit management?

      1. PBS Fundraiser (Sam)*

        See, I actually don’t have an answer for that, because I’m trying to make the same decision myself. I think it will certainly help moving forward, but how much I’m not sure.

        I was told by several people that a masters in nonprofit management is ok, but they would recommend a masters in Public Policy instead. I’m currently looking at going back for a masters in Developmental Policy and Practice myself.

  25. Sunflower*

    I work as a Meeting & Event Planner for a small company(~30 people) for an educational services company. I plan and schedule over 300 courses a year- I don’t attend these. I work with hotels and other venues to negotiate rates and find appropriate venues we can trust. I also plan and schedule about 30 conferences annually- travel to some of these- and manage the entire event onsite. I also do all the legwork beforehand- getting proper forms, ensuring travel arrangements, etc

    2. Diet Coke Addict*

      How did you get involved in this type of work? I was once in talks about a volunteer position that involved coordinating fairly large events (150+ guests, which is large for a newbie volunteer!) based on work I did organizing conferences in graduate school. I eventually bowed out because the workload they were asking for was something like 20 hours per week, which was significantly more than I could devote while working full-time as well. So how do you get involved doing this for a company?

      1. Miss Evy*

        I’d also be interested in hearing you got involved in this role. I did a significant amount of event planning in college and have continued to do this with a local Meetup, and have been wondering if it might be worth looking into as a potential job path.

      2. Sunflower*

        I worked in a family friend’s office(small, 4 people) part-time doing marketing right out of college while I looked for a full time gig. He let me have a lot of free reign to do stuff as long as it didn’t cost too much money. I was interested in events so I started trying any free/low cost events I could do. I then picked up another part-time gig at my company doing copywriting and the full time event planner job opened up here. They saw my past experience and hired me full-time for it. I’ve been out of college close to 3 years now and in this role for 1.

        There’s a couple ways to get into this kind of stuff. You can start at a large company, probably as an admin, and work your way up into actual planning of events. Depending on how the company is structured, there may be other duties outside of event planning grouped in with that.

        Another way is to start on the flip side of what I do and try to get into a hotel as a sales or catering coordinator. They often move into event management roles and either stay in hotels serving clients or switch over and go into corporate events.

        What I did was came into a really small company and was able to pick up a lot of experience early on. Other people on my level might still be answering phones at a large company but I’m only able to do on-site management because my company is smaller.

        I’m hoping to transition into a large company eventually. I would have preferred to start at a large place as an admin but I fell into this so I can’t say which way is best. The person previously in my position is doing event coordinating at a large hospital now. She doesn’t have as much reign there as she did here but she’s in a great company now.

        A lot of it really is picking up stuff anywhere you can and starting at the bottom to work your way up.

        1. Seeking A New Job*

          I am currently working in leisure tour groups, negotiating and contracting hotel rooms for sleeping rooms only. I am thinking of moving from tourism to event planning. I know you mentioned that you want to move to a larger company, can you elaborate on that? Where do you see your career path going? I really feel tourism is a dead end and I am wondering if there would be more possibilities in event planning. I am also not happy with my salary, ($38K in a large US city- and that’s not a starting salary, I’ve been doing this for years) and I’m wondering if I made a move to the left, if I could get paid more. I do not want to move to sales or catering for hotels, so I thought maybe event planning could be good. Lastly, do you enjoy what you are doing, and do you see it as a long term career?

          1. Sunflower*

            It wouldn’t be difficult to transition over to event planning. Often event planning goes hand in hand with other stuff in a job so think about other stuff you’re interested in. Right now, I do event planning but also am learning a lot about continuing education planning. A good amount of university jobs require event planning so if you’re searching, those are always good places to look.

            Events are either core business or support services. In places like Big 4 accounting firms, events are support and there aren’t as many opportunities since there aren’t a lot of lateral movements available. In places like large publishing houses or event management companies, events might be a huge money maker so you can start in a variety of different roles and eventually move over.

            I plan on eventually moving to NYC. I’m in Philly now and a lot of company’s I’ve looked at have their main support services at HQ and a lot of them are in NYC. If you want to get into an event management company, NYC or LA or Vegas is really where you have to be. I wanted to be at a large company because while I like event planning, I’m still curious what else is out there and being in a large company can give me more exposure than smaller places.

            Pay also varies from place to place. My company is terrible so I don’t make anything. You will probably make the most money doing hotel sales honestly. But if you get into doing events that are tied to generating sales, you can make a lot, get bonuses and you don’t have to work bad hours!

            I do enjoy my job. If I could pick up my job and put it in a larger organization where there was possible growth, I wouldn’t be job searching. I see myself staying in some part of this but definitely getting more involved in marketing, digital strategy or operations as well.

  26. HR Director*

    I am the HR Director for a multi-state family of companies managing the HR, payroll and recuiting functions (and some administrative functions). The intersting thing about my job is the industries I work for. We have six employer entities which include agriculture, engineering services, alternative energy, real estate, events management and not for profit work.

    1. Cajun2core*

      How do you get into HR. I have 11 years of customer service experience (which I must say is something I excel at) and I am truly a people person. I am currently working as a secretary but I would love to get back into a people oriented position. I would love to be an HR Generalist (answering basic questions about benefits, payroll, etc.) I have applied for a number of jobs but I have not had any luck. I have also seen that a number of jobs require a certain certification (sorry I forgot what it was, maybe you know, it was PHR). Does having that certification really make a difference? Can you get the PHR certification w/o experience? Is it difficult/expensive to get?

      Thanks!

      1. HR Director*

        I actually got into HR by chance. I’d moved back to my hometown and was offered a temporary position as an HR Assistant for a small non-profit. The position ended up turning into a full-time position. I left that position after a couple of years to join the for-profit world and worked as an HR Coordinator, then Generalist, Manager and now my current position as Director. I got my PHR while working as a Generalist.

        To get the PHR you need to have some combination of education and exempt level HR work experience. You can go to the HRCI website to see all of the current requirements. I didn’t find it to be very difficult, though I did spend some time studying for the exam. I have to re-certify every couple of years, and while there are opportunities for free credits, it can get expensive if you pay for education opportunities. I’d like to take my SPHR exam, but I’ve been lazy about it, so for now it’s just a PHR.

        My recommendation would be to try to go for an admin level position reporting into HR. Our current HR Coordinator started off as an Admin Assistant supporting the HR department. Another place I see people breaking into HR is at smaller companies there are often Receptionist/Office Manager/HR type positions. I wouldn’t say it’s the best way to gain HR experience (especially because many employers who combine those roles don’t have a true appreciation of HR), but it is a good way to get a foot in the door.

        1. cajun2core*

          Thanks a bunch for the info. I have tried applying for an admin position but that didn’t work but I will continue.

    2. Human Resoureces*

      What has been the hardest part of building your career thus far? What sort of challenges do you thrive taking on, what do you try and push to the bottom of the to-do list?

      1. HR Director*

        It is sort of cliche in the HR world to say this, but honestly, the hardest part was getting people to take notice. I have never worked at a place that knew what HR could do for the company. So a lot of my work has been educating people on how the HR team could work for them. In my current role, every big initiative I’ve taken on has come from me. No one has ever asked me to do anything outside of basic HR tasks. I’ve had to constantly think of ways to keep HR relevant. The upside of this is that I’ve gotten to work on some really important projects. The downside is that there is often very little direction.

        I am not the best organizer and I am not the most detail oriented. It has been a constant challenge for me to not let those weaknesses get the best of me. My natural inclination is to push anything that relies to heavily on those skills to the bottom of the list. Luckily, I now have people on my team who are great in those areas, and so I don’t have to worry about it as much.

        I thrive on implementing new large scale projects that have an impact across the organization. Recently we implemented a new compensation plan. It was a huge project, and the maintenance is still ongoing. I love that the HR department “owned” the project.

  27. Judicial "Elbow" Clerk*

    I’m a clerk for a state appellate judge. I read appellate briefs, do legal research, help draft opinions, and anything else my judge would like help doing. My job is temporary (one-year term, generally, depending on the judge) and is usually filled by newbie lawyers just out of law school.

    It’s a confusing job for non-lawyers. Most clerk positions are highly competitive and hard to get unless you went to a good school and got really good grades, although you defer working at a law firm or other more lucrative job for awhile and take a pay cut. It’s worth it for how interesting the work is, how prestigious the job is, and the unique learning experience. It is also confusing because it has the same name as a “clerk of the court,” who is an administrator and runs and administrative office of “clerks.” But my job is substantive and directly supervised by the judge, and has almost no overlap with those other “clerk” positions. Some judges call their clerks “elbow” clerks for this reason, to differentiate them from an administrative position.

    1. Technical writer (Jen)*

      No question, but thanks for the explanation, I finally understood what my friend’s husband does for a living.

      1. Turanga Leela*

        Some judges hire “career clerks” instead of or in addition to new graduates. I was a short-term clerk and enjoyed it, but the learning curve is really steep.

      2. Judicial Clerk*

        I think it’s mostly a matter of tradition. My theory is that the market stays this way because judges highly demand top graduates, but because of federal and state budget constraints, can’t compete with fancy law firms when it comes to salary/benefits. And recent grads with tons of debt often can’t afford to stay much longer than a year or two. It’s also closely related to the kinds of work and ideas you are trained to do in law school (which, to the dismay of many, doesn’t overlap very well with the day-to-day life of being a lawyer). Because of that, the job is often referred to as a “fourth year of law school.”

        It is a great job – I’m convinced it’s the best one I’ll ever have as a lawyer. If my judge was interested in having one of his clerk positions be a career clerk, I’d seriously consider it. However, as a general matter, I think that a career clerk position can signal “coasting” in terms of career trajectory, sort of like being a super senior. (Obviously, not true for everybody or in all contexts. I’m sure it was a good decision for Turanga Leela, but it probably wouldn’t behoove me to stay more than a year).

        Also, it’s becoming more of a norm to do 2-3 consecutive year-long clerkships – but in general, the clerk should be using each job to ascend to a more “prestigious” tier of the judiciary (e.g. district court to circuit court, circuit court to Supreme Court).

        1. Turanga Leela*

          Just to clarify, I was the just-out-of-law-school type of clerk, not a career clerk. I think you’re right that career clerk positions can read as coasting, although as you say, it can work for some people.

        2. Attorney (Marie)*

          I didn’t know that re: the 2-3 consecutive clerkships. I only ever applied for the top courts, which is how I ended up at a Big Evil firm, never having clerked at all:( Although we’re not in the same country, thinking back, a clerkship at a lower court would probably given me the edge on experience needed to go from getting interviews to getting hired at a court.

          1. Judicial Clerk*

            I think it’s trickled down from the Supreme Court, where clerks almost always have prior clerkship experience and that’s been a requirement for a long time. More and more federal circuit court judges are *requiring* a prior clerkship and will not hire fresh grads.

            At my state appellate court, four of us clerks have been hired to clerk for various federal circuit court judges in the near future.

  28. Risk Manager, Banking*

    I’m a supposed to be a risk manager at a small community bank (started two months ago); however, we’re between people in the Bank Secrecy Act area so I’m doing that right now. I monitor customer accounts for suspicious activity, review high risk accounts and customers, file necessary reports to the regulators, etc.

    My former job as a VP of Operations, the one I was at for almost 20 years, was mostly dealing with banking regulations and consumer compliance, I was head of deposits operations, amateur IT person, bank security. Jill-of-all-trades. You name it, I did it.

    I no longer want to do either of these jobs anymore so I’m hoping I see some interesting careers here that I can ask about.

    1. Dan*

      What do you want to do? It’s hard to start a new career/field “stone cold sober.” TBH, it’s for good reason. Granted, the backgrounds of the people we draw from is rather diverse, but at the end of the day, if you haven’t studied or been employed in STEM, we probably won’t hire you.

      If you want to get out, your best bet is to likely figure out how you can leverage the quant aspects of your risk management job. Awhile back, I interviewed for a credit risk analyst position at a regional bank in OH. I got rejected for fit issues (for good reason) but the quant stuff looked interesting.

      How much of your current role is quant driven? You mentioned “filing reports” so it may not be what I think it is. Can you turn it into that? Can you build mathematical models to do the account review/analysis? Those skills will take you far.

      In the general case, data analytics is a hot field right now, and will continue that way. The upshot is that since you can’t go to school for that stuff, employers won’t reject you for not having a degree in it. Also, because it’s new, your ability to get hired is based on what you know and can do — there’s no “fresh talent” who can undeprice you in the market.

      1. Risk Manager, Banking*

        I’ve actually been thinking about data analysis, procedure writing (for banks), research. Something a little more “technical” that what I do now.

        I posted somewhere else in this thread, but I’ll post here so you don’t have to search: I’ve been in banking for almost 20 years and have decided I no longer want to deal with compliance and all the dealines, details, etc. that come with it. One thing I really do enjoy is figuring out how the core processing system works, how to extract the data I want from the system via a report write (Oracle-based, I believe), and how to use the system to get what I want (or what my boss wants), either by changing parameters or stringing together different reports to create one custom report. I also enjoy writing procedures, researching, system implementation, figuring out how the back-end maps to the front-end to produce results (does that make sense?).

        1. Dan*

          I can’t comment on the reporting and systems that you talk about, but if by “oracle based” products, you’re talking about SQL, that’s $. The better you can get at writing SQL queries, the more valuable you can be.

          Capital One has a huge analytics team. Some of their offices are in suburban Dallas, others are in Northern Virginia.

          If you focused on data analysis, I’m certain you can get out of your current role and into something more technical, and perhaps maintain the manager level if you want. People who can understand multiple aspects of a business have an inside track to management jobs or for that matter, better paid “individual contributor” roles.

          1. Risk Manager, Banking*

            Thanks, Dan!! You’ve been a great help.

            Yes, I believe I mean SQL. I’ve thought about taking an SQL course and that’s something I will look into.

              1. Susan2*

                I’m interested in getting into Financial Crimes Investigation and assume the skills/software above would be mandatory – any thoughts? Thx!

                1. Risk Manager, Banking*

                  I’m guessing this is for Dan, but I’ll answer, too. Yes, being able to extract information from the bank’s core processing system, or their other systems, is very useful. Also, knowing the back-end of the software in order to understand how the transactions flow through the system.

                2. Risk Manager, Banking*

                  Forgot to add that any kind of banking experience would be helpful. You get to see all sorts of stuff, whether it be on the teller line or in the back office.

        2. Elizabeth West*

          Risk Manager, click on my name and go to my blog, and on my About page you’ll find my email. Email me about my company. It might be right up your alley.

      1. Risk Manager, Banking*

        I’m looking for people who are laundering money, or trying to launder money. Also fraud, identity theft, check kiting, etc. But mostly I see people who are trying to circumvent the reporting requirements for large cash transactions. People can get very creative when they think a cash transaction is going to be reported to the government, even though they have nothing to fear (the law-abiding people, that is) and aren’t doing anything wrong. Also looking for people who deal in sums of money that don’t fit their occupation or business.. Looks a little weird when a grocery store cashier brings in $30k in cash and they’re only making $300.00 a week.

  29. Product Developer (badger_doc)*

    I work as a product developer/research scientist for a large consumer products company. I am basically the R&D lead for the production of new product innovations (either new to world or new to our company) and am responsible for establishing the technical feasibility and making sure the voice of the consumer is heard in product design. Prior to that I worked in medical devices developing surgical adhesives. My degree is in Biomedical Engineering.

    1. Anonsie*

      I don’t have any good questions but that is just fascinating.

      So what other types of backgrounds do other people that you work with have? I’m wondering if you have teams sorted by specialty (your group would be engineers, another might be– I don’t know, surgeons?) and you pass it around in stages, or is it more collaborative up front?

      1. Product Developer (badger_doc)*

        For consumer products, our R&D group has a very diverse background, from Chemical Engineering, paper/pulp science, mechanical engineering, chemistry, medicine, etc. with a variety of different degrees (PhD, MS, BS, MBA). We also interface with marketers who have MBAs.

        For medical devices we had chemists and engineers (in two separate groups) with chemists doing the formulating and engineers doing the testing. It was a small company so we all wore multiple hats sometimes, but generally the two groups had their specific functions.

        The projects are very collaborative upfront. We work on them until they get to a comfortable commercialization stage, them pass them off and start on the next big idea. But our teams kind of function as small businesses so we do a lot of the front end work ourselves.

    2. SaraSmile*

      Super cool job!

      Loaded question — What does your typical day look like? How do you come up with new product ideas / How do you brainstorm?

      1. Product Developer (badger_doc)*

        Brainstorming is fun. Sometimes we do it as a group inside our company to generate ideas. Sometimes we do focus groups with consumers and have them generate ideas. Sometimes ideas just spark up when working on something completely out of scope. Sometimes we hire outside companies to come up with ideas for us. My day is typically spent in front of a computer. I do a bit of tech scouting online for new ideas. I buy things off of Amazon all the time to test them. I work with outside vendors to help get pieces of projects done so I am on the phone a lot. We interface with our marketing team all the time. I travel to vendor sites to see their capabilities. I make prototypes to test with consumers. I test samples in the lab for various claims. Thank kind of stuff. Feel free to ask more!

    3. Anon for this*

      This is gross, but I always wondered if you helped develop flushable wipes. My husband loves those things.

      1. Product Developer (badger_doc)*

        No comment about what I work on specifically, but yes, a product developer would be responsible for those as well.

    4. Glorified Plumber*

      Hi! I read a different engineering thread elsewhere, and there is a pretty fervent debate on the street regarding biomedical engineering. The debate basically boils down to “If one wants to work in the biomedical industry, is it better to get a BME degree, or a chemical/mechanical/electrical degree.” As well, a side debate on if a graduate degree has become necessary.

      I’d like to ask: PhD/Masters/Bachelors?

      Secondly, if you were advising a current student who wanted to get into the industry in general, would you advise them down a BME, mechanical engineering, chemical engineering, or an electrical engineer.

      Just curious! No offense met… I happen to be a chemical engineer who does NOT work in the biomedical industry, but pushes BME’s who appear to waffle on the degree into mechanical engineering, where they can still apply and work in the field if they want. Thoughts?

      1. Product Developer (badger_doc)*

        Great Question! I was originally biochemistry with intents on going to med school until I realized that I hated biochem and might not get into med school (so competitive!!). My advisor suggested BME becuase of the surgery shadowing program so that’s how I actually got into the major. I have both a BS and MS in BME.

        What I like about BME is the versatility and exposure to all sorts of engineering. At UW Madison, we had 4 tracks we could follow as a BME: Biomaterials (more materials science classes), Biomechanics (more mechanical engineering which is what I did and focused on orthopedic implant design), Bioinstrumentation (more circuits and electrical stuff) and Biomedical Imaging (MRI and CT technology).

        So for the average engineering student who likes math AND science, I always recommend BME because it is the best of all worlds an you take all four intro classes to the tracts to see what you like best to pursue. For me, I loved math and physics as well as anatomy and physiology so Biomechanics was the obvious choice, but I also got enough exposure to Biomaterials where my first job was actually all about polymeric adhesives for the body. If the student was fairly specialized (ie: loved math and architecture and physics) I would probably push them to a specialized degree like ME. So when it comes down to it I think it is the love of biology that pushes BMEs to that major. Also, 50% of our class went straight to medical school, so if there is any interest in that, it is a great major to do well as a doctor.

        Now having switched from the biomed industry to the consumer products industry, I use hardly any of my “degree” and more the problem solving and people skills learned from college to do my job. I’m kind of biased, but I think engineering is one of those degrees where you can do almost anything with.

        Side note: I am also thinking about getting my MBA to be even more well rounded in my career choices in the future. Engineers make great MBA’s from what I hear :-)

        1. Technical Customer Service Engineer*

          Hi Badger_doc,
          I spent 9 years as a product developer and formulator of adhesives. The nature of the job seems very similar in many different technical areas. I have a BS and MS in Materials Science and Engineering and found it good to have the advanced degree but a PhD would have restricted what kind of jobs I could get dramatically. Earning my MBA, on the other hand, definitely opened up options.

          1. badger_doc*

            Agreed! I should have also specified that I probably would not recommend to a prospective industry student to get their PhD if they are going into industry. You end up making just as much money with a MS working for the 5-6 years it would take to get your PhD so the payoff isn’t an incentive. The only incentive for a PhD is to move up into management, but an MBA can also accomplish that. There are exceptions to the rule of course, but for me, it wasn’t worth the 6 additional years of school.

            1. S.A.*

              Wow, your job sounds almost like a calling and so much fun. Do you find you need help with visualizing products? I.e. – finding people good at rendering your product a challenge? I do 3D modeling, lighting, and texturing but it’s nearly impossible for me to get a job despite my work history and portfolio.

              I’ve wanted to go into your area for a while but there were no opportunities where I lived and I can’t afford college (again!). Your career sounds very fulfilling and dare I say fun.

              1. badger_doc*

                Hi S.A.!

                Sorry to reply to your comment so late, so I hope you see this. We definitely have a need for people with 3D backgrounds like yours. We just recently hired 3 industrial designers as concept development leaders. They lead teams in our front end innovation effort to help with visualization of product ideas in the form of drawings and eventually CAD. If you’d like to know more, please feel free to email me: badger_doc at yahoo dot com and I would be happy to share any insights I can with you.

  30. Writer/Editor (Stargazer)*

    I work for a weekly newspaper in the northeast with a circulation of about 60,000. I assign, edit, and write editorial for the inserts, like education guide, wedding guide, business guide, and chamber guides. I also write a weekly feature on a local resident. I freelance, too, writing an astronomy column every month for our local daily parent newspaper, among other things.

    1. Ali*

      My question is mostly about your freelance gig. How do you find your freelance writing jobs, assuming they pay decently? I have been writing for a while but don’t really know how to look for work aside from volunteer gigs or “we can’t pay but we can offer great exposure!”

      1. Writer/Editor (Stargazer)*

        Honestly, most of my freelance gigs come from my parent company. Other paid freelance jobs I’ve had came from advertising myself on Craigslist when I moved out of state and was looking for another job, and for people I knew.

      1. Stargazer*

        Astronomy is something my father got me into. I’m not a professional (too much physics). But I have a telescope and astronomy binoculars and books up the wazoo. I write about different events going on that people in the area can see, like the International Space Station going over, eclipses, meteor showers, cool things to observe, etc. It’s fun!

  31. Lora the Big Pharma/biotech geek*

    I’m sort of a scientist and sort of an engineer–started w/ undergrad and grad degrees in biology, chemistry, microbiolgy, then went back for ME in ChemEng. I discover and design large molecule drugs and vaccines (AKA biologics), figure out how to make them, and then figure out how to scale them up to large commercial scale production instead of just bench scale, if they turn out to work well in the lab.

    Due to microbiology background I also do cleaning & sterilization process chemistry. At the moment am consulting for various Big Pharma clients, but have worked for everything from startups to government agencies to the biggest of big pharma.

    Two drug candidates I worked on made it to commercial from discovery, although it remains to be seen whether my ExEmployer will make it to market before Competitor.

    1. Anonalicious*

      I just want to say that with three family members who are Pharmacists or work in Pharmacy/related area in some way, thanks. :) You’re awesome work and research is not only leading to new medications to help people but also keeping people I care about in jobs.

    2. big pharma fan*

      Thanks for posting Lora. Your story is interesting and I am very curious about what types of things “Big Pharma” employers are looking for in applicants. My dissertation focused mostly on molecular genetics although I do have some microbiology experience as well. In my area (Southern Ontario) one of the biggest employers is a vaccine company as well as the major hospitals. I do have industry experience however it is not pharma/healthcare related. Is there a professional society or anything else that you would recommend to someone new trying to break into the field?

      1. Lora the Big Pharma/biotech geek*

        To get into the field: Easiest way is to find someone who just got a new drug (ANY new drug, seriously) on the market. Because they have piles and piles of investor money coming in, and they are going to put at least a *little* of that into R&D in that sub-field.

        And the easiest way to do *that* is to look at parts of the company which are more on the D side than the R side. Everyone wants to work in Discovery. EVERYONE. And their brother/sister. Nobody wants to do the boring process optimization, assay development or cell line development part. There’s no glory in it, it’s super-boring. You’ll be working in your field, doing important stuff, but you’ll hardly get to publish, and if you do it’ll be in, like FASEB Notes or something. But if you put a couple of years into the development side, you can make friends within the company, network, and when a position opens in Discovery, you have a good shot at transferring there. Especially if you angle for tech transfer type of projects, because then you’ll meet a wide slice of different aspects of Making Drugs–translational medicine, toxicology, quality assurance (some people LOVE it, mostly people who like science but hate bench work), process development, clinical trials, commercialization, etc. And you don’t really know at this stage which of those you’ll like best. Curing cancer sounds great, but it pays peanuts and you put in some serious blood, sweat and tears, whereas a lot of those other sub-fields go home at 5pm and make twice what the Discovery folks make. It’s a quality of life thing.

        Another option is to start in small, tiny biotechs. Just to get some professional experience under your belt as a Pharma Person.

        What we are looking for really depends on which of those sub-fields. For Discovery, we look for people who are technically at the top of their game (this does NOT mean Ivy League or near-Ivy, either; while that may be true for individual program heads, it is never true for a company as a whole). You really, really have to know what you are talking about, because the people interviewing you are not only at the top of their game, they are way sharper than you. They’ve had access to WAAAAYYY more resources than you have ever had, even at the Ivy League U of your choice, you’re not going to be cleverer than them. But we do get a lot of academic candidates through who think (been told by their advisors, maybe) that industry is an Alternative Career not nearly as good as academia. They give half-baked presentations and seem kinda bored with the whole idea, like they are slumming it by deigning to visit our cafeteria. So, erm…don’t do that.

        For Development, we look for people who are technically sharp but good at working in groups, good at tech transfer of some sort, highly detail-oriented, who are a bit obsessive about Getting Things Right. You still get to be creative in development (in fact one of my clients has an extremely creative process that is saving them a bundle of money), just in different ways, and you don’t get lionized as an individual–you are always part of a team. Similarly, they need to see you can get along with other people. And can do math. As a molecular person, the first thing the Development folks will doubt is your math skills, so you’ll need to demonstrate that you can do math quite well at an engineer’s level, and that you understand economics trump everything. In Discovery, we don’t even think very hard about how much something will cost, because the Discovery cost is a pittance compared to the clinical trials. In Development, cost is a big issue.

        Also: You gotta be willing to move. You can try to live near the major pharma hubs where there are lots (Boston, NJ, Philly, SF, San Diego, Basel), but layoffs churn pretty quickly and you can’t expect to work more than 5 years at any given company. There’s a lot of takeovers.

        2. Bea W*

          but layoffs churn pretty quickly and you can’t expect to work more than 5 years at any given company. There’s a lot of takeovers.

          Yeh, unfortunately. The takeovers…er I mean “integrations” are painful. Are you guys in R&D still regular employees or have companies started “outsourcing” your functions as well so that more of you are contractors?

          1. Lora the Big Pharma/biotech geek*

            Depends. Validation, engineering support, utilities, small scale liquid handling tend to be outsourced, and they’re moving more and more to disposables, which is effectively outsourced. On the Drug Disco side, the new cool thing is to get stuff from academia and develop their molecules. I forbear to comment on the quality of that work…

  32. Journalist*

    I’m an American journalist who has worked in traditional print newsrooms, at alternative newspapers and for online magazines, mostly as a writer/reporter but not infrequently as an editor. I’ve been both freelance and salaried, covered hard crime, wonky politics and fluffy lifestyle beats, done in-depth investigations and written more listicles than I care to remember.

    1. Ash (the other one!)*

      Are you in a current salaried job or are you freelancing? I get the sense from my journalist friends that things are really bad out there and they are getting paid per blog entry essentially right now while they work other jobs.

      1. Journalist*

        I am currently salaried, after working freelance for about five straight years–though I did freelance by choice, since I could make more money doing that, and work fewer straight hours, than living off what most pubs can pay for full-time work these days.

        My current gig is at a publication I extensively freelanced for previously–being a reliable and enthusiastic freelancer helped me get, and keep, my foot in the door. I am tremendously lucky to have my job, though I should note that my pub does not rely on advertising for its revenue–something that, I think, means much better job security in the field these days.

        Most of my print-and-web colleagues are either, as you say, hustling blog post-by-blog post to get by, taking contract gigs that really are noooooooooooooot strictly speaking contract gigs but more like regular part-time employment, praying their newspapers don’t fold every day they come into the office, or working in another field altogether (or PR).

        1. Journalist, too*

          How long have you been in journalism? Any predictions for the future of the industry? I graduated in 2010 and have been working in newspapers/online since then, but I am not planning on sticking around.

          1. Journalist*

            I’ve been working as a full-time professional journalist since I graduated college in 2005, and I’m actually terribly optimistic about the future of print/online journalism, which I know puts me in the minority.

            Publications that adapt/grow to new business models–think MoJo, Buzzfeed, Vox, etc.–are producing some really amazing work. I don’t have a lot of sympathy for print outlets that are trying to hang on to 50-year-old business models with jacked-up ad pricing and pointless paywalls, and I think outlets that try and woo desperate new writers with pittances or publicity (HuffPo, Gawker) will see their quality/prestige decline swiftly.

            Pubs that are diversifying their newsrooms–by which I mean hiring a racially diverse, gender diverse, socio-economically diverse, etc. staff–and taking format risks will succeed with flying colors. I’m excited to see what comes next.

            (I know next-to-nothing about the world of broadcast journalism, and I like to keep it that way.)

            1. Journalist, too*

              That’s good to hear. I’ve loved all journalism jobs I’ve had, love to read good writing, I’m glad to see a long form renaissance, but it’s the work-life balance, the low pay, the layoffs and watching so, so many organizations not adapt.

        2. LBK*

          Wow – fascinating that freelance was more money for fewer hours, or at least fewer straight hours. I always think of freelancing as working twice as long for half as much pay, although maybe it’s different in the graphic design world. What made you decide to jump to a salaried position? Just the stability and not having to constantly be looking for your own work?

          1. Journalist*

            I would have happily continued freelancing had I not been offered a salary position for slightly more than what I was making as a freelancer, and on a beat that I love. (And TBH not futzing with self-employment taxes every year, plus having group health insurance, was a HUUUUUUGE draw.)

            But I was especially fortunate to score regular freelance gigs that didn’t usually send me scrambling to find new clients every month and which, once I learned their particular nuances, simply didn’t take much time to complete, leaving me a lot of extra time to focus on more in-depth, one-off type pieces for other clients. So my freelance life was pretty stable, and I while I wasn’t in love with what I was writing about a lot of the time, I was definitely in love with paying my rent on time.

        3. Cristina*

          In your opinion what is a reasonable pay range for a freelance journalist? How does this compare to someone with extensive blogging experience? I hired a team of writers last year and found that the pay expectations were all over the place. The range seriously seemed to be between $15 and $175 per hour.

          1. Journalist*

            As you know, some people will write you 750 good words for $10, and some won’t do it for less than $100. But word count is just a start – are you asking people to do original reporting? Make two phone calls per piece? Or are you asking them to aggregate and link out? That kind of stuff makes a huge difference. I can get you 750 words of opinion-aggregation in a half-hour, but I’ll need a day or more to do it with original reporting, depending on the subject.

            For your average blogging gig, producing 4-6 pieces per day, some aggregated and some reported, with the ultimate production of, say, 1,000-1,200 words per day? $2500/month is a nice target. But you’ll find people who’d do it for a tenth of that, hell, you’d find people who’d do it for free, which is terribly frustrating to those of us who need to make our living in the field.

            In terms of a yearly take, most full-time freelance print/online journalists I know (and I include myself, when I was freelancing) make anywhere from $35k/yr to $100k/yr. Which is a comparable range to what most salaried journalists make, at least outside of senior staff at your big pubs like NYT, etc.

    2. Ann Furthermore*

      I have a question about modern-day journalism, but I don’t know if it’s overly harsh, or if you’ll read it that way. So let me say in advance that I’m not assuming that you are part of a trend that I’ve noticed over the past few years.

      I’ve noticed that at least on the big news channels these days, it seems that it’s now more important to be first to report something, and whether it’s factual or not is secondary. The example that sticks out in my mind is all the stories that were swirling around about Adam Lanza after the Sandy Hook school shootings. In a single day, I heard at least 4 different stories about who he was from one of the major news channels: first he was the father of one of the kids at the school, then he was the uncle of one of the kids at the school, then his mother was a teacher at the school, and then his mother was a volunteer at the school. None of those things were true, or even close to being true.

      What’s your opinion about what has caused this? Is it due to increased competition because people can get their news in many more ways now? Or maybe increased competition in the form of any schmo who has a keyboard and an internet connection being able to set up a blog and cite anything they want to as facts?

      1. Journalist*

        As I said above, I really don’t know much about broadcast journalism, and this is a broadcast journalism problem … but I will say that I think it stems from broadcast journalists and producers seeing blogs/social media as their *competition*, which I think is profoundly wrong-headed.

        Now, broadcast has almost always been about “Here’s what we know now, updates to come,” but with a certain amount of restraint–and you do still see that restraint, I think, from places like the BBC. You don’t so much see it from CNN, Fox, etc – again, because they’re putting themselves up against Twitter in a competition for “firsties,” rather than “accuraties.” To coin a phrase.

        1. Ann Furthermore*

          That’s my take on it too — that blogs and social media are the competition, which seems pretty dangerous to me.

          I’ve spent quite a bit of time in Europe in the last few years, due to work assignments, and the news there is completely different. One of my German colleagues actually talks about “American-style news” being much more sesnsationalist than what you see on most European news channels. She told me that she can’t believe what she sees on the news in the US, particularly on the local stations. In Germany, she says, you would never see a story about someone being bitten by a dog, because really, who gives a f*ck? LOL! She thinks that’s why Americans are so scared of everything — interesting perspective. I told her that at least in the city we live in, you could theoretically watch local news on one channel or another for about 19 hours a day. Lots of airtime to fill.

        2. Ann Furthermore*

          And also, thanks for your answer. It is something I find really troubling, but asking something like that can sound like your whole profession is being attacked. I hope that’s not how it came across.

          1. Journalist*

            Not at all. Lots of journalists are self-aggrandizing bullies whose employers reward them for fear-mongering and sensationalism. It’s been that way since the dawn of the profession. (Arguably, that was the *standard* at the modern dawn of the profession.)

            1. Ann Furthermore*

              You’re right, sad as it is, scandal sells and it always has. I read an interesting article about Rupert Murdoch’s shuttered News of the World publication, and it said that it went for shock journalism (or whatever the equivalent of that was in 1839) right from the start.

              I was forced to paste the link into one of my replies on Facebook during a debate with a very staunch Republican friend of mine when he was trying to defend Rupert Murdoch as the last bastion of unbiased journalism. I don’t care what anyone’s political beliefs are, but ALL the media outlets/news channels are in it to make money and drive profits up, and in my view denying that is just naive.

              I think that’s part of the problem with broadcast journalism as well — they definitely have their target audiences, which drives what they put on the air, and how it’s presented.

              Disclaimer: I’m not trying to stir up any kind of political debate!

              1. System Engineer 4*

                Additional disclaimer: you could also say the very same thing about MSNBC, so I’m not just picking on Fox News. And I say that as a bleeding heart liberal. :)

  33. Chargeback Investigator*

    Fun little niche job! If you see a fraudulent charge on your credit card, or you’ve been double-billed, or you didn’t get something you ordered and paid for, or you got it but it’s messed up somehow, or any other of a number of things — well, you call the number on your card and tell them you want your money back. They in turn try to go pry that money away from the business that charged you.

    I work on the business’s side (or to be more precise, their credit card processor’s), reviewing these disputes and deciding whether they’re worth fighting or whether it’s better to just give over the money and be done with it.

    Working for the payment processor, I’ve picked up some reasonably broad knowledge on the payment card industry (debit, credit, prepaid, etc) and find it fairly fascinating.

    1. EngineerGirl*

      In reading other blogs I’ve noticed that some credit cards fight harder for you than others do. What documentation does a consumer really need to ensure that their dispute will be accepted?
      What causes you to roll over and pay it anyway and get the wrath of the consumer?

      1. Chargeback Investigator*

        It depends on the reason. There are a lot of different reasons for dispute, and each one requires or recommends different documentation to support your claim.

        Fraud? All you need is your statement that you didn’t authorize the charge. Your issuer might make you sign something stating it, but that’s all.

        Incorrect amount? I’d be looking for a receipt, invoice, estimate, something that shows the amount you say you were supposed to be charged.

        Never received what you paid for? That’s another one that usually doesn’t require any documents.

        Got something but it wasn’t what you ordered, or you got something defective? That wants proof that it wasn’t what you ordered or that it was defective. Often, a professional 2nd opinion supporting your claims, for defective/poor quality items and service.

        A lot of it tends to be pretty common-sensical on the consumer’s side. What’s your argument, and what can you show that supports it? This is almost always pretty lenient for the consumer, too.

    2. Bryan*

      What advice do you have for consumers to be able to challenge the charges more easily and successfully? I feel like what I think is cut and dry in my case has been fought before.

      1. Chargeback Investigator*

        Oh, we can fight over all kinds of nitpicky little things :) But the rules for pretty much every major card issuer (I can’t speak to AmEx or international issuers, my company only handles Visa, Mastercard, Discover) are weighted in favor of the consumer. From what I’ve seen outside my job (ie, on the consumer rather than the merchant side) a lot of times the roadblock is actually coming from your bank, and depends on what they’re willing to fight for, rather than the actual rules established by the associations.

        In general, timeframe is a big one — dispute a charge as soon as you are aware of it, or aware that there’s a reason it needs to be disputed. If your claims could reasonably want some kind of support, have your documentation ready. Photographs aren’t much good, because they often don’t transmit well, but contracts, 2nd opinions, that kind of thing are all really valuable. If you ordered a green shirt but got a blue one, have your order form that says “green” ready to go. If the guy fixing your car screwed it up, take it to another shop and get an estimate that shows exactly what’s wrong and what they’re going to need to do to fix it. If the return policy on your receipt says 7 days but they refused to refund you after only 3 days, have that receipt ready and remember the date you tried to return the stuff.

    4. LBK*

      I don’t have any specific questions, just want to say that this sounds like a super cool job that I would have no clue how you ever end up getting.

      1. Chargeback Investigator*

        It can get kind of boring sometimes (pretty much every ecommerce fraud case looks alike) but everyone in the department has a little mental file of our favorite crazy cases, the weirdest doc we’ve received, etc. One of my favorites was the cardholder letter that started out very neatly and professionally written, and over four pages denigrated into scribbled obscenities and rage, all over an extra month’s billing from a storage facility.

        As for how I got it — I actually started working for this processor as a customer service rep, then transitioned into chargebacks after a while. Probably 70% of what I did on the phones was helping businesses with chargebacks, so it was a pretty smooth transition.

    5. PBS Fundraiser (Sam)*

      We lose SO much money because of this. People order stuff all the time, charge it back, and we lose. It’s horrible. People have even charged-back AFTER we already gave them a refund. :(

      1. Katie*

        PBS Fundraiser, do you have a system of responding to chargebacks? We work with 6 different processors, so I just re-worked our entire response system and hired an intern to start responding. We’ve found that even despite whether we win or lose, just staying on top of them seems to help fewer come through (the processors seem to go to bat for us more–Chargeback Investigator, would you agree?).

        1. Chargeback Investigator*

          We do! It depends somewhat on the type of business — a couple of our independent sales orgs have a penchant for signing up some real skeazeball acts and we’re less likely to fight for them, but as long as you’re not selling synthetic marijuana (excuse me, “maria janey incense – legal in all 50 states!”) or something, we will generally do our best to fight these cases out.

          And staying on top of things does make a huge difference, yes. There’s a limited timeframe to respond and it is 100% inflexible. The card associations doesn’t care about weekends or blizzards or a fire in the office — if the doc’s due by a certain day, it is due by that day. The other thing that will help a lot of the time is keeping your information very well organized. If you’ve got a guy claiming you messed up his order a month ago, and you can provide the details of the order and what you did to fix it, that gives us a good fighting chance.

      2. Chargeback Investigator*

        It can be really frustrating, yeah. I work mostly Visa, which has the toughest rules on the business side, and I’m lucky if I can kick back 10% of my cases. (That said, I’m not on front-line, so what I see is the stuff that’s really getting fought over. Still.)

        If you’d already issued a refund, though, your processor should have caught that and kicked it back without you ever seeing the dispute. You’re putting the money back on the same card, right? (If you’re not, do that — we can’t protect you if you issue refunds by check, cash, onto a different card, etc.)

        1. Julie*

          This explains an article I read the other day on Elliott.org. Someone paid for a cruise and then wanted a refund. The cruise company agreed that they should get a refund, but the customer’s Amex account had been closed in the meantime, so there’s a huge ordeal about how to get the money back to the customer. I can see now why they have a policy of only refunding to the original credit card account (although in this particular case, they and Amex were being unnecessarily rigid).

    6. Katie*

      Hey again! I commented on someone else’s comment, but wanted to post my own question. I’ve seen some interest here on what a consumer can do to help win chargebacks, but do you have any recommendations for businesses?

      As you said, a lot of it is pretty “common-sensical”. We’re an online business and provide a lot of information to our processors about what service was provided, the consumer’s info that they gave us, etc., plenty of proof, and we keep our chargebacks at bay. Just curious if you have any little-known tips or tricks to keep in mind?

      1. Chargeback Investigator*

        On the business side? There are a couple things:

        1) Keep your information very well organized. The chargeback process can take months to complete, and in certain types of cases the consumer has up to 18 months from the transaction date to open a case. Keeping your information organized and keeping it on hands will do you a lot of good.

        2) Respond in a very timely fashion. Like I said above, deadlines are immutable and not under your processor’s control, so the sooner you respond, the better off you are.

        3) Know the rules! While consumers have fairly common-sense rules for what they need to provide, merchants often have very specific pieces of evidence they need to provide in order to successfully fight a case. For example, a proof of delivery for a “non-receipt” case will give us some leeway to fight it out with the bank, but if it’s not signed, they’re ultimately going to win. My suggestion is to see if your processor will set you up the chance to talk to someone on your chargeback team directly and get a discussion of what each type of dispute wants in the way of evidence. We’ve got someone in our department who is specifically tasked with working as a liaison to our internal sales reps and our external sales organizations (and thus their clients) — if your processor has someone like that, they’re a great resource.

        If you’ve already got most of the basics in place, and it sounds like you do, the other good thing to do is look over the dispute, and any cardholder documentation that you get, and answer it as specifically as possible. If the cardholder makes claims A, B, and C, then I’m going to read the dispute looking for answers to all three points — if the case is fairly complicated, the more detailed and explanatory the rebuttal, the better. Depending on how technical your industry is, remember that the people working your case are not experts in what your business does — I know very little about, say, car repair, and the same is most likely true for my counterpart on the bank’s side, so adding in a layman’s explanation can often make a huge difference in quality or non-rendered services dispute cases.

  34. Freelance soft-skills trainer (The RO-Cat)*

    I’m a freelance trainer training people in soft skills (sales, customer care, general / team / sales management, leadership, negotiations, communications, everything related to dealing with human beings).

    I mainly train employees of big firms (although now and then we have what we call “open sessions”- people coming from different sources. I got there by chance and I loved it. As per my country’s laws I had to graduate a short (3-months course) as a Trainer; the rest is experience and feedback from the market. I have 2 main clients (companies selling the courses) for whom I act as a contractor.

    1. Jen RO*

      Asking on behalf of my mom: how do you even start doing this? My mum was thinking of going into business for herself after a layoff and I think she finished that training program you were talking about. She would be training people in sales, specifically in the medical/pharmaceutical field (she worked in the field for 20+ years). I don’t even know what the question is, but I wouldn’t have a clue how to start marketing myself as a trainer!

      1. Freelance soft-skills trainer (The RO-Cat)*

        I started small, seeking clients in the SME class. Later, as I grew, I looked for training companies in need of (project-based) workforce. I also built in time a small network of people with complementary skills / interests (coaches, consultants etc) and we help each other. Probably the first step I would take would be to look for small med / pharma companies, do a demo and go from there (but keep in mind I don’t know the industry). Also, a good sales program can be transferred to other industries as well.

        1. Technical writer (Jen)*

          That’s promising, since she has a lot of connections in the industry.

          And a more generic question: where are these people who actually pay for training? I’ve never heard of a company offering soft skills training – am I in the wrong industry for that or what? I mean, most of the people I work with *are* programmers, but there’s a whole lot of people in management who never get trained… I’ve always assumed that training is one of those expenses that gets cut first.

          1. Freelance soft-skills trainer (The RO-Cat)*

            At the SME level I had to sell firstly the very concept of training, then my training programs. It’s a hit-and-miss business.

            The firms I work with now are selling to multinationals. Those have budgets (and demands!) and are a difficult lot to get to, but…

  35. Software Engineer*

    I’m a software engineer. I write augmented reality apps for wearable technology like Google Glass.

    1. LBK*

      So I’m guessing you’re pro-Glass, then? How does it seem to be catching on from your perspective? I hear a hell of a lot about the invasion of privacy fears and not much about how it actually works and the good, productive stuff it can do for you as a user.

      1. Software Engineer*

        I think the privacy concerns are over-hyped. A phone will do the exact same things Glass will do.

        There are a lot of good uses for Glass in the commercial world – that’s where our focus is. A police officer could receive silent alerts on Glass alerting them to the location of a shooter in a building while keeping both hands free. Or a mechanic could watch instructions for a repair while still using both hands for the repair.

        Basically anyone that needs both hands to do their job, but would still benefit from having information presented to them as they do their jobs.

          1. Software Engineer*

            No, those aren’t apps we’re working on – those are just common examples used for wearable technology. I can’t talk about our stuff in an open forum. It’s a lot of fun, though. My favorite job so far, by a long way.

        2. LBK*

          Awesome, thanks for the response! I was fascinated by Glass and what you could do with it when the first trailer came out, it’s a shame the negative press has vastly overwhelmed all the benefits it could have, both personally and commercially.

  36. Graphic Designer*

    I currently do pharmaceutical graphic design, but previously worked for a nonprofit organization on a shoestring budget.

    1. Brianne*

      I’ve always wondered – is Graphic Design something that is easily trasnferable between industries? Or do employers look for industry specific experience when hiring? For example, since you are currently in pharmeceutical design, would you expect it to be easy or difficult to move, say, to sporting events or retail?

      1. Graphic Designer*

        In my experience, it has been a very transferable skill. I went from general design to information design very easily. The only area I have found that it is difficult to transition into without prior experience is packaging design, which is apparently a whole different ballpark!

        Also, it is worth noting that most places looking for a graphic designer nowadays are looking for someone who can do web design (HTML/Dreamweaver) as well as print design. They are two similar, but definitely different, buckets, and since I unfortunately do not have much web experience, it has been very limiting for me.

        1. Julie*

          And with pharma packaging, there are a lot of FDA (and probably other) rules about how it has to be done.

  37. Gov't accountant for Indian Health (De Minimis)*

    I work as an accountant for an Indian Health Service clinic located on tribal land in Oklahoma. I monitor accounts from various funding sources for two clinics, the main one and a satellite clinic about an hour away.
    My job mainly involves certifying funds for various expenditures and a lot of budgetary reporting to our area headquarters. I am on track to become more or less the entire finance department when a senior employee retires in the fall.
    I also spend a lot of time tracking various items in an automated accounting system and reconciling that record with the record we have in-house.
    I’m a Federal employee and am probably going to have to stick to government employee for the rest of my career due to getting a late start professionally and having some major setbacks earlier in my career.

    I used to work for a Big 4 accounting firm as a tax accountant…

      1. De Minimis*

        I am a career changer in accounting and had a tough time finding work after losing my Big 4 position. My agency [and one other] hire according to Indian Preference and I am Indian so I knew I would have a good chance at getting a job here if I applied since I am also pretty well qualified [have a grad degree in accounting and a CPA license, albeit an inactive one.] I did have to relocate for the job and that has been the most difficult part of it.

        My Big 4 experience also kind of soured me on the private sector, so I liked that my work would be supporting something that I truly supported and cared about.

          1. De Minimis*

            No, although that was still kind of on the radar screen of a lot of people. My office had a large number of Andersen alumni to where the joke was the day their office shut down they all packed their stuff and just walked across the street.

    2. vvonderwoman*

      A bit unrelated, but I was tabling at a health fair and there supposed to be a booth from Indian Health. My interns were asking why it’s called “Indian” Health if it’s generally offensive to call Native people Indians. I told them I wasn’t sure, but I thought it had to do with the historical context of when the agency/dept was formed. We were wondering if it’s also partially because some folks prefer the term Indian, or if it had to do with elder decision makers, or if no one really cares either way, so why change it.

      1. De Minimis*

        Should have checked in more…

        The thing is, most American Indian people don’t have a problem with the term Indian. It’s how they refer to themselves [although sometimes they identify more with their particular tribe.] I’ve heard some even say they really prefer that word to Native American [which I have never heard in use at all.] Some more radical types are suspicious of that term.

        I’m sure there are probably some people out there who use/prefer the term Native American, but I’ve never seen anything like that.

    3. Fruitfly*

      I have a question about accounting career paths:
      If I gain a B.S. and a M.S. in Accounting, but not a CPA, will there still be opportunities out there for me in medium to large size organization or companies. I am planning on enrolling for courses in auditing, finance, and financial reporting. I hope that I will be able to work somewhere in the field of accounting or finance, doing reporting of profits and net assets, or budgeting. I heard that some people a couple of years ago can pursue an accounting career without a CPA, but I wonder what is the case now. I am in the USA.

  38. Camp Director*

    I get the very fun (but sometimes grueling) job of running an overnight summer camp program for children from age 7-17.

    1. EngineerGirl*

      I suspect that it is non-stop during the weeks when you have campers. What about the rest of the year? What kind of planning and timelines go into the preparation for a summer of fun?

      1. Camp Director*

        In our off-season, we spend time planning the next year’s activities, doing lots of marketing and preparing new materials for the next season, making arrangements with vendors, taking inventory and purchasing supplies, surveying campers and their parents to see what can be improved for the next year, etc. It’s a big job year-round!

    2. Celeste*

      How hard is it to find the right cabin staff? I have always been really impressed with the ones at my daughter’s Y camp, mostly because I don’t feel I could have done that work.

      1. Camp Director*

        In our case, we operate with a volunteer staff. The people who volunteer generally want to be there out of the goodness of their hearts, which helps. We try to recruit people who are college-age and pursuing a degree in primary education – people who sincerely want to be around children.

    3. HR Director*

      Have you done the job for long? Have you seen any difference in how the parent’s of campers behave?

      1. Camp Director*

        I’ve been involved with the program for a lot longer than I have been the director…but I can tell you that in just the three years I have been directing, most of the parents are fine and don’t seem to have a problem leaving their kids.

        Some others, however, are clingy and helicoptery and don’t want to let go, when the kids clearly just want them leave and let them have fun at camp. (These parents will ask us to have the kids call them every single night, and most of the time, the kids clearly do not want to be sitting there on the phone with Mom or Dad when they could be spending time with their friends.) It is these parents that take up about 70% of the time I spend interacting with our constituents.

        We try to make everyone feel very comfortable by spelling out our daily events and schedule in our marketing materials, and we’ve found that it helps to reduce the amount of parent questions and concerns.

        1. HR Director*

          Thanks!

          Another question I have is about the ages of campers. Have you found that there are certain ages that just work best for summer camp? I know that it depends on the child and there are varying recommendations depending on who you ask, but in your experience, have you found that there is a sweet spot, of sorts?

          1. Camp Director*

            In my experience, any age 7 and older is the best age for camp. Basically, once a child is able to spend a full day in school, they are usually able to handle an overnight camp program with no issues. (We occasionally have serious homesickness problems with the 7-8 year olds, but usually if they can make it past the first day or two, they get used to the routine and then they are fine.)

            With teenagers, it can be difficult at home to get them interested in attending a camp program, especially if they are brand-new – the major fear is that they won’t know anyone – but most of them really love it once they actually get there and make a few friends. That sentiment crops up across all age groups but it affects the teenagers the most, because their identity is so caught up in their social circle.

      1. Camp Director*

        My first piece of advice would be to choose a camp that is accredited by the American Camp Association. Those camps follow stringent safety and security rules that are very important and should put any parent’s mind at ease.

        After that piece of advice, my second piece is – don’t spend too much time (or extra money) worrying about putting your child in a specific program at camp. (For example, a horse program for a horse lover or a water program for a swimmer.) It’s fine if you want to do that…but I promise you that the kids care about the program and educational bits far, far less than they remember the traditions, the campfires, and the fun they have with their friends in the cabin, or at meal time, or down time. That’s the most important part of camp, after all – building friendships, identity, independence, and self-awareness away from home.

        1. TidyParty*

          Thank you! What about religious camps? I’d like to send my children to a camp that reflects our family’s (evangelical Christian) faith while avoiding the sort of hyper-emotional decision focused environment portrayed in “Jesus Camp.” The camp I went to as a kid had a good balance in this regard, but a recent cross-country move has taken that option out of the running. Do you have any experience with faith-based camps?

          The real root of my concern, though, is in helicoptering. How many questions do I get to ask before I become one of those annoying parents who take up way too much of your time?

          1. Camp Director*

            Actually, my camp is faith-based, so yes, I’ve got some experience with that! I think if you want to avoid the “Jesus Camp” factor, the best thing you could do (after checking the internet for reviews) would be to call or email the camp director, and ask about the program. Also, ask if they can give you references of happy customers you could contact. They should have no problem doing that, and the answers you get should give you a good idea of what you are getting your kids into.

            If I got a phone call from a parent who was asking questions about the program itself, I would not consider that person a helicopter parent, but rather someone doing smart research.

            The “helicopter questions” usually have to do with how much the camp’s schedule and diet will differ from a child’s personalized schedule and diet at home, whether or not the parent can become a counselor so as not to be separated from the child for the duration of the camp, and how frequently the child will be permitted to call home. :)

  39. Nonprofit program manager (education); previously federal gov't initiative manager*

    I moved to nonprofit world 1.5 years ago to run a program focused on a specific K-12 education issue and previously led a federal initiative about the same issue. Also a PhD and job searching —

    1. EduStudent*

      How did you get into that federal work? Can you talk about some of the main focuses of each of your jobs (nonprofit vs. federal)? I’m extremely interested in education, but usually when I say that most people think I want to teach, which I don’t. So it’s great to hear from someone involved in education but not in the classroom, and I’d really love to hear whatever details you feel comfortable sharing about either position!

      1. program manager OP*

        I really lucked into my position at federal government through a mechanism they no longer have (SCEP) which allowed them to hire me on directly after an internship. I never wanted to be a teacher but have always been interested in ed policy so that’s what I studied in school and got my PhD.

  40. Mallorie, the (former) recruiter*

    I was (until Jan) a corporate recruiter for entry level positions at a large bank – happy to answer any recruiting questions!

    I am now a team lead and direct manager for entry level HR employees at the same company – happy to answer questions about this, but have only been on the job a few months :-)

    1. Stargazer*

      How does one go about making him or herself more attractive to a recruiter? What makes a recruiter say, This person is a good investment for me. I’m not looking to change jobs, but I’ve worked with recruiters in the past and wondered how it worked. I’m in media, not banks, so maybe my question doesn’t apply.

      1. Mallorie, the (former) recruiter*

        I think the best advice is to really just be the best possible version of yourself – and I think this would be true for any sector or industry. The people I found most attractive were the ones with a solid work history (regardless of the KIND of history) who would naturally fit into the job and our culture. The unattractive candidates are the desperate ones: the people who you know are saying things to get the job, who don’t care if the job is a good fit, or who pretend they wouldn’t be completely miserable because they need a paycheck. AAM is right – job searching needs to go both ways. If you present your best self, the recruiter and manager will either think you are a good fit or not — and either of those things are ok! Also, be responsive and easy to work with. Recruiters play SO MUCH phone tag, it gets old after a while.

    2. Sunflower*

      If you are referred a by a recruiter or found by one, does that give the candidate any kind of leg up on people who just openly applied to the position?

      1. Mallorie, the (former) recruiter*

        Oh definitely. I treated referrals like gold (and still do as a hiring manager). Ultimately the ‘referral’ status won’t sway my hiring decision, but it will DEFINITELY be a great foot in the door to get an interview. But, and this is a huge but, I can honestly not all recruiters are like this. There are A LOT of disorganized, sloppy, lazy recruiters who would not even call a referral. But a GOOD recruiter is not going to want to burn that bridge and will make the call :-) Hope that helps!

    3. CSR Girl*

      How hard is it to move between different HR functions? I used to be in a performance management & training role, but am now in corporate social responsibility (CSR). In my next job, I want to make my way back into core HR, specifically career counseling/talent management or recruiting. Any advice?

      1. Mallorie, the (former) recruiter*

        HR tends to be a very competitive field in that there are a lot of people who want to work in HR functions and not a lot of jobs (especially in a tough economy, HR is generally where a lot of cuts happen, in big and small businesses alike). The best advice I can give you would be to make yourself as attractive a candidate as possible and apply, apply, apply. I run a team of very entry level HR people and we generally pull down postings after just a few hours due to an influx of candidates. I’d use AAM’s advice and try to find connections in companies you are interested in, use your network – that will be your best bet. And don’t get discouraged… it could take years to get into a recruiting role – especially at a big company.

  41. Fiction Writer*

    I write stories, and sometimes people read them. Daily tasks include writing, diving Scrooge McDuck style into my rejection slips, and sobbing at my bank statements.

        1. Susan2*

          You’re a good writer because after reading your post, I had to read it out loud to my spouse (sorry, we giggled but in empathy) and then sent it to a fellow friend.

          (and while writing this I got intimidated if I was using “empathy” right while writing back to a writer and had to double check it via Dictionary)

        2. Sabrina*

          Are you published? I mainly read fantasy. If you’re George RR Martin then get back to work!

            1. Sabrina*

              Right? Though I do think that Brandon Sanderson did a pretty good job (as well as he could) and I do enjoy his other work. Plus I got to meet him a couple of years ago and he’s a very nice guy.

    3. Penny*

      Do you think it’s possible to write a novel in addition to a regular 40-hour-a-week job, or does there a come a point when one needs to focus on writing and only writing?

      1. Fiction Writer*

        I think its great, as long as people don’t self publish their first draft at the end of the month.

  42. Software Development Project Manager for Federal Govt*

    I am a Project Manager that leads team developing projects for a very large US government organization. I get a small number of govt employees and a lot of contractors pulling in the right direction to delivery software projects with the goal of on time and on budget. What that really amounts to sitting at the computer all day, sending emails, participating in online meetings, instant messaging, and occasionally calling someone on the phone trying to keep everything organized and ensuring we are prepared to take the next step necessary in the project.

    Fortunately I can laugh at the absurdity of the bureaucracy because there’s a ton of it. I believe senior management had good intentions, but there’s a lot of being attracted to the latest shiny object (management buzzword) and CYA that hurts things and makes the job harder.

      1. Software Development Project Manager for Federal Govt*

        I got my start with a BS in computer science (ie writing code) then I was in the military (not writing code) and several of my wide variety of jobs were as a Project Manager or something like it.

        That said you can get into the business by schooling – most IT programs include at least one project management class and some degrees allow you to focus on project mangement. This involved understanding the software development life cycle but also budgets and scheduling.

        A lot of people end up as a project manager by moving up from one of the position on the project team – like coder/developer, tester, analyst. And some of those people especially analysts might have started out just as a customer who assisted on the IT project and liked it.

        There’s also the Project Management Professinal (PMP) Certification, but I don’t think that’s terribly useful without some relevent experience. The same could be said for those degrees I mentioned. The catch-22 of the job market right now (you can’t get experience without experieince).

        This is all specific to IT project management because I haven’t done any other kind. In some ways it’s easy because a lot of the necessary skills are common sense to doing any kind of project even ones you do at home, but the hard part to getting people to do what you need them to do. The people skills are the challenge.

        But I really enjoy it.

    2. A Jane*

      Just started at my new job as a new PM and our major release is at the end of the month. Do you have any recommendations on ways to ramp us as the PM? The team is really great and helpful and the transitioning PM is also excellent.

    3. Future Contractor*

      I’m about to start an entry level position as a trainee consultant for a government contractor. Any tips for integrating into the teams I’m put on or just things I should look out for/be doing that might not occur to a clueless college student?

  43. Family & Substance Abuse Therapist*

    I am a mental health therapist. I work mostly with teenagers and their families. I do short and long-term mental health counseling. I also do substance abuse therapy.

    1. Diet Coke Addict*

      Do you or your colleagues experience a lot of burnout? I imagine this job would be difficult and fairly taxing emotionally. Is it?

      1. Family & Substance Abuse Therapist*

        I haven’t really experienced any burn out, but I see people who do. More often it seems that people burn out when they aren’t able to have a boundary between work and life outside of work.

        And, of course, there are people who get into this field because they are not mentally healthy themselves. They tend to burn out quickly, too.

      2. Family & Substance Abuse Therapist*

        I realized I didn’t answer your second question.

        It can be taxing emotionally, but overall not really. It was when I initially started doing the work, but after a bit you just get used to it. You develop strategies for not taking the work home and not internalizing it.

    2. Sunflower*

      I’ve thought many many times about becoming a therapist. I’d be interested in working with people who are mostly going through smaller issues and not dealing with severe mental illness. I’ve heard the burnout is high and dealing with insurance is a drag. I’ve also considered becoming a guidance counselor in a school or school psychologist. The extra schooling is what is holding me back though- how did you deal with extended schooling?

      1. Family & Substance Abuse Therapist*

        I did my schooling all in a row, so I was finished by the time I was 25. I had my BS in Psychology and then I got my MEd in Counseling Psychology (which I did in conjunction with school counseling as well). So, overall it was 8 years. BUT, it only would have been three years of grad school if I hadn’t done the school counseling course as well.
        Also, 80-90% of the classes in grad school were 100% applicable to the “real job” so it was fascinating work. Plus, I just really like school – I’d go forever if I could! So, it wasn’t an issue for me.

      2. Anon*

        How did you decide to do both long and short term counseling? How did you narrow down what field you wanted to pursue (ie: LMFT, LICSW, etc)? What contributed to that choice? What makes that the best option for you?

        I currently do direct service work with families (think crisis counseling) while I’m looking at different graduate programs and (eventually) licensing. I keep getting overwhelmed with the number of options available, so I would love to hear about the process you went through in choosing your field!

        1. Family & Substance Abuse Therapist*

          I work for a government agency. I did an internship with them before they hired me and I loved the access I had to low-income clients (our services are free).

          Doing a wide variety of counseling (short, long, SA, etc.) helps me not get bored and/or burned out. I get to focus on a lot of different issues instead of the same things over and over.

          I am a CMHC. How I decided….that is a long a twisty story. Ultimately I loved working with kids but realized that teaching and/or school counseling was not what I wanted. I wanted to be able to work with people on more of an individual basis. I wasn’t as interested in becoming an LCSW because most LCSW training programs don’t have 100% focus on clinical work like CMHC programs do. I knew from the get go that I only wanted to do clinical work, so that made my decision more easy.

          I’m not sure if that answered your question, so if not, reply back and I’ll try my best!

          1. Anon Again*

            Thanks for your response!

            How did you know that you wanted to focus on clinical work before having a chance to do that type of work? I know you said you completed all of your schooling in a row, so was all of your experience before choosing your CMHC program through internships?

            1. Family & Substance Abuse Therapist*

              Yes it was – internships, job shadows, etc. I had a variety of internships through my BS and MEd. Those really helped me figure out what I loved the most. I had three internships in school, one in a mortuary (grief counseling), and two in mental health clinics. I found I just had a passion for the mental health work – it just clicked with me.

              I think I was lucky that way, because some of my cohort from the program ended up gravitating away from clinical work after graduating.

    3. LBK*

      Is it ever weird to know so much about your patients and have them (presumably) know nothing about you? I think about that with my therapist currently. This woman knows every deep secret and fear, things I haven’t told and would never tell anyone else, and I don’t know a damn thing about her except her name, where she works and what she looks like.

      1. Family & Substance Abuse Therapist*

        Initially that was a bit of an odd concept. I felt like there was somewhat of a disconnect between me and my clients because of that. BUT as it goes on you get more of a sense as to why the relationship needs to be that way for therapy to be effective. Now I don’t even think about that.

        1. LBK*

          That makes sense, I agree it does have to be that way for therapy to be effective, and I don’t know what I would’ve done if I hadn’t found my therapist. She’s been immensely helpful. It’s just a little weird sometimes!

          Conversely, does it ever get odd knowing so much personal info about people, or does it just get sorted into the “work info” box in your head?

          1. Family & Substance Abuse Therapist*

            It definitely goes in to the “work box” of my head. After you see hundreds (perhaps thousands) of clients – personal information is just filed away for the next session.

            And typically, yes, there needs to be a very firm professional boundary between client and therapist for it to be beneficial and effective. I’ve seen therapists blur that boundary with too much self disclosure and it ultimately harms the client (even if the client doesn’t realize it).

    4. CTO*

      I’m interested in moving into clinical work once I go to grad school, and I’m always wondering about licensures. In terms of income potential and job opportunities, what’s the difference between LMFT, LICSW, and other programs like psychology?

      1. Family & Substance Abuse Therapist*

        In my state/field, anyone who is a masters level (LMFT, CMHC, LPC, LCSW) are all paid the same – so there isn’t a difference.

        Getting a doctorate would put you in a different category – but many Psychologists tend to go more into assessment/evaluation work – so they aren’t doing as much on-going counseling.

        For what it’s worth, I also do assessments/evaluations. Our relationship with insurance agencies is such that we get paid a set amount for the service performed – not for the license of the person doing it. So, in our particular clinic, there is not advantage to getting a doctorate.

        In my field/state, there are far fewer job openings that specifically request/require a psychologist, so often a psychologist would just be paid the same as someone with a masters (simply because the higher degree isn’t required).

        So, it really depends on what you want to do, where you want to live, and the demand in that area.

        1. CTO*

          That’s really helpful; thank you. I am definitely most interested in an MSW program for several reasons, and I’d love to work in the nonprofit realm like I currently do, but I’d like to have the option of private practice if I ever wanted/needed something more lucrative.

          1. Family & Substance Abuse Therapist*

            Private practice is an interesting beast! I have many colleagues who do it on the side, but it’s hard to leave the safety of a “for sure” paycheck. Plus, it is increasingly difficult to get in insurance panels as an individual clinician.

            It’s definitely nice to have the option if needed, however!

    5. Attorney (Marie)*

      Family & Substance Abuse Therapist, I hope I’m not too late to reach you.

      How should someone go about choosing a family counsellor? I volunteer in a community programme that brings me into contact with a lot of messed-up family relationships. I’d love to be able to say ‘I recommend you call ThisGuy’, and hand out a phone number, rather than saying ‘I recommend you find a counsellor’. If I am to find good family counsellors to recommend, what kinds of questions should I ask before recommending someone?

      1. Family & Substance Abuse Therapist*

        That’s a good question and a tough one. I can’t give you any hard and fast rules or questions to ask.

        For many people, insurance (or lack thereof) will dictate their choice(s) of clinicians. And that’s a good place to start, as for many families, money/insurance is a huge factor in being able to afford (and follow through) with counseling.

        Personally, I only recommend counselors who I have worked with or who I have had several colleagues vouch for their work. Sometimes that means I don’t have anyone I can recommend for a particular client (based on their insurance), but I would rather do that than recommend someone who I can’t vouch for.

        So, asking families/clients/colleagues if they have anyone they like can give you a starting point.

        We have a list of counselors here that we don’t vouch for, but that we have called and asked about their services, theoretical orientation, etc. – so we can give the list to families and they can see who they might fit with.

        Overall, choosing a counselor can be like dating. Not everyone is going to click with any one counselor. But doing phone interviews and getting personal recommendations goes a long way.

        1. Attorney (Marie)*

          Thanks for the response! Based on this, it sounds like the best would be getting recommendations from psychologists who have had dealings with specific counsellors. None of these people have insurance, so I often recommend free counselling provided by a church or nonprofit, which has its own downsides, like lack of training.

  44. Celeste*

    Health Physicist (Celeste)

    I’m a specialist in radiation protection in the workplace. I have worked in nuclear power generation, industry, and environmental remediation. I currently work in a government/regulatory position, preparing licenses and conducting inspections for those who work with radioactive materials. It’s a specialized branch of workplace safety. I like the customer service interface with our licensees best. It’s been really amazing to see all the ways that radioactive material is used for products and services that we all rely on in our regular lives.

      1. Celeste*

        Smoke detectors, probably! They have just a tiny amount of it sealed inside, but there is usually one in every home.

        Another surprise is that radioactive material is used in all kinds of factories in gauges that measure levels and thicknesses of products. And, foods that are produced in factories may have to get an x-ray photo taken whenever there’s a breakdown on a line and parts fall loose. Nobody wants their customers to find a loose screw in their canned goods. So while the things that you bring home to your kitchen aren’t radioactive, devices that use radioactivity are needed to get them to you the way that they should be.

          1. Radiation Safety*

            Salt substitutes, cat litter, fire extinguishers, and brazil nuts are also radioactive!

    3. Radiation Safety*

      I’m also a health physicisist! I love our job! Are you Federal or do you work for a State?

      I’m an HP at a large broad scope licensee. I worked at NRC headquarters prior to moving to my current position.

  45. IT Application Consultant*

    I provide application and system support to end users and IT staff with specific focus on HR, payroll, revenue cycle, and financial systems. I also design a lot of SQL reports, do analytics, web design/maintain our intranet environment and some project management. I also have a background in computer support, networking, Exchange, and firewall management.

    1. IT Application Consultant*

      Forgot to mention I am specifically in healthcare and I also work with Risk and Corporate Compliance relating to HR matters.

  46. Controller/Governmental Accountant*

    I am currently a controller for a small flooring store that is a franchise of a bigger chain.
    Recently I was a Governmental accountant for a county in Washington State for 7 years.
    Currently I have my app in for CPA certification and should have a answer one way or another in the next three weeks.
    So I can answer just about anything in the accounting realm.

    1. Canadamber*

      So, uh, this is a stupid question, but what exactly is it that accountants do all day? Is it just go over financial statements and write those and whatnot? Is a typical workday spent mostly at a desk? Does it change much from day to day? I’m going to university for accounting next year and am just curious what I’m getting myself into!!!

      1. Malissa*

        Some days it’s sitting at a desk all day looking at financial statements. But that only happens if some thing is wrong or if you are figuring analytics. If everything goes right in the accounting world, financial statements roll out with no issue.
        Most of what I do, in both my present and previous employment, is figure out just how much something costs. Police cars cost about 60 cents a mile to operate including depreciation, gas, repairs, and insurance.
        Accounting is a numbers game. It’s often like solving a puzzle. You look at a balance sheet and see that a company has too much depreciation. you go in and figure out where that happened and what it will take to straighten it out.
        Accounting is also knowing when you can expense a computer and when you have to depreciate it over 5 years.

        1. De Minimis*

          It really depends on the specific area of accounting too. In tax starting out you spend a lot of time on what is basically data entry–your professional knowledge doesn’t come into play as much other than helping you figure out what numbers to put into which cell.

          I work in governmental now and do a lot of reconciling between different systems, planning a budget report each month, and approving and recording a ton of requisitions.

    2. Budget Analyst*

      So I don’t have the credits necessary to become a CPA, but since I am a government budget analyst I was going to sit for the CPFO and CGFM exams. Any insight in to if these certifications are worth the investment?

      1. Malissa*

        If I had stayed in Government any longer I was looking at the CGFM. This is a certification that many Governments are looking for in a candidate.
        The CPFO certification is not that widely recognized on the local government level, if you were a federal employee this certification might hold more weight.

        1. De Minimis*

          I haven’t heard of it, although I’d imagine it might be something more prevalent at higher levels or at other agencies. The head of our financial division [responsible for the entire state] is the only other CPA I am aware of. I don’t really use my license at my job and I would have to move up quite a bit before I’d get to a point where I would be required to re-activate it.

  47. family law lawyer*

    can’t provide legal advice, but willing to answer questions

    1st job was legal aid fellowship
    2nd job is government agency work

    I’m in state court 1-2 days a week.

    1. Sunflower*

      I (like every other breathing human) has considered law school and always thought I’d wanted to be a divorce lawyer. Do you deal with that and do you like it? I’ve heard it can be difficult to get paid also.

      1. Canadamber*

        Yeah, I’m totally thinking that I might want to go to law school eventually too! I’m going to university to get an accounting degree but someone said to me not too long ago:

        “If you want to spend a lot of time at a desk and not talk much, accounting’s your thing. But if you like to talk and debate, then going into law is probably a better idea.” You probably don’t know a lot about accounting, or maybe you do (but I don’t want to assume), but do you think that if you’re a talkative type of person who enjoys debating and whatnot (i.e. what you might do in front of a court, and I did mock trial in Grade 11 last year), then law might be a good idea??? Is it hard to find a job in the law field? :o

        1. Attorney*

          I don’t know about Canada, but the US job market for lawyers is still not great, honestly. It’s not nearly as lucrative a field as most people think it is, and law schools have turned out so many graduates in the last few years that there’s a lot of competition. Also, a lot of lawyering jobs really do require a decent amount of time at your desk – writing motions and interrogatories, writing letters, doing legal research, etc. The extent of that really depends on what field you’re in. To succeed as a lawyer, you need to be a good writer, and to be able to read and analyze well (and fairly quickly at times). I don’t mean to discourage you, just want to let you know what it entails.
          Again, YMMV in Canada – I’m in the US.

          1. Sunflower*

            I can kind of piggy back my question and ask if you could go back and do it again, would you still become a lawyer?

            I’ve read tons of (extremely sad) stories of people who graduate law school, can’t get jobs and have enormous loans (500,000) they aren’t sure they’ll ever be able to pay back. Personally I would never even consider going to law school at this time because of the brutal numbers but it was always something I thought I’d consider later on in life

            1. Attorney*

              I don’t mean to hijack family lawyer’s thread, but since you asked: I would do it again, but differently. I do think law is a good profession for me, as it fits my skills and inclinations pretty well. I wouldn’t have increased my loan burden by borrowing for living expenses as well during law school; I should have lived at home with my folks. I might have chosen different internship opportunities as well, because while the ones I had were great, they were definitely not the type to lead to immediate post-graduate employment. Then the economy crashed right when I graduated and passed the bar exam, and it took me 18 months to find any legal job, despite having pretty good grades, etc. My experience is definitely tainted by the uniquely bad state of the economy upon my graduation, so it’s harder for me to assess what it’s like in non-recession times.

              That said, I am fortunate enough to have a great job, and I really feel like I’m in the right place for me. So yes, I would still become a lawyer; I would just make some smarter choices along the way.

            2. Judicial Clerk*

              I would, but only because my very particular circumstances made it worth it. If any of the variables changed in a material way, I think I would think long and hard (and probably not go to law school again). I think for too many people, law school is a default good idea to be talked out of. Instead, I think people should assume law school is a bad idea for most people, and only go if their particular circumstances suggest they will be outside of the norm. Specifically, having the flexibility (financial, family, etc.) to absorb a worst-case-scenario blow (unemployment after an expensive education).

              My variables:
              – very low tuition, between the type of school, scholarship, etc.
              – free rent all three years.
              – a spouse who worked at a professional job full-time, so that the low tuition could be paid out-of-pocket.
              – no undergraduate student loans
              – an unmarketable undergraduate degree (so no lost opportunity costs)
              – good school (top half of top tier).
              – very good grades (you *cannot* plan for this. I don’t care if you have never had any grade that was not the top in your class. Everybody who shows up at law school is very academically successful, and your grades are strictly curved. Mathematically, a LOT of those previously successful students must be in the bottom half.)
              – geographic flexibility for schools, jobs, etc.
              – I ended up really really liking legal analysis, writing, research, etc. It’s also difficult to predict this unless you’ve really seen first-hand what lawyers do. The vast majority of them do NOT spend time debating interesting legal and political problems. They do document review, research, lots of uninteresting writing (motions, etc.), managing frustrated clients, shilling for work/being a salesman, etc.

        2. family law lawyer*

          my area of the law is really much more focused on research, presenting a good case, and trial skills. I don’t spend much time “debating” but the skills that you use in debate come in handy in every day practice. It’s rare that I get to go and argue in front of a judge on an issue in the law where it is a true debate though.

        3. Canadian Lawyer*

          Really late to the party, but I’m a Canadian lawyer who graduated about two years ago.

          It is very hard to find a job as a lawyer in Canada right now, for a variety of reasons. I graduated from one of the top two law schools in Canada, and even so, there were plenty of people in my school who had difficulty finding jobs.

          As a side note, my law school kept on telling people that it has a 50% placement rate in OCIs – but from personal experience, I can tell you that a lot of my classmates had judges/law school professors/politicians for parents and/or Ivy League backgrounds. Needless to say, it was very easy for them to find jobs. But for everyone else….

      2. family law lawyer*

        yes.

        I have a bit of a reputation of talking people out of law school. It’s a lot of work, a lot of debt, and you really need to know if it’s for you before you apply/go.

        It’s not that stressful. I like talking and dealing with every day people, so I really focus on that part of the job. It’s hard to see people continually at one of the worst time in their lives.

        1. Attorney*

          +1 to the talking people out of law school. I don’t tell people it’s a terrible idea or anything, but I really want them to be as informed and realistic about the job opportunities and the profession itself. Know that the employment figures are not great and that the salaries are not as high as you think they are (some lawyers do make a lot, but if you don’t work for a big firm or move to in-house counsel somewhere (which are very coveted positions), you’re probably not going to be making six figures). Have an idea about what the daily job duties entail; this varies significantly by field, but on the whole you’ve got to be OK with lots of reading and writing, having meetings, and probably billing hours. The best way to get some info about this is probably to try to talk to lawyers you know personally or through somebody. I think a lot of people look at law school and practicing law with some unrealistic expectations, and getting a better sense of what it’s really like is important.

          Also, many areas of legal practice require long hours and a heavy workload. The profession, unfortunately, has higher-than-average rates of divorce and substance abuse. It varies significantly based on where you work and what kind of law you do, but I’m just about the only one of my attorney friends who works a set 40-hour week, and that’s because I work for the government in a low-stress and non-litigation field. I once read that 40% of people with a law degree aren’t practicing law. I’m not sure how precise that statistic is or whether it includes people who have left the workforce altogether (for family reasons or whatnot), but anecdotally I do know some people who graduated from law school and left the practice of law for another field after just a few years.

        2. Attorney E*

          +2 to talking people out of going. I love my job, but I was very lucky. Most people aren’t so lucky – they either have jobs they hate or no job at all.

    2. HR Director*

      Do you ever get clients with completely unrealistic expectations in child custody cases? How do you break it to them that fighting about X is really not a good use of their time and/or money because they will likely not be successful?

      1. family law lawyer*

        Yes, those clients exist. And those cases can be tough.

        There are generally some ethical cannons/rules that help determine how much of the decisions should be your clients and how much is yours, as the attorney. I’ve always focused on being very honest with my clients and the litigants that I’ve worked with. If the end goal is unattainable, I am honest from the outset. It helps deal with expectations on the front end.

        If my client understands that the goal is unattainable, but wants to better their position to reach the goal in the future (i.e. my client can’t get custody of the child, but wants to fight for that in the future– getting the most visitation time possible, consultation on all decisions, etc. puts them in a better position to fight for that at a later date), it’s their prerogative to hire me to do so. The client decides what is good use of their time and money always– not my decision. My decision is how to get them there and evaluating the possibility and likelihood of achieving what they want.

        Lawyers, in my position, will often utilize in person meetings, phone calls and written letters detailing conversations and advice to make sure to evidence again a malpractice claim.

      2. Civil Lit Lawyer (Australia)*

        I don’t deal with divorces or custody battles, but when a client has unrealistic expectations, we usually first say it face to face, along the lines of “I know this seems great, but the law just doesn’t work that way.”

        We then follow it up in writing that we do not recommend they take a certain path, or that we think their chances of success are low, and then give them a detailed breakdown of both our legal fees, and what would happen if they take the path and lose (i.e. possible orders against them, possibly paying for the other side’s legal costs).

        Usually once they see the cost they will change their mind. If they don’t, we will happily do what they tell us to do – knowing we have given them full warning.

        1. Julie*

          I talked to an attorney about a pay dispute I was having with my then-employer. After we talked about the situation, he said that honestly he thought it wasn’t enough money to fight over and that when you start legal action against your employer, they usually fire you (at the time I didn’t know that was legal ;) ). I could tell he felt kind of bad giving me this news because I was really angry and offended, and I wanted the money I was owed. But the way he talked about it and the fact that I went to him because HE is the expert (not me) made me feel really OK about dropping it and not being angry any more. I guess I just needed to know that I had looked into every possibility. I had a similar experience with a different attorney years later regarding a landlord/tenant dispute. Both times I was told – in the kindest possible way – that I wasn’t going to win and that I was better off not pursuing any action. I thought that kind of answer/advice would make me angrier, but it didn’t – just the opposite.

    3. Attorney E*

      Do you think that seeing people during the scary, vulnerable parts of their relationships puts a strain on your own relationships with loved ones? If so, did you know that would be the case when you got into this field? I don’t think I could ever practice in family law for that reason.

      1. family law lawyer*

        It does not actually. It really has the opposite effect. I see folks during the day who hate each other, fight for the sake of fighting and in many cases shouldn’t have gotten married.

        It reminds me of the wonderful partner I have. It reminds me that we all have baggage (i.e. we could all be there one day).

        It bothers me when I have friends/family who ask for my professional advice, but don’t take it. It seems like everyone has a family law problem in their lives, and doing the responsible thing to limit liability is rarely the only competing interest– but it’s still hard.

  48. System Engineer 4*

    I usually post as Ann Furthermore.

    I do implementations of and support for the Oracle Financials ERP Suite. My focus is core financials, project accounting, and HR.

    When people ask me what I do for a living, I say that I spend my time figuring out how to make the applications do what I need them to do. This sounds pretty simple on the surface, and sometimes you do get lucky and it is pretty easy. More often though, you encounter unexpected issues and you have to get creative.

    I have an accounting degree and an MBA. I spent many years on the finance/accounting side, and then moved into an IT role where I could use those skills but not have to plan my life around month-end, quarter-end, and year-end.

    1. Risk Manager, Banking*

      This sounds fascinating to me. I’ve been in banking for almost 20 years and have decided I no longer want to deal with compliance and all the dealines, details, etc. that come with it. One thing I really do enjoy is figuring out how the core processing system works, how to extract the data I want from the system via a report write (Oracle-based, I believe), and how to use the system to get what I want (or what my boss wants), either by changing parameters or stringing together different reports to create one custom report.

      Do you think my background would help me in a field like yours? Is there additional schooling required? I’m really floundering at the moment, trying to figure out how to translate what I enjoy into a an actual job to pursue.

      1. System Engineer 4*

        It sounds like you have an excellent background for this kind of work. I did not do any additional education or certification, because I am functional, meaning I work with the front-end of the applications, and I don’t do any heavy-duty development or coding. My MBA was just something I wanted to do, and at the time my company had a tuition reimbursement plan that I was able to take advantage of. It looks nice on my resume, but beyond that I’m not sure it’s advanced my career.

        I kind of drifted into this career path. I was working for a startup dot-com years ago, reporting to the Controller. I had used Oracle in a very limited way at a previous job, and when I started the dot-com job my boss referred to me as the “Oracle expert.” I reminded her that I did not present myself that way during my interview, to which she responded, “Well, you’ve used it, and nobody else here has, so that makes you the expert.” Ack! So I was the liaison between the accounting and IT groups working on the implementation. My boss was completely nuts, and none of the IT people wanted to deal with her. She didn’t realize that most of them had an accounting background, so didn’t want to listen to what they had to say. She would actually tell them, “I don’t have time to listen to you computer nerds. Get the hell out of my office.” So they started coming to me, and one of them told me, “Well, Controller is really mean, and you’re really nice, so we’d rather just deal with you.” One of the people I worked with there told me he thought I’d be good at consulting, so when the money at the dot-com dried up, that was my next step.

        The other way to move into a more IT-focused role is to position yourself as the go-to systems person for your department, and help people with troubleshooting issues, figuring out error messages, training, and so on. At my company, these are Business Analyst roles that report into each functional area. We did a huge Oracle upgrade about 4 years ago, and people from the business joined the project team as SME’s. They brought the business knowledge and worked with the IT side on requirements gathering, business process design, and so on. After the project launched, they were re-deployed to the business as Business Analysts.

        1. Risk Manager, Banking*

          Thanks! This is really helpful.

          “The other way to move into a more IT-focused role is to position yourself as the go-to systems person for your department, and help people with troubleshooting issues, figuring out error messages, training, and so on.”

          This was a lot of what I did at the old job. After being there so many years and being “the one who can figure things out,” I was the go-to person for almost everything system-related. Even if I wasn’t a Loan person, they still called me to figure out what they system was doing with a certain loan and why.

          1. Risk Manager, Banking*

            I meant to note that I have an Associate’s in business management and nothing more. Do you think that would be an issue?

            1. System Engineer 4*

              I think it really depends on the specific area or situation. For me, since I support financial applications like AP, AR, and GL, the fact that I have an accounting degree buys me credibility since I can prove that I understand the difference between debits and credits.

              On the other hand., one of my former co-workers, who was at the same level I am, worked with the Inventory/Distribution applications, which focus on warehouse operations. He did not have a degree, but started out as a stocking clerk and worked his way up through the chain of command before moving over to IT. His knowledge of inventory and warehouse operations is what made him valuable.

              Another guy I work with has been with my company forever, and started out as a customer service rep. He is now the IT guy for the order management applications. I’m not sure if he has a degree or not — he started with the company when he was really young. But he is definitely the go-to guy for questions regarding products, pricing, and so on.

                1. System Engineer 4*

                  I don’t know if you’ll come back to check comments, but if you want to do any kind of training, I would suggest a SQL class. I took one years ago and it was very basic: what is a SELECT statement, how to use WHERE clauses, how to join tables in a query, and so on.

                  I do use SQL quite a bit to write queries to help me troubleshoot issues, or create the framework for a report, and to do some very simple commands. This is all knowledge that I picked up on the fly, that built on the fundamentals I got out of that class years ago, and many times I’ll use Google to figure out how to do something fancier.

                  It’s by no means as sophisticated or advanced as what a true developer does, but knowing how to look at the tables on the back-end and extract information is tremendously helpful in my job.

                2. Risk Manager, Banking*

                  Thanks for the information. I’ve heard several people say I should take an SQL class. It seems to be pretty useful. The local community college has one and I’m looking into taking it.

    2. Apollo Warbucks*

      My firm is looking for a new finance system (time and billing, nominal ledger as well as accounts payable / receivable) currently we use Microsoft SQL server, but I’ve heard talk of oracle being on the short list. I don’t know anything about oracle what can you tell me about it? Can you recommend any good forums or blogs I can read? Also it’s a big scale implementation (5,000 people with an accounts team of 150) what advise do you have for planning and implementing the system as smoothly as possible?

      1. System Engineer 4*

        Wow, Apollo, you don’t ask for much, do you? Ha ha! I’ll try to distill it to a few key points, but really I could go on and on about this.

        It used to be that there were essentially 3 choices when it came to ERP systems: Oracle, SAP, and PeopleSoft. Oracle acquired PeopleSoft some years ago, so now the choices boil down to 2. Now, I’ve never used SAP — I’ve never even seen the login screen or any of the menus — but what I’ve heard is that, in general, SAP is very rigid and inflexible. This means that often you tailor your business processes to meet the requirements of SAP. Oracle tends to be a bit more flexible, and lets you tailor the system to meet your requirements (within reason of course — some business process design/re-design is almost always part of one of these implementations). Many of the Europeans I work with like SAP because of some of the things it does regarding statutory reporting, but you can make Oracle do all or most of those same things if someone knows what they’re doing.

        I think the most important thing I can say about Oracle is this: it’s not perfect. Yes, it does/does not do some things that are really aggravating, or make no sense. But SAP (or any other alternative) isn’t perfect either. You could very well implement SAP to accommodate some things that Oracle won’t do, only to find yourself with a whole new list of things that SAP can’t handle that Oracle can. No one should kid themselves that there is an ERP system out there that is perfect and will work out of the box on the first try. If there were, that’s all anyone would use.

        For things specifically project-related:

        1) Resources: A successful ERP implementation requires input and participation from the people who will eventually be the end-users. IT people (including consultants) know how the system is configured, and so on, but the users know the company, the data, how it will be used, and why. You need both pieces of that to be successful. On many projects, people from the business are identified as project team members, with the intention that they’ll dedicate some set amount of time to project tasks. In reality, this rarely happens. I’ve been on the user end, and when you’ve got your regular job duties to worry about on top of project stuff, guess what drops to the bottom of your priority list first? If at all possible, people from the business should be fully dedicated to the project for the duration, and the work should be re-distributed among existing staff, or contractors should be hired to do some of the more day-to-day routine stuff. In the short term it seems painful and expensive, but in the long run you’ll end up with a system that people from the business side have participated in designing, which greatly increases your chances of success. You can compromise in some places — like having your financial people drop off the project for a few days each month to deal with month-end close — but in general, fully dedicated resources are the way to go.

        2) Manage scope creep: It’s easy for the scope of a project to snowball, with people thinking that it won’t take much more effort to do this or that, so why not just add it to the project plan? Too many decisions like that and your project team will be overwhelmed, costs will skyrocket, and everyone ends up doing too much. You pay for that down the road with a system that no one is really satisfied with. Break it up into manageable chunks, with easily identified phases, starting with what’s critical for the business and then moving onto the “nice to have” stuff. Of course the challenge there is getting people to agree that something they really want is “nice to have” rather than mission critical, but that is the project manager’s problem, not yours (heh).

        3) Testing: Make sure you build in enough time for testing, particularly if you’re going to have many interfaces. These can be really tricky. You’ll always run into things after going live that you didn’t test for that you have to fix, but if you do a good job of testing these occurrences should be minimized.

        4) Training: Have users participate in your testing events, and test with real data. For example, IT people will set up Joe Supplier with generic payment requirements to test basic functionality in AP, but testing with an invoice from Super Picky Widgets, Inc that has strange payment requirements is much more valuable.

        5) Make sure you have the support and buy-in from the executive level on down. There will always be David or Debbie Downer types that pooh-pooh everything, and say it will never work, that the old system is just fine, and so on. Leaders communicating, “This is happening, and the decision has been made,” can help combat some of that.

        6) Don’t sweat the small stuff. By this I mean that Oracle has some quirks that it’s just easier to get used to. The big one is the date format. In Oracle, it’s DD-MMM-YYYY. So today would be 15-APR-2014. You can change your preferences to accommodate different date formats, but honestly, I think it’s easier just to suck it up and get used to it. Changing your preferences can cause issues when running programs or custom interface processes. Same with number formats – the default is to use a period as a decimal, but in Europe the standard is a comma. Almost every user I’ve worked with that has tried to change their preferences on number formatting runs into similar problems.

        OK, I’ve rambled on for quite awhile here. Sorry for that. I don’t really have any advice about blogs, and so on, because when I’m doing research my first stop is always the Oracle customer support site, and that requires a customer number to access. But I Google things too when that site isn’t giving me what I’m looking for, and sometimes I get lucky.

        For example, Oracle user guides are notorious for being a bit vague and nebulous. I made a configuration decision on a project last year that I got A LOT of grief for, but not until months later. And honestly, I couldn’t remember what specifically had made me go in that direction, just that it definitely made more sense. I found nothing on the customer support site or in the user guides, but then I was able to find an outstanding article from a technical journal that very clearly laid out the 3 options available, and the pros and cons of each one. It really saved my bacon.

        Best of luck!

        1. System Engineer 4*

          Oh — one more thing — make sure your requirements are clearly defined, and that the decision makers on the business side have signed off on them!

            1. System Engineer 4*

              No problem, sorry I was so long-winded. It’s a problem I have. :) Best of luck with your implementation, whatever you decide to go with.

              If you have any interest in this kind of thing at all, and if it makes sense for/with your job, consider joining the project team if you can. It’s a tremendous learning experience.

    3. Market Researcher*

      Wow, this is really interesting. I was considered a “super-user” in our company for accounting, especially accounts payable, and was one of the test users for an upgrade. We use JD Edwards, which is now owned by Oracle, and it was interesting to be part of the process, but frustrating that all the questions and recommendation we had, which were implemented in the test environment as we tested, were not implemented in the production environment in the actual update, so we had to re-state all our wants and needs again! Sheesh!

      It was also ridiculously frustrating dealing with Oracle on a project to implement non-stock requisitions and purchase orders. A certain process wasn’t working for us and after going through the documentation multiple times, we called Oracle, and they told us to do what the documentation said, and it took forever (and lots of screen shots) for them to believe that it wasn’t working properly. They FINALLY decided to research our issue, and ended up telling us that in order to delete one line from a requisition or purchase order without it deleting the whole order, we’d also have to change something relatively consequential (only the quantity or price, IIRC) in at least one of the other lines. Seriously. So we had to add into the instructions that if you delete one or more lines, you have to change the price by a penny in one of the lines that will be remaining in order to keep the whole order from being canceled. And they had the gall to tell us it was “working as designed.” Anyway, I imagine you have reams of similar stories, and I don’t envy you that, but your job sounds very interesting anyway. Do you have to do much programming-type stuff?

  49. Instructional Design and Application Support*

    I work as an instructional designer and Application Specialist for a medical device manufacturer.

    My position involved developing end-user (and eventually) in-house training materials, tier 3 customer support, and a fair amount of field based installation and training.

    I’m currently stepping into a more supervisory role, essentially leading the rest of the phone support staff. Ideally, this will free up more of my time from phone work, so I can focus on creating new training programs, tightening up our clinician and operator webinars, and just making sure our field team and customers have the information they need.

    1. University Admin Assistant*

      How did you get into this field? About 50 – 70% of my job involves taking content provided by faculty and making it into an online course. In theory, they are “designing” the course, but in practice the faculty in my area are so out of the technology loop (do not have facebook, do not know what google is, do not know what the address bar is on a browser), that I sort of get a whole bunch of stuff dumped on my lap and I make it into something, make learning activities, etc. I even help them write learning objectives and outlines. I actually love doing this, but I am an English/Theatre major, and have been an admin assistant for about 15 years, so I am really most likely not qualified.

      1. Instructional Design and Application Support*

        I got here in a pretty roundabout manner. I started my career as a retinal photographer, but I hated clinic, loved the technology, and decided to spin more towards the private sector end of things.

        I ended up getting a MA in Publication Design, which pretty much gave some groundwork in Inst.Design/Information Architecture, and then I taught myself Captivate and Camtasia. I ended up here because I could wear about 6 hats, so they brought me on.

        It’s such a new, growing field that people seem to end up doing this work from all paths. I took a workshop, and there were people from all different industries and backgrounds.

      2. Educational Technologist*

        If you love this part of your job, you should look into educational technologist jobs. You should be making more than an admin assistant typically does if you’re doing this type of work.

  50. Entomologist*

    I study insects — both pests and beneficial insects like bees. Currently I work for a company that makes pesticide-free alternatives for managing tree fruit pests. The science behind it is pretty amazing; you actually manipulate their mating behavior.

      1. Entomologist*

        Many insects use chemical signals to communicate. In the case of these pests, the females release a very specific scent to attract males. The males are hard-wired to fly upwind when this perfume hits their antennae. What we do is make a copy of the perfume and essentially flood the orchard with it, so the males get confused and can’t find the females. Then they can’t mate, lay eggs, and damage the fruit.

        Ha! I just realized that we essentially make designer knock-off perfumes…..just for bugs.

      1. Entomologist*

        Yes. Some of my coworkers have PhDs, some do not. The education helps a bit for specialized skills, especially statistics. But the PhD is not entirely necessary.

    3. Kit M.*

      I’ve been trying to talk my sister into becoming an entomologist so I can live vicariously through her, but no luck.

      How did you find your first job in the field?

      Did you have any squeamishness you needed to overcome?

      Am I the only person who sometimes mixes up etymology and entomology?

      1. Entomologist*

        I actually wasn’t into bugs until I took a class in college, and the professor was so passionate and the subject was so fascinating that I was hooked. Once you get used to handling insects, the squeamishness factor decreases a lot. I’ve dissected them, squished them, let them crawl over me, and even eaten them on several occasions. However, I’ve never been stung, even though I’ve worked for years with bees! You just have to be careful.

        When I was an undergrad, I got a summer job as a research assistant with a faculty member. It’s hot work, but you get to be outside and there is a lot of variety. After that, I went to grad school and was able to dictate my own research.

        And no, you are not the only person who mixes up etymology and entomology! I think both disciplines are fascinating :)

    4. Knowledge base author / FAQ copywriter for large sports / tech company*

      When I was a kid, I was OBSESSED with insects, carried field guides everywhere, bored my family senseless with insect-related monologues, and aspired to be an entomologist one day.

      Then I learned that in order to study insects, entomologists sometimes have to kill them.

      Dream shattered.

      1. Entomologist*

        Awwww. Yeah, you have to be somewhat evil and not get too invested in the lives of your subjects! Though I know some conservationists that are coming up with ways to do surveys where you clip the leg off of, say, bumble bees instead of killing them. Still a little cruel, but not as much.

    5. Market Researcher*

      I wonder if you work in my area–a co-worker just applied for a job with a company that sounds exactly like this. Does your company start with S and the town it’s in start with a B?

  51. Employment Specialist (Kay)*

    I work as the employment specialist for a non-profit that helps blind and visually impaired individuals find jobs and internships. My organization is contracted with the state and that is how we get our referrals.

    I am basically the go-to person for anything employment related. I help edit resumes, create cover letters (hopefully teaching my clients how to do that for themselves as well). I conduct mock interviews and teach interview skills. I also send out job leads and do a lot of networking and employer relations to try and get a database of community members that are interested in hiring my clients.

    I am also in charge of the summer internship program that places teenagers out into the community to get them started with different jobs.

    1. Izzy LeighGal*

      Hi Kay – what do you see as some of the hesitations that a hiring manager might have before bringing on someone with an impairment? I ask because one of my good friends is handicap-able (in a wheelchair due to a childhood accident). She’s wicked smart – double major, published author, lots of non-prof internship experience, etc, but she’s having trouble landing a job. What can she say/do/etc to put at ease the minds of hiring managers?

      1. Employment Specialist (Kay)*

        Hi Izzy,

        I think for the most part hiring managers are afraid of unknowns. I think that confronting some of their questions is generally a great way to make the hiring manager focus back on your skills. For example, some hiring managers get very nervous about what is “reasonable accommodation” and I’ve found that when my clients go in to an interview with their equipment, or the knowledge of the equipment at the forefront the managers tend to relax. It seems to open the door to discussing how the job could get done, and refocuses the conversation on why my client is a great candidate.

        I think it also helps a great deal to go in with specific examples and play those up a lot. Most hiring managers will believe that if you’ve done something before, you can do it again.

        I also think that confidence is key. Going in knowing you’re the shit is basically the best way to convince hiring managers that you are the person they want to hire. I think a lot of my clients forget that most employers only care about the job getting done, and that it’s usually the interviewee who worries about any disability getting in the way. And to be honest, if the employer is judging based on disability, it’s really not a place you want to work imho.

    2. Mimmy*

      Oooh I’d love to pick your brain. I’m visually impaired myself; I have a lot of usable vision and only require minimal adaptive equipment…I just can’t drive.

      What are some of the things you suggest to your clients in getting around the drivers license requirement present in many job announcements. There has been more than one occasion where I’ve read the listing, feel it’s perfect…..then it says “must have drivers license” *headdesk*

      Also, would you say employer attitudes towards applicants/employees with disabilities has changed in the time you’ve been in your job? I sometimes wonder if employers do it just for the positive image and/or because it’s required by the ADA, rather than genuine interest in hiring people with disabilities.

      1. Employment Specialist (Kay)*

        Hi Mimmy,

        In answer to your first question….I would simply ignore the license requirement if the job doesn’t require any driving. Often the employers are either using it as a way to screen out people they believe will be “unreliable”, but occasionally it’s also just shorthand for a state ID. If you have a state ID, most jobs won’t look twice. If you are still worried about it, I would just call the HR department and ask if a state ID would suffice. I have had fairly decent success with that.

        In response to the second part of your question, it’s a little tricky to answer. I hate to sound cynical, but I think that most employers place highest priority on getting the work done, and getting it done efficiently. I think that many are socially and community minded, but at the end of the day I think they usually tend to place business at the top of their priorities. I think this actually can work in our favor because they tend to look for qualifications and abilities to complete the job rather than disabilities that don’t affect work performance.

        I do think that awareness is growing quite a bit, which is key to having employers be more open minded. And the technology has grown by leaps and bounds in the past few years, which makes a huge difference to employers willingness to hire people that they may have shied away from before.

  52. Software Development Manager*

    I manage software developers at a government contractor. Previously, I’ve managed teams who developed high traffic websites and other commercial software packages.

    I hire a lot of software engineers, so I’m happy to answer questions about what works for resumes, cover letters and references in these types of positions.

    1. Software Development Project Manager for Federal Govt*

      So were you a software developer and moved up?

      Also in your opinion how close to Project Management is you job?

      1. Software Development Manager*

        I was a systems engineer for a very large multi-national company for 10 years. I left there to take a job as a programmer at a small family-owned company. When they got bought out three years later, the new owners looked around and realized I was the only viable candidate to manage their new remote team, so that’s how I fell into management. For the first couple of years, I wasn’t even sure I wanted this role, but I grew into it and do like it now. I have no desire to move above first line management though. This position has the right mix of hands-on technical work and people management for me.

        My current job is really not similar to Project Management as it’s performed by our PMs. I group developers into project teams, each of which also has a PM, BAs, QAs, etc. I support the PMs and help them resolve problems with development and developers. On the technical side, I make decisions about the technology and tools we use; I look for opportunities to share work between teams; I establish the processes we use to create software — but it’s at the program level, across multiple projects. I can and do jump into the PM role when we’re short handed, but that’s the exception rather than the rule.

    2. J.B.*

      I know this is a late post, but if you’re following responses to this I had a couple of questions. I am a user of a large and specialized government database and have good understanding of the data in it, plus play around with SQL to extract data. I also do a ton of training and would have some interest in jumping into a training role. Are you familiar with what your trainers do and how much IT experience they have? Would certificates or graduate coursework make someone a stronger candidate? (Obviously I need to ask specifics from the firm doing the programming but was wondering if there are any general ideas.)

  53. Electronic Resources Librarian (JulieInOhio)*

    Acquire, setup, maintain, link to, promote electronic books, journals, streaming video, datasets, etc for a higher ed library. Work reference desk, do research projects as needed.

    1. limenotapple*

      Hey, that’s kinda like my job! What proxy server do you use? We use EZ proxy but I’m hearing people want to move away from it (but I don’t know why).

      Do you ever get sticker shock from the prices of things?

      We got a quote for Ebsco Discovery Service that was so high, I actually found it to be funny.

  54. Aerospace Engineer (EngineerGirl)*

    As an aerospace engineer I have built satellites, aircraft, and ground stations. I can’t provide any technical info here as these products are regulated by the Feds. I can answer questions on what the aerospace industry is like, how to get into the business, and the paradigm shifts that are occurring in the industry.

    1. JF*

      Wold love to learn more! I have my MEng in aerospace (BS in mechanical), but then went into marine engineering and now I work for the fed gov as a transportation engineer. Would love to get back into aerospace, but it’s been 8 years since my degree and I am not sure if that is even feasible.

      1. EngineerGirl*

        As you probably know, the aerospace engineering degree is more “generalist” than the mechanical degree. Your way back in may be through the specialization Vs the general.
        The good news is that aerospace is utilized in so many applications. You may want to leverage your current experience and your degree together. For example, aerospace plus marine or aerospace plus transportation. My ideas would be GPS for transportation control, utilizing remote sensing for transportation analysis, etc.
        Here’s the good news: There are a lot of new small startups breaking in to the commercial sector ***applications*** for aerospace. You hear about SpaceX, but there is also Skybox Imaging, Planet Labs, etc. I even had a major farm equipment company interested in me because they needed autonomously guided tractors using remote sensing and GPS.
        In short, think about integrating your degree with your experience.

    2. Nodumbunny*

      My kid (graduating high school senior) was interested in engineering, but had a hard time seeing the specific path to: 1) explore all the specialties briefly; and then 2) pick one and have it turn out that the school he was attending for his undergrad even offered that specialty. So my questions for you are: 1) did you start out knowing you wanted to go into aerospace specifically or did you explore different engineering options and pick this one; and 2) do you have a general engineering undergrad and then a specific masters or….? This was complicated for my kid by the fact that he wanted to attend a smaller college rather than a big university. He’s a very good student, but knows that he learns best in a smaller, hands-on environment.

      1. EngineerGirl*

        My path is probably different than kids today, but the advice is the same. I wanted to be an astronaut since age 5. So I always knew I wanted to do this. I wanted to get an aerospace degree but my Dad wouldn’t let me (aerospace engineers get laid off!). He insisted that I get my degree in electrical engineering. I went that direction because I would have support from my dad (my mom wanted me to be a secretary and get married). It was the easiest path to take!
        Several colleges and universities have programs where you do 2 years of “core” training followed by 2-3 years of specialization classes. I would suggest that for your kid. The student has to take core courses in all the engineering disciplines. The higher level courses are in the specialization and the final degree.
        I also strongly suggest internships early as possible to see if that is the direction wanted. My internship cemented any questions about being and engineer – I loved it!
        Check out engineering outreach organizations too – they may have seminars on the disciplines. “Discover E” is great for general questions. Then check out organizations in the specialties – AIAA for aerospace, IEEE for electrical, etc.

        1. AnotherAlison (also the Market Analyst below)*

          EngineerGirl, thanks for sharing the story of how you got into the field. I majored in Mechanical Engineering. . .like my dad wanted me to. Dads know everything, lol! (I actually wanted to major in bioengineering, but that program didn’t exist at any semi-local universities back in the day, and since he was paying. . .) Even though I left the technical role, I still appreciate having the ME degree.

      2. Software Development Project Manager for Federal Govt*

        I went to a small, public engineering school and loved it – Missouri S&T. I picked it because I wanted to study aerospace engineering (not available in my home state), and I wanted a small school which is near impossible to find with an engineering program. I only lasted a semester as an aerospace engineer and although I considered mechanical and electrical engineering, I ended up studying computer science instead because I realized I did not want to do math on a daily basis.

        MS&T is not restricted to the usual engineering degree programs.

        For making decisions, though, you can look for something like the MS&T engineering summer camps at an engineering school near you. https://futurestudents.mst.edu/summercamps/

        1. EngineerGirl*

          Yes, I forgot about this. Many engineering schools have summer camps where you can try it on for size. It was especially encouraging for the girls as they still can get intimidated by the dominant male environment. Going to camp first with a higher student ration gives them the extra confidence.

    3. Beti*

      It sounds like you have been in your industry for quite a while. I’m mid-40s and going back to school after a long break (BS in Biology 25-ish years ago). I’ve just started with a couple of math classes (trig and currently calculus) to test out the left-brain fields. I’m thinking of engineering, particularly aerospace engineering which will be a completely new direction. (I didn’t ever have a “career” but have bounced around in many different fields.)

      My questions are:
      1) What’s your field like WRT ageism?
      2) Is it unrealistic to start from square one at my age?
      3) I’ve read in various places to look for internships after a couple years of work towards a degree. Am I going to be a blue-hair amongst a bunch of 20 year olds?
      4) Will I need to plan on getting a masters or PhD? Or is it possible to find work with a bachelors?
      5) When you say “I have built satellites” do you mean you personally constructed them? Or you designed them?
      Thank you!

      1. EngineerGirl*

        1) ageism exists in a strange way. HR really hates paying for high salaries. Because of this a lot of senior level people are getting laid off as a cost cutting move. HR is also retitling old jobs – so many jobs are now being advertised as one level lower than they used to be. Then only jr people can apply. But our industry relies heavily on tacit knowledge. The problem is that the jr people don’t have enough knowledge to see the problems coming so they are in a mess before they know what’s happening. And now there’s no one to bail them out.
        2) I’ve seen it done before. One individual went back to school at age 30 and got his engineering degree. The company like that because they could pay lower rates for someone with a more mature work ethic.
        3) I’ll be honest. It will be tough. Management want younger people so that the industry will have someone trained 20 years from now.
        4) Bachelors will work. Masters is preferred. But you can get that while you are working.
        5) As an engineer I’m not allowed to touch the equipment – only certified techs can do that. But I can stand behind them in a clean room suit and watch the operation. I also design satellites and launch them (mission control). My work is mostly software so I actually program the boards.

    4. Attorney (Marie)*

      Yes! How does one get into the business? I’m asking for my husband, who’s finishing up a Phd in satellite propulsion. He’d love to get some overseas experience (either the US or Europe would be fine) but it seems very difficult to get in, specially in the US because of the security concerns. He’s done the conference circuit and got his name out there a little bit, but it seems like everyone knows everyone in the industry, and it’s a bit difficult to break in. I get the impression that a lot of postdoc adverts have been written with an existing candidate in mind, too.

      Also: do you (or your employer) ever patent any of your designs? Is there any kind of industry practice for intellectual property use and registration?

      1. EngineerGirl*

        I was referred by a friend from university. I also had other references from the same university. It helped that I was female and the company felt pressure at the time to hire women. It was very tough being the only women there though.

        Satellite technology is fiercely protected by each country. The same technology that will launch a satellite can also be used to launch a nuclear bomb. That means that all satellite and space products get classified as armaments (weapons) no matter what type of use it has. This technology is protected big time. In most cases it is very, very, very illegal to give out technical information to other countries.
        http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Traffic_in_Arms_Regulations
        So that means that most countries will require citizenship within that country to work on “their” satellite and space programs. In short, all the big projects will be protected. This is especially true in big companies. Little companies and pure commercial companies are slightly easier. Sometimes NASA programs are open. But long story short, your hubby isn’t going to get very far without citizenship in that country.

        My employer owns all patents developed by us. We have to sign over our rights as part of our work agreement. That is pretty much standard practice in the tech industry.

        1. Attorney (Marie)*

          Thank you! This is sad wrt the US, but helpful. My lawyering brain is happily looking for loopholes (e.g. public domain stuff in a university, ITAR only seems to apply to the US, etc.). He does have inroads into our national space programme, but is hesitant because it’s so new, and because working for government means slow procurement processes, funding cuts, having to start/stop programmes just because some politician announced it, etc.

          Incidentally, do you think the move from government programmes to a private industry in the US is temporary, or likely to continue/expand? I’m thinking specially of companies like SpaceX.

          1. EngineerGirl*

            All of the problems you list are a part of the big employers in the US. They aren’t just a part of government programs because governments still buy a majority of the products – even in commercial products. Budget cuts and program cancellations are normal. Which is why you are always hearing about aerospace engineers getting laid off.

            The new commercial ventures are the paradigm shift in the industry. Smaller teams, hands-on. But since they are so small these companies try to hire best of the best or people that have worked on start-ups before. I believe these shifts will be permanent because no one wants to pay for the high costs associated with these programs. Ironic, because the payback is also high. But if you don’t have the money you don’t have the money.

  55. (Internal) Management Consultant (for a large private company)*

    I research, develop and deliver training, coach leaders and work on various projects to help a large private company (think 70,000+ employees) better apply its management philosophy. The tools/management systems I work with range from performance management (including compensation and performance reviews) to vision setting to understanding/developing the culture we want.

    2. Sunflower*

      How do you enjoy your job? What kind of experience do you need to get into the job you have and any advice for breaking into the industry which seems to recruit mostly ivy league/finance. I have a hospitality management degree and 3 yrs experience so not sure that gets me too far

      1. (Internal) Management Consultant*

        I do enjoy my job, mostly because I get to help people. From what I know of the industry, it varies by company on what it takes to do the internal consulting thing. Where I am, usually we hire from within. Mostly top notch folks who can do a variety of different work (we have to be able to write, speak in front of large and small groups as well as coach 1-on-1) and who are people who can well represent the company and our management philosophy. Also, be willing to travel. I think that’s just part of the consulting thing no matter where you are!

        Sometimes we do hire people external to the company, but it’s usually a combination of long experience (think 15-20 years) in an area we’re interested (like say, operations) and already operating under management principles we try to teach. I’d be curious to hear from other consultants what their groups look for.

    3. LBK*

      How do you get into this? I’ve always thought that I would love to be a management consultant, particularly for struggling businesses, but I don’t know how you get someone to hire you to help their managers other than successfully being a manager yourself in order to prove that you know what you’re doing.

      1. (Internal) Management Consultant*

        From what I see, there’s a couple of paths into this management consulting world:
        – Be an excellent manager and become an internal consultant for a large company that needs people who know their business well.
        – Start a free lancing. Gain a reputation and work for yourself.
        – Work for one of the big consulting firms. Usually this requires some type of data/stats/research background. From what my friends tell me, you don’t usually even get to talk to clients until you’ve proved yourself on the research side of things for several years.

      1. (Internal) Management Consultant*

        I have a Phd in economics. Most of my colleagues either have some type of advanced degree or 20+ years of experience. In my experience, if a company has it’s own management philosophy, MBAs are less valuable than say other types of advanced degrees. None of my colleagues have an MBA.

        1. Jubilance*

          Thanks! I’m really interested in moving to a similar group within my current company, but it’s an area that lots of people would love to work in so there’s usually tons of applicants every time they have an open role. I have an advanced degree but not an MBA.

  56. Fraud Specialist*

    I work for a company that helps people deal with identity theft situations, both proactively (before fraud happens) and reactively (after fraud happens). We are a business to business company, so businesses that have a partnership with us will send over their customers for help on a wide variety of situations.

    1. Sunflower*

      That seems interesting. Is there a big industry for that? Are you for profit or non-profit? What types of companies are your clients?

      1. Fraud Specialist*

        It definitely is. Because identity theft is a growing crime, there is a lot of interest in this type of work and service. We are a for profit company. Companies that have partnered with us include banks, credit unions, insurance companies, employers who offer the services as an employee benefit, and a few funeral service types of establishments. Companies who tend to offer us do so as a quiet perk of their services and/or something they openly advertise to customers that can give them a competitive edge over similar companies.

    2. S2*

      What education/experience/skillset do you need to get into that type of field? I’ve been interested in pursuing a financial crimes type of role.

      1. Fraud Specialist*

        For my particular role, I had both retail fraud experience and credit card fraud experience, but no criminal law or criminal justice experience or formal education in that regard. I had seven years of total fraud experience.

        Primary job function involves interviewing customers to determine what took place and making recommendations based on what has happened to them. I joked in my job interview that I have a voice like a sedative, it is very calming. That definitely helps. Essential skills are gathering facts and dispensing education, having the knowledge to be a resource for questions or any additional concerns, and staying calm no matter what their mood or approach may be.

        I’ve had colleagues who composed Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) for a credit card company as their primary job function. That tends to require a very analytical mindset and more formalized education in criminal justice. The company I had worked for asked that all incoming candidates for that role have a juris doctorate or comparable experience levels. That may not be par for the course, however. I’d suggest looking into SAR-related roles to see if that would fit your needs and interests.

  57. Records Manager*

    I deal with business records (not records that you listen to, and also not quite what IT-types mean when they say “records!”) Basically, any time you put your fingers on your keyboard at work, you’re creating a record of some kind – whether it’s an email, a project plan, a marketing plan, a spreadsheet, meeting minutes, etc.

    So I help people organize their records; figure out what they should be called; and how long to store them and when (and how) to dispose of them.

    Some FAQ’s:
    ~This is more of an analyst job than an admin job. I write the policies around organizing and storing records, and supervise their implementation in the office.
    ~I have a Masters degree in Information Studies (roughly equivalent to an MLS, although I specialized in Archives and Records Management)
    ~I prefer to work full-time/permanent for a specific employer, helping organize their internal business records; but there are lots of people who work as consultants on a contract basis.
    ~Most RM jobs are in government, or in highly regulated areas like banking and finance.
    ~But since every organization creates records of some sort, there’s a need for it pretty much everywhere (although YMMV on getting decision-makers to recognize that need and be willing to pay the money to address it.)

    1. Kit M.*

      I’m an archivist, and probably would have about half as much work to do if organizations understood the value of records management.

      Questions:

      *Within your organization, how much do you have to advocate for what you do? Are your policies automatically implemented, or do you have to fight for them? (And if you have to fight, what’s worked for you? What hasn’t?)
      *What criteria do you use when creating policies? E.g. Are you largely just considering legal factors, or are you trying to make the organization more streamlined?
      *How do you deal with email?

      1. JMegan*

        Advocating – I work for government right now, which is helpful in that there is legislation behind my job, basically telling people that they have to listen to me and do what I say. Unfortunately, that’s not usually enough – people are busy, and they see recordkeeping as “just filing,” and it generally falls to the bottom of the priority list. So most of the advocating I have to do is for time, just to get people to sit down and listen to me.

        What does help, for better or worse, is that RM activities are usually precipitated by a crisis of some sort (an office move, boxes piling up in the storage areas), so there’s an actual pain point for a lot of people, which makes it easy for me to show how I can help them.

        I also use the “You don’t want your RM practices to end up in the news” strategy – you can google for an idea of what I’m talking about there. :) Again, it’s records management by crisis, but sometimes that’s what it takes to get me in the door.

        1. JMegan*

          Oops, my search term got lost. You’re looking for “gas plants ontario” for a really good example of records management gone wrong.

      2. JMegan*

        Criteria f0r policies – there is some legislation out there that addresses records management, but it’s usually pretty vague. Most of the time it doesn’t say any more than “records must be kept” – it’s pretty rare to find a law that adds “…for X years.”

        The first thing I usually do is research existing retention policies with the organization, to give me a baseline for talking to the program area. Then I can go in and say “Ministry ABC keeps this type of records for ten years, does that work for you?” And we can negotiate from there. The biggest thing I run into here is that everybody thinks their work is Super Important, and must be kept Forever. So you need to have some good backing behind you as to what actually does need to be kept forever, and why most things really can be destroyed at some point. (Which I’m sure you already do, from your end of the process!)

        Filing policies really are about making things more streamlined. And there’s no legislation or hard-and-fast rules about how things should be filed, it’s really a matter of what the program area needs, and how best to match it up with what other program areas are doing. We use functional classification as much as possible – what the records are used for (Financial Management) rather than who created them (Bob) or where they sit on the org chart (Office of the Chief Teapot Maker).

        1. Kit M.*

          Thank you for taking the time to answer everything! I find what you do really interesting.

          The biggest thing I run into here is that everybody thinks their work is Super Important, and must be kept Forever.

          Ha! Yes, I know this attitude, though I personally don’t have to confront anyone about it — by the time things get to me, I’m just abiding by the donor agreement other people put in place.

          Has your job affected the way you handle your own records, at home?

          1. JMegan*

            Heh, that’s kind of a chicken and egg question. Do I manage my records at home because of my work, or did I get into this line of work because of how I manage my records at home?

            The answer, if there ever was one, seems to be lost in the mists of time… :)

      3. JMegan*

        Email – I wish we had an answer for email! We really don’t, unfortunately. Organizations like AIIM and ARMA are working on the problem at an industry level, but the actual procedures haven’t really trickled out into the working world very much yet. About the best we can do right now is educate people about good recordkeeping practices, and keep our fingers crossed.

  58. Wilderness Guide/Instructor*

    I have two jobs: instructing 30-day backcountry backpacking courses and guiding for a wilderness therapy program, which is week-on/week-off. Although both programs operate in the backcountry, the focus is on teaching communication and leadership skills.

    1. Mada*

      Sounds wonderful… how did you get into these jobs? What kind of background is helpful? Do you work for a company? Thanks!

      1. Wilderness Guide/Instructor*

        One company I work for looks for experience with personal backpacking/climbing/paddling trips, experience guiding others on overnight trips (camp counselor, college orientation leader, etc.), and even formal teaching experience.

        Wilderness therapy can be an effective way to get into the outdoor education industry because you accrue a lot of field time. These companies generally look for some outdoor experience, but are more focused on an applicant’s ability to work patiently with students in challenging conditions. Some people get their undergrad degree in adventure therapy or outdoor ed, but it’s less common (for example, I have a BA in History).

        With every company I’ve worked for, there’s either a hiring seminar or a course that you have to pass before getting an offer.

        One downside to working in this industry is the inconsistency of the work, which is often seasonal. But, it’s can be a really rewarding job and you’re basically getting paid to live outdoors, which I love.

    2. Celeste*

      That’s so cool! I would think that leadership is especially high-stakes in the wilderness.

    4. CTO*

      I know there’s no “dream job,” but I’ve often thought that I’d have a job like yours if I had followed a bit of a different path. So, to help tamp down on my “if only…” fantasizing, what are the downsides of your career?

      1. Wilderness Guide/Instructor*

        The work can be inconsistent or seasonal, meaning you have to move around a lot. Being out of touch with everyone you care about for 30 days, or even every other week, can tax relationships. The pay isn’t great. Mosquitoes, rain, bears…

  59. Program Manager, Financial Services, Medical Devices*

    I work for a vendor financing program on the manufacturer side. We offer our customers financial solutions to purchase our products (such as monthly payment terms) by working with banks for funds. We’re a private label program, and we do our own quotations, credit checks, and documentation in-house.

    This is an upstream marketing role. I’m responsible for all new product development which means that I create new financial programs based on voice of the customer work to suit new medical devices we create or acquire.

    I’m also responsible for then training our thousands (seriously) of sales people on those products.

  61. Hotel Spa Manager*

    I manage a successful boutique, hotel owned spa in a large city. I’m under a spa director and take on her roles when she’s out. I’ve been in this position for about 3 years now and I alternately hate and love it. Everyone I manage is older than me — everyone.

    1. OriginalYup*

      I’m fascinated by your job! Which industry do you feel closer to in terms of the skills you need for every day — hospitality or beauty/health/wellness?

      1. Hotel Spa Manager*

        We regularly hire people with one type of experience or the other, and it’s cool to see how differently things are approached. A lot of hotel experienced spa-newbs take a second to understand that their job is now relatively more subjectively about contributing to creating a comfortable and safe environment for guests. More spa experienced hotel-newbs take a second to understand the polish and professionalism of hospitality work that you’re not going to find in the rest of the spa industry. Hotel and spa dovetail nicely, though — they’re both about making people feel comfortable and welcome.

        I started at a fitness center spa while I was in college, so I guess I’ve probably approached my job from more of a spa perspective. And it’s very common for spas to be independently owned and thus, feel pretty separate from the hospitality side.

    2. Diet Coke Addict*

      Do you mind elaborating on what you love and hate about it? Is your role more about meeting sales goals, or people management?

      1. Hotel Spa Manager*

        It’s heavy on both, but probably leans more to the people management side. We mostly approach meeting sales goals through staff management though (almost entirely aside from marketing and pr things) so I think I have a hard time distinguishing the two.

        I haven’t liked this job in large part because I feel like I’ve had a really hard transition into management. I like a lot of clear rules and expectations to be set for me and for the people I manage, and my boss and mentor is sort of a fly by the seat of your pants, sink or swim kind of boss. She admits regularly to really hating training people, and there are a lot of just basic hospitality (and spa) and general management standards that I’ve had to figure out through miserably embarrassing failure. In terms of managing my mistakes, my boss has been totally reasonable and patient. She knew that she was hiring someone very young, with no management experience and not a ton of work experience generally, and she knows she’s not great at active training, so she’s never been harsh on me for learning a lot of things though trial and error, but it’s sooooooo not my favorite way to figure things out. Hence, finding this blog and teaching myself as much as possible about what is normal and commendable and practical to do in a lot of situations before they happen.

        I also am not in love with the culture at my particular hotel, for reasons that could turn into a novel. And, we’ve had a couple of like, regale your friends with the most horrible of horror stories for hours kind of staff to manage, which made transitioning into management interesting and shocking and difficult. Otherwise, I’m not a huuge fan of the industry and see no real future for myself in it, so it’s not always super exciting to go to work.

        I love my boss, who is, despite her foibles, the kindest, most diplomatic and most reasonable person I’ve ever met. She’s taken an interest in mentoring me that I was and continue to be really appreciative of, and I am interested in learning professionally from her generally. I also do enjoy a lot of people in the spa industry, and specifically, the team we have here. Learning how to manage has also been stimulating and challenging in its own right, naturally. I should leave soon but this hasn’t been the worst career to feel unfulfilled in.

        Oh, and I love having regular massages be a required part of my job :)

  62. High School Teacher (Scotland)*

    I teach my subject to students from 11-18. Daily tasks include planning and delivering lessons to up to six different year groups, marking pupil work, providing feedback and managing my department staff. Other tasks include admin relating to monitoring and evaluating student progress, professional development work, developing courses and units of work, reporting to parents, and contributing to whole-school development work.

    1. vvonderwoman*

      What kind of certifications/education are required? Are those requirements the same throughout Scotland? The entire UK? or are they regional?

      1. High school teacher (Scotland)*

        There are two routes you can go:

        1) four year undergraduate degree in your subject followed by a one year Post-Graduate Diploma of Education. Your degree must be relevant to the subject you want to teach.

        2) A combined four year degree which incorporates teacher training alongside subject study.

        Once that is completed, you undertake an Induction Year as a Probationer teacher, where you are guaranteed a job for a year and given a slight reduction in class contact time to undertake continuing training and development work. This is closely supervised and includes frequent observations by a mentor teacher who reports on your progress to the General Teaching Council for Scotland. At the end of the year, based on a final report from your mentor, the GTCS approves your Full Registration which is required to obtain a teaching post elsewehere following the Induction Year.

        The requirements and processes are slightly different in other parts of the UK but generally if someone qualifies to teach in Scotland they will be able to register with the relevant authority elsewhere and vice versa. The qualifications required are much the same. As England does not have the Induction Year, newly qualified teachers from England can obtain provisional GTCS registration if they choose to teach in Scotland, and following 270 days of satisfactory service they will receive full registration.

  63. Archivist*

    I am an archivist for a public library. I work with historical personal and business papers – organizing, repairing damager, labeling, and everything else involved to prepare them for research. Right now I’m working on a set of political papers and doing digital project after digital project.

    1. limenotapple*

      Did you always want to be an archivist? I know so many people in libraryland who want to get into archives, but it seems like there aren’t that many jobs. Also, some that did break through found that the work wasn’t what they were expecting.

      1. Archivist*

        No, I originally intended to go into museum education. When I graduated from my MA program however, a job was open at a local archive (back when the job market was a bit more fluid). I was offered the position and discovered that I really loved it. Now I wouldn’t consider anything else.

    3. wanna-be archivist*

      I’m geeking out right now–your job sounds really amazing! It sounds like you’re running a solo show–is that true, and if so, how has that experience been for you? Additionally, do you have any advice for young professionals? I’m currently in library school, concentrating in archives, and I while I love almost everything about it, I’m trying to tailor my final couple of semesters to gaining useful skills/experience. Is there a specialty or focus you see becoming increasingly necessary in archives?

        1. Archivist*

          I’m actually not in a solo shop, but I’m part of the management so I have my hand in a lot of projects. Including me, we have a staff of nine – fairly large for an archive our size, I think.

          My advice – Lots of digital. If you look at the current job market, the jobs with the most opportunities are digital based. Archives are really looking for people that can be a jack of all trades. So often, we have to learn on the job and kind of build things as we go (particularly once you leave the paper work), so creativity and initiative are important.

          Another focus that always needs more people – conservation. I think the majority of archivists, myself included, know the basics of conservation, but aren’t a specialist and wouldn’t trust themselves with high-level projects. Having spectacular conservation skills also allows you to freelance if necessary.

  64. Public Relations Officer, University*

    I do public relations for a university. I have about 15 years of experience. I write feature articles for the website, do media relations, social media planning, media/marketing plans for various departments and a lot of training. In fact, a lot of my job is training – training professors how to conduct media interviews, helping students figure out how to promote events, training deans on using social media to promote their expertise and their school.

    1. Ali*

      I would love to get into a university, especially in a job like this. Unfortunately, I was just turned down for a job in a college alumni office…I do suspect they went with someone internal or someone who went to the college. Did you find it hard to get your job with your school? Is there a lot of politics or am I overthinking the possibility that I was turned down for someone who had higher favor?

      1. Emmy*

        I’m not the original poster of this job, but I also work in higher ed (communications, not PR, but very similar). I don’t know what area you’re in, but in both places I’ve worked, jobs at the university were highly sought after. For my current position, there were 150+ applications. So you might be a great candidate, but it’s just so competitive. My advice is to keep trying!

      2. HigherEd Admin*

        I think you’re probably over-thinking the politics of filling the position. It’s possible they went with an internal candidate, but that would be the case in any hiring situation. It took me a few years before I was able to get into the field, and I suspect finishing my Master’s degree in Higher Ed had a bit to do with my increased success. The jobs are often highly competitive, so just keep trying and applying with your very best materials!

      3. Public Relations Officer, University*

        For this job, I really got lucky. I worked in mainly non-profit PR prior to this. I fortunately live in a city with about 9 universities and I’d been applying for jobs at almost all of them when I would see openings and never heard anything. I saw this position open and it was fortunately at my alma mater so I knew some people there. Turns out one of my contacts is friends with/volunteers with someone on the hiring committee for this job so I was able to easily get an interview which is half the battle.

        It seems like they really like people to come from higher ed backgrounds – or just educational backgrounds (working for a school district – and if you don’t have that, knowing someone on the inside who happens to be on good terms with the hiring committee is good.

    2. Sharm*

      I have a marketing background, most of them at a large performing arts organization. I feel like I’m falling behind in my skills because my current job is not technically marketing, and I see many jobs that combine marketing with PR and social media. We used to have a totally separate PR department at my last job, and I know the work they do is pretty different. What would you recommend for someone like me who’d like to build those skills, but can’t necessarily do so at her current job? I’ve tried applying to PR-type jobs in the past, but I think because I’ve only had marketing experience, I get rejected.

      1. Public Relations Officer, University*

        Volunteer work is always a good way to get some PR experience. I transitioned from journalism to PR and had that same issue – I knew a lot of my skills were transferrable but was competing with people who had direct experience in the skills. I volunteered on a women’s group on their PR committee. I was able to make some contacts and get some writing/design samples together. Plus, I read the book PR Toolkit for Dummies which allowed me to know the jargon during interviews.

        Also, I know from my school, that folks who work in any way with the College of Fine Arts have backgrounds in performing arts organizations. The development officer for Fine Arts was a managing director of a theatre company in town. So I think sometimes if you find the right job (PR for a smaller theatre or a college of fine arts) they might be really accepting of your performing arts experience because you know all of the big players in the industry.

    3. Sunflower*

      Have you always done PR with universities or have you ever worked at an agency or corporation? If you’ve worked in different types, what are the main differences, which do you like best and why?

      1. Public Relations Officer, University*

        I started out in journalism and then transitioned to non-profit PR. I worked for about 7 years in larger national non-profits and then thought I wanted to do for-profit PR. I worked for about 3 years at two different businesses (one national, one global) and hated it. I prefer non-profit PR. For me, working in for-profit PR felt more like sales. I was always pitching and promoting their newest product, their newest software, their newest location. It felt very salesy. In non-profit PR I worked in health-oriented organizations so I was promoting nutrition, latest health research, oral health, signs of cancer, etc. I felt like I was doing a public good and I worked with more feature reporters.

        University PR is fun because I can still do the feature pitching (latest research, this professor is an expert in X,Y,Z) but also get to do a little more on-the-spot and crisis communications which is new for me and exciting if stressful.

        I have never worked at an agency before. If you are hoping to do PR I would strongly encourage you to try to get an internship at an agency or work at an agency early in your career. I have never been able to get hired at an agency because I do not have agency experience. If you even intern at one but then do corporate communications, 10 years down the road you’ll still be able to claim you have “agency experience” due to that internship.

    4. Elizabeth West*

      Public Relations Officer, may I please ask you a question for my book? If you click on my name, you’ll go to my blog and my email is on the About page. Thank you.

  65. Programmer - Web and Mobile*

    I am a programmer / software developer specializing in back end development of web sites. Unlike a web designer who creates the user interface, I create the interactive parts and the parts that talk to the database on the back end. I also occasionally create mobile apps. I have built everything from Facebook survey systems, to a privately owned “big-brother” type information warehouse.

    1. Miss Evy*

      I have some peripheral exposure to programming/programmers in my line of work, and have several times considered taking classes to see if I could hack it as a programmer.

      What kind of resources would you recommend for someone looking to explore programming? Is this something that can be learned in your own time, or do I need to go back to school? How important is it to get a Computer Science (or equivalent) degree?

      1. Programmer - Web and Mobile*

        I am completely self taught, no college degree. Funny part (to me at least) is I make a lot more than most of my friends who have advanced degrees, without all the debt.

        I got my start making reference sites and writing Java apps for my own needs – a time tracker here, chat software or cataloging website there – as a hobby in high school. As I moved on to the working world, that gave me a way to prove to employers that I knew how to code and could do what they needed for their projects. I found that I learn best by doing, so I would look for small projects that I found personally useful, and learned whatever I needed to build it.

        If you are looking to learn to program for the web, Peachpit Press makes a great series of Visual Quickstart guides – thats how I learned. Check out their PHP and MySQL for Dynamic Web Sites: Visual QuickPro Guide – its a great introduction to web development. PHP can be great for learning the programming mindset, and there are tons of resources on the web to learn more, then move on to other languages and systems.

    2. Miss Evy*

      Thanks for the tips! I’ll definitely look into those resources – I’ve only just started with the basics (mostly Perl, started with Python recently) but have been struggling to find a way to incorporate studying, practice, etc., into my daily and weekly routines.

      Is OS choice important at all? A lot of the programmers at my company use Macs (and I’ve heard it recommended), but I’m learning with a Linux box right now because it happens to be what I use on my work machine.

      1. Programmer - Web and Mobile*

        Happy to help. PERL is actually what I started with in the early nineties, before PHP was a thing, and found the transition not to be too difficult. I don’t see PERL being used a lot now, although it is a very powerful tool for processing data.

        OS really doesn’t matter – to a point. If you are focusing on web and server programming, most of the tools you will be using are written in Java (Zend, PHPStorm, NetBeans) so they run on almost any major platform. Same with making apps for Android or iOS. Linux is good if you want to get into higher end server work, because most servers are Linux or Unix based. For desktop development though, you would want to use the same OS you are developing for, so you can test right on your system without needing an emulator, and because it will be easier to find IDEs and other resources designed to run on that platform.

      2. Programmer - Web and Mobile*

        Oh, and as for integrating practice and study into your routine – the best thing I can think to suggest is to just look at your normal tasks and see what simple things might benefit from some automation, and figure out how to make those scripts. As you learn and grow as a programmer, you will find yourself going back and making those scripts better and more comprehensive, and once you start, you will probably find it to be a constant motivator to keep growing your skills.

  66. Social Media Manager*

    I manage social media for a large B2B brand in the private sector. This includes:

    * writing and executing strategy
    * day-to-day monitoring and posting
    * identifying methods to insert social media into multiple aspects of the company/business/customer touch points
    * training employees on the benefits/features of social media

      1. Social Media Manager*

        Hmm.. probably that it’s easy or doesn’t take a chunk of time. In reality, the social media manager is one of the faces of the company – sending out messaging and engagement on behalf of the company, multiple times per day in order to maintain brand awareness.

        Therefore, there is careful consideration and time which goes into what’s said and when, who the customer is and what resonates with them, etc.

    2. Sharm*

      I have a marketing background, but for whatever reason, have been unable to break into social media professionally. Since it’s “sexy,” no one at my previous jobs was willing to share or open it up to anyone else. So now I’m at this point where there’s a huge gap in my skill set because everybody wants social media savvy, but I can’t point to a body of work. No one will even give me volunteer opportunities. I must be missing how I can do this on my own. I feel like without a real company/organization’s social media platforms to play with, I can’t recreate the tools nor the customer service element that you’d need to hone in this job.

      What would you advise to someone who has related experience, but is ultimately new to the field to help develop their skills?

      1. Social Media Manager*

        Hi Sharm – I would recommend building your personal brand on LinkedIn and Twitter. Post articles (or write your own) about insights, etc. Respond to and interact with peers. Network and join online conversations. Research and be aware of what’s happening in the industry so you’re prepared to speak on the latest trends

        There are two aspects to being a successful social media manager for a brand:

        1. Knowing the Brand. Knowing its audience and their pain points, the competition, key messaging, voice/POV, etc.
        – This comes with research before an interview and intense learning once hired.

        2. Knowing How to Use Social Media to reach said audience with said messaging.
        – This you can work on beforehand. Demonstrate you know how to use the tools. Not everyone knows how to use social – even the basics of which button to press to send a tweet. Knowing this puts you ahead.

    3. Brett*

      What do you find to be the important analytics to watch, and for which kinds of goals?
      Which social media channels do you commonly utilize, and for which purposes?

      1. Social Media Manager*

        Regarding analytics, I think it really depends on your internal customer or audience. For example, I could tell one C-Suite guy that we grew our fan/follower base by X% in a quarter, and he thinks that’s great. I tell the next C-Suite guy the same thing and his response is “So?” In that case, I’d go deeper into engagement – retweets, impressions, etc.

        My favorite analytics are the ones that measure action – clicks, likes, comments, etc. It’s one thing to have reach or impression – i.e., how many eyeballs saw it, but it’s another thing to have content so compelling that it made people stop, even for a second, to take an action.

        About channels used:
        Facebook – behind the scenes, company culture
        Twitter – heavy on conversations and sharing industry news
        LinkedIn – thought leadership, high-level industry info
        Blog – showcase our best and brightest
        Pinterest – visual representation of the brand; have a little more fun.

    4. Sunflower*

      Something I noticed as I became more active on twitter is that a lot of social media accounts end up serving as internet customer service reps and that is what turned me off of it a lot. Have you seen this to be true?

      1. Social Media Manager*

        I might be more immune because of my industry. I haven’t noticed an influx of customer questions/complaints on our channels or those of our competitors. It probably really depends on the industry, whether its B2B or B2C, product vs service.

        A lot of larger companies have dedicated accounts just for customer service, and then another account for other engagement/branding. But, even in the case, half the messaging in the ‘regular’ feed is directing customers to the service/complaint feed.

  67. Environmental Planner*

    I work in state government, coordinating development of plans that describe how my state will meet federal clean air standards. The job is an interesting mix of science/engineering and public policy. I spend a lot of time reading up on federal regulations that govern our work, reviewing reports from county-level agencies, and writing reports. I also spend some time doing data analysis, but that’s not my main function.

    I have a master’s degree in environmental science, but the policy-related training has all been on the job.

    1. C*

      What sort of work experience did you have before gaining your government position? Do you think your MS gave you a leg up in the interview process?

      I’m also interested in hearing about your hiring timeline…I’m currently waiting for the final word after an interview.

      1. Environmental Planner*

        This is my first planning job–I’ve been here for six years. I taught high school chemistry for two years and worked as a research assistant while I was in graduate school, so I really had no work experience relevant to the position I was hired for. Where I am, that’s not all that unusual–neither of the two people on my team hired after me had experience in policy or planning (but both also had advanced degrees in science/engineering).

        I definitely think the MS gave me an advantage. In my case, I had no internships (which I regret), so if nothing else my graduate work gave me a chance to have some job experience (as a research assistant) to put on my resume. But I think it also bolstered my case for having solid science credentials.

        It’s been a while, so it’s hard to remember the exact timeline, but I think I was called for an interview about a month after I submitted my application. I went through three rounds of interviews, each with someone higher up the organizational chain, and spaced about two or three weeks apart. I think from application to first day of work was about four months. That seems to be much faster than the norm, however.

        Good luck!

    2. Recent Grad*

      Now that you have been working in this position for 6 years what would you expect out a new grad(masters) applying for a position from your department.

      1. Environmental Planner*

        I don’t have any hiring responsibilities, but I would expect they’re looking for someone with strong writing skills, strong project management and time management skills, and the ability to think on the fly. The ability to summarize, to distill the crucial pieces of information from a sea of data or a lengthy document are critical. A good planner has to be able to turn work around quickly, and to be able to do a rough analysis even if the perfect data are not available–employing work-arounds, good-enoughs, etc. I’ve seen people who are very detail-oriented really struggle because they have a harder time seeing the big picture, and can get bogged down in details that aren’t necessarily the most important. (These same detail-oriented people often really thrive, however, in the groups that do computer modeling or data analysis to support development of environmental plans.) Of course, you have to have a baseline of some decent technical skills, but that doesn’t seem to be the main driver of what makes people really successful in planning.

        As far as how to show this when applying, I’d make sure to include things in your resume/cover letter that speak to your ability to see the big picture, analyze all sides of a problem, manage a complex project, etc.

        Does that answer your question?

  68. IT Person (A Non)*

    I am a system admin at a medium sized non-profit. I wrangle the organization’s servers and networks these days, but I also spent several years doing desktop support (aka ‘the IT person’ that company employees go to for help with their computers). If you have questions about why your company’s IT department does _________, I can take a shot at answering it.

    1. A Jane*

      What’s the best way to get feedback and status on open IT requests? In places where there’s a ticketing system, I’ll follow up specifically on the ticket request for just a status. But sometimes, I’ll get something like “we’re still looking at it”.

      1. IT Person (A Non)*

        Yes, if your workplace has a ticketing system, use it. Otherwise I’d reply to the most relevant email, or call or ask in person if your office culture is okay with that.

        IT people are sometimes reluctant to tell end users what they’re doing because it’s pretty heavily technical and attempts to explain it can cause more confusion rather than less. Or sometimes they’re giving the user an upgrade that they don’t want the entire office to start asking for. “We’re working on it” isn’t a great answer for them to send in that situation, though, as you don’t know if progress is actually being made or not. Ideally they’d find some information that is relevant, or at least give you a time frame.

        If you’ve gotten a ‘we’re working on it’ answer and need more info, go ahead and ask for it. It’s helpful to specify what you’re looking for – a time frame, an idea of what went wrong, etc.

      2. Laurie*

        I’d recommend trying to get them on the phone for a quick chat. They might be reluctant to put the exact status in an email, but they might give you a little bit more detail over the phone.

        If it has to be done via email, I’d soften the email a little by asking them if they have ‘narrowed down the scope of the issue’ or if they ‘have an update on what might be affecting this’ or ‘can we provide any further supporting documentation on the ticket’ etc..

  69. Business Systems Analyst*

    I’m a Business Systems Analyst for a large university’s technology commercialization department. The university owns a lot of patents and we work with inventors as well as licensing companies to get the patents out there for public use. I’m a member of the IT team that keeps the database humming so that everyone knows how much money is coming in, how much money is being paid out, which patents need to be renewed, which company is licensing which patent in which country, etc.

    1. IT Coordinator*

      Every BSA job description I’ve ever seen has been a nearly indecipherable mish-mash of buzzwords. “Leverage innovative solutions to uncover new operational insights and define actionable parameters for business processes.” The hell?

      In normal-people language, what are some of the usual things that a BSA would be expected to do at any company? For example, I know a Network Administrator should at least be able to:
      – Configure switches and routers
      – Secure a network against common attacks
      – Understand access control concepts
      – Monitor network performance and diagnose any issues

      I still don’t have a clue what the core competencies of a BSA are, and I’m in charge of the IT department!

  70. Advertising Account Manager for an Environmental Business Media Company*

    I work on marketing and sales (which mainly translates into selling advertising, but really any revenue-generating activity that our mission-based start up undertakes) for a media company that promotes a more sustainable economy. Clients include Fortune 500 companies, environmental companies, policymakers, lobbyists, higher education institutions, who have something to say in this area.

      1. Advertising Account Manager for an Environmental Business Media Company*

        My background is in publishing (my B.A was in English and a field related to politics); I got my first job in book publishing and took a sales position in the hopes of making a half-decent salary (which I then did), received good training and did well, then took a position in magazines translating the sales skills and publishing knowledge, and then, just before I thought I had enough, I saw the position at this particular publication that really spoke to my interests and I applied and got it. The neat thing about publishing is you are exposed to so many different worlds, and with a bit of experience, you can pick something you are really passionate about.

  71. Newscast Director (Exception To The Rule)*

    In a nutshell, I tell people what to do. I’m responsible for putting two daily evening newscasts on the air in a mid-sized midwestern TV market. I’m also responsible for scheduling (people & studios), graphic integration, trouble-shooting technology problems with our control room equipment, and a ton of other stuff. On the weekends, I do freelance work in sports broadcasting – running camera, audio, technical directing, etc…

    1. ArtsNerd*

      What does your week look like, hours-wise? I would imagine it’s a full days’ work to prep two evening newscasts, but is it less than a full day? Are you freelancing because the main gig doesn’t pay what you’d like, because you’re just really excited about the work?

      1. Newscast Director (Exception To The Rule)*

        I normally work an evening shift Monday through Thursday – from about 2pm until 11pm. Because of some scheduling weirdness, I work a day shift on Fridays and am home by 6pm.

        Freelancing is an easy way to make extra money and have contacts to find work in case I’m ever automated out of a job.

  72. Higher Ed Administrator (TotesMaGoats)*

    Right now, I’m the director of a handful of satellite campuses for the non-trad branch of the state university system. So, we have mini-campuses to run and handle everything from admission to registration to financial aid. I also do a lot business development type activities with our local chamber of commerce and companies. I’ve also worked at a smaller, private liberal arts school where I was the advisor for about 300 RN to BS students. I wrote state and federal level grants (that were awarded to the tune of 1.5 million), wrote articulation agreements and coordinated live video classes across the state.

  73. Drug and Alcohol Counselor (Loose Seal)*

    I provide counseling for clients in the drug court program. Drug courts work by offering people have been arrested for a drug-related offense a chance for this intensive outpatient treatment in lieu of imprisonment. Participants in the program are required to have a legal income stream (employment, Social Security, pension, trust fund, lottery winnings, etc.), maintain housing, attend counseling, observe a curfew (ours starts out at 5 pm every day unless the client is at work or another excused function), pay their fines, attend twice-weekly self-help meetings (like AA or NA, etc.), comply with frequent, random, observed drug testing, and comply with their other requirements of probation. The program lasts between 18 months and three years; the client has to have at least 18 continuous months sobriety to graduate. The program I worked with previously took only first-time drug offenders and, on successful completion of the program, expunged their offense from their record. My current program takes people regardless of how many previous charges they have had (many of my clients have been in state or federal prison before) and does not expunge the charges from their record but does help the person get back some rights (like voting rights) after they complete their probation.

    There are also Family Drug Courts for persons who have had their children removed from their custody by Family and Children Services for drug-related child endangerment or neglect; those clients may or may not have a criminal charge. Some judicial circuits have a Juvenile Drug Court for teens who have come into contact with the juvenile court system for drug-related offenses. Typically, the juveniles are in a separate program from the adults. The drug court program is considered one of the most successful outpatient drug treatment there is. An estimated 75% of drug court graduates nationwide are never arrested for another drug-related crime.

    Obviously, I can’t share specific stories about my clients because of confidentiality but I’d love to talk generally about this work and about myths, misunderstandings, and truths about addiction.

    1. Celeste*

      Wow, I bet you get a lot of satisfaction from this work. It must be great when you see somebody succeed and get their life back.

      A local judge started the same kind of thing for victims of human trafficking. Drug rehab is always their first step as addiction is a prime way to control somebody. The stories coming out are so sad.

      1. Drug and Alcohol Counselor (Loose Seal)*

        Job satisfaction is a loaded topic. Obviously, I can’t control what the clients choose to do. Many clients come into the program not looking for treatment for their addictions but to postpone their prison sentence. If we can get them motivated to change somewhere during their first six months or so in the program, I mostly feel we have a chance with them. But it’s tough. Somedays I feel like I’m pushing a snowball uphill in the dead of summer.

        And I try not to take too much pride in their successes. They are the ones that did all the hard work. I am super happy for their accomplishments but all I did was help them find tools that would help them when they wanted to use. They are the ones that have to actually use those tools.

    2. CTO*

      What’s your education and licensing background? How did you get into your specific niche of work?

      1. Drug and Alcohol Counselor (Loose Seal)*

        I got into this field after a career as a social worker in the child protective services field. I went back to school for a Master’s in Counseling hoping that I’d land in the drug and alcohol field. I had seen drug courts work well with my clients as a social worker; they tended to get their children returned to them twice as fast as those clients with addiction issues that weren’t in the drug court program. So I’ve seen it work and that’s why I was pulled in this direction.

        You can go after several licenses. Most people in this field have a LADAC (Licensed Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselor). I will have an LPC (Licensed Professional Counselor) license after I finish my required hours of supervision. I’ve also seen LCSWs (Licensed Clinical Social Workers) in this field. I would not recommend someone completing the PhD for this field since the return on investment is not that much greater; if someone wanted a PhD for its own sake, that’s one thing, but currently PhDs in this state are getting about $5 an hour more than LPCs for doing the same work. It would take forever at that rate to pay off your PhD.

        If someone was looking to get into this field, I’d recommend checking out your state’s licensing organizations and finding out what licenses insurance companies will pay in your state — so you can get paid for your work! For instance, this state’s insurance company’s don’t pay LADACs for this work so if that’s the license you have, you’d have to bill under someone the state requires the insurance company to recognize as a professional counselor.

  74. Attorney*

    I’m an attorney for a large government organization. My job doesn’t involve going to court or litigating at all. Instead, I do behind the scenes stuff for the agency at which I work. It’s not tremendously prestigious, but I love what I do and the people with whom I work. My job duties mainly consist of writing, with some legal research, correspondence, and advising on occasion. I’m happy to answer whatever questions I can, including about law school and the legal field in general.

    1. The LeGal*

      I have been out of law school for one year, and licensed. Do you have any tips (i.e. experience, resume, etc. . . ) on getting into a government position?

      1. Attorney*

        Honestly, a lot of it was luck for me. I was hired at a time when my agency was expanding to accommodate a significantly growing workload, and when they were doing a lot of hiring, so I was kind of in the right place at the right time. I found my job on my law school’s job board, but I actually applied through USAJobs. As far as USAJobs go – one of the things that made the application process difficult was that they wanted to know everywhere I’d lived in the past 20 years (which, as I was under 30 at that time, was everywhere I had EVER lived), and everywhere I’d ever worked. If you plan to apply for federal jobs, do yourself a favor and go ahead and get all of that information together now, to save yourself the time and enable yourself to apply quickly if you see a position that is closing soon.

        I think my resume appealed to them in part because the job is somewhat related to the health field, and I specialized in health law at a law school known for this program. Honestly I don’t use much of what I learned about health law at school in this job, but I suspect that’s what helped me stand out. As far as what kind of experience – I imagine that really depends on what job/agency you’re applying for. This was my first legal job, outside of internships, but I’m sure many other positions do require more experience.

        I know Alison has said this before, but it’s true: government hiring can be really slow. Being patient is always necessary. One tip is that many govt agencies work on a fiscal year that ends September 30, so sometimes that serves as a hiring deadline for whatever positions are budgeted for that year. Maybe looking for postings a few months ahead of that – or immediately after, when new budgets are in effect – might yield more prospects? I’m speculating, I admit.

    2. Schnauz*

      What kind of promotional potential is in your position? Do you enjoy working for a governmental agency and do you think you’ll stay long-term? Below, you said this is your first job out of law school. Do you think you’ll go into the private side in the future for better pay? (would it even be better pay?)

      1. Attorney*

        That would be one of the big drawbacks to this job – it’s going to be a while before I can get promoted. There are positions above me to which I could be promoted, but turnover is very low here. I need about five or six people to retire; it doesn’t matter how well I do my job. Also, for the position I would really want, I might have to move, which I don’t really want to do.

        I do like working here, and I plan to stay for a while. I was actually discussing this with my coworker recently. Because I’ve never had another permanent legal job, it’s hard for me to know what I’m missing. This is a niche area, and I have thought that, if I ever did want to leave, my transferable skills would be limited (though not non-existent). The longer I stay here, the more entrenched I am, and as I mentioned above, the possibility of moving up is somewhat limited. But I think it’s a case of the grass always being greener. I certainly don’t want to have to deal with billable hours requirements, trying to bring in clients, expecting to respond via phone or email on evenings and weekends (and vacation!), trying to make partner, etc. Here, I have a flexible schedule, no billable hours or clients, a casual dress code, and the ability to work from home at times. Yes, I would have more opportunity for advancement and higher pay elsewhere, but I would lose out on all of those benefits, plus pretty good job security. My coworkers who have been in private practice generally agree that it’s much better here.

        The pay is pretty good, particularly for someone of my experience. Of course, my salary goes up very slowly – just cost-of-living increases, when we get one, and regimented step increases after a certain number of years elapses. No negotiating for raises, which is both good and bad. There are occasional opportunities for merit bonuses or raises, which of course are also subject to certain limits. Right now I earn more than some of my lawyer friends and less than many others, but I work less than all of them (man, I sound like a slacker here; I really do work, and I work overtime when it’s available). In the future, I might get left behind more vis-a-vis salary, though again, it depends on whether I actually do get promoted.

        1. Schnauz*

          Aside from the promotion issue, I think that sounds great. I would love to have a career that I really cared about, doing things that feel worthwhile (my job is fine, but it’s nothing to write home about) but I also really value work/life balance. So kudos to you. You can always make changes as you go on, but it sounds like a great alternative to 80hr weeks and the partner race.

          1. Attorney*

            Aw, thanks Schnauz. Thanks for reminding me that I have it pretty good. As I mentioned, I spent a long time looking for any legal job, and I was woefully underemployed and feeling like a failure for a long time. Hope this helps job-seekers remember that things can work out, even after a long period of frustration.

    3. Helping a friend*

      Is your job title “attorney”? Are there similar jobs in other government agencies that you know of? I have a friend who is an attorney at a firm that works with insurance companies, some litigation, and it is killing him. I think his firm has lower billable requirements than some, but it is still just too much stress and too many weekends (most). He does a lot of writing and research, so that seems like that should transfer to other legal jobs, but he doesn’t know much about the alternatives to working in a private firm.

      1. Attorney*

        My job title is Attorney, yes. As far as similar jobs – mine is probably somewhat unique to this agency, but I can imagine similar jobs existing, say, at the VA. I imagine that almost all of the federal agencies employ some lawyers, but the positions may be mostly or exclusively in the DC area; it just depends on the agency. There’s also the possibility of state or local government, although some local govt positions (like the municipalities around here) are really just supplemental positions, designed for lawyers who have a regular FT job as well. His mileage will definitely vary based on his locale.

        There are also in-house counsel type jobs, wherein you work as a lawyer for a company or entity and only handle their matters. These positions usually pay well, but they tend to be highly coveted and require more experience to obtain (I’m not sure how long your friend has been practicing law). They likely won’t have billable hours, since there’s only one client, but the hours and stress level are probably widely variable, depending on the individual employer.

        Beyond that, he’d have to get more creative, and a lot depends on what field of law he’s in, and maybe even what he did as an undergraduate. The LeGal mentioned below that she’s a licensed attorney who works in compliance, and that’s the kind of job that may not necessarily require a law degree, but for which being a lawyer is likely very beneficial. I looked at several such positions when I was job-hunting, and I think I would have enjoyed it. So perhaps that’s a possibility as well?

      2. Attorney*

        I re-read your post, and I see that he does insurance work. Not sure what kind of insurance, but I could see that lending itself to in-house positions at insurance companies, or maybe at companies with a lot of insurance needs (depending on the type of insurance he deals with; I’m kind of thinking at trucking companies, for instance). His state also likely has an agency that does insurance regulation, so maybe something there, if it’s a geographical possibility for him.

  75. Conference Call Operator*

    I’m the voice on the phone that answers your lines, sets up the call, coordinates with the presenters, announcing the opening/QA, etc. We do calls for a little bit of everything – quarterly earnings releases, press calls (entertainment, sports, political organizations), continuing education, town halls, team calls, legal, etc. Sometimes it’s tremendously interesting and it can be fun if we’re working with a celebrity. Of course, mostly we’re not listening to content (and sometimes we’re not allowed to!) but rather monitoring for audio quality or other issues and any cues for us to jump in.

    1. Mel*

      How do you monitor sound quality and jump in if you aren’t allowed to listen to content? We use a service like this for some of our calls, I always feel kind of bad for the operator since the topics are generally really boring if you don’t work for the company. :)

      1. Schnauz*

        Mostly the calls where we aren’t “allowed” to listen, are very confidential calls (example: board meetings). Those calls typically have an assistant call in on another line and they will relay to us if there’s an issue. Otherwise, they can press a couple of buttons and that sets off an alert that they need assistance.

        Haha, don’t feel too bad for us. Yes, it really is boring but we also work with some great people. The IM system is a life saver. ;)

  76. Technical writer (Jen)*

    I’m a tech writer in Romania, with about 4 years of experience. In a previous life, I was a copy editor for various publishing houses. I can’t give any advice about the job market in the US, but I want to play in the thread :) Feel free to ask me anything about Romania, being an ESL writer or whatever else!

    1. Arts & Culture Marketing (ArtsNerd)*

      I promote arts & cultural stuffs doing the gamut of anything conceivably “marketing.” Right now I work at an arthouse-y movie theater that also does lots of repertory shows, special screenings, filmmaker Q&As, and whatnot. My last job was marketing live events ranging from concerts to dance to literature readings.

      I’ve also had a hand in developing and producing said events at both employers.

      1. Youth Orchestra Admin*

        that sounds like an awesome job! I’m slowly seguewaying into arts marketing from a film and video background and that would be right up my alley. :)

        1. Youth Orchestra Admin*

          and – PS – are you in Austin by any chance? I took a trip there this winter and thought the Drafthouse Cinemas would be an amazing place to work. Quite a revelatory movie-going experience compared to the average suburban one. Or even urban ones here in the Northeast!

          1. ArtsNerd*

            Hah! Clearly that was not meant to be a reply to Technical Writer. I was going to ask her a question and got distracted and didn’t realize i was in the reply box.

            The job is really great! When I was young I never expected to go into “marketing” but really it’s just “making sure people know what awesome stuff we’re up to!”

            I’m not in Austin, but am well familiar with Alamo Drafthouse. Love them! My employer is similar – so we do similar stuff – but we have fewer locations and a slightly difference emphasis / culture.

    2. Zelos*

      How did you find your job? Writing is hard, but because everyone does some writing it seems like it’s a job that won’t have a lot of openings for because most people would just foist it onto another position instead of making a dedicated position for it.

      1. Technical writer (Jen)*

        Two things: knowing a lot of English and having a background in writing and editing. Because I’m not in an English-speaking country, advanced English knowledge is a must for tech writers, and (after being involved in hiring) I discovered it’s pretty rare! The rest was just the icing on the cake, but I do think my editing experience makes me even better at this. (I honestly prefer the editing part rather than the writing part.)

        None of my coworkers had/has any writing background, but they all know English very well. Some of them had a background in something related to the job – for example, Finance grad documenting a financial application, or Software Engineering grad documenting the technical side of an application. In terms of actual *writing*, some have proven to be extremely quick learners, some… less so.

        1. Neeta*

          advanced English knowledge is a must for tech writers, and (after being involved in hiring) I discovered it’s pretty rare!

          I can confirm this after doing some technical interviews myself. I was actually quite surprised, how bad some people’s English was, and they claimed they were “practically fluent”.

      2. Jen RO*

        Oh, and tech writing was virtually non existent here, so hiring was based on transferable skills, which I luckily had.

    3. Loose Seal*

      As part of tech writing, do you have to do translation? I mean, are you producing work that starts in Romanian but the client wants the finished product in English? Or some other combination of languages?

      I am so amazed at people who are conversant-to-fluent in another language. I’ve got enough language exposure so I can travel as a tourist comfortably but I’d be completely lost if someone tried to get into a technical subject with me.

      1. Technical writer (Jen)*

        Not so far, no. Both companies I’ve worked for have been multinational and English was used for all specs. I talked to the developers and testers in Romanian, but the bulk of the work was done based on specs in (sort-of) English. I spent most of my time documenting a financial application and I had no clue about the concepts in Romanian anyway, so I just learned them in English from the start. (I did spend quite a lot of time “translating” from broken English to proper English! Most employees were not native speakers.)

        To me, “technical” subjects in English are stuff like cars and cooking. My conversations usually go along the lines of “that thing you put in the sour soup! It’s a plant and it’s small and it looks like parsley but it’s not, and it has a completely different flavor and it smells great.” (Lovage, according to wikipedia. I learned a new word!)

        I know Spanish (and French, almost) to a travel-comfortably level, but I know there is no way I could do my job in any other language. I’ve been studying or exposed to English in one way or another for 26 years, you just can’t beat all that American TV!

  77. Executive Director of a Nonprofit Tech Nonprofit*

    I’m the Executive Director of a seven person nonprofit that provides research-based, unbiased information about technology and software that can help other nonprofits.

    Day-to-day, I do a lot of oversight of tasks and people, reviewing reports and training, outreach to potential partners/ foundations, sponsorship fundraising… and everything else that no one else here does!

    1. family law lawyer*

      how big is your staff, and what was your trajectory in moving into nonprofit management?

      1. Executive Director (and founder) of a Nonprofit Tech Nonprofit*

        So we’re seven people — definitely small and scrappy, but growing and pretty entrepreneurial. I was actually the founder of the nonprofit, eight years ago. I was a consultant to nonprofits before that, doing website and communications strategy and project management for websites. I started my career at a big technology and management consultant company, and then went through the internet boom and bust as a project manager.

        By the way, I’m also happy to answer questions about founding a nonprofit– didn’t think to put that in. The cliff notes version: it’s not easy, take either a huge amount of spare time or money to start up, and takes way longer than you think to get rolling.

      1. Laura*

        We are are about 75% fee based, mostly from membership orgs and networks who want to commission research or training for the nonprofits they work with. We offer almost all of our research and articles for free (www.idealware.org), but someone had paid for almost all of it. We’re lucky to be in a sector where hardly anyone says “I want to do this research, which is good for the nonprofits I work with, but I don’t want any other nonprofits to see it.”We also sell some training and courses.

        The rest is foundation grants and individual donations, from folks who are looking to support technology for the whole sector, and make the nonprofit sector more efficient.

  78. Theatre Director (Liz T)*

    An NYC-based director (and sometimes-playwright) with experience directing on the off-off-Broadway level and assisting on the off-Broadway level. I also run my own very small company, and am an inner-circle company member with a slightly larger one. I’m still emerging, as they say, but pretty entrenched in the community and knowledgeable about new works development.

    I can speak to the creative side and the administrative side, as well as some basics of grass-roots fundraising (spoiler alert: it’s tough). I went to grad school in London (not an MFA, which is a complex topic) and I’ve interned with some wildly different professional companies. Ask me anything!

    1. ali*

      how awesome! how did you manage to break in to the industry? I’ve heard it’s all in who you know, but I’d like to think that’s not entirely true and that talent and knowledge might actually get you somewhere.

      1. Theatre Director (Liz T)*

        Great question, which has provoked a long answer! The short answer is both, but probably not the way you’d think.

        Talent and knowledge absolutely matter–but/and so do relationships. Directors often have a tough job selling themselves because you can’t “audition” the way actors do, or submit past work the way playwrights do. (I have some video of my work, but it’s not the same, and there are strict rules against it once you’re working with union actors.) New York is a very playwright-centric town, so a lot of directors build careers off, essentially, hitching their wagons to a playwright’s star. These are still genuine relationships, though, and produce a lot of phenomenal theatre. (It does sting, though, when playwrights “trade up” after you’ve helped develop their work.)

        So to answer your question: who you know matters in that you need people who BELIEVE in you. When I was starting out in NYC, every gig I got was thanks to a recommendation from a dear friend who’d been in town a few more years than I had. In the past year I’ve gotten much better about making people know who I am, even if that doesn’t lead directly to work; you need to be a known quantity before people entrust you with their resources.

        I will say that there are opportunities for artists to get a foot in the door at theaters where they have no connections. It almost always starts with a script, but theaters are usually run by directors, and they understand when they’re seeing work by a good one. So, the people you know are the rungs on the ladder; talent and knowledge (and luck) are how you get up each rung.

    2. WorkingAsDesigned*

      My degree is in Theatre Arts, and I miss it. I do, however, really enjoy my work as an administrative assistant.

      Do you ever see volunteers in the admin side of theatre? If so, how much time do they usually volunteer for?

      1. Theatre Director (Liz T)*

        I’d recommend starting with the New York Fringe Festival. They run almost entirely off of short-term volunteers, and since there are shows all day, every day during the festival, they can probably find you something to fit your schedule. Plus, you get vouchers for free tickets! I’ve done the festival and it’s a really fun atmosphere–I definitely recommend it:

        http://fringenyc.org/index.php/get-involved/volunteers
        Or, for slightly more involvement:
        http://fringenyc.org/index.php/get-involved/volunteer-staff

        The FringeFAIR is on May 4th this year; you can still volunteer if you don’t attend, but it’s a good way to meet people and get a feel for it. Go for it!

        1. Theatre Director (Liz T)*

          I realize now you specified admin work, so you’ll probably want to start with the second link.

          1. WorkingAsDesigned*

            Thanks, Liz – much appreciated! I’m actually based in Montana, but it’s helpful to know that my type of skillset can be valuable in the theatrical realm. :) I’ll check with my local theaters to see if there’s a way I can aid and assist . . .

            1. Theatre Director (Liz T)*

              Oh ha! Yes, you should definitely do that–and Montana has summer festivals, too. (I mean I know it’s a big state, but even I know about some of your Shakespeare festivals.)

    3. Production Assistant*

      I was actually thinking that if I ever get my masters, I would love to go to school in London. However, my field is stage management. I know there are stage management MA/MFA programs in the US, but did you at all encounter those programs while you were in London? Did they seem useful in terms of experience, education, contacts within the industry, and anything else I should be looking at with grad schools?

      1. Liz T*

        Wow I wish I had seen this. You will probably never see this, but I’ll answer anyway.

        There are training programs, though I’m not sure about Masters programs. (Most drama programs over there aren’t.) Stage management works a bit differently there, and is usually melded into the technical program. (I was surprised that I was told to direct carpentry issues to the stage manager, who typically built the sets–whereas SMs in America often have only very basic technical knowledge. At LAMDA, everyone on the technical (non-design) course did rotations in every field, so there were sound engineers doing terrible jobs as SMs and SMs forced to sew costumes, etc.

        Also, don’t go to grad school in London unless you want to move there and work there forever. I was warned of that, and didn’t listen (mostly because I thought I could stay there longer than I could). LAMDA did not help my professional advancement.

  79. Research Consultant - Healthcare Policy*

    New England-based researcher for a mid-size consulting firm that specializes in public policy research. I largely work on government contracts, and have developed a specialty in quality measurement and improvement in healthcare.

    1. H*

      Did you have any publications before joining? What are your main deliverables in your position? Also, how did you get into it? I have an MPH and am working more on Operations/Advocacy but sometimes want to get more into policy research.

      1. Research Consultant - Healthcare Policy*

        I started in state government, at an agency with a relevant focus. There, I produced lots of reports (that sort of qualify as my “publications,” even though very few have my name on them.
        In my current position, I work on a couple of contracts (mostly government) doing different kinds of things. For example, one project is entirely qualitative research, another is purely ad-hoc analytic work for a particular federal program, and a third largely involves training different state government staff around healthcare quality issues. I really love the variety that comes with being a consultant.

        I have an MPH, but it did very little to vault me into any of my positions since grad school (although I think the letters matter a lot). The main way I got into it is by developing skills that no one else was good at or wanted to do (analytics and statistics), and being so reliable that upper level people started to consider me invaluable. If you’re in a good enough management structure (and that’s a big if), getting recognized and getting your name out can really work in moving up in your career. Especially in healthcare policy in New England, where there’s a lot going on, but it’s a small world.

        1. H*

          Thanks so much for all the input! I did a lot more with statistical analysis in grad school (as well as writing more policy memos) and feel out of practice now. Trying to think of ways to keep those (and my writing) skills sharp. Your current variety of work sounds very interesting!

  81. Clinical Research Associate*

    I’m a research associate for a major medical center. Unlike a lot of CRAs, I handle absolutely every phase of a project– from going over feasibility with the physicians to applying with the IRB/doing regulatory paperwork to making patient materials to consenting patients and tracking their data to editing the manuscript for the journal article.

    1. Scientist Lost*

      I’m looking for a job just like that! How did you find it? How did you get such a job when there are dozens and dozens of people applying for each one?

      1. Bea W*

        Most CRAs and Study Coordinators are RNs. It’s often a requirement for many employers, but not always. You do need the healthcare/medical background. Many CRA positions involve a lot of travel to different study sites with the bulk of the working being clinical study site monitoring. Other positions are much more involved in other things like Clinical Research Associate describes or some combination of the two. It depends on what kind of employer you work for.

        A good way to get into this work is as a Study Coordinator / Clinical Research Coordinator, where you work at medical center or hospital seeing patients for study visits and working with the site’s investigators. You can find these jobs at research and teaching hospitals.

        There are some professional societies I recommend checking out for more information on this career.
        Society of Clinical Research Associates (SOCRA) – http://www.socra.org
        Association of Clinical Research Professionals (ARCP) – http://www.acrpnet.org

        1. Clinical Research Associate*

          This isn’t necessarily true, though. While a ton of coordinators are nurses and many places do require it, most of ours (a major research institution) and our collaborators’ do not have a medical background. I think it used to be more standard for folks like me to have such credentials, but nowadays I think it’s plainly just too expensive and there’s been a move away from that unless it’s directly necessary.

          1. Bea W*

            RNs are really expensive! Once you get your foot in the door, it’s all on-the-job learning. They don’t really train people in university or nursing school to do this particular type of work. It does help to be familiar with a medical setting and medical terminology, and if you are working on protocol development, knowledge of research methodology (in any of the sciences or social sciences) helps. I think I can still count on one hand the number of non-RNs I’ve worked with in that capacity. So I think it depends on what kind of employer you work for.

            Some years ago I worked with one investigator who only hired non-RNs for that reason, and it was a source of mild controversy. Some of the RNs had strong opinions about hiring non-RNs as either CRAs or Study Coordinators. It was not a good idea to just not bring that subject up as small talk before a meeting. It was like politics or religion. Some things you just don’t discuss. :D

            1. Clinical Research Associate*

              For me, my background was in social science research but specifically from the angle of people’s interaction with the health care system. I studied medical anthropology in university and then did public health work, so the combination of things were right. The other CRAs & coordinators here have very diverse backgrounds– many that I’ve seen have degrees in chemistry or biology and have more bench research experience. There are a fair amount of nurses as well, though, yes.

              It’s certainly not controversial, though… At least as far as anyone has ever admitted to me, I suppose, haha. I wonder how much of that is institutional versus changing times and changing the way research is often blended in with clinical services now. Why have the CRA that comes in be a nurse, after all, when there’s already a nurse in their appointment as part of their regular visit?

              1. Bea W*

                That’s really interesting, and kinda awesome you were able to get into it without the RN. In 14 years on various types of clinical and observational projects I only encountered what you described at one study site, which was a large and very well known research and teaching hospital. For me it’s been easily 95% RNs in both the CRA and Study Coordinator roles, if not more, but that is really only speaking about the US.

                I wonder if it varies by region, or type of institution, type of research or indication or by employer though for my work for academic, public funded, and private industry it’s all definitely been an RN dominated career. If you weren’t an RN, you end up doing something else – project management, admin/regulatory, data management, stats, maybe safety (a lot of RNs in safety also).

                Caveat: I am neither a CRA or Study Coordinator, but the first 10 years of my career I worked very closely with the Study Coordinators at sites, and the in-house CRAs doing monitoring visits and traveling to regular investigator meetings, and also with some of the investigators (depending on what they were interested in – if it had to do with biological samples or looking at gross photos, that was likely assigned to me.) I’ve continued to work closely with CRAs at my last and current jobs. They are my lifeline for making my work work! There’s only so much magic I can work on iffy data without having to ask someone to intervene.

                There was certainly more opportunity to work cross-function when I was working in a setting where research was mostly funded by federal grants and contracts, and that was largely due to how the company was structured, with people working completely within self contained project teams vs. job function.

      2. Clinical Research Associate*

        Well for one, my role is a little on the unique side. Most research associates or coordinators don’t do this sort of over-arching work on each project. If you come into a role like this you’ll likely be handling study visits and patient-facing tasks, but past that it will vary quite a bit.

        As for how I got into it, I did what’s considered “human subjects” research as an undergrad, a few times under professors and once independently. Though what I was doing was social science based and I’m now in medical research, a lot of the principles and regulatory considerations are exactly the same. The research I was doing was related to the health care system as well, so I had worked on health education & patient materials.

        Others that I work with come from very diverse backgrounds, though, and I had been working in some unrelated jobs and then patient outreach before I started here and god the kind of work I wanted. I was told that the regulatory experience I had was one of the big reasons I was selected. A big factor, though, was that I relocated to a city where there is a lot of research being done so there were more opportunities overall. I’m at a major medical center but there are also independent research institutes, biotech companies, universities, etc.

    2. Clinical Data Manager (Pharma/Biotech)*

      Oh! I know how much guys love us! (:

      Most CRAs don’t fill some of those job functions. You must work for an academic/research facility. I can tell you there are very few CDMs who have done that either. In a previous life I was on a project that required me to be more of a Jack of all Trades. It was interesting and I really credit that for making me so much better at my own job because I got to see the whole process from many different perspectives.

      1. Clinical Research Associate*

        Definitely. Out of all the other CRAs I know at this same institution, no one does all the different things that I do. I’m at a large medical center that’s got hefty research facilities, so it’s largely out of necessity, but also out of interest. I’ll volunteer to do pretty much anything that needs to be done for a project.

  82. Administrative Assistant/Finance Assistant (Kelly O)*

    Right now I’m doing AP, AR, and general office management. (Not crazy about the AP and AR, but it’s what I’m doing now.)

    Historically I’ve provided administrative support in a variety of settings – banking, university administration, utilities, travel, specialty retail, and an executive suite environment.

    Jill of all trades, representing before Administrative Professional’s Week.

    2. Purple Jello*

      Back when I was an AA, I prefered “Renaissance Woman” to “Jill of all trades”.

  83. Front End Designer/Developmer & Graphic Designer*

    I work for a midsized company as a bit of a jill of all trades for the marketing department. I do front end development (v. simple explanation – I make things pretty on the web using code) and design (less of this these days. I tend to jump from paper to code with no Photoshop in the middle). I also design print campaigns/ads/web graphics/email newsletters whatever is needed, up to and including user testings in the field.

    I am completely self-taught for both the design and code portions of my job, but so far it hasn’t hurt me. The most important thing you need in my position is a great portfolio.

    1. HR Director*

      Are you looking for a job? Lol.

      Seriously, how does it feel to have a job where your skills are in very high demand?

      1. Front End Designer/Developmer & Graphic Designer*

        I am, actually! And you would be surprised about the demand… But I do appreciate it.

        1. ali*

          Indeed. The demand is not what one would expect (I was unemployed last year at this time and had spent 3 months searching before I found a less-than-ideal fit via word-of-mouth). It is getting better, but in the world of squarespace and wix and the like, everyone seems to think what we do is easy. Even if there are jobs, very few pay market value anymore.

    2. ali*

      Very much like what I do as an “Interactive Designer”, only I focus only on online fundraising for Nonprofit organizations these days (I work for a very big company that makes software solutions for Nonprofits. If you are using specialty fundraising software, you’ve probably heard of us).

      I am self-taught in the web stuff, since the very beginning of the web, and have done a lot of database-driven coding, so I’m somewhere between front-end and back-end. I also have a Master’s of Nonprofit Management, so I use that knowledge to guide my clients in what they should really have on their sites.

      1. Front End Designer/Developmer & Graphic Designer*

        Job titles in the web industry vary so much! But yes, if someone told me my job title was changing to “Interactive Designer” it wouldn’t be far off. Did you read Chris Coyer’s (CSS Tricks) articles on job titles in the we industry? I liked his breakdown.

        1. ali*

          yes! he’s my favorite site. Saw him do a keynote at CSSDevConf this year (which I highly recommend attending if you haven’t before!)

          1. Front End Designer/Developmer & Graphic Designer*

            Oh, that sounds awesome. His site is such a great resource. The number of times I’ve referenced his stuff is astronomical. I am blowing my conference budget on SmashingConf this year (which I am psyched about. I’m doing one of the day workshops too), but maybe for next year.

    3. Sharm*

      What tools did you use to teach yourself? Was it hard? Did your initial portfolio consist of mock projects, or did you do work for friends to build your reputation?

      1. Front End Designer/Developmer & Graphic Designer*

        Honestly, I started out learning by doing. In high school I would design online journal layouts for friends by just taking old code and seeing what would happen if i changed that number. (Think livejournal/diaryland/myspace). I started following along with tutorials and just playing. It was a hobby and SO MUCH FUN.

        Seriously, I love figuring out how to get certain effects in Photoshop, then how to replicate them in the browser. I would do projects for fun, and added them to my portfolio. I also built sites and created graphics for friends. Any of the PSD Tuts, CSS Tricks, Codrops, Smashing Magazine etc. Just start following along and reading, then finding tutorials and doing them. Also, stackoverflow is a lifesaver.

        After I dropped out of college I was working as an admin assistant and worked near the company’s developer and realized: hey! I am better than her. And they’re paying her for it! So I convinced them to promote me simply by showing them some sample ideas. This was a tiny company so that actually worked.

        From then on I started freelancing, building my portfolio. I was able to parlay that job into a freelance career, then my current position.

    1. LizNYC*

      What’s the coolest show you’ve seen?

      Also, any tips for getting the hard-to-get ticket?

      1. Publicist*

        Too many to choose just one favorite! Foo Fighters and Smashing Pumpkins are a few that come to mind immediately.

        Hard to get tickets – buy them the day they go on sale, if you can! Most shows don’t sell out immediately. For those that are the type to sell out immediately, get on the band’s fan club email list, follow them on social media. Also follow the venue on social media or get on their list too. Buying online, scope out the website ahead of time so you know where to quickly click when the tickets go on sale. Also, even when a show sells out, tickets are sometimes released at the last minute, so keep checking back to the website or keep an eye on social media!

    2. Hales*

      How did you get into your field? I am about to graduate with a degree in communication and am looking into jobs in publicity or PR but looking at applications makes me feel seriously unprepared and un familiar with the field. What would you say are the most important skills needed in publicity?

      1. Publicist*

        For entertainment/arts publicity specifically, this is a field where it is really who you know because there are thousands of applicants for every opening, and most openings are not advertised publicly. Internships – at least two of them, ideally in different aspects of the field (i.e. one with a venue, one with a record label) – are key here because that’s how you network and how companies can vet you/get to know you. Hopefully you’ve already got a few under your belt if you are about to graduate, but if not, you should make time this summer to get one, even if you are working another “survival” job at the same time. You can also volunteer for relevant nonprofits i.e. a children’s music charity to gain some experience and connections. Also, if you have friends who are in bands, are artists, actors, etc, you can help them out by volunteering to write their bio or website content and get some experience at the same time.

        Like you I was also a communication major. I got into the job by interning and being in the right place at the right time when an opening presented itself.

        In terms of skills – strong reading comprehension and writing skills are important, but you also need to be able to think creatively about pitching angles, and have the personality where you can reach out to strangers, build relationships, and get them to cover your company in their paper/blog/whatever. (A good exercise is to think of your least favorite band or tv show or actor, and figure out a way you would “sell” them to the editor of a local paper. Can’t think of anything to say, this is probably not the path for you.) Knowledge of marketing and sales, social media, basic web design and content writing and photography are all crucial too. Most of all, you have to work (read, analyze and write) fast – you’ll have a million things thrown at you, and not every press release you write will be a masterpiece, it just has to get the job done. Related, the ability to remain calm under pressure is definitely a must-have!

    3. Sunflower*

      That defintely sounds like a cool job but I’d have to imagine it would be very hard and take the right kind of person to do the job. What are the best and worst parts of it?

      1. Publicist*

        The best part is that I get to be around live music all day, which is my passion, and around people who likewise share that love. I feel like my job is fulfilling in that I can see when the crowd comes to a concert and is enjoying it, and I know I’ve done something that has made that happen. It makes me happy to know that I contribute to the arts and culture community of my city. We also get perks like getting to see lots of concerts for free, casual/no dress code, and often free/discounted drinks!

        The worst part of it is when you have an event that is just not connecting with the audience for whatever reason – either the band’s fans no longer care about them, it is on a weird day of the week, the ticket is too expensive, the band is actually terrible but you’ve booked them as a favor to someone important, etc. It’s like trying to bail out a sinking ship, because there’s often not a lot you can do to turn it around. No one likes to loose money. Other parts people might find challenging but don’t bug me personally are the random high pressure situations, dealing with egos, and evening/weekend work when required.

  85. Performing Arts Producer (Al Lo)*

    I work as the Program/Production and Touring Manager for a performing arts organization that serves 500 members from ages 3 through adult. My day-to-day work entails everything from producing our shows to offering program support for instructors to working with the curriculum planning team to dreaming up new events to showcase our singers.

    In my other job, I’m the Producing Director of a small theatre company. I primarily act as the Production Manager for our shows, work closely with our Artistic Director to plan our season, and work closely with the board on all of our organizational/infrastructure elements.

    1. Theatre Director (Liz T)*

      1) Can I ask where you’re based?

      2) How different are the logistics of your job when it comes to children’s theatre versus theatre for adults? (Or are all of your productions aimed at both?)

      3) Do you have an Education department, or is that basically you?

      1. Al Lo*

        1) I’m based in Calgary, Alberta.

        2) The differences aren’t as noticeable based on the age of our constituents, but in the fact that my first job is at an organization with a $2mil annual operating budget, and my other job varies depending on projects (between $40K and $400K in the past few years). Also, my second job is a professional theatre company, and that makes a way bigger difference — our priorities are very different in terms of where we allocate our funds and how we prioritize our funding.

        I have more passion for professional theatre than I do for educational arts, but I get to do more passion projects in the larger organization, simply because we have more resources.

        3) The entire organization is basically an educational org — we liaise with the school system to give high school credit, but I don’t have anything to do with that. Our instructors do the hands-on teaching, and I don’t have nearly as much interaction with the kids, but the whole thing is geared toward music education, across the age spans.

      2. Al Lo*

        And more specifically, I guess — the larger company is a music organization, not theatre. We primarily focus on show choir style, so our productions are “choral theatrical,” but we’re not a theatre organization.

        My theatre company focuses primarily on new works (which I see from your comment above is also what you do). The dream would be to one day have a resident company creating collaborative ensemble works, but right now, we try to find a balance between creating new works in-house and premiering existing shows by playwrights that may or may not have a long-term relationship with our company.

  86. University Admin Assistant*

    I work for the continuing education program in a professional school at a University. As the only full-time employee of the program (my director is 30% us/70 % other teaching assignments), I handle everything from marketing, registration, event coordination, online course building, course development, to supply ordering administrative support for my director (although that is only 3% of my time). For my level, I have a lot of control of my time and what projects I am working on, and I love the variety that I don’t think I would get at work outside a university. I also have 2 student assistants that help with answering the phone, copying, etc. Prior to this, I did the same thing for another school in the University, so all and all I have been working in continuing ed for about 15 years.

    2. some1*

      Other admins, do you like Administrative Professional’s Week? I am one as well and found that overall it creates more upset and resentmentment on both sides that I would rather it wasn’t even acknowledged. Curious as to how others feel about this.

      1. Kelly O*

        I’ve seen it go both ways.

        I will admit one year I got really upset at Old Job, because someone took out the whole office for APD lunch. I was the office manager and got stuck at the office because someone had to answer the phone. So I didn’t even get lunch that day. Wound up eating a protein bar while they were gone two hours, answering phones.

        It all depends on how it’s done, really. I think I’d rather be noticed and appreciated all through the year, on a purely personal level.

        1. Persephone Mulberry*

          I found it slightly ironic that one of my responsibilities as an AA was organizing the Admin Professionals Day luncheons for all our offices.

          And the time at FirstJob that the boss said “Happy AP Day! Let me buy you lunch! Oh, and while you’re at it, order me a such-and-such, and have it picked up by noon.”

      2. WorkingAsDesigned*

        I like it, although my experiences with APD have been good. With that being said, during the years when it’s gone unnoticed, it doesn’t really bother me – I mostly just laugh about it.

        One thing that’s great is that several online organizations (ASAP, IAAP, etc.) offer discounted and/or free webinars during April for APM, so there’s some benefits!

  88. Nanny*

    My job isn’t always the most exciting in the world, but I’m a nanny for two super awesome children: Dudette (6 yo girl) and Little Dude (3 yo boy). I drive them places, potty train, deal with tantrums, provide homework help, and generally make sure the kids aren’t just sitting around watching TV all day. The best part is that I get to give the kids back at the end of the day :)
    I hope someone wants to know more, either for themselves or a friend! If you like kids but hate the idea of teaching, nannying is a seriously good gig!

    1. Nanny*

      Oh, and I also crochet and sometimes sell the stuff I make. It doesn’t really make me any money, though, since I don’t have the inventory/tax forms to do craft shows. But I’m also willing to talk about that!

      1. family law lawyer*

        how do you find work? Have you had to deal with obnoxious bosses/parents? Is the Nanny Diaries a reality?

        1. Nanny*

          I used Care.com to find my current job after a few months of unemployment. Tried craigslist, too, but didn’t have any luck. I think I’m pretty lucky with my babysitting/nannying jobs on the obnoxious parents front, mostly because my prior experience has been classroom teaching/only taking jobs for professors and Residence Hall Directors while I was in school. Really the most annoying situation was when my ResHall Director had me work for free taking care of his daughter while he was in some emergency meetings, but I was just glad to get out of my dorm to hang out with his awesome kid.
          I don’t have any Nanny Diaries-esque stories, but a very dear friend/former coworker of mine has a family whose parents went through a really nasty divorce. The dad is a piece of work (the mom is too, but to a lesser extent) and the little boy had a really hard time for a while. I think he’s doing better, thanks to her care and devotion to him. None of the nannies that I know are live-in, though, so we don’t always see the real behind-the-scenes stuff until it becomes super obvious.

  89. Educational Testing Content Specialist*

    I work for a test development company, developing English Language Arts standardized tests for state departments of education and other clients around the country. I supervise freelance test item writers who write the actual test questions based on specifications from our clients, and review and edit their test questions. For some projects, I travel to conduct meetings with teams of teachers, who critique and edit our work and check it for bias or sensitivity issues. For others, the review process happens in an online system that keeps track of edits and comments on test questions.

    Once the test questions have been written, I work with our psychometricians and editors to assemble actual test forms. New test questions get field tested on one year’s test before they are actually used to determine part of a student’s score. We review the statistics from the field test, throw out items that performed badly or appear biased, and then use the statistics on how students performed on each question to construct tests that are consistent in difficulty from year to year.

    Our big excitement in the last few years has been the shift to the Common Core Curriculum — lots of changes for everyone!

    1. A Lurker*

      How did you get into this sort of work, and what kind of education do you have?

      I have a teaching license that I find myself increasingly uninterested in using…but working in test development would be kinda right up my alley!

      1. Educational Testing Content Specialist*

        Most people hired for my position have teaching experience and a degree in education or whatever content area they teach. Experience in writing tests, curriculum development, or administration is a plus, but we’ve hired a lot of people just on the basis of their teaching experience. Being able to write well and edit other people’s writing is essential — we have an editorial department, but if we make them edit terrible work, they will get cranky.

        I actually moved into this position in a lateral move from another department in our company, so my degree isn’t specifically education or English-related, but that’s not the norm. I started working at our company as a scorer, reading and scoring student essays — we hire temporary employees for that seasonally — and worked my way through several job titles before settling into my current one.

        If you’re just looking for a sideline, several test development companies hire freelancers to write test items, and they’re often specifically looking for current or former teachers. Google “freelance test item writing.” Be wary of Elance, though, or any site that wants you to bid for work — it’s best to work directly with an educational testing company that will tell you their rate per accepted item up front. It’s not a full-time job, but it can be a nice gig.

    2. EduStudent*

      I have a question that may seem like a criticism, but I don’t mean to be negative, just genuinely curious. I’ve heard a lot of criticism of standardized testing on the grounds that it can’t measure all of a student’s knowledge; even if the test is well-written, it might not be able to capture multiple types of knowledge. Do you run into this criticism in your work, and how do you try to create tests that are as comprehensive as possible?

      1. Educational Testing Content Specialist*

        Yes, definitely. Essentially, all the criticisms are true, but alternatives to standardized testing are more expensive, and most school systems can’t afford to move to something like portfolio-based assessment, where nothing is machine-scorable. The current generation of tests do include a lot more writing than they used to, and also try to measure a broader range of reading skills, including supporting conclusions with evidence and making connections across multiple texts. I’ve seen some interest in trying to test a broader range of ELA skills than just reading and writing — having students give oral presentations, for instance — but again the expense of scoring anything like that is prohibitive right now.

        Like many things in the US educational system, this problem would be vastly improved by throwing a lot of money at it. But that’s not something that’s under our control. Neither is the fact that the tests are extremely high-stakes for schools, which leads to a lot of pressure to teach to the test in somewhat dysfunctional ways.

        We can only make the tests as fair and comprehensive as we can, which means doing everything we can to eliminate questions that show bias, and testing a range of reading and writing skills through multiple choice questions, short answer questions, essays and other types of longer writing, and newer types of technology-enhanced questions that may ask students to select text in a passage that supports a conclusion, or to highlight the word in a passage that has a certain meaning. It’s an imperfect situation, but we do the best we can.

      2. Educational Testing Content Specialist*

        I realized I also wanted to add: the alternative of not having any statewide assessment is not a good one. It’s unfortunately all too common for some schools to be providing a much worse education than others. The kids in those low-performing schools tend to be disproportionately poor kids and minority kids, and they’re entitled to the same quality education that kids in better schools get. Often what those schools really need is money — they’re suffering from the fact that school funding is tied to local property taxes — but the state also needs to be able to identify the schools where there’s a problem so they can try to do something about it. Having kids pass but not actually learn to write and do math does them a tremendous disservice in the working world.

        In practice, this can turn into punishing schools that are already struggling with a lack of funding and kids who are performing badly in school because they’re hungry or living in highly stressful home situations. But the intention is to identify schools and students who need help, not to punish good teachers who are doing their best in difficult situations. I wish it always turned out that way.

        1. EduStudent*

          Thank you so much for such a thoughtful answer. I’ve read what I can find on standardized testing, but had never come across anything from the point of view of someone designing the test, so I really appreciate hearing your stance!

  90. Public Library Reference Department Manager (Jessica the Librarian)*

    I’m the Reference Department Manager at a medium-sized public library in the Midwest. I hire/fire/train/manage a staff of 12, and I spend about 1/3 of my time working at one of the public service desks, so I’m still very much a librarian. My department oversees Reference, Genealogy, Readers’ Advisory, and Adult Programming. I love helping people with their information needs (especially making book recommendations), and ridiculous questions are my specialty!

    1. Library Manager (scw)*

      How happy are you for tax season to be over? I am ridiculously happy. Our state stopped printing out tax forms and booklets and everyone complains to us as if it were our fault! Also, I like helping people, and don’t like telling them that I can’t provide tax assistance or advice on how to negotiate with the IRS.

      Any tax season survival strategies you employ?

      1. Public Library Reference Department Manager (Jessica the Librarian)*

        SO HAPPY. There aren’t even words to describe it!

        Our state still prints and sends out forms, but we only receive a small fraction of what we ordered, so we end up printing them out for patrons (at our expense) when we run out. It’s frustrating to say the least.

        I wouldn’t say I feel bad that we can’t offer tax advice, but I do understand the patrons’ frustration. Usually the United Way or another organization will offer low-cost tax prep for seniors or low income people, so I send a lot of referrals to them. I always tell patrons that I don’t even do my own taxes, so I’m certainly not qualified to tell them how to do theirs! We also have these fantastic buttons that we keep at the Ref Desk that say “Tax Forms YES… Tax Advice NO!” I wear one during my desk shifts pretty regularly– I have no idea if it helps, but I like to think it does :)

  91. Library Manager (scw)*

    I manage a small branch in a large public library system. We have 18 branches, and we have the smallest staff here with two librarians, and an assortment of part time circulation staff. I do ordering for the collection, supervision, and outreach to the community. One thing I love about working in a library, and especially a small library, is that every day is something new and different.

  92. Web Developer/Data Intensive*

    I am a web developer specializing in ColdFusion data backends. I write sql directly and hand code the data bits of web pages. Think Amazon’s search/results rather than reviews or pretty pictures. I make about $108K on the West Coast at a government agency.

    My backend stuff is mostly CRUD (create, read, update, delete records), however I also specialize in report quality PDF output by leveraging Adobe products, or I can output your data directly into Excel.

    I am learning .Net but everything takes about 30 lines of code to ColdFusion’s one so it’s depressing.

    1. ali*

      I started with ColdFusion back when it first came out – it was a lot of fun and I sort of wish I’d stuck with it. Glad to hear people are still using it!

      I feel your .Net pain :)

    2. Except in California*

      Oops, I am “Except in California”. I should have included that but my .net addled brain didn’t work right.

  93. Produce guy (MR)*

    It’s pretty self- explanatory as to what I do.

    In a prior life, I held a minor local political office/copywriter for a newspaper/fireworks salesman while in college and graduate school. I then moved on to being a procurement agent for a defense contractor before job dissatisfaction led me to purchase a bar where that did not work out, caused me to lose my house and end up moving out of town.

    After a long period of time being unemployed, I’m now a produce guy. I’m sure you all have a ton of questions about what really happens with your groceries before they end up in your cart. ;)

      1. Produce guy (MR)*

        If by ‘spending more for basically the same item’ is better, sure.

        Most organics actually do have some chemicals/fertilizers added to them. The amounts and types vary based on the particular item and where it was grown (and are generally less than their conventional counterpart). However, it is widely (and falsely) assumed that no chemicals are part of the growing process for organics.

    2. Produce guy (MR)*

      I must add that there were two factors to my long period of unemployment. First, I had a hell of a time just trying to figure out what I wanted to do and conversely, find appropriate jobs. Secondly, explaining that I failed at owning my own business was a MAJOR turnoff to potential employers. That is something that continues to be a hurdle as I try to make my way back into a sustainable living.

      1. Schnauz*

        How are you positioning it? New businesses failure rates are 50%+ in the first three years. There are so many outside factors that can impact success – are you being too honest?

        1. MR*

          I’m being honest in the sense that if someone asks a question, I answer it based on what happened. I actually purchased the business, and there were a lot of problems with it that were not honestly disclosed, but I don’t use that as an excuse. I also made a lot of mistakes in the operation of the business, but that is to be expected, and I like to think I learned a lot as a result.

          So I’ll be OK. It just takes the right opportunity and the right hiring manager to realize that I’m not a lost cause ;)

          1. Schnauz*

            I feel like interviewers can be the ultimate Monday morning quarterbacks.

            For instance, “Well, about six months after I opened the storefront my city started a two-year street and sewer project right in front. I held out for a year, but I didn’t have time to build the type of client base that would brave road closures and my cash base wasn’t so large I could make it another year.” Clearly, bad luck. But wait – didn’t you keep up with your local government so you knew that this project was coming when scouting locations? Why was your cash base so small, don’t you know the first 3 years are the leanest? How will you demonstrate better planning if you come to work for us?

            Anyway, I hope I’m being unnecessarily pessimistic.

            If you look in her archives, I think Alison has addressed pros/cons of entrepreneurs returning to regular jobs. Similar to some of the thinking about people who are overqualified will always be looking to move on, I think one of the concerns for self-starters is the ability to knuckle under day-to-day management again. But I could be misremembering.

    3. Schnauz*

      As a non-veggie eater who wants to change her ways ….

      When the spinach (or other stuff) is rubberbanded together, am I required to buy it in that quantity or can I break it down into a smaller section? I hate to spend more and waste more if I’m just buying something to try it out. I always feel very out of place in the veggie area.

      1. MR*

        It depends on a couple of factors. Is that rubberbanded item sold by the pound (weight) or by the count? If it is by the weight, then it shouldn’t matter if you break it up into a smaller amount – you just pay based on the per pound cost.

        Some grocery stores will allow you to break it up even if it is priced per item. For example, lets say a head of lettuce costs $1.49. If you only wanted half of that head, some chains will cut it in half for you, and charge you 75 cents (where I work will do that – with literally any item in the store, except for eggs, because it’s against federal labeling requirements to change how those are sold/packaged).

        So my advice to you is to just ask. A reasonable store will allow you to buy a smaller quantity. The good ones will realize that making half a sale is better than no sale ;)

        1. Schnauz*

          Thank you for taking the time to answer my silly question, but I really wanted to know! :) I will definitely ask around a bit next time I hit the produce section.

    4. Hotel Spa Manager*

      I just found a (so far, I’m afraid to dig deeper) 6 inch piece of twine enmeshed in the Whole Foods breakfast taco that I’m finally eating for lunch!!!! Sorry, not your fault and nothing to do with you, but how did this happen???

      More important question — what is the secret to stacking apples in such a way that they don’t fall allllll over the place when a customer picks one out of the precarious pile? Also, is there a bane of your existence item of produce that you can no longer enjoy because of what a pain it is to deal with?

      1. MR*

        It’s just my opinion, but Whole Foods has managed to create this image about themselves that makes them appear to be better than most food outlets. They get their products from the same place everyone else does, so don’t fall for their facade ;)

        As for the apples, in most cases, they are all the same size and shape so that makes it easy to stack. Until someone reaches for one on the bottom and causes the rest of them to fall. There really is nothing you can do about that.

        That being said, keep in mind that most apples are picked in the fall. So those apples you are buying now and into the summer? They have been sitting in cold storage somewhere since last fall. Most apples sold in the United States come from Washington, Michigan, and New England. A few varieties come from the southern hemisphere, such as Chile and South Africa. So it’s not often that the apples that appear on the shelf have been off of the tree for less than a week.

        1. Hotel Spa Manager*

          So, are oranges the worst to stack then? I don’t know why I need to know this but I do.

          1. MR*

            I don’t think they are. I actually find them quite easy to deal with.

            However, that being said, oranges are dyed the color orange to give them a better look and more uniform appearance.

  94. Project manager / grant writer in cancer genomics / epigenetics / bioinformatics (Cath in Canada)*

    I help professors write funding proposals – everything from lay-language summaries to budget justifications to the meat of the proposal itself.

    I’m also starting to specialise in helping grad students and postdoctoral fellows with their funding applications.

    I also manage projects – I track the progress of all the analyses we run on the project’s biological samples, progress, milestones, budgets etc., and draft progress reports.

    1. fposte*

      Ooh, I’m so excited by epigenetics. You must do a fair amount of contextualizing for us non-scientist types–are there any books you’d particularly recommend? I’ve got the Nessa Carey but haven’t started it yet.

      1. Cath in Canada*

        I haven’t read Carey’s book yet, but I hear it’s good!

        I’m involved with the International Human Epigenomics Consortium (IHEC), and found some video clips to put on our website – the first one is too long IMO, but the TED talks and the Nova item in particular are really good: http://ihec-epigenomes.org/why-epigenomics/video-clips/

        I’ve signed up for a MOOC on epigenetics to see if it’s something we want to recommend on our website. It starts in a couple of weeks: https://www.coursera.org/course/epigenetics

        I’ve also written a short lay-language explanation of epigenetics on Quora (I’m currently working on turning this into a much longer piece for The Guardian): http://www.quora.com/What-is-epigenetics-in-laymans-terms/answer/Cath-Ennis

        it is such a cool field! The great thing is that it lets you a) come up with possible explanations for pretty much anything, and b) blame your parents even for things that aren’t genetic (I’m being facetious, but there’s some truth to it too!)

        1. fposte*

          The Nova episode was my intro–I was completely enthralled! Thanks for the tips on the further places to go.

    2. Anonicorn*

      Something like this sounds perfect for me. I have tech writing background with an English undergrad, and have just started a degree in biology (or biochem, I haven’t decided). Do you think my background coupled with my eventual science degree would be useful/favorable for this type of work?

      1. Cath in Canada*

        Yes, absolutely!

        Jobs like mine get tons of applications, mostly from scientists coming straight from lab jobs. I got my last job (which was my first one in this field) because as well as the same science degree and research experience that all the other applicants had, I also had two years of marketing experience in the private sector, and that’s what my former boss says made my application stand out. (Selling yourself and your project is a large part of grant writing, but it’s not something that comes naturally to most academics!)

        I don’t know how much an English undergrad will help once you have your biology/biochem degree, but the tech writing background will be resume/cover letter GOLD!

  95. [Another] Journalist*

    I’m a reporter/writer for a news website covering politics and policy. Prior to my current job, most of my work has been in newspapers with a stint in public radio and some experience as a contributor to cable news outlets. I’ve worked mostly in the Midwest and East Coast. I’ve been pretty heavily politics focused these last five years, though have also covered business, economic development and education in the past.

    1. E.R*

      Very cool. How do you keep abreast of what’s important in politics? (or do you have a niche?) For people who are very into politics, are there any career paths or jobs you might recommend outside of seeking public office or working in government? I realize this may not be exactly related to your current job, but your thoughts would be interesting.

  96. Spanish Teacher*

    I am currently in my fifth year of teaching middle and high school Spanish in American public school settings. This week is (finally!) spring break, so I am game to answer any questions.

      1. Spanish Teacher*

        I started taking it in 8th grade, went up to AP Spanish in high school, and majored in it in college. I was then a reporter for a Spanish-language newspaper, and I’ve traveled for mission work to Spanish-speaking countries.

        What kinds of things are you doing to learn Spanish?

        1. Apollo Warbucks*

          I’m trying a few things the last 4 months:

          A couple of pod casts
          Spanish word of the day emails
          The bbc website has a really good interactive language site
          iPad app called duolingo

          Later this month I’m starting an evening class which will be nice to speak some spanish with people.

          I’m sure it comes with time but I’m impatient and want to be fluent now!

          1. Spanish Teacher*

            The class should help a lot!

            Another option to look at is LiveMocha.com. It has an interesting twist to it: you earn course credits by helping English learners with their lessons (and conversely, you have native Spanish speakers helping you!). I used it to brush up my French awhile ago and liked it.

    2. Christina*

      What region of the US are you in? Do you find that Spanish teaching positions are generally expanding or is language something that schools are cutting back on? (Or, do you find that schools are cutting back on languages besides Spanish?)

      1. Spanish Teacher*

        I’m in the Southeast. Spanish is very much in demand, and German is on the upswing, but I think French is on the decline in my area. My district requires students to have at least 2 years of a foreign language, so as the population grows, more positions will be added.

  97. Historical Society Executive Director*

    I am in charge of a small historical society that focuses on collecting and sharing the history of a city. I work closely with a 15-member board and manage a staff of 6 part-time people (I am the only full-time employee). I also manage the historical society’s membership. I currently serve on 19 committees within the organization and the community, and I work with the organization’s budget, strategic plan, and day-to-day operations of our History Center.

    1. Theatre Director (Liz T)*

      Did you have a background in history before this? What would you say was your “path?” Did you found the society, get hired into this position, or move up through the organization from a different position?

      1. Historical Society Executive Director*

        I have my undergraduate degree in history. I got involved in the historical society as an intern, then a volunteer, then an administrative assistant, and then was chosen as the director when the previous administrator was seriously injured in an accident. So I definitely moved up through the organization, but very quickly (3 months intern, 4 months volunteer, 4 months admin assistant, then director). The structure of the director position is much different than the “administrator” position that the previous person had, and it’s been nice to help shape that.

  98. Copy Editor | Boutique Ad Agency (LizNYC)*

    Not sure how interesting my job is but… I’m the copy editor / proofreader at a boutique ad agency in the NY metro area. I copy edit and proofread everything that leaves the agency, from traditional print ads to digital campaigns (like the ads that pop up on Google) to billboards. I tell people where the commas and hyphens should go — and why your/you’re isn’t the same thing, no matter how much you argue with me. I’m obsessed with grammar and all jokes relating to it. Plus, I do some copywriting for clients, freelance as a proofreader for a reference publisher and read (and hope to write one day) dystopian YA novels.

    1. Spanish Teacher*

      Doesn’t sound boring to me! But then, I am a grammar nerd and avid YA reader as well.

      How did you get started as a copy editor? I’ve been teaching 5 years, and sometimes I wonder what else I’d be good at, since I don’t see myself doing this until retirement. I am a Spanish teacher with an English teacher’s heart, and I’ve also had some writing experience as a journalist and writing grants.

      Also, are you reading anything interesting? I am almost finished with “The Hero and the Crown” and would love recommendations!

      1. Copy Editor | Boutique Ad Agency (LizNYC)*

        I went to school for journalism and quickly decided that I didn’t want to be covering hours-long city council meetings for the rest of my life. Instead, I preferred reading and memorizing the AP Stylebook and correcting people’s comma errors. I worked on the college newspaper all four years, then got internships dealing with copy editing. After graduating, I moved to the NYC area and became a copy editor for a book publisher, while also doing copywriting and proofreading. My latest position found me — I had my resume posted on Indeed and the agency did a search for copy editor. I passed the test (which is often the barrier to getting hired) and I LOVE it. I’m creating the first-ever style guide the agency has ever had.

        I think since you’ve got the Spanish language skills that you might find work (freelance) as a copy editor / translator, especially if you’ve got those grammar skills down. I know at our agency, we sometimes need translations of our ads and hire outside for those. I’d check MediaBistro for leads.

        As for YA fiction, I wish I was reading more! I have Legend waiting on my Nook. I read The Kane Chronicles (by the same author as Percy Jackson). I’ve also been enjoying the Beautiful Creatures series (more paranormal romance than dystopian). I’ve also got the last book in the Matched trilogy waiting on my nightstand.

    2. Technical writer (Jen)*

      Can you recommend a good dystopian novel? YA or not, doesn’t matter. I’ve read and liked The Hunger Games and Uglies.

      1. Copy Editor | Boutique Ad Agency (LizNYC)*

        –Divergent (I haven’t read the 3rd book in the series yet — and I heard mixed things about the ending of the series)
        –The Matched Trilogy
        –The Maze Runner (I was not a huge fan of book #3, but #1 was great)
        –The City of Ember series — it skews younger
        –The Scorpio Races — not the usual dystopian, but I loved it!
        –And not YA and a bit paranormal, but The Passage by Justin Cronin was really good (if an undertaking). The 2nd one in the series is out now.

        Uglies is on my list! I have The 5th Wave on my nightstand too.

        1. Sitting Duck*

          i am really into disutopian books too, Loved Uglies series and in the process of writing my own 6 part series…might need an editor one day!
          Some Ive read, not sure if they are all YA but…
          -The Silo Saga by Hugh Howely? Also has 2 sequels, written as short stories at first but they are all connected!
          -The Atlantis Gene, (sequel The Atlantis Plague is out another sequel to come)
          -Tethered Twins ( one sequel out another to come I tink)

      2. Chelsea*

        I love Pure, by Joanna Baggot I believe. I’ve yet to read the last book in the trilogy though.

    3. Sunflower*

      In general, what are salaries like for different positions and levels at a company like yours?

      1. Copy Editor | Boutique Ad Agency (LizNYC)*

        I’ve only been here about 18 months, so I really only know my salary, which is $50K. It’s a flat organization, with very little middle management. I’m happy with my $ (particularly since it’s a raise for me in terms of my previous job, which was at a company that froze salaries for 4+ years, got rid of most of our benefits, 401k match, sucked the life out of me, etc.).

        The other perks: unlike most agencies, we’re pretty 9-to-5 (no billable hour requirements), we have a company match for our 401k, we have summer hours (nearly half days) on Fridays, and have a congenial atmosphere that includes Margarita Mondays and Frankfurter Fridays on occasion.

    4. CSR Girl*

      What are some career trajectories for a copy editor? In other words, what’s the next (or next few) jobs up the ladder?

      1. LizNYC*

        At my agency, I’m probably at the end of the line as a copy editor (which is fine for me at this point in my life/career), since we don’t have a managing copy desk. In traditional print organizations, you tend to be the copy chief or an editor of a section or a managing editor of the publication. I know that many ad agencies use freelancers to copy edit and proofread materials (I was doing that while at my OldJob).

        If I was interested in writing more, I could transition into becoming more of a full-time copywriter (we have one FT on staff). I’m also interested working more with our SEO team, since that style of writing and that field in general is really growing. It’s because I work at a small firm that I can wear a dozen different hats without stepping on toes. (If you are willing to pitch in somewhere to help, people around here take it!)

    5. KT*

      How did you start copywriting? I have oodles of experience copyediting and proofreading and have been working in publishing for ten years (and am looking to make a change), but I haven’t been able to find any freelance copywriting since I have no experience doing it. It’s the whole “how do you get experience doing something if one of the qualifications is experience” thing. Also, good to know Indeed got you your job! Motivation to update my profile there. :)

  99. Market Analyst*

    Ahh, I have one of those boring josbs. . .

    I work for an engineering and construction company in the energy industry. I started in engineering and spent the first half of my career doing power plant design, running the piping engineering group, and a stint in project controls.

    Now I work in our strategy and development group & do a weird variety of things: long-term power forecasting, power market analysis, CRM data analysis in Excel and Tableau, write/edit/distribute an internal weekly market newsletter, competitor research and analysis, development project pro-formas. I also maintain a huge database of power market information in my head. . .need to know the major utilities in Illinois? California? Approx. installed cost of a particular technology? That’s what I’m actually paid for, answering questions.

    (Now I will know if any of my coworkers read this, because I gotta believe I’m the only person with this weird background and job.)

    1. Jubilance*

      Actually that sounds really interesting and a great way to use your technical knowledge. How did you make the transition from engineer to analyst? Is this an area with a lot of opportunities?

      1. Market Analyst*

        Great questions. The transition was easy for me. After I got my engineering degree and started working, I completed an MBA program, which helped make the case for why I wanted the new role (5 yrs later). It was a new internal position. I saw it posted, and I knew the department manager, so I talked to her about it. I don’t know if it would have been as easy to get a similar job somewhere else, but I do see a lot of “analyst” types in the energy industry with engineering+business backgrounds.

        I don’t think there’s a big demand for my job, specifically. My division has about a 1,000 people, and there are two of us in my department. Many of the research-type consulting firms focused on my industry have consolidated multiple times in the past 20 years.

        If someone was looking to get into an analyst job in energy, I would have two recommendations. 1.) Right now, focus on oil and gas, not power, and 2.) Focus on building a skill set and experience in one area. I personally am too broad. There are industry investment analyst jobs, business analytics jobs, project development analysts, forecasters, and other very specific jobs, while I dabble a little in everything and don’t really have a clear next step.

        1. Jubilance*

          Thanks! That was super helpful. I’ve transitioned from a highly technical laboratory role to an analyst role, and I’d love to relocate to an area that has a big oil and gas sector. Looking for an analyst role might be a good fit for me, so I’m going to start researching.

    2. Energy Analyst*

      This fascinates me. I am an Energy Analyst but I focus on usage in our facilities rather than analyzing the market. I have just begun to learn Tableau as part of a project I am running to collect and analyze our facility usage data in a more systematic way. Coming from an engineering background what sort of skills would I want to work on to possibly transition into market analysis?

      1. Market Analyst*

        This is funny, because I see a lot of opportunities on your side of the fence, with the growth of distributed generation and demand response. Sounds like you are already strong with your analytical tools (Excel, Tableau), so I would probably spend time learning about the power industry, understanding how all the players fit together – FERC, NERC, the ISOs (PJM, MISO, etc.), EIA, the utilities, the EPA. EIA is a Department of Energy agency, and their Annual Energy Outlook (free on the website) is a good place to start learning. If you can read that and still have an interest in the market, you’re good.

  100. Academic Librarian*

    I work at a small liberal arts university. I handle reference, instruction, and IT for our library. It’s an awesome job.

    1. Eudora Wealthy*

      Has the FBI ever asked for student records under the Patriot Act? If so, did you tell anybody (besides the FBI)?

      How long have you been a librarian? Do you get to spend a lot of time just reading for pleasure on the job? It seems like librarians could do that.

      What’s the worst part of the job? And the best?

      1. Academic Librarian*

        I have never had the FBI ask for records. One way we get around that is by not keeping records. As soon as a book gets checked back in, *poof* it is like the checkout never happened. Some integrated library systems allow patrons to keep their checkout history, but it is usually an opt-in situation.

        I did have the FBI want one of our computers at my last job. There was a patron (not a student, someone from the community) who was looking at child pornography. He was stupid enough to print off images and leave it in a public trash can. After they produced a warrant, we gave them the computer.

        I don’t have time to read for pleasure, when I’m not actively engaged with students, I have to take care of our website and any IT type problems that come up in the library, plan the next class I’m going to teach, go to faculty meetings, develop finding aids and other tools, collect statistics, reach out to faculty, promote the library, evaluate the collection, and on and on and on.

        The worst part of the job is probably the pay, and the uncertainty of the job market. The best part is making a difference in our students’ lives by helping them succeed in college. We have a lot of first-generation college students, and it always feels good to go into a classroom and teach them research skills, or help a student one-on-one who came in to the library upset that they don’t know anything about research. Working with students is the absolute best!

  101. Case Manager for a methadone clinic (treating people with opiate addiction)*

    I work coordinating intakes for a methadone clinic in an urban area. Our company is “for-profit” but everyone I work with is committed to providing good care. The first half of my week is spent completing initial intake appointments with new clients and the second half of the week I do counseling with my own caseload of existing clients. (My title is case manager but there is not much case management in my job duties.) Our facility has over 700 clients currently, all receiving medication to manage addictions to heroin, Percocet or other opiate drugs.

    1. Ocat*

      I volunteer with an org that has case managers, and I have to ask what may be too personal a question – how do you avoid losing faith? I know there are the ones who make great strides, but I can imagine the sadness that must come from those who can’t be helped. How do you provide heartfelt care to people who are suffering without becoming too attached to their particular outcomes?

      1. Case Manager for a methadone clinic (treating people with opiate addiction)*

        So, I am someone who definitely struggles with looking at the bigger picture and being *too* aware of suffering in the world. If I don’t distance myself, I wouldn’t get out of bed, let alone be able to work with people. Even if progress is slow or if I have bad days (e.g., turning away someone from treatment when they think it’s their only hope but I know I can’t help them) my thinking is that I am doing something. I can’t fix/help everyone and it’s not my job to, but all I need to be satisfied is thinking that I’m helping rather than hurting. It’s nice to look at my job and think I’m doing good in the world, even if it’s tiny, insignificant amounts of good.

    2. Anon*

      That must be a really tough job a friend of mine from school was a heroin addict and has been clean for a few years now the help he got from support workers was such a massive help.

      1. Case Manager for a methadone clinic (treating people with opiate addiction)*

        I’m so glad your friend is sober! People sometimes don’t realize how difficult addiction is and tend to lack empathy for this disease unless you have someone in your life who struggles with it.

  102. Training Manager (Julie)*

    I’ve been in the learning and development field for over almost 19 years. Currently, I develop and deliver software training programs at a global corporation. I write instructional articles for our knowledge repository and provide documentation and training for data migrations and other projects. I also write and deliver in person and remote training and develop e-learning for our LMS (Learning Management System). Every week, I produce a “tip of the week” video on a different feature of the software, and we also hold a monthly Collaboration Forum for users. I always wish I had more time for learning more about the software and other related software so I could offer additional advanced topics to our users.

    Previously, I was Training Manager for a small team of technical trainers. We provided one-on-one and group training, in person and via WebEx, for thousands of users each month. We also did Lunch & Learns on various topics every week. Our (internal) clients loved our training sessions and were very disappointed (as were we) when it was decided to stop offering the service.

    Before that, I worked for a training company, and we provided public training classes at our facility as well as private training at other companies and firms. At this company, I was trained in adult learning and train-the-trainer concepts, and this has been helpful throughout my career.

    I also do software tutoring in the evenings and on weekends.

    1. Julie*

      And now that I’ve written about my job, I’m going to go back and finish reading about everyone else’s. This is so interesting!

    2. Kelly O*

      Since so many companies are changing the way they handle training and development, what would you suggest to someone interested in training (and organizational development)?

      Do you see it merging into other departments – safety, risk management, straight HR? I feel like I’m twenty years too late (no offense intended, but the world has changed a lot in that time.)

      1. Julie*

        Sorry it took me a couple of days to come back and respond! I sort of fell into training, so while I have a Bachelor’s degree, it’s not in the Learning and Development field. I know that L&D is often under HR, but software/technical training is often part of IT (because it is a bit different than soft skills or sales training, for example).

        Joining my local ASTD chapter was one of the best things I did for my career. The chapter members were very generous with their time and expertise and were very helpful to anyone trying to get started in the field. I was a member for about three years when I was asked to join the board of directors. It was quite a stretch for me, but I worked hard and asked a lot of questions, and I really learned a lot. I recommend looking for a local ASTD (or other training association) chapter to join.

        I also suggest learning as much as you can about the L&D field and about adult learning theories, needs assessment, course development, e-learning, determining the effectiveness of training, etc. You may want to take a look at the CPLP certification on the ASTD site (http://www.astd.org/) to see what kinds of skills are required for this field.

        I hope this is helpful!

    3. Knowledge base author / FAQ copywriter for large sports / tech company*

      How do you identify and prioritize projects? When there’s a training need, how does the request for action make its way to you, and how do you respond?

      I’m part of a knowledge base team and work closely with training, and there’s a constant tension between proactive and reactive workflow for both groups. I’m wondering how normal that is.

      1. Julie*

        Generally, if people need training, they email me. I also get requests to contact people who need training from the head of our department because people go to him, as well.

        I’m not sure what the tension is that you mentioned, so it would be helpful to know more about that.

        We used to have tension with project teams. They used to realize at the last minute that users were going to need training, and it didn’t work well when they tried to get us to “throw something together” in a short time. So we’ve done a lot of educating on this, and now when there’s an upcoming project, the training department is part of it from the beginning. As an added bonus, due to the amount of time I spend working with end users, I’m a very good UAT and QA person, so if I’m on the project from the beginning, I can (hopefully) make the end product better for everyone before training even happens.

        I don’t know if this is part of the tension you’re talking about, but when I worked for the training company, the sales people would sell anything, and we were expected to deliver it, even if it was impossible. So we did a lot of managing (or re-framing) of expectations before we could get started with the training.

    4. JustMe*

      This is pretty much exactly the field I want to get into. How do you know if you’d be a good match for it? If you’re trying to transition out of a different role, what’s the best place to start?

      So many questions!

      1. Julie*

        I suggest volunteering to teach a class somewhere so you can find out if you like teaching and if you’re good at it. You’ll need a lot of patience, and you’ll need to be comfortable with not knowing everything. You can always say, “I’ll find out and get back to you” if you don’t know the answer to a student’s question. And you’ll need to enjoy (or at least tolerate!) public speaking.

        Volunteering is a good way to get into the field, as well, because you’ll be getting experience that you can add to your resume. I also suggest joining industry associations. ASTD is one, and I think it’s especially helpful to join the local ASTD chapter and other local groups. There used to be a local group in NYC called MetroSet, and I got an interview at a training company through contacts I met there (I got the job!). Most trainers I have met are very willing to help people who are new to the field. Also, quite a few trainers I know started by teaching people one-on-one, either as part of their jobs or on the side.

        When I was working at a training company, every Friday for many weeks, we had classes in adult learning concepts. This has been so helpful in making me a better teacher. I also had the opportunity to study for and earn the CTT+ (Certified Technical Trainer) certification. Every time I teach, I use the standards I had to learn in order to attain that certification. You can find more information about the standards on the CompTIA site. You might also want to take a look at ASTD’s CPLP certification requirements. I don’t think you necessarily need to have certifications, but the skills you learn while studying for them are very useful, especially to new trainers, so it’s a good idea to be familiar with the standards they are reinforcing.

        I hope this is helpful.

    5. CSR Girl*

      Do you need to have a tech background to be successful in your job? I have no tech background but have worked in training/performance management. Am wondering if the lack of a tech background will be a hindrance.

      1. Julie*

        I don’t know if other trainers will agree with me, but I feel that it’s most important to be a good trainer. Trainers are always learning something new so they can train other people how to use it, so the content almost doesn’t matter. I would add that that it’s important to like working with technology and to have an aptitude for it. I didn’t have a technical background to begin with, but I found that it came easy to me, and I enjoyed learning advanced features and figuring out what else the software could do.

  103. Software developer*

    I am a software developer working in the automotive industry. I program in Java and my current job has to do with in-car infotainment systems. I have a MSc in Biology with a focus on Bioinformatics.

    I am not based in the US.

      1. Software developer*

        Nope, not one single bit :-) I would have liked to do something more related to science, but I decided pretty early that I would be done with academia after my MSc, and I really loved programming. And programming jobs related to science are hard to come by, especially because I was locally restricted as my husband is getting a PhD. So I just geek out about science in my free time now. Reading a lot of blogs and books keeps the science part of my brain happy :-)

  104. Architect (Jane)*

    I’m an architect, primarily specializing in Higher Ed and Healthcare. Responsibilities are everything that has to do with getting a building designed, documented and taken through construction.

    1. limenotapple*

      Is the field kinda scary for people who want to be architects? I used to work for a large architecture firm in the library, but we were phased out when the market crashed. My friend’s daughter wants to go into architecture, but she’s really worried about finding a job.

      It’s a fascinating field, though! I did some research for the healthcare division and it was really fun to learn about what we are doing now to make better places.

      1. Architect (Jane)*

        It IS scary in the sense that it’s not necessarily stable. Good people can get laid off in an economic downturn, the best usually don’t. At the worst of it, Architects in my area were 35% unemployed, but I never felt like my job was in question because I’m a high performer. However, if something happened, and my whole company closed, it would have been very difficult, for a couple years, to find a job. It was a challenge for new graduates especially. Places are hiring now. It becomes a question of if you have the patience to wait out a downturn by doing something else in the meantime.

        Other things to consider if you aren’t sure about going into it:
        1) Very, Very little of our field is design work, whereas most of school is. MOST of it, maybe 80% is nuts and bolts, figuring out how things go together. There’s a lot more paperwork than I ever imagined would be necessary, and I know a lot of people come out of designs school really frustrated by this.
        2) It is a very ego driven field. People who think they have the most design skills will cut down other peoples opinions without thinking twice about it. This has been the case in all offices I’ve been in, no matter how nice people are. There is always a group that will be pretentious, and if you aren’t, it can be a frustrating thing to deal with.
        3) It’s not a high paying job. This is not something to go into for the money. I’m 11 years in and only making 65k a year, plus a couple grand in bonus. It goes up very slowly from there.

        1. limenotapple*

          Well, as a librarian, 65K sounds nice to me :) But I’m in the midwest, so that’s a thing.

          You are right about the ego thing. I didn’t know if it was just my office or what. It’s the only job I’ve ever had where I was actually *yelled* at. It was also kind of high pressure in a lot of ways. And I was surprised that no matter what time of the day or night it was, there was always SOMEONE working in the office.

          1. Architect (Jane)*

            Yes, that’s true – the hours can be very long. At my last job, I routinely had 3-4 month stretches where I had to work 80 hours a week, every single week. I’ve pulled several all nighters. Younger people do the bulk of the work and get the least credit – so that’s something to be prepared for!

            I joined a new company a few months ago that is much better at looking at life/work balance – so that’s been nice!

  105. Nonprofit/social worker (CTO)*

    I currently work in the food-shelf program at a midsize social services nonprofit. I help people access other resources or benefits beyond the food at the food shelf: health insurance, SNAP (food stamps), etc.

    I’m not a licensed social worker but I do social work. My background is a mix of frontline and behind-the-scenes work at social service providers. I’ve worked in volunteer management, some political advocacy, a bit of communications, and client services in shelter and housing programs.

    1. Social Work-Esqe*

      How do you balance the direct service work and the policy/political activism? How did you find a role where you could do both?

      I currently do direct service work, but I’ve done political organizing in the past. I seem to only find roles that encompass one or the other and I always end up frustrated that I can’t do both, since both are so crucial to the work I am doing.

      1. CTO*

        I got into it by working at a pretty small nonprofit. I was officially the volunteer coordinator, but I was able to incorporate some direct service work (because I enjoyed it) and policy/advocacy (because no one else was doing it there). I think that many direct-service providers don’t put much time or resources into policy for various reasons. It might be a lack of time, a lack of vision, or a belief that they can’t do advocacy and still maintain 501(c)3 status (which is a myth).

        I was fortunate to be at an organization that really saw the importance of putting increased effort into changing the policies that put/keep people in poverty and in need of our services. It took some wonderful, visionary leadership to be supportive of that. In fact, it was their idea in the first place to add some of that work on to my duties.

        I think the way to do both is to find a job at a direct-service provider that has at least some advocacy work already going on. I worked with several partner nonprofits doing that, and many people working for them could combine at least a little bit of both direct service and advocacy into their jobs. Otherwise, you could try to persuade a direct-service org to let you work a bit on a specific campaign or effort, like voter registration or a particular state/local law change. If you can join a coalition of credible partners already doing the work, it might help your org feel more comfortable.

  106. Product Developer (Commercial Bank)*

    I consult with Product Managers to bring new Commercial banking products and services to market, specifically Treasury Management products. Commercial bankers serve businesses who gross at least $2.5 million a year. Treasury Management tools are offered to Commercial clients to help them manage their cash flow, payments and investments.

    As a Product Developer in TM, I manage a pool of project managers, consult on product launches and problems with projects, and make sure governance processes are followed. My work also encompasses budget planning and prioritization, business process realignment, and pricing strategy. Since Product Managers usually only bring a new product or enhancement to market a couple of times a year, I am their in-house consultant since I live it every week.

  107. University Career Counselor*

    I currently work as a Career Counselor at a 4-year state university where I advise students from economics, our college of architecture and college of fine arts. In addition to my work with students, I work closely with employers, oversee our office marketing and social media and help manage our database.

    1. Analytics Analyst (Jubilance)*

      How did you get into that type of work? Is it better for a person interested in that type of role to have a background in the counseling/HR or in the discipline that the students are studying?

      1. University Career Counselor*

        I came in through my masters program in higher education administration. But our area has multiple paths to come in – including counseling – preferably workforce or academic advising- and HR/recruiting.

    2. Sunflower*

      This is very interesting to me. I’ve thought about being a guidance counselor but I’m more interested in helping with career paths than problems.

      Also, as more and more evidence mounts up that career centers are spewing out bad advice, how do you deal with that? Not sure how your career center operates but do you deal with push back from trying to give tips from this blog?

      1. Ali*

        I am wondering this too. I love to talk to people about their career paths and things, and I am always willing to give advice to whoever asks, but when I think I’d like to help people, I wouldn’t want to be a counselor in like the therapist/social work sense. I’d want to do something like this if I were to pick.

      2. University Career Counselor*

        I think I’m very fortunate in that my office is very aligned with the advice AAM shares. We have great relationships with employers and are really attuned to facilitating their needs along with student growth. And having being involved in multiple career professional associations, I feel like our overarching profession is also aligned with AAM’s advice. But I think that professional development is pushed more heavily in 4-year institutions that have stakeholders that are demanding we produce more career-ready students.

        1. Eudora Wealthy*

          Does it take long to learn how to administer the Myers Briggs and the Strong Inventory and stuff like that? Or is that stuff that can be learned by a new employee pretty quickly? Just curious because I have an appropriate advanced degree for the career center job, but I’ve never done it. Could I get hired just by demonstrating my soft skills and flashing my degrees? It seems like such a big part of it is connecting people to each other.

          1. University Career Counselor*

            MBTI certification can take a while and can be fairly expensive. In our office, only one individual is officially MBTI certified but more of us will be undergoing that training in the next year. The training/administration of these tests is typically covered by the office so you could absolutely still apply and relate how your soft skills will be beneficial in interactions with students, employers and university partners.

  108. Therapist/Data Specialist*

    I’m a mental health therapist in an elementary school classroom for children with emotional & behavioral issues. I provide individual, group and family therapy.

    I’m also a behavioral health data specialist, so I manage data for all of our programs and provide staff trainings. (It’s a supplemental position in addition to my regular duties).

    1. CTO*

      Your job sounds fascinating. What education and background got you there? What are the upsides and downsides of working in a school-based therapy setting (and is it public or private)?

      1. Therapist/Data Specialist*

        I work for a private company and we are contracted by public school districts in our state to provide this service. So we run a classroom in a regular school setting.

        I got my master’s in school counseling a year and a half ago, but I got this job mostly based on my internship experience (which were in alternative schools) and my part-time job (providing group therapy in a partial hospitalization program for kids). I’m getting ready to go back to school so I can become a licensed therapist (right now I’m only allowed to practice in a school setting, with supervision by a licensed therapist). Most of my coworkers are social workers, though.

        I absolutely love my job. It was a bit of an adjustment at first, because my background is adolescents and the kiddies I have now are ages 5-9 :) My favorite part is being able to base my framework for therapy around school success. The kids also teach me a TON – I’m only 30 but had no idea how uncool I was til I started working here!

        The downsides are definitely time and space. There’s nowhere near enough time in the school day, and currently I have no space of my own to do individual therapy sessions (we had a separate room but it had to be turned into a classroom). So right now I do sessions in the hallway, which as you can imagine is less than ideal.

    2. Mimmy*

      I’m curious about the data specialist part of your job–what kind of data exactly? Is it related to program evaluation?

      1. Therapist/Data Specialist*

        It’s all behavioral data, so it’s based on students’ behavior and prevalance of their mental health symptoms. Each of our classrooms do daily tracking of these things, and I monitor to make sure it’s getting collected. We do monthly psychosocial assessments also. I roll all of this information into bimonthly reports for the school district, to either show the progress students are making in our program or to support an out-of-district placement if a student needs a higher level of care.

        1. Mimmy*

          Ooh I think I’d enjoy this kind of work! Is it normally part of a larger job like yours (therapy), or can it exist separately as part of a quality improvement or program evaluation department? I’ve been volunteering as a grant proposal reviewer, and am fascinated by some of the evaluation strategies larger nonprofits use and have wondered how to get into something like that. Is your specific role in-house, or do you have to go to the classrooms to get the data?

          1. Therapist/Data Specialist*

            I’m in the classroom all day, so I collect the data for our classroom. In the other classroom, that room’s clinician collects the data. It’s a supplemental position but our branches in other states have a full-time data person who also handles quality assurance and health insurance stuff. We plan to move the position to full-time in the next year or so.

  109. Public Defender*

    I am a public defender in a large urban area. Mostly misdemeanors, some felonies.

    1. limenotapple*

      I know some folks who were public defenders in the capital division. They would get burned out, but felt really strongly about the process being important. What is your motivation for being a public defender?

      Also, do you feel like your public defender system is overworked?

      1. Public Defender*

        I’m a true believer. I (mostly) do it because I feel a lot of empathy for my clients and a lot of antipathy for police officers and ADAs who seem to have no sense of “There but for the grace of God go I.”

        My PD system is fairly reasonable in the abstract, but caseloads ebb and flow with the vagaries of the police department and overall city policy.

        1. limenotapple*

          I am very happy that you are doing what you do. I read so many stories about prosecutors gone amuck. And I’m a little horrified at our prison system. Thanks for fighting the good fight!

    2. family law lawyer*

      how long has your pdo been established and does it handle more than just criminal cases?

      the one here only handles some criminal cases including juvenile, mental health and some other issues. other courts/cases work on appointment basis.

      and no assistance for enforcement (seeking jail time) in civil court, or protective orders.

      1. Public Defender*

        My office has been around since the 90s. We recently folded in another nonprofit that handles abuse and neglect cases in family court. We also have a pilot project doing direct immigration work in federal immigration court. We do not work in mental health court, except for the specialty mental-health-focused criminal courts. The only civil proceedings we do (that I’m aware of) are things that are collateral to our criminal cases: hearings at the DMV on DUI cases, school suspension hearings for our juvenile clients, etc. We have a few specialty lawyers on staff that can advise our clients on related issues (housing, immigration, education).

        1. family law attorney*

          wow. that sounds really awesome.

          It sounds like you guys operate more like a legal aid nonprofit than a county/state agency.

          thanks!

  110. Industrial Engineer*

    Sometimes referred to as Logistics Engineer or a Facility Engineer. I specialize in warehousing and distribution. Basically I am a full time consultant for the facility I work in. I am responsible for anything goes on between the 4 walls of the building. I handle everything from facility design, staffing and product flow. I am also tasked with training and change management within the facility. Anything can affect the profitability of the facility, I am indirectly responsible for.

  111. Analytics Analyst (Jubilance)*

    Note: It was hard for me to come with a title for what I do, the explanation may be a better guide.

    I provide analytics support for high-visibility supply chain projects in my company. My team supports company-wide initiatives from inception all the way through to run state. Most of my activities revolve around building business cases and providing decision support (using analytics to answer the “should we do this?” question); identifying process improvement opportunities and using Six Sigma methodology to complete various projects; and working with existing data sources to develop KPIs/dashboards/new reporting tools. I regularly use tools like SAS, Excel, Access, Tableau, Microstrategy, and SAP. Before this role, I was a laboraroty chemist in industry for 7 years and my BS/MS are both in chemistry.

    1. Operations and Admin Manager / Internat. Development*

      Many questions: How did you transition from chemist to supply chain analytics? For someone interested in supply chain improvement, what kind of qualifications do they need in the field? What kinds of companies operate in this arena, for someone interested in looking up job descriptions?

      I work in non-profit, international development, but I’m very interested in supply chain logistics and what I call “ethical supply chains” for lack of a better term. I’ve been wanting to learn about the field of supply chain logistics for a while but don’t have a good entry point to understanding what the field is like.

  112. Law Firm Office Administrator*

    I work in an office of a large regional firm in the southern US as the Office Administrator. My location has about 50 attorneys and about 40 staff. My firm mainly handles corporate work. In my role I oversee facilities and HR. I have worked in law firm administration for about 15 years – started off in accounting, and have worked for a couple of firms along the way. I have recruited plenty of staff, worked with the attorneys, and enjoy my job very much. I’ve had to oversee a lot of change management for an industry that realized very late in the game that the economic downturn would actually affect them, too. Happy to answer any questions you may have.

      1. Law Firm Office Administrator*

        These are all my own opinion – every group has their own distinct personality, but 4 firms later, I think I can say this with some degree of confidence:

        Easiest ones are the labor & employment department – very easy-going bunch of people. I think it’s because they spend their days hearing the horror stories from their clients and decide that is not the way to behave at work!

        By far the hardest ones for me are the tax attorneys. They spend their days reading through fine print to find the exception to the rule, and after a few years, they apply that practice to everything in their world. If they ask you a question, and you use a qualifying word like, “Always” or “Never” when explaining the answer, they leap on it with a gleam in their eyes. “Never? Really?” And then you have to think back, and you realize that there was this one time, at band camp … and then once you’ve given them the exception, they’re not going to follow the rule.

        Anyway, my point is, avoid tax attorneys.

        Sometimes the high-profile litigators can be pretty demanding, but then they’re flying back out of town again, and the dust settles. The tax attorneys are far worse. They are always there, and they take note of everything you say. Heaven help you if they make it onto the Executive Committee.

        1. Auditor (CPA)*

          I work in public accounting – specifically auditing of public and occasionally private companies.

        3. De Minimis*

          Tax people of all stripes are very fond of “It depends” as the answer to everything….

  113. GIS Programmer - Emergency Management*

    My main job is geographic information systems. I trained as a geographer, but I do a lot of web mapping in javascript/html and spatial modeling in python.

    Since I am in emergency management, I work long days during disaster response. I do predictive models of floods and earthquakes and damage models of actual tornadoes and floods (no earthquakes so far, fortunately). My most prominent project was remodeling the county wide siren system, which required me to learn outdoor sound engineering as well as a host of other skill sets.

    Day to day, I also do lots of IT work, social media, civic innovation (think Code for America), and crime analysis (we are part of the police department).

  114. Adminsitrative Assistant-like in Pipeline Integrity (Chinook) in Calgary, Canada*

    My official title is “contractor” but I am basically the central node of all work that goes on to repair an existing (older – if I gave age, it would narrow down the company) pipeline. Basically, if you hear about a leak in the news, we didn’t do out job. I work in the head office and am the person people call when a vendor has questions about insurance or invoices, field guys have questions about who is doing what or where things are getting charged, engineers need to issue new digs to check if the tool actually found a dent in the pipe or if it was a bear walking above it at the time the tool passed (in which case, we need to through more dirt over it). I am the middle man between our main contractor insurance reviewers in the US and our vendors in rural Canada and try to figure out when we are trying to jam a round peg into a square hole (figuretaviely) and with our accounting department to figure out why a vendor hasn’t been paid.

    I fell into this position as a temp because I understood the difereence between operating and capital expenses and knew what cathodic protection means. I am trained as a teacher (which helps when trying to explain new computer programs and procedures to guys in the field) and grew up where the pipeline runs but lived in a lot of different places, so I understand the cultural differences that can occur when working between rural areas, native lands and big cities.

    BTW, no rants about “evil oil.” Even if we stopped pumping oil today (and my pipeline transmits all types of liquids), my position would exist until we dug up and recycled the entire length of the pipeline because environmental standards woudl not allow us to leave it where it is.

    1. BC Aboriginal Environmental Coordinator*

      Sounds like you have an interesting mix of responsibilities! What is your favourite and least favourite part of your job? I just started an environmental coordinator for a First Nation in BC, and am also curious about if you do any aboriginal consultation with your pipeline.

      1. Chinook*

        My job ob with the pipeline is interesting. The best part is that I am learning so much from people who are so willing to answer my questions. The worst part is that there are no industry standards and/procedures for anything and my company, which is not new, is just establishing them now (WTF! You mean you don’t have a procedure for — and that you usually rely on Bob remembering how he did it last time? Really?)

        As for aboriginal involvement, it is part of our mandate. If they have the resources, they get first dibs on work on their traditional land. If they don’t have the resources, we either mentor them or set them up with an industry mentor. We won’t lower our standards but we give their new businesses more time to meet them (our current stumbling point is getting them to understand that if the money in the PO runs out, you have to stop working until we authorize more)

        1. De Minimis*

          We have a similar thing at my job. Almost all our facilities are located on tribal land and many times we give them the opportunity to perform certain contracts [I think we may actually be required to do so, it’s not really my area so I’m not sure.] They handle our housekeeping services and we’re soon to learn if they want to do a parking lot remodelling project.

    2. JustMe*

      How many Stampede breakfasts has your company put on?

      :)

      (Sorry, just wanted to ask something uniquely Calgarian…)

      1. Chinook*

        Zero Stampede breakfasts as we don’t have to court customers (we are only pipeline that goes where we go) but colleagues and I were invited to 5 breakfasts/events last summer. When I was at the accounting firm, we had one big one complete with “cowboy coffee” (aka with shots of baileys or kahlua) starting at 7 am. Now I get invited to theirs as alumni.

  115. IT Business Analyst*

    I am an IT Business Analyst, working for a for-profit healthcare company, with a focus on the back office financial systems. I am the liason between our business users (the accountants, finance officers, etc) and the developers. I spend most of my time translating what the business wants into something the developers understand. I also help troubleshoot user issues, develop requirements, and facilitate the training on any new functionality and enhancements. I have many years experience on the finance side of the business, and have always been interested in the technical side of the financial systems.

    1. Apollo Warbucks*

      That sounds very similar to some of the application support and development I do. What sort of IT background do you have, I started in accounts and have picked up a reasonable level of coding and database knowledge but no formal qualifications

      I was thinking of sitting the Microsoft database qualification exams. Do you think that would be worth while or can you recommend any other courses or qualifications or is it more important to know the business

      1. IT Business Analyst*

        Most of my IT background is from an end user perspective. I have a bachelors in finance and an MBA. My education is very much business focused. Most of my IT background has been on the job training, and nothing formal. I am not a programmer, but I have been working with them from the business side to learn how to talk the talk to them. I have no desire to become a programmer. I think it is important to have a good relationship with the developers, as they can make your job easy or hard, but ultimately, I an successful if the business users are able to use the system effectively and efficiently. Knowing and understanding the business side is most important, because if you dont understand what their ultimate goal and expectations are, you could build the best system ever, that does not meet their needs. I have taken several Business Analysis courses, which have helped in my conversations with the end user to determine what they really what, instead of what they think they want.

  116. Support Staff Supervisor/Sr. Paralegal*

    I supervise the support staff and manage procedures and functions at one of the offices of the largest law firm in the U.S. (government). I’m a paralegal in the criminal division and I assist trial teams with litigation support, mostly in the form of electronic presentation of evidence at criminal trials.
    I also facilitate leadership development courses taught to staff throughout the country. I have two adjunct faculty gigs at local community colleges.

    1. Attorney*

      How did you go about getting the adjunct jobs? Were they posted, or did you approach someone about it? Did you have to get permission from the govt to do outside work?

      1. Support Staff Supervisor/Sr. Paralegal*

        There was a position at one of the local colleges for one class. I applied, got hired, and have loved teaching that class for the last 4 years. In the interim, another local college with a similar program contacted me and asked if I’d teach a class in their program. (FYI, these are paralegal studies programs.) I only do that one on an as-needed basis. It gets to be too much for me and it’s tiring to teach both after working all day. One class per semester, one night per week, is ideal!
        Yes, I had to get permission from the govt to do the outside work. It was as easy as explaining the job to the ethics officer and stating that it would not affect my daytime work. He approved it and sent it up the chain for approval.

  117. Museum Educator*

    Hi! I’m a museum educator at a small museum in the urban Midwest. I plan education programs for the general public: family days, lectures, concerts, school visits, guided tours, etc. Because we’re a small staff, I’m also de facto communications manager (social media, newsletter) and grant writer.

    1. Gaining Experience*

      What was your experience leading up to this job? Did you have a background in the subject matter of the museum before you got the job?

      1. Museum Educator*

        My introduction to museums was in college–I was a history major, and people would constantly ask, “So, are you going to be a teacher or a laywer?” At that time I didn’t particularly want to do either, so I was looking around for other options. I ran across my state history museum’s website one night, and they had just posted their summer internship descriptions. Thought it sounded interesting, managed to score one (in the archives department), and loved it. Interned my next (and last) academic year at a small medical museum in my college town and applied for a master’s in Museum Studies.

        I was lucky enough to get into a very good program on the East Coast (I’m from the Midwest), where I lived for two years. I took advanced coursework in fundraising/development and education, and after graduation took a paid, full-time museum education internship in Boston. The funding for that position lasted about a year, at which point I returned to my hometown. Did some part-time work at the local children’s museum and volunteered at another non-profit for a few months (thank god for understanding parents) when my current job came up , a new museum that was opening in my hometown. The idea of building a museum department from the ground up was fascinating (and a little scary) to a 24 year old, but I applied and three interviews later, I got the job. I’ll have been here three years this summer.

    2. Museum Education Assistant*

      I have so many questions for you! I am the bottom rung of the totem pole in my office of about 10, and I’m interested in moving up. What skills and experience do you think are essential for someone who wants to do more planning/teaching and less administrative grunt work?

      Also, I’m curious what kind of academic training you think is preferred for educators at this point? When I was finishing college in 2008, all my art history professors seemed pretty skepitcal about the usefulness of a museum studies degree. But many of my current colleagues have one. I have the opportunity to get a teaching degree mostly subsidized by work, and I’m trying to weigh the pros and cons. I tend to think any education is good, but would love to hear your opinion.

      1. Museum Visitor Services Rep*

        ^seconds all of this

        Right now I work at a small museum that thinks it is big in the DC area, and I want to work in education more than visitor services (although I love visitor services). I have enough saved up for an advanced degree (I think?), but I really don’t want to do that unless it is completely necessary.

        1. Museum Educator*

          Honestly, if you’re already “in” at a small museum, that might be the best place to gain experience, especially if you’re hesitant to invest more in your education at this point. Talk to your supervisor about your long-term interests and see if it would be OK to approach the education department about any projects that you could assist with in your spare time. In my experience, small museums are a lot more flexible about working cross-departmentally (in fact, most staff members have to) than large museums with very specialized job titles.

          I won’t lie, in browsing job postings, a master’s in *some* subject seems more and more necessary, but you’re already gaining valuable experience by working in a museum, so I’d leverage that by taking on as much responsibility as your time and supervisor allows in the areas that you’re most interested in. Either you’re gaining great experience for your resume, or you’ll be one of the first people think of if and when an education position opens up in your organization.

      2. Museum Educator*

        To be honest, I’m sort of trying to figure out the answer to your first question myself, since I’m the only education staff person and usually end up doing everything. Ideally, I’d like to move into program development/administration, as I think there are people who can do the actual teaching much better than me. :)

        If you’re already assistant level, you’re already probably ahead of the game–your foot’s in the door, which is the hardest part. I would recommend being proactive–is there an audience your museum isn’t reaching (or could do a better job reaching)? I’d say do some research and come up with some ideas, then bring them to your supervisor. See if you can carve out a niche–whether you’re the go-to person for scouts programming, or STEM learning, or whatever area you find is lacking in your institution. If your supervisor is a control freak, it may be harder to do (and to grow professionally in general), but speaking for myself, I always welcome extra help, new ideas, etc., and would love to delegate some stuff if given the opportunity.

        Regarding education/training, museum jobs in any area are hard to find, so a museum studies degree is always a gamble. That said, these days, most museum jobs require them. I also think an advanced education degree would be useful–for instance, Oregon State offers a master’s in Free Choice Learning, which has a little more leeway in terms of application. Most museum educator jobs I’ve seen are fine with an advanced education degree, as long as it’s supplemented by museum work of some kind.

        Hope this helps! I’m fairly new to the field myself. :) Good luck in moving up!

        1. Museum Education Assistant*

          Thanks so much for answering! Getting my foot in the door was definitely hard- it took several years of additional education and work experience, plus being in the right place at the right time. I feel like I’ve already put in so much time and effort getting here, that I want to be working on interesting and challenging things as soon as, and as much as possible. So I’ll keep new and under-served audiences in mind as we work on our programming over the summer. I think that will serve me well!

  118. Compliance & Ethics Investigator (The LeGal)*

    When people do bad stuff at work, I investigate it. I find out if it’s true, how bad it is, and figure out what needs to be done about it. Bad stuff ranges from making fake documents to lying to customers, and even to big regulatory risks. I interview people, and do behind-the-scenes research too.

    1. De Minimis*

      Have you had any cases that were really unusual?

      Is there any type of violation that is more common than others?

      1. The LeGal*

        Yes, absolutely. I wish that I could talk more about them, but I do a lot of them at the direction of legal. The most common violaton that I can talk about is that people often take short-cuts for their jobs, but do not realize the regulatory risk that they expose an organization to.

      1. The LeGal*

        Thanks! Hearing someone say I have a cool job makes me realize that it can be quite cool at times.

        Our investigators have different backgrounds. Some have Criminal Justice experience, and another has prior Investigation experience. I got this position because the details matter to me. Plus, I have been with my company for 10 years and have worked in many of the large departments and know our operations. I also worked for our compliance team as a senior compliance specialist. I did all of this while going to law school part-time at night. So, the law degree and experience got me here.

      2. The LeGal*

        I just caught that your name was Me Too. Does that mean that you and I do the same thing? If so, how’d you get into it and what industry do you work in?

      1. The LeGal*

        It is! I am in the public sector, and we do get government funds. So, I get exposure to both sides of the house. This is how I use my JD degree. If you are interested in sharing, I wonder how you use your JD Degree.

        1. Attorney*

          I do occasional research, but it’s mostly writing and analysis. I’m a little paranoid about sharing too much in the comments – are you in the LinkedIn group?

          1. The LeGal*

            I understand why you’d be uncomfortable sharing too much in the comments. Thanks for telling me about the LinkedIn group. I just requested membership, so I should be on there soon.

              1. The LeGal*

                Greater Chicago area. Profile header is “Corporate Compliance Professional | Wis. Licensed Attorney.” Law Practice.

                1. Attorney*

                  I’m pretty sure I found you, but I can’t seem to make a connection via LinkedIn. It’s outsmarting me at the moment. Hopefully we can connect through the group once your pending group request is confirmed (if you want, of course; if not, no worries, I understand!).

  119. Program Manager, Digital Media Consulting Agency*

    I’m a program manager at a digital media agency. We work on consulting project for a variety of big brands, covering anything from eCommerce site development/design, mobile app development/design, digital ads, print ads, installations, commercials, etc.

    I’m fairly new to the consulting world, and came from doing project management at smaller software and finance companies. I’m happy to answer any questions!

    1. Sunflower*

      This seems cool as I’m interested in both project management and digital design. How did you end up getting into this?

      1. Program Manager, Digital Media Consulting Agency*

        As for how I got into my current role (the digital design firm), that was completely thanks to LinkedIn. I was contacted by the company’s HR dept. while I was at my last gig, because they thought I might be a good fit for a role they had open. After a myriad of phone interviews and a very long and extensive in-person interview, I was offered the job!

        My project management path was, like most project managers, pretty esoteric. I went to college for English Lit., and I started right out of college writing SEO copy for eCommerce websites. From there, I got into email marketing, Google Analytics, and helping with conferences (I was in the marketing dept. at the time). Eventually, that grew into a project management and BA role, as our development teams started demanding better requirements and wireframes before they started development work. I definitely learned on the job (and still am!).

        I think being a project manager opens up a lot of doors in terms of possible industries to work in. And if you work in/around software or IT, that can translate into a lot of different places. My advice would be not to hesitate in reaching out to people to get involved in projects, take on additional responsibility, and learn everything you can.

        Every great PM I know has a few things in common: they’re avid learners, they’re curious, they’re 10,000 ft. view thinkers (but who can get into the nitty-gritty if they need to), they like wearing lots of hats, are great communicators, and are Type-A over-achievers.

        1. Eudora Wealthy*

          Does everybody agree on what the differences are between project manager vs program manager vs project coordinator vs director, etc…? Is there a definitive answer?

          1. Program Manager, Digital Media Consulting Agency*

            Programs generally mean a BIG THING with lots of offshoots that are individual projects. Program managers generally oversee multiple projects/project managers. Project managers focus on individual projects.

            That being said, every company I’ve been at has a different definition for a particular role. The “program managers” at my last gig were really just project managers. My title was “project manager” there, but the Big Thing I was working on before I left was actually a program.

            And cap that off with different project management methodologies, and it gets even more varied. I came from a Scrum/Agile background, but now I’m faced with contracting with companies who expect traditional Waterfall artifacts–like Gannt charts–that were never desired by stakeholders at my last company.

  120. Soapmaker (VictoriaHR)*

    I work in HR in my full-time life, but I also have my own business of making homemade goat’s milk soaps and lotions, perfumes, felted soaps, etc. Soapmaking is tons of fun, you get to utilize your science geek and artistic geek at the same time!

    My website is http://maitribathbody.com if anyone wants to see the kinds of things that I make.

    1. Public Library Reference Department Manager (Jessica the Librarian)*

      Awesome! I’m a soapmaker as well, but I haven’t started selling. Is it difficult to balance your soap business with your day job? The idea of operating a small business is borderline terrifying to me, both the time commitment and the legalities/liability, so I doubt it’s in my immediate future. Maybe someday?

      Your stuff is gorgeous, BTW. Such pretty swirls! I make mostly hot process, so I’m always in awe of intricate CP swirls. Don’t be surprised if you see an order from me in the near future!

      1. Soapmaker (VictoriaHR)*

        Aw thanks :) I recently made my first hot process and it was so easy compared to CP, it’s my new thing to do when I’m making a soap just for me!

        Actually the tea tree shampoo bar was a hot process that I made for myself, since I just started coloring my hair and wanted something that wouldn’t strip color but that would protect against dandruff, and there was so much interest in them that I would up selling most of them.

        I’ve been in business officially since late 2012 but only started attending craft shows & farmers markets in early 2013. Most of my sales are via the website so that’s where most of my time is spent.

        Most of my soapmaking happens after my kids are in bed, so between 8 and 10 pm LOL … my business isn’t big enough yet that I need more than 4-5 different scent combos. It wasn’t difficult to get going – I just formed an LLC which cost me $50 in my state, made sure that I joined the soapmaking guild (https://www.soapguild.org/) and got insured (which is pricey but you can do Paypal’s Pay Me Later and pay it off in monthly payments which makes it easier – not having insurance isn’t worth the risk), then all I had to do was look for shows to go to and have enough soap to present there.

        Do you have a site or FB page? I always like to look at other soapers’ goodies :)

        1. Public Library Reference Department Manager (Jessica the Librarian)*

          I don’t at the moment, but you’ve inspired me to start taking pictures of my projects for future reference. You never know when it might come in handy! I get my fix looking at other soapers’ projects on Pinterest, and I have an entire board of “soap porn” :)

          Sort of unrelated, but I have to know if you bought your TARDIS and dalek molds, or if you made them yourself using that mold maker putty stuff. I’ve never seen those before, and they are awesome!

  121. TV Researcher*

    I work in the TV research department for a broadcast network. While I like to tell people that I watch TV for a living (as it’s a great conversation starter), that’s not quite what I do. What I really do is look at how people view television content (via a TV set, Ipad, computer, VOD, etc) and try to determine how that affects our business model, broadcast TV. Now you see why I like to tell people I watch TV for a living, as it makes for a more interesting tale. Of course it’s not nearly as interesting as one of my previous jobs where I got to tell people I read comic books for a living. Ahh… good times.

    1. ExceptionToTheRule*

      Did you get into TV research through the research aspect then? I presume an education in research & statistics?

      I’m fascinated by this because it eventually trickles down to the local level and can have a huge impact on what I do.

      1. TV Researcher*

        Actually, I’ve been doing the research thing since 2006 and I still have yet to take a statistics class. Though, that might change this year if I can find an online research class that I can actually follow. I tried once and I couldn’t figure out how to use the free statistics software needed for the class.

        My undergrad degree is actually in English and American Studies, and though I have a Master’s Degree, it’s in Communications (more specifically – TV-Radio-Film). I was always the kid who did not do particularly well in math, so to this day it makes my father laugh that I basically spend all day looking at numbers. I like to tell people that I fell into this. I had moved out to LA after grad school and could not find a job, no matter what I did. And this was 2005, so the recession hadn’t really hit yet (I don’t think). The one job I was able to get was a paid internship at a TV studio in their research department. I spent about six months doing that, mostly simple data entry and making photo copies. A similar job opened up in the East Coast (where much of my family lives), so while on the west coast, I applied for and got that job. I spent four years at the first company doing general programming research jobs (with the programming/scheduling/press/marketing groups) as my clients. A year after I left, my current position opened up and one of my old bosses thought of me for this job which is more strategic and forward thinking. After three months of interviews, I was offered and accepted the job and I’ve been here just over two years.

        With the exception of the first research job, I’ve never hidden the fact that I’m not a numbers person. Instead, I tell them, I enjoy getting at the story the numbers tell. I like to think I’m good at my job because I understand how to translate the numbers for non-numbers people because I consider myself one of them.

    2. Public Library Reference Department Manager (Jessica the Librarian)*

      I’d like to hear more about the previous job where you read comic books for a living. I’m a huge comics fan and I think the industry is fascinating, so I’d love to hear any stories you’d be willing to share!

      1. TV Researcher*

        I worked as a Production/Development Assistant for a kids’ production company. The show I was a PA for had ended and we weren’t in production on the next show, so I was worried about looking busy (and quite frankly, I hate being bored). So, I decided to look at what my company wasn’t doing, which was looking at the comic book/graphic novel industries for development ideas. As we were a subsidiary of a kids’ publishing company, most other books for kids were already being handled. The problem was that outside of Archie & Co. when I was a kid, I wasn’t really a fan of the medium. So, I had to teach myself. I was lucky in that no one in my department was a fan, so once I got myself ahead of the curve, I had the benefit of being the “expert.”

        At the time I was in NYC, so I went to the Forbidden Planet comic store, bought a ton of comics in the kids’ section. Picked up a copy of Previews and started contacting creators and artists to see if they were interested in working with us. Every month or so, I would create a development document of potential properties to option and then if/when our boss gave the okay, I would talk with the creators/publishers about optioning them. By the following year, I had made enough of a mark that my company sent me to Comic Con in San Diego which was the best thing ever. Because if you attend as a Professional and give people your business card, you get lots of free stuff. Timing-wise I was pretty lucky in that this was the beginning of the comic/graphic novel resurgence. Manga was beginning to hit the mainstream. And there were a ton of creators in their late 20s/early 30s whose current work was not appropriate for our kids’ company, but they were interested in working with us so that they would be working on something their kids could read. It’s been about 10 years since I left and I still say it was my all time favorite job. Note: I left because it was such a great company that no one was leaving so I was not going to get promoted and four years after I started I was still only making entry level pay. And working crazy hours for that entry level pay also. Because the comic stuff was in addition to the regular job that they actually hired me for.

        No crazy stories, though I did get to meet the creator of Bone and a few other people whose work I adore. And when folks sent me their work in book form, they often sent original posters that I got to keep. I still have a post 9/11 piece on my wall at home. Oh, and I got insulted by someone at Marvel via e-mail when he accidentally cc’d me on an e-mail to his boss. That was fun.

        1. Jessica the Librarian*

          Sounds like a great job! I’m insanely jealous that you got to go to SDCC, and even a little jealous that you got insulted by somebody at Marvel, because that’s always gonna be a great story you can bust out at parties. Thanks for the response!

  122. City Planner*

    I’m a city planner. I work for an inner ring suburb in one of the top 30 metropolitan statistical areas in the US. I’m the director of a department that handles planning, building permits and inspections, and code enforcement, but day-to-day, my work focuses on long-range planning, economic development, and working with developers/property owners. I love my job because I focus on how to make the place where people live/work every day better.

    1. Schnauz*

      For your long-range planning – how far out do you plan? How much input do you have in formulating long-term priorities? Do you get to participate in that process or does it basically come from the city manager/counsel/mayor? If you have a known problem (like aging infrastructure) that needs to be taken care of, how practical is your local government in two-way communication? From the outside, it seems like most communication seems to go top–>down but I’m assuming the reality is more reasonable?

      How long have you been in this field? What sea changes have you seen? The last few years, I’ve seen so much talk on blogs about biking and growing up instead of out – what other topics are big in urban planning?

      1. City Planner*

        How far out we plan varies – general (or comprehensive) plans usually go 20-30 years, but we also will work on things that have a shorter time horizon, and then there are projects that are more design oriented, that we’re trying to implement immediately. I have a good amount of input in priorities, but there’s a lot that comes from the manager and our council and mayor (the electeds). In general, staff suggests options/strategies, the electeds choose, and then we implement, so it’s really collaborative (at least in my city).

        I’ve been in this field for about 15 years. Trends come and go, like any field – bikes are definitely a much bigger deal than they were when I was fresh out of grad school. One of the big topics right now is place making – how do we craft places and not just developments? Density has always been an issue, it’s just that how we talk about it has changed.

        1. Public Health Fellow (OriginalEmma)*

          What kind of personality or work style would you say thrives in a city planner role? I work in public health currently, but bike/ped planning (funny you mentioned that) is an interest of mine..and I’ve considered going for an MPH/MURP degree due to this interest.

          Well-designed cities are such a pleasure to live in, so thanks for what you do.

          1. City Planner*

            Personality or work style varies so much because it’s a really broad field. You can find a niche for almost any type of person. I enjoy talking to people and leading community meetings, but there are some planners who hate doing that and are more numbers-crunching, data analysis types.

            Public health has become such a bigger focus in the last few years – there is still so much interest in how our development decisions impact the health of communities (and still some disagreement about whether they do). I think there’s still a lot of room for innovation in the overlap between public health and planning.

        2. Schnauz*

          When you come into an established area, like most metros, how much change can you really make?

          Last year, I listened to a fascinating story on NPR about urban planning and the elderly. In your place making, is it mostly driven by home buyers looking for “walkable neighborhoods” or is there a lot of talk about our aging population and helping their independence with city planning?

          Also … *council – haha, thanks. My fingers were typing faster than my brain.

          1. City Planner*

            How much change you can make in an established area is really about how much political will there is for making the change, either on the part of the elected officials or on the part of the property owners themselves. It is possible to completely change the character of an area, even an established area, either incrementally over time or through one big redevelopment project that ripples out. But, if no one has the political will to follow through on it, it won’t happen, no matter how much planning is done.

            In my area, place making is being driven mainly by residents who are actively pushing improvements/activities that have a tangible positive impact on quality of life. While there is also a focus on “aging in place” and supporting communities for all ages, the people who are making an impact are younger people who are rolling up their sleeves, lobbying their local officials, and creating more awareness around the issues they care about. While there are definite benefits for the elderly, place making doesn’t necessary focus on issues of aging – but people of all ages benefit.

    2. Exec, B to B Stuff (Wakeen's Teapots Ltd.)*

      Too cool.

      Did you start out playing Sim City? (that’s a serious question. I’ve always wondered how many city planners the game made)

      1. City Planner*

        I played a little bit of Sim City. The thing I liked was speeding up the game so it was on warp speed and I could make little changes and see the long-term impacts in just a few minutes. I guess it’s not a surprise, based on that, that I ended up doing mainly long-range planning. At the time, I remember thinking that the game was more about city management than city planning, but that was when I was in college – I don’t know how newer versions might have changed.

        1. Exec, B to B Stuff (Wakeen's Teapots Ltd.)*

          I liked the original Sim City the best. From what I can remember (25 years ago I guess)… I’d set things up and then go to be while it was on, wake up and it was few hundred years later. See if I killed everybody or what.

          Anyway, city planning has to be one of the coolest jobs. I’m a native Philadelphian who has always appreciated William Penn’s original city plan. I live over the bridge in Jersey now where nobody planned anything (except traffic planners with godawful jughandles and circles), and it shows.

          Cool job!

          1. OriginalEmma*

            The differences in development in NJ really surprises me. My exposure growing up and living in NJ was to relatively dense, urban and first-generation suburban development in northeastern NJ. Certainly not as well planned as cities like Philly or NYC but not as offensive to me as somewhere like Plainsboro. I have to defend my home state for that.

            But like Wakeen’s Teapots, I raise some serious eyebrow to newer suburb and exurb development in western and central NJ. I don’t know what her experience is, but when I finally explored suburban and exurban central NJ, I was met with dull landscapes of strip malls, farmland-devouring housing developments, and meandering roadways.

  123. Support Analyst*

    I have been working for one of the big five consulting firms for more than 7 years now, out of which the past five has been with a major client in the pharmaceutical industry. My role, for most part is the support of a few applications which includes both the commercial off the shelf as well as home grown apps. On a typical day I also do a lot of coordination of work/communication between the client and other vendor(s) of the client, our own offshore team etc.

  124. Associate Pastor / Children's Pastor*

    Four years of vocational ministry, six years of education, fourteen years of ministry experience. I’ve served in a variety of roles in churches, but mostly as either a children’s pastor or as a more generic associate pastor. As children’s pastor, I supervised ministry leaders, hired nursery attendants, planned events, published communications, taught lessons, played with kids, etc. As an associate pastor, I’ve coordinated weekly ministries, started an intergenerational service, managed data administration, communications, developed leaders, etc. It’s quite a varied job, and it is, of course, a calling. Denomination = Church of the Nazarene

    1. Seminarian (Amy)*

      As an associate pastor (acknowledging that each multi-staff church is unique) how often do you preach sermons, or is that pretty much always left up to the senior pastor at your church? Do you have the opportunities to take on special projects?

      I’m a current MDIV candidate (UCC) and more and more I’m looking into ministry positions other than a senior/sole pastor, partially because I want to maybe be more specialized (social justice coordinator/associate pastor, for example), and partly because I want to start more from the ‘ground up’ and work my way up to being a sole/senior pastor.

      1. Associate Pastor / Children's Pastor*

        Last year I preached twice, both were times when the senior pastor was out of town on vacation. We worked well together and he probably would have let me preach more if I asked.

        We started an intergenerational service on Wednesday nights and I was given primary responsibility for training the leaders, coordinating the schedule, and leading the service.

    2. Kelly O*

      As chair of Children’s Council at my church, I just want to thank you for what you do.

      We handle a lot of back-end administrative things for our Children’s Department, but the Children’s Minister has a really challenging job. We’ve been between ministers for nearly a year now, and our new CM starts May 1. I’m so excited (and relieved!) to have someone who has such a passion for working with our kids and getting them involved.

      I’m United Methodist, but I think the calling and the necessity of what you do is universal. Plus, we’re all The Church no matter how we go about doing it. So thanks!

      1. Eudora Wealthy*

        Serious and respectful question: How often have you seen pastors lose their faith, but stay in the job because it’s safe financially or because they still feel that they can help people or because they don’t know what else to do?

        1. Associate Pastor / Children's Pastor*

          I don’t know of anyone specifically who lost faith, but remained in the job. I saw many of my friends lose faith in college or shortly thereafter, but they decided not to go into ministry.

          That said, it is difficult for ministers to shift into other occupations because our degrees just aren’t relative to other markets.

      2. Associate Pastor / Children's Pastor*

        Thank you for your appreciation! Sometimes ministry can be a thank-less “job,” and just a little bit of appreciation can go a long way.

    3. Attorney (Marie)*

      Do you have any trouble attracting or retaining sufficient volunteers? How do you keep them feeling motivated and valued?

      1. Associate Pastor / Children's Pastor*

        We’re fortunate in that our church pays our nursery and preschool directors each Sunday. We have four directors for each age group (8 total), that share a rotation through the month, so even our paid workers have breaks.

        Because we have those paid workers, our volunteers don’t have to prepare lessons or change diapers if they don’t want to. It’s much easier on my end to recruit when I can say, “We just need you to help out with supervision and whatever the director needs. You don’t have to prepare a lesson or change the diapers, just provide some support.”

        I probably don’t do a great job of motivation, but I express my appreciation while I travel to each classroom to check on things.

  125. Journal editor and children's literature scholar (fposte)*

    I edit and write for a journal that reviews new books for children and young adults (it’s largely a collection development tool for librarians), and I direct a research center devoted to youth librarianship, media, and culture.

    1. Dana*

      This sounds really interesting! Did you get into this field through a writing background or through being a librarian?

      1. Journal editor and children's literature scholar (fposte)*

        I came via academics–I did my English PhD work in children’s literature, and I was at the institution where the journal was housed at the time. I started working there as a student and loved it, and was fortunate enough to be able to put roots down there as my scholarly career developed, so my current jobs and I kind of grew into each other. I’m basically knee-deep in children’s books and deeply impressive graduate students most days.

    2. Midge*

      That sounds like the next best thing to my childhood dream job of being a children’s book store owner! Can you give us some book recommendations?

      1. Journal editor and children's literature scholar (fposte)*

        People gave some great ones upthread in the children’s librarian subthread, and I’m glad, because a lot of them were about the dystopian genre that I leave to another reviewer! Are you looking for yourself or for kids?

        1. Midge*

          I didn’t see the comments upthread. I guess I’m looking both for myself and for nieces and nephews (who don’t really love reading, but I’d like to give them awesome books and change their minds!). Books with strong female protagonists are particularly appreciated.

    3. Hotel Spa Manager*

      I haven’t been here *too* long, so you may have mentioned it before, but this is really surprises me! For maybe no reason in particular I had you pegged as a professor of law. Neat :)

      Do you have any writing aspirations, children’s or otherwise?

      1. Journal editor and children's literature scholar (fposte)*

        Well, you got the academic right–for the rest of it I just look stuff up a lot and argue a lot :-). I do a lot of academic writing, and of course the writing of reviews. I go back and forth on writing for young people–maybe when I retire and have more time!

      2. Mints*

        I had fposte pegged as a linguistics professor, haha! Now I’m getting lightbulbs about how fposte is so nice to the younger workers/ AAM readers. This is cool!

  126. Knowledge base author / FAQ copywriter for large sports / tech company*

    I write consumer-facing FAQs and internal knowledge base content for my company’s suite of digital sport products (think wearable technology, GPS watches, sport training apps, etc.).

    Most of my assignments come from a submission queue that’s populated by both anonymous consumer feedback on existing content and consumer service agent feedback on existing or desired knowledge base content. I also pay a lot of attention to the page views and approval ratings of my content as I’m prioritizing my workflow each day. I’m part of a team of eight. We create content for all phases of our brand and its ecommerce properties. I am the team’s subject matter expert on the specific technology I write about.

    I have been in this role for a little over two years. Before that, I supported the same technology in a social media role.

    I landed in this job due to a lucky collision of factors: a passion for running, a background in writing and editing, and the name of someone who worked for my company and was willing to shepherd me through the byzantine application process we use.

  127. Administrative Support Associate*

    …is a fancy way of saying admin assistant.

    I work for a large university’s school of medicine, and support the GI oncology group, comprised of 4 faculty doctors. I’ve only been in this position a month. I do a lot of busywork–faxing, mail distribution, filing, but also some more complicated stuff like fielding requests for appointments, making appointments (typically with pharma reps who do/might do studies with us), and travel arrangements. Probably the most complicated task on my plate is maintaining the docs’ CVs. If you think this sounds trivial, you should take a gander at a medical/research CV sometime. In addition, each doc has three versions that must be maintained.

    I’m sure as time goes on, I’ll have more challenging duties. The biggest adjustment for me was the pace. It’s glacially slow, compared to my last job. I know I’ll be busier soon, but probably never run at the breakneck pace of ex-job.

    So far I love it! I love being able to leave when I’m supposed to leave–I envision some overtime in my future, but nothing like I’m used to. No nights or weekends. I love my docs, they are good doctors and great people to work for. I would recommend it for anyone who (1) is untroubled by wild ambition and (2) enjoys being able to leave the job at work.

    It’s also very interesting to learn about the advancements in treatments for GI cancers.

    1. Bea W*

      Oh CVs…research MD CVs can be 80 pages long. Don’t think I’ve ever seen one less than 30 back in the day when it was my job to keep tracks of investigator CVs. Whole forests have perished for this work.

  128. Law Enforcement Analyst*

    I provide analytic case support to federal law enforcement, working with a group of about eleven officers in an area that covers almost half our state. I do a lot of records checks, open source searching, and writing up brief products summarizing those results to the case files. I also work with the officers to develop new (human) sources of information and to create questions for those sources to advance investigations.

    I’ve been at this for just over six years now, and I’ve worked at our national headquarters and now out in the field. I also specialize in open source information and do some training in that area.

      1. Law Enforcement Analyst*

        I did an internship with the agency when I was in college. I have a degree in Middle Eastern Studies/International Relations and had no idea what I wanted to do with it — go to work for an oil company or a non-profit, maybe. Anything but public sector work. I took the internship to rule it out, actually, and it turned out that I loved it. Go figure.

        1. Beti*

          How much math did you have in college? Did the internship require a lot of statistics-type math? I guess I’m wondering what in your coursework qualified you for the internship and for the job you’re in? Thanks!

          1. Law Enforcement Analyst*

            Sorry, I forgot to come back to check this!

            I took up through calc in high school, but I only took what was essentially statistics in college. When I interned, I did a couple of things: writing and reviewing reports that needed to be disseminated and writing/reviewing/revising applications for legal processes, under supervision. There really wasn’t much math involved in that particular role, but we have financial analysts and others who do use math a lot more.

            A big part of what qualified me was an ability to research, a comfort with the online world, and having solid writing skills. And not academic writing but concise writing similar to journalism, in the sense that you have to determine what is most important and structure that up front, because your audience doesn’t have the time or patience to dig deeply into lengthy documents all the time. Critical thinking is huge, as is dealing with large amounts of data, but I really learned a lot about weeding through the mess once I was on the job.

              1. Law Enforcement Analyst*

                You’re very welcome! There’s a need for analysts at all levels of law enforcement — federal, state, and local — but the pay varies wildly. I have state partners who are hoping to get out into the federal realm just because the pay is so lousy in my state. BUT the work can be extremely rewarding, even as much as it can be bureaucratic and frustrating.

      2. Law Enforcement Analyst*

        I should add that I also got in at a very good time — we were having a hiring boom and brought in a couple hundred or more analysts in a short period of time. Now it’s a much more difficult process, especially with the budgetary issues almost all the federal agencies have been facing.

        There is also a lot of bureaucracy, which can be frustrating as heck to deal with. But there is also a pretty high level of satisfaction, at least for me, in seeing cases from start to finish and knowing that my work often has a direct impact, even if it’s a small one, on public safety.

        1. The LeGal*

          What a cool path. I am impressed that you took an internship to at least rule out an area that you were not interested in.

          1. Law Enforcement Analyst*

            Thanks. It’s not necessarily something I would recommend to everyone, but if you’re really not sure where you’re headed in life, it’s not the worst idea ever if it’s a short-term thing. I was up front about it in my application, too; I kind of figured it would end up disqualifying me early on, honestly. Apparently not so much.. :D

  129. Marketing Communications Specialist*

    I write articles for publication in international trade magazines, brochure/ad copy, press releases and anything else that needs writing around here.

    My company is a large multinational that sells a range of technology products – my division sells industrial processing technology. I’ve been working here for 3 years.

    I have a degree in English Lit and an M.A. in something not so useful, and I love spending probably 80% of my day simply writing :)

    1. Holly*

      I was wondering if someone was going to post with the same position I have! ;) I work at a small software company and I have a background in the nonprofit world, so way different, but similar duties. Also I hate writing, even though it’s my job/I’m good at it, haha.

      Question: I’m assuming(?) this isn’t your first marketing or communications position – what was your non-education background prior to your current job? Also, what has been the most challenging project your company has had you do so far?

      Oh, oh, and two more: (sorry, I’m so fascinated!) a – did you find that you had to learn lots of different writing styles and techniques on the job (adapting between audiences, from press release speak to brochures, etc) and b – what are your current thoughts or plans about the future for your career? Next job up?

      1. Marketing Communications Specialist (Dana)*

        I got into it through my previous position writing business plans at a smaller company. They were expanding and needed communications (press releases, brochure copy), so I started doing it, since I was the writer on staff.

        The most challenging project so far has also been the most fun! Once or twice a year I get to visit customer sites to see how our products are working in factories, interview customers and take photos. Then I write up the case studies into articles – the challenging part is taking what I’ve seen and heard and putting it into a technical-yet-interesting story. Since I don’t have a technology background (like, at all!), that part is hard, but I find that seeing the real-world applications of our products makes the story that much richer and (I hope!) engaging.

        Question a) Yes, definitely! Writing catchy ad copy for industrial products is… a challenge… but a fun one, whereas press releases are less creative and more technical. I find that if you really know what the customer’s ‘pain points’ are – and how they can be solved by your product – then the creative part seems to flow more easily.

        Question b) When I first started the job, I thought that it’d be a 2-3 year job where I would gain the experience needed to move on to another communications position. Well, then I got here and discovered that I do really like writing about these products, LOVE the global travel opportunities to customer sites, and have met an amazing group of people at the company. So… my future plans are to do more of the same! I’m in my early 30s, so I don’t know what that will look like down the road, but for the foreseeable future I’m pretty satisfied with this job :)

        @Holly – Your job sounds a lot like mine – writing about technology can be a challenge, but also really interesting! Thanks for making me think about these questions!

  130. Cash Account Reconciliation / Unclaimed Property (kf)*

    I work at at a large utility company. 50% of my time is spent on Unclaimed Property reporting. The very best part of my job is to give money to people who forgot to cash their check or did not know they had a credit on their utility account. I like to make people happy.

    The worst part of the job is the people who try to claim money that does not belong to them. The second worst is filling out state Unclaimed Property reports. Each state has a different requirement and it is time consuming (almost as bad as taxes).

    I have a degree in Accounting and I am currently in school for a Software Development Degree (2 year) and probably continuing on for another 4 year degree in Computer Science.

  131. Attorney E*

    I’m an attorney who practices in employment and labor litigation, which is frankly part of the reason I enjoy reading this blog! I work for a small firm (less than 20 attorneys) in a big east-coast city, and we do a lot of work with unions. We also handle large-scale class-action type litigation.

    I’ve only been out of law school about a year, but I love my job so far. People spend an enormous fraction of their lives at work, especially Americans, so I think its really important that the workplace be a sane place (if that’s possible).

    In my small firm, I get to work directly with clients. I attend arbitration and court proceedings. I write briefs arguing issues that are important and relevant to our case (and the less important ones, too). It’s not quite like Perry Mason or Law and Order or The Good Wife (though Gosh, I wish I had Alicia’s closet…) but that’s the gist of what I do.

    1. The LeGal*

      I wish that I had Alicia’s closet, or my pinterest closet too. And that I could fit into it. But, alas . . . I did some unemployment comp cases in law school and it was super interesting. What cases do you see most often? I’ve been out of law school for a year now too. How did you find your job?

      1. Attorney E*

        I do a lot of wage and hour cases – unpaid overtime, improperly calculated overtime, minimum wage, and the like. I also handle some general labor issues, including contract interpretation and a little First Amendment stuff, too.
        My path to my job wasn’t direct. I found a job at another labor and employment firm through an Equal Justice Works career fair. I worked there for a while, but they weren’t in a position to hire me. A colleague at that firm then pointed me to a niche job board, and there I found a posting for the place I am now!

  132. Wildlife Biologist/Science Administrator (Monodon monoceros)*

    I work for a inter-governmental organization that manages wildlife populations. My background is in wildlife physiology research, and now I coordinate the science for our organization. I’m being purposefully vague because I don’t want to give away which org I work for.

  133. Construction Project Manager (Paul the Builder)*

    I manage construction projects for a largish commercial contractor. We do mostly federal work, and I primarily work on Army Corps of Engineers projects. I can’t usually speak about specific buildings, but I’m happy to answer questions about construction in general (I used to do private sector work, as well as housing) or federal contracting.

    1. Jake*

      Hey, me too! I’d say we are smallish at 150 million in revenue a year, but 80% is usace work.

  134. College Academic Counselor*

    I assist college students with making academic decisions like choosing a major, choosing classes to enroll in each semester, and figuring out how to be academically successful in college courses. Sometimes this also crosses into how to manage time between classes and extracurricular activities, encouraging involvement with relevant research or internship opportunities, and some career advising. I currently work at a large public research university but have also worked at a community college.

    1. Attorney E*

      How much do you interact with parents in your job? What are the best practices in dealing with helicopter parents of college-aged kids?

      1. College Academic Counselor*

        I actually don’t interact with parents a lot. In my personal experience, parents most commonly get involved when a student is actually in academic difficulty, like in the process of getting dismissed, and then they are usually more helpful than harmful. Typically, they just want to ensure that their student is doing what they are supposed to do and in that, we’re all on the same team.

        In the rare case where a parent really is overstepping and is trying to make decisions for their student or get information that they’re not entitled to, I just firmly tell them that I can’t discuss that with them and they need to be having the conversation with their child. Often, the parent has good intentions, and there is plenty of non-confidential information that I can still share. For example, if you tell me that Johnny got a 1.0 GPA , I can’t confirm that he got a 1.0 GPA, but I can tell you what usually happens to students who get a 1.0 GPA and that’s what they really want to know.

    2. A Lurker*

      What does your typical day look like? I guess I’m curious about what academic advisors do when they’re not meeting with students, and how much of your time is spent actually meeting with students. :)

      1. College Academic Counselor*

        Depends on the day, and the role. There’s really no typical day, but I’d say the closest thing would be about 50% student-based (scheduled appointments, drop-ins or email), maybe a meeting or two, and the rest of the time doing administrative work. Our work is very cyclical and student demand is much heavier during certain times of the academic year, like during the first 2 weeks of a new semester or when registration is happening – then I might be meeting with students pretty much all day. Admin work includes things like processing change of major requests, reviewing graduation applications, evaluating transfer transcripts, reviewing petitions to substitute a course or for an exception to policy, identifying and notifying students who are on academic probation, reviewing requests for readmission, etc. We’re getting better at finding ways to use technology but a lot of these processes are still manual. We also have to do a lot of work to keep up with the knowledge we need to be effective, including staff meetings, meeting with faculty advisors and department chairs, meeting with study abroad advisors and financial aid advisors, professional development, etc.

        Summer looks totally different. I might have a day or two with no students at all, then a packed day of back-to-back student meetings for an orientation session. The pace is different in summer but definitely not any slower.

        I definitely have less direct student contact hours now than I did when I started out. When I was entry-level, I had about 6 hours a day of direct contact, with only about 2 hours a day for email and administrative work. But that was about 10 years ago. Since then, the amount of email has skyrocketed and I’ve taken on more high-level admin work.

    3. Queen Victoria*

      I would like to go into academic advising upon graduating from the student affairs master’s program I’m currently in, so I’m very interested in what you do! What are some of the key differences between advising/counseling at the public school level vs. the community college level?

      1. College Academic Counselor*

        Absolutely! The first big difference is that community colleges require counselors to have a master’s degree in counseling (a master’s degree in education or student affairs won’t qualify). This is because community colleges really consider their counselors to be counselors; you’re not a psychologist but you are going to be dealing with a lot of student issues that go beyond which classes to take. Community colleges also consider their counselors to be faculty; you teach classes on things like academic success or career planning, are a member of the Academic, are eligible for sabbatical, etc. At most 4-year public and private universities, on the other hand, an advanced degree is not required – it can be helpful and is becoming more and more common though.

        Another major difference is the amount of knowledge and information you need to manage. At the 4-year college or university, counselors are often responsible for advising students in a specific program or college. At most, you would need to know the requirements for all of the programs within your university. At a community college, you not only need to know the programs offered at your school but you need to know (or be able to find) the transfer admission requirements for pretty much every university that your students may want to transfer to. Helping transfer students plan and make academic decisions is also much harder because, until they know where they get in, they may be planning for multiple majors at multiple colleges.

        Finally, in my personal experience, there is a much greater diversity of students at a community college. At a 4-year, you can assume at least a few commonalities (i.e. their goal is a bachelor’s degree, they have demonstrated some level of academic success in the past to get admitted). At a community college, on the other hand, they are all different ages, academic backgrounds, intellectual interests, income levels, etc. Hope that all is helpful!

        1. Queen Victoria*

          Wow, thank you for your insightful answer! I wasn’t aware of the counseling requirement for community colleges, but it makes complete sense.

    4. Tia*

      Hi! I have about 3 years of work experience (two years legal assistant, one year admin assistant) and I’ve been looking into going into college advising. Do I need a degree in the field to be competitive? Do you have any advice for how best to get my foot in the door? I have some relevant experience being a peer mentor while I was in college, but I understand that might not be enough. My BA was in history, so that’s not relevant either.

  135. Energy Analyst*

    I track energy use trends, identify anomalies, investigate the causes, and work to get them corrected. My focus is on keeping utility costs low. I also provide energy savings data to help evaluate projects and prioritize them for roll out.

      1. Energy Analyst*

        My degree is in Mechanical Engineering. While I was still in school, I became interested in the energy efficiency side of engineering. Once I started working in the field, I realized that I loved the data aspect of it. This job has just introduced me to analytics and I really love it, which kind of surprised me.

  136. Corporate Public Relations Specialist*

    I develop PR strategies for different parts of my Fortune 200 company, building programs for key products and messages, and handling crisis communications for those areas. I manage our PR agencies in execution of media strategies, write and edit all kinds of collateral including news, and help manage a blog owned by my team.

    It’s a nice mix of ideation, strategy, problem solving and execution.

    1. Communications Associate (Sarah)*

      This is where I want to go with my career. How did you get into it?

  137. Video Editor*

    I edit series, commercials, and bonus materials for TV and the web. I’ve been working in TV production for 16 years in the genres of documentary, children’s animation, reality, and sports. My job is both creative and technical, in that I use video production technology to craft stories and design graphics.

      1. Video Editor*

        I am not from L.A., nor did I wind up there. I knew in high school that I wanted to go into film/tv production, so I went to NYU film school. I spent one summer in L.A., where I had two great internships, but it made me realize that I preferred the East Coast culture. So when I graduated from NYU, I found work on the East Coast, and I’ve been working here ever since, mainly in the New York and Philadelphia areas.

  138. Industrial Waste Inspector (aka Sewer Cop) Gene*

    As an IWI I regulate what local businesses and industrial users can put down their drains into the sewers. The businesses we regulate are mainly restaurants and food service establishments (large catering, schools, hotels with room service). As far as the industrial users goes, that ranges from a company that has one tank and does their treatment in plastic trash cans to places like the Boeing wide-body plant and a major Campbell’s plant. We enforce Federal regulations for the industrial users and local for the others.

    Office of 4 IWIs and a manager; 2 inspectors are mainly in grease control with restaurants, the other 2 are pretty much full time with industrial users.. I’ve been doing this for a bit over 30 years, now working for the third city. My work time could be inspecting businesses, sampling their discharge, lots of computer time, doing investigations to identify the source of something coming into the treatment plant, writing Notices of Violation, and associated duties. I have a lot of autonomy on what I do day to day so long as my mandated sample events and inspections get completed.

    I write ordinances, procedures, and policies; maintain lab and field equipment; I can impose fines of up to $10,000 per day. In my time in the job I’ve shut down only one business for discharging something, it turned out that the General Manager was a friend I went to high school with and hadn’t seen since. I get paid to play in traffic and sewers. On an inspection I can pretty much demand to go anywhere in a plant that wastewater may be produced or records may be stored. I get to see how things are made, and that’s really cool!

  139. Database Analyst/LMS System Admin/Support Technician (Sascha)*

    My title is ridiculously long because I do all the things.

    I started out as an LMS (learning management system) support tech at a large public university. I quickly became the front-end system administrator. I am transitioning to database analyst, focusing on analytics of the LMS I administer, but I still have duties in the other areas.

    1. Apollo Warbucks*

      I do a lot of SQL coding and application support but not so much dba stuff what kind of database is it you administer and what sort of skills should I be trying to develop if I wanted to move into being a dba the Microsoft database qualification look interesting do you know anything about it?

      1. Sascha*

        Sorry for the delayed reply. I don’t really do DBA type tasks, so I’m not sure what skills would be good to develop, but I think for an actual DBA you would need to develop hardware support skills, like installation, tuning, troubleshooting, etc. From talking to people about DBA work, it seems the DBA does more managing the box and keeping it running. Any DBAs out there, please correct me!

  140. I test Well Water/ sell Pampered Chef (direct sales)/ President of my son's School PTO*

    During the day I spend my time testing goundwater/well water contaminated with road salt due to our winters here in New England. Our state DOT has a program available to homeowners where if they qualify, we will replace their well (drinking water) to remediate the contamination caused by the salting practices of the state. (This program is only available to people effected by state salting along state roads/interstates). Along with that we test groundwater at some field sites in different parts of the state where the salt sheds are located. There are more things I do, but that’s the basics. This is a job I started after my first son was born 10 years ago, and was part-time. I’m still here and now full-time absorbing jobs and duties of the grad students that have left/graduated don’t do now that they are gone.

    By night and on weekends I sell Pampered Chef products. We are one of the top 20 companies in the Direct Selling industry right now. There are a lot of aspects to this job as I manage it on my own.

    I also spend a good deal of time running the parent group at my son’s school. I have done it at 2 different schools so far, and it’s been about 5 years combined. I plan, coordinate, delgate run meetings, etc. I am also an active member on my other son’s school and would probably be an officer if I weren’t already running the other group.

    1. summercamper*

      Can you tell me more about selling Pampered Chef products? I’ve been interested in the direct selling industry but hesitant to join in because some friends in direct sales have become super-annoying. How do you keep your personal life separate from your professional sales, or is hitting up friends for sales a necessary part of the job?

      1. Erica B*

        Using friends and family is a necessary evil when you start out with direct sales. The idea is that you use their connections to book more parties and to expand your network. Out of all my friends & family (and I have a bunch) only 1 or 2 will do parties for me. Often when you start any business like this, you are very excited and eager b/c you have a love for the product. If you don’t love the product your selling, then its not the right company for you. You have to love it if you want to be successful.

        I don’t know how separate this job is from my personal life… Its a job my friends and family know I do, but I make a point to not be pushy with it because I know pushy people who sell things and I don’t like it. If it comes up naturally in conversation then I talk about it, and I try not to bring it up when its not appropriate. Its hard to find the balance, especially in the beginning because you just want to let the whole world know about what your doing and you need their help to be successful.

  141. Assessment/Accreditation Assistant*

    I work in the Department of Assessment and Accreditation within one academic division of a large university. My department’s main duties are to report information about our school for our accrediting body, as well as for various other surveys (for example, any magazine that ranks colleges sends out a survey to get the data they use — I am the person who fills out that survey); to administer teaching evaluations and various student surveys; and to work with faculty to assess students on the learning goals of our various programs and analyze the results.

    1. Anon for this*

      I just wanted to say that I know that your job is hard! I work in for-profit education, and it’s tough. So, kudos to you!

  142. MRI Technologist*

    I do MR scans at a non-profit hospital system. Half high-tech, half high-touch: complex computers and patient care, with a little too much paperwork and healthcare bureaucracy.

    I love hospital work and can’t handle a desk job!

    1. Eudora Wealthy*

      What’s the craziest metal object that you ever personally saw get stuck to the MRI machine?

      1. MRI Technologist*

        An anesthesia drug cart. Nobody was hurt, but we were down for two days getting repairs. We try very hard to avoid missile effects and objects sticking to the magnet, but we are human and people are often rushed and stressed.

  143. Public policy consultant (nodumbunny)*

    I’m currently a freelance consultant in a public policy are that I won’t name because I want to stay somewhat anonymous – pretend it’s education, transportation or health care. I don’t have a good elevator speech for what I do, but here goes. I consult with state governments, foundations, and other organizations in this public policy sphere to help them figure out how change or solve a public policy problem or create/sell/communicate a new public policy initiative that fulfills a need or to evaluate how well such an initiative has done.

    I have a masters in public policy and I’ve worked for Congress, state legislatures, for-profit entities and non-profit entities in this sphere. I love my policy area, and I like being a consultant, but I also like the stability of a paycheck and not having to do business development (hate!) so I’m looking for a job (lazily looking).

  144. Exec, B to B Stuff (Wakeen's Teapots Ltd.)*

    We sell products to businesses. Smaller company, less than 200 employees.

    The following are under my umbrella and also things I have personal experience doing and not just overseeing:

    catalog marketing, direct mail, online marketing, in house web development (but I’m not a developer), ecommerce, SEO, SEM, outside sales, inside sales, warehousing, fulfillment, inventory management, analytics of all kinds.

    Happy to help. I’m better at process questions than politics or career path questions. :)

  145. Director of Fundraising Events*

    I’m a little late to this (sorry), but I thought I would put myself out there anyway. I oversee special event fundraising for a nonprofit that works with children and adults with developmental disabilities. This involves things such as steering the board toward buying tickets (and getting their friends to buy tickets) for the more traditional galas, helping outside groups set up golf outings/concerts/etc. on our behalf, writing copy for press releases and about a million other small details I am forgetting. With some restructuring in recent years, our corporate donations team now reports to me as well. Over the years I have also done individual giving, major gifts, annual appeals and a variety of other areas of development. In the past few years I have made the choice to focus on events, as that is where my passion lies.

    1. Development Manager*

      Do you have any thoughts on the value of graduate education in the field? CFRE, certificate in nonprofit management, or something more advanced?

      1. Director of Fundraising Events*

        I’ve considered an advanced degree or certificate in nonprofit management before, but not having it has yet to hold me back or become an issue. I think the advanced degree can come into play more if you work at (or want to work in) a university setting. I was at a major university prior to this, and I was one of the few at my level that did not have an advanced degree.

  146. Marketing Manager*

    I am the Marketing Manager for a college within a large public university. I am the only marketing/communications person for my college, which means I do a little bit of everything. I manage our nine websites, I write and send out media releases, I coordinate our social media accounts, I assist with our student recruitment efforts, I manage and write for our alumni magazine as well as just about everything else under the sun.

    I like the work that I do, but higher education can be a frustrating field to work in… underpaid, overworked, under-managed, no budget. The list goes on.

    1. Communications Associate (Sarah)*

      I’m also working at a university in a small division, and it can definitely be interesting. I was wondering, did you move up within the university? And would you have any advice for someone looking to move into more of a communications/marketing management position?

      1. Marketing Manager*

        I did move up in the university and across departments. The best advice I would give would be to figure out a way to build connections across departments. In some places (higher ed or otherwise) this can be difficult, but it has proven to key in my success here.

        Our university holds monthly (it usually works out to be every other month) communicators meetings. If your university doesn’t do this, suggest it to your central PR group. I’ve also established a pitch meeting of sorts that stems off of this communicators meeting. At this meeting we have a rep from our central PR group meeting with marketing managers/pr specialists in different offices across campus, and we talk about the stories we are working on. This has proven to be very successful in getting more collaboration to happen and writing stronger stories.

  147. Public Health Fellow (OriginalEmma)*

    I am a public health fellow, stationed at a state health department, working in emergency preparedness. I’m working on projects related to resource management, emergency data system management and am just learning about grants. Prior to this assignment, I was in the same fellowship but working in the communicable diseases section of a city health department as an investigator for one year and then in the quarantine station of an international airport as a trainee public health officer for another year. My background is a bachelor’s in public health with 3 internships plus always carrying one or two part-time jobs, and about 1.5 years post-undergrad work experience in healthcare-related customer service roles.

    This is a term-limited position (ends in 2015), it does not lead non-competitively into a permanent job and I would still need to apply as a non-federal employee to any public health FTEs.

      1. OriginalEmma*

        I enjoyed communicable disease and quarantine work, so given the opportunity, I would return to that. Ideally, I would find a community health job with an active living focus, because I’m interested in the intersection of public health and urban/regional planning, but I doubt it’s possible without direct experience and an advanced degree. So, my next steps really depend on my job prospects.

  148. Chief Program Officer*

    I’m the Chief Program Officer at a medium-sized social service non-profit. I oversee programs that provide direct social services, represent my org in the community & with funders and design and implement new programs.

  149. User Experience Strategy and Research Management*

    Fun topic and interesting reads (I still haven’t made it through the all the comments yet).

    Anyway, I’m a user experience strategy and research manager, which means I conduct user research (field studies, surveys, interviews, remote ethnographic studies, etc) to gain understanding of the users of products (specifically in my case, I currently work in software/application development). I also conduct usability testing on prototypes throughout the design process. Lastly, I’m responsible for content strategy (not copywriting) and information architecture for said products.

    I work with product owners, product managers, business analysts, interaction and visual designers, and engineers to develop products based on research, data, testing, and strategy.

    Plus I’m working on building out a team of ux researchers and strategists because right now, I’m a team of one and that’s craziness! I really like what I do and it’s a booming field with lots of room for growth.

    1. AG*

      Sounds really interesting! What is your background? I have the research and data part (surveys, interviews, focus group, etc.) and consulting, but not the technology part. Thanks!

      1. User Experience Strategy and Research Management*

        I started in marketing and advertising doing both copywriting and graphic design, moved into the digital space in information architecture, content strategy and knowledge management, and moved up from there. I’ve worked in startups and Fortune 50s and in all different industries, so it’s been interesting. All of my work (with the exception of my first job) has included some kind of data analysis or research.

        I also have a master’s degree in closely related field, which unlike many of the jobs where AAM says don’t require a master’s degree, mine often does. Most job postings for this kind of job do ask for master’s degrees and indicate that candidates with them will be preferred. Salaries also go up in this field with more education. So, it’s definitely the exception to the rule. Oh and I have about 11 years of experience.

    2. Kristin*

      Oh, man, I have so much respect for what you do. I do front end development (my thread is up a way) and have had to do user testing. It is a fascinating subject.

  150. Mental Health Therapist*

    I work with chronically mentally ill adults in a group therapy setting. I also facilitate groups for adolescents with mental health issues.

  151. Adult Education Teacher*

    I teach high school equivalency classes at a community-based organization in a major U.S. city. My students range in age from 16 to 70+. Some of them are from the U.S. but never finished school, others finished high school in other countries but need to earn diplomas here. I spend my days lesson planning, grading, meeting with students and other staff, and of course teaching.

    A big piece of my job is supporting students through the learning process – as it turns out, learning can be an emotional experience, especially if you’ve been out of school for a long time and/or are struggling with other life challenges, as many of my students are. Probably half of my students are on public assistance. I spend a lot of time talking with students, encouraging and affirming them when they’re having a hard time believing in themselves, and listening to what they’re going through outside of school.

    1. Attorney (Marie)*

      That is awesome. I hope it’s a very fulfilling job, because it’s certainly a very valuable one.

  152. Clinical Case Manager (I Love Books)*

    I’m a CCM for a community mental health org. I help connect clients to resources in the community and help them navigate the govt bureaucracy (soc sec, section 8, etc). I’m working on my license to become LCSW and just started providing therapy to one client.

    1. Christina*

      What is your background/degree in? I work in a mental health treatment lab as a research assistant but I think what you’re doing sounds pretty interesting. What are the challenges of that position?

  153. Herding Cats (a.k.a. Marketing for a healthcare company)*

    I work in B2B marketing for a national healthcare company. Most of my duties include development of collateral/marketing materials, event planning, a good deal of written communication and strategic planning.

    I have a B.A. in journalism from a big Midwestern university. I have just under 10 years of professional work experience.

  154. Development Manager*

    I work as a development manager in a mid-size national nonprofit. Prior to this, I worked in institutional giving (corporate and foundation) at a large local nonprofit.

    1. Lo*

      Hi there! I know this is a bit late-but as I mentioned in an earlier post, I’m really interested in fundraising/development and would love to hear a bit more about how you got into the profession, if you don’t mind! What is your background? Thank you!

  156. Project Specialist*

    I work for a independent group mental health practice as a Project Specialist. I handle all different kinds of administrative tasks that are outside the norm of the typical day to day routine, but my big three are revising forms and marketing materials; credentialing our newly hired clinicians (getting them in-network with all the insurance plans we accept); and implementing our new web-based electronic medical record system, which is about 80% of my workload. Right now I’m building all of our paper documentation forms (and there are many) as electronic versions, later I’ll be heavily involved in training staff to use the software.

  157. Site Safety Manager - Heavy Industrial Construction*

    Currently assigned to an air separation plant (turning air into liquid oxygen, nitrogen and argon). We currently have about 175 employees & subs (electricians, millwrights, iron, structural, pipe and civil) with plans to go to almost 300. I handle the safety management system, specialized training, first aid, Worker’s Comp cases, etc. I have two direct reports and will probably end up with 4-5 as we peak out in manpower.

    Although I am an engineer by education., that is extremely rare in my field. I have taken an extensive list of OSHA classes, am authorized to teach many of them & an AHA certified BLS instructor.

    Money’s good, locations vary (but rarely exotic), every day is a challenge, & we get to build cool stuff with other people’s money.

    1. GoochieWoman*

      I temped this summer as an admin asst for the Safety Manager for a large solar energy power plant builder. I found Safety to be a fascinating area, one that I’d never even considered for employment or even as a topic for conversation. I spent 2 months formatting Safety Manual docs and spent more time reading them than actually formatting and proofing! It certainly made construction sites seem even more interesting than they were before! I also got a tiny taste of process mapping at this position. In some ways I’m envious of younger people who have the opportunity to learn to use these things! Thanks for mentioning Safety and thanks for what you do!

  158. HR Generalist (Technology)*

    I am an HR Generalist for a large IT company. My job consists mainly of recruiting, interviewing, onboarding, and a lot of misc. HR functions. I have about 10 years of experience in this arena.

      1. JenTheNiceHRGirl*

        I am most impressed with cover letters that are customized for the position they are applying for. It shows me that they are very interested (as opposed to just blasting resumes out all over the place) in this position and our organization. I am also really impressed when candidates list a few of their most relevant accomplishments. What I don’t like is really bad spelling and grammar. I don’t expect everyone to be a grammar expert (and I am certainly not pretending to be), and most of the jobs I hire for don’t expect candidates to have awesome writing skills (well with the exception of our technical writers), but it does require customer interaction over e-mail and if the cover letters are full of really obvious typos, that is a huge turn off. I think that if you stay with something that is one-page, easy to read, concise, customized to the job you are applying for, and free of really horrible typos, you should be good to go! Throw in a few really impressive accomplishments or credentials, and that’s even better.

  159. Program Manager/Managing Editor working in the publishing industry*

    I work as a Program Manager for a large publishing company. I’m late to the party, but feel free to ask any questions!

    1. Editorial Assistant*

      I have a question for you! I’m currently at an academic journal so most of my (limited, I graduated with a BA in 2012) experience is in academic publishing, but I’d love to move to trade publishing. I’ve heard from some friends that there isn’t a lot of crossover between the two kinds of publishing thought.

      What do you think about those things? How do you like working at such a large company?

  160. PhD Candidate, soon to be Asst Professor (Sophia)*

    I’m a phd candidate in the social sciences, at a top 10 department. Next year I’ll be joining the faculty at a selective and small liberal arts college. I’m also a former Fulbright Scholar. Ask away!

    1. fposte*

      Where’d you do your Fulbright? I think that’s such a great program (never did one myself but wished I did).

      1. PhD Candidate, soon to be Asst Professor (Sophia)*

        Philippines! It really is a great program, though very unstructured. They literally just plop you there, so it may be a bit difficult for people who don’t know how to manage unstructured time. I started mine the fall after undergrad.

  161. Information Systems Security Engineer (Katie)*

    There are about a billion names for what I do: Cybersecurity, Information Assurance, Certification and Accreditation…
    Basically, I work (as a contractor) for the military, in research and development, making sure that new systems are usable by warfighters and still secure and follow the 5,312 rules for federal IT systems. It can involve some complicated hoop jumping :) but I love what I do. I get to play with all the cool new toys!

    Also, I do not have a college degree, but have a six figure salary (just barely) with about 10-15 years experience, so if anyone has questions on how I managed to do that, feel free.

    1. Kristin*

      So… how did you manage that?

      Do you have a background in code? Are you an individual contractor or is your company contracted?

      1. Information Systems Security Engineer*

        I work for a company that’s contracted to the government. It’s a small business, but government contracting is all they do. My background was in networking and network security, but the company mostly does software development. I’m actually the only infosec person at my company, which is kinda unusual. Usually, if this work is contracted, infosec is all that the company does. I think it helps because at the end of the day, the focus is on making it work at the cost of being perfectly secure, not being secure at the cost of making it work. No one wants to have to put in a 14 character, one upper, one lower, one special character password in the middle of a firefight, and guys with machine guns tend to prevent unauthorized users.

        As for how I managed without a college degree…I would say the main focus is always be willing to learn something new and try new things. I have three years of a degree, which was in liberal arts, but while I was in school, I worked as an admin for the school’s computer repair center. Things were slow, and they asked if I wanted to become certified for a certain company so I could order parts, instead of having one of the techs do it. Then since I was certified, I started doing some in house repairs.
        During the internet boom, a friend told me about a job at an ISP, where they were looking for people who at least knew about computers, and were quick learners. While I was there, I took every training opportunity I could, and when I wasn’t on the phone, I looked up stuff online. When the second company I worked for was looking for someone to get started in security, I volunteered.

        I also got certified. It isn’t as important if you have a degree, but the certifications let me show that I wasn’t just sitting on my butt while I was gathering experience, I actually learned something.

        I think a big part as well was being willing to say when I didn’t know something. That way unrealistic expectations aren’t set. Then I go back to my desk and figure out what it was I didn’t know, and when the next time it comes up, I do, everyone’s impressed.

        1. Kristin*

          No problem! I think it’s fascinating, especially as someone without a college degree who found themselves in a somewhat technical field. (I’m a frontend web developer who dropped out of school after two years and became an admin assistant until I proved I could code.)

          What sort of certifications did you get?

          1. Katie (Fellow Migraine Sufferer)*

            Security-wise, I have a CISSP, a GSNA, a Security+, and CNSSI 4012, 4015, 4016E. The CNSSI stuff you’re only going to see on the government side, and I got the Security+ because I’ve taught some Security+ classes; you don’t need it if you have something higher, like a CISSP. I got the CISSP first, then got the others as I specialized some.

            I used to have a CCNA and a JNCIA, but I’ve let those lapse, although I’m working on renewing them and getting an MCSA. Because of the way the gov’t works, if I want to actually work on equipment, instead of just do paperwork, I have to be certified in security, as well as the specific equipment/software/technology. Luckily for me, since I work in R&D, most of the stuff doesn’t have specific certifications, but the network and MS certs are handy, since a lot of systems include Windows and/or some type of network equipment.

            If you’re looking to get into IT security (which is only growing), the basic requirement on the technical side is a Security+. A CISSP or CISA/CISM is the top level. A note for those coming from a technical background: Unlike a lot of the vendor certifications (CCNA, MCSA, etc) which are about a mile deep and an inch wide, the security certifications tend to be the opposite, especially the CISSP. I almost had a heart attack the first time I looked at the domains for the CISSP; the breadth of information covered is huge! But they only really cover things at a higher level, ie web-based applications have x type of vulnerabilities, if you want to secure a database, set x setting; not “For SQL Server 2008 set the doohickey drop down to enabled.”

    2. Carmen*

      You are me! 3 years of college (liberal arts), 12 years of experience, and making just over 6 figures. CISSP/CISA. I worked in the first dot.com boom at an ISP. I dropped my GSNA, but am picking up another cert instead.

      I think IT Security is one of those fields where it’s less about your college degree and more about how much you are keeping up with the technology. I don’t know about you, but I’ve been working like crazy to master all the Cloud tech and the issues it brings up from a security and risk perspective.

      I definitely agree with you that it’s more about willingness to learn. There are a few people on my team who are fairly green with freshly minted degrees in Cyberseecurity, and they are overwhelmed by the sheer pace of the job.

      I don’t know if you’ve experienced this, but I’ve heard a lot of discussion about job burnout, specifically in security. I work in the public sector, so it may be different for government work. Thoughts?

  162. Certified Veterinary Technician working in an Emergency Hospital*

    I’ve been a veterinary technician for 17 years and I’m currently attempting to transition into hospital management.

  163. Congressional Staff (Noelle)*

    I work on Capitol Hill as a congressional staffer. I do pretty much anything my office needs me to do – mostly research and writing (memos, legislation, speeches, letters, etc.), but also taking meetings with constituents, investigating and doing analysis to ensure laws are actually followed by the rest of government.

    1. family law lawyer*

      how often do you see folks in your position or higher transition over from a different field of work? is it super rare?

      1. Noelle*

        Transition from one thing into government, or vice versa? It’s not common, but it does happen. I’ve seen a few health professionals become health policy people, academics become legislative analysts, and one mathematician who became a researcher. It’s more common for people to have a background of working in politics or at least tangentially related to that area (like lawyers, economists, etc.).

        1. Public policy consultant (nodumbunny)*

          I did this at the beginning of my career. Loved it. The reason you don’t see lots of people transition into working on the Hill when they are mid-career elsewhere is it doesn’t pay well at the first few (several) rungs of the ladder. If you have some particular expertise, the place you might transition in that would pay better is as committee staff. But getting those jobs (and even more so, the top jobs in a member’s office) require lucky political connections as well.

          1. Noelle*

            The pay levels have actually been a huge problem for Capitol Hill because most of the people with experience don’t want/can’t afford to work there and the people who work there now aren’t making enough to want to stay. I actually work for a committee now and the pay is pretty bad even there. You can definitely make more money as an issue expert (especially if it’s an issue no one else wants to do but it still needs done) than you would make otherwise, but the pay overall is very bad unless you’re running the office and there just aren’t that many opportunities for that.

  164. Beekeeper (The Editor)*

    Not my real job obviously, but I’m game to throw out a fascinating hobby! I’ve been beekeeping for four years now and manage four hives in my backyard urban environment.

    1. Katie the Fed*

      Tell me more! How did you get into it? Do you get hired to bring your bees places? What do you do with all the honey? nom nom nom

      1. Beekeeper (The Editor)*

        I got into walking down the street one day and seeing a neighbor building wooden boxes on her front porch. I asked what she was building, she said bee hives, and the rest is history! It also helps that my wife has serious health problems with sugar (white, brown, corn syrup, etc.), but honey doesn’t do a thing to her.

        I typically have two to five hives, so it’s not really worth it to do pollination for orchards and what not. Plus, I think that’s a BIG part of the colony collapse disorder. When they truck the bees everywhere, they lock them up inside hot hives with little to no ventilation and run them all over the country. It just sounds… wrong.

        Now for the honey… I eat a ton of it! I give it away for gifts at Christmas, and guests to our house often leave with a small jar. We collect the wax as well and make lip balms, lotions, candles, and so forth. It makes us the most predictable of gift givers, but I have yet to hear anyone complain.

    2. vvonderwoman*

      So cool! How does zoning work? Are there restrictions on having bees in urban areas? Do you need any permits?

      1. The Editor*

        Each city is different. Where I’m at, I can keep five hives on a lot my size, and I have to provide 15 feet distance from property lines. I also have to provide water to the bees to keep them from raiding a neighbors faucet, hose, pool, hot tub, or whatever.

        When I have a neighbor that gets nervous, I invite them over to see. Bees are almost shockingly gentle creatures, and most people get over their fears very quickly when they see that.

  165. Admin Asst/ Novelist (Elizabeth West)*

    Wow, so many cool jobs! I’m going to bookmark this thread.

    By day, I work as a departmental administrative assistant for a large technology services company. I edit consultant recommendation reports, track projects / revenue, and send reports to clients (and help them when they can’t download it for some reason). One hour a week, I sub for the front desk. It’s a cool job; I can work from home if I need to, and I don’t have to answer the phone unless it’s for me. Yay! After all those years as a receptionist, that’s just HEAVEN.

    At lunch and by night, I write novels and a blog. So far I haven’t published anything, but I’m getting good feedback. I’m waiting for Bank Robber Book to come back from its professional critique so I can re-edit, and I’m also waiting for my second reader to finish Current Book. (First Reader said it reminded him of a cross between Michael Crichton and the guy who wrote Ghost. Holy cow, Crichton! 0_0) I’m hoping that this next round of querying will hook something. I’d love to be the coworker in the wrote-a-novel-at-work post, although I probably won’t leave because writing books doesn’t pay much.

    Sorry I don’t have anything as cool as some of the other people!

    2. Fiona*

      Ive been following your book writing saga since I started reading AAM (so, a few months). Can you elaborate on the publishing process from the writers perspective? I always assumed it was write, send out, get rejected/accepted, book deal. Ive never heard about professional critiques/readers (sidebar: how do I get THAT job?!) or any of the other intermediate steps between “good enough to share” and “heres your advance check.”

      1. Elizabeth West*

        could talk about publishing, but so far I’m still in the UNPUB stage. I haven’t published anything except a couple of stories (one at school and one online) and my blog, of course. All that I’ve learned is from other writers and instructors, most of which is available online for free from writer and agent blogs, etc., and a few courses I took in school and from freelance writers and marketers.

        Basically, for novels, you have to write and edit it first. Nonfiction books can sell on the basis of a proposal, but you don’t query an unfinished novel. You can pay people for professional book editing and/or critiques (expensive!), or you can trade off with people in writing groups, etc. (you do mine, I’ll do yours). You HAVE to have someone else look at it–once you’ve spent six months writing and revising, you literally don’t see stuff anymore. I know I’m almost done when I’m actually sick of reading it.

        I have already put my current book, which is called Tunerville,/i> through about five edits (including hard copy). A friend who is a published novelist and screenwriter looked at it for me. He’s the one who said it reminded him of Crichton/Rubin. I then edited again and sent it to a friend who is more a target audience reader, and now I’m waiting on her assessment. I have an agreement I email them first, where they have to agree not to share the contents online or anything. When she sends it back, I’ll make any changes she suggests and then I think I’m almost ready to start querying. The process is shorter on this book than the bank robber book, because on that one I was learning about formatting, etc. so it took NINE edits to get it where I wanted it.

        You also have to write a synopsis, which is a short summary of your book that tells the ending. I usually have a few: a one-page, a two-page, and a five-to-seven-page. Many agents and publishers want to see that along with your query letter and sometimes the first few pages. (Your opening pages need to be especially good!) A lot of writers hate doing synopses. They don’t bother me that much (but I’m weird!). If they want more, they will ask for it, or they’ll send you a rejection.

        Many of them put in their submission guidelines that if you don’t hear from them after X time, that means they’re not interested. I have a spreadsheet on which I track submissions and keep all the information for the agents/publishers I’ve researched. It has a sheet for each book. There’s a website called Preditors and Editors that I run people through first, to make sure they’re legit and have no complaints against them.

        The professional critique is something a semi-famous horror writer who I am a fan of does sometimes. I paid money for that–he has my bank robber book (of course you pay; it’s work!). It’s taking ages to get it back because he has been so busy, but I’m not on deadline or anything so that’s okay. He’s a marvelous writer (he was just named a World Horror Grand Master!) and even though that’s not my genre, his professional opinion is extremely valuable to me. When I get that back, I’ll incorporate his advice, re-edit, and try querying again on that one. (It’s already been rejected a bunch of times, but that comes with the territory.)

        If he has any recommendations as to who I might approach, I’ll follow those too. He said he pinged some people about it, but so far I don’t think he’s heard back.

        I’m sure there are many things I still have to learn, and my craft can always be better than it is right now. You can write and write and write and query and query and query and never get anywhere (why am I doing this again???), but if you don’t try, NOTHING will happen and you’ll learn nothing.

        Sorry this is so long and I’m sure I’ve got some of it wrong, but that’s where I am at the moment.

      1. PhD Candidate, soon to be Asst Professor (Sophia)*

        Clarity re lol, that I thought your description is funny. My husband also has one of those cups that say ‘I’m an analyst” (analyst is spelled wrong, crossed out, spelled wrong again etc and finally just says ‘I’m a spy”

  167. Facilitator of User Happiness*

    I work for a small startup, and our main product is a mobile app that makes it easy to order prints from your phone. Hope I’m not too late to the party — or too uninteresting, ha!

    Basically, I’m a customer support rep, part of a two-person happiness team (I manage a great part-time employee in another time zone). I deal with user issues, payment processing issues, any and all issues. Lots of customer interactions and enduring irate/entitled users, but there’s also a ton of really lovely people out there and I love talking to them. :)

    Also I’m a lurker, so I don’t have a username here, but I still wanted to play!

    2. Facilitator of User Happiness*

      Oh, and I should also add that working at a startup means wearing a few more hats that may not be on your job description hat rack! I’ve recently been handed some community manager responsibilities, and I’m now in charge of hiring freelance bloggers and editing our blog, as well as making Facebook/Twitter/Instagram posts. I’m actually fairly new to that arena, so I might go back and ask some questions up above!

      1. Customer Account Manager*

        Can I ask how you ended up doing customer experience for a start up? I currently work in a customer facing role with high net worth (25 million+) customers and multi million dollar accounts. However, I am relativity early in my career and would like to eventually help build a customer service department from the ground up and wound be really intrigued by working in a start up environment. Can you provide any advice for what career path I should be looking at?

        1. Facilitator of User Happiness*

          Honestly, I may not be the best person to ask! This is my first salaried job, and I haven’t built up a ton of experience yet. I’ve definitely learned a lot in my half year at the company, though — feel free to email me at sockmuppetry @ gmail if you have any specific questions! I’d love to share some startup-specific advice. :)

          I began as support for our main support rep, and it was a lot of on-the-job training. We pride ourselves on friendly service, and the main reason I was hired over far more experienced candidates was that I communicated warmly via email. That’s a pretty hard trait to come by, and I think that helps a lot in the startup world. As the face of a small company, you want your humanity to show so that your customers want to root for you. :)

          I’ve only applied to one startup, and I was super lucky to land this job, so I’m not sure if my advice would carry weight for other startups!

          Again, feel free to email me if you want more identity-revealing details! Otherwise, I’m happy answering any more questions here.

          1. Customer Account Manager*

            Just a heads up – I did end up sending you an email. Let me know here if it didn’t go through.

    3. CSR Girl*

      Can you talk a bit about what’s it really like working at a startup? What are the pros and cons? What do you wish you knew before taking a job at a startup? I’m in San Francisco (land of the startups) and I think I want to get away from my corporate work environment and join a startup, but I want to know what I would be getting into.

      1. Facilitator of User Happiness*

        I’m from Silicon Valley! Our HQ is actually valley-peninsula, but a couple of our team members live up in SF. :)

        This is actually my first salaried job! I haven’t had much experience elsewhere, aside from some hourly amusement park positions and internships with very small companies.

        However, I do know that working at a startup has been pretty challenging in a good way. We don’t have departments — just individuals in charge of their respective jobs. I like that, because it forces you to become an expert in your field. There’s also a lot of cross-departmental interaction, and you end up knowing a little bit about everyone else’s job — which in turn gives you the knowledge you may need to do your own job better.

        There’s a lot of pressure, though, Your own mistakes can cost the whole company a huge chunk of revenue, and since you’re all at the same level without any real hierarchy (save for the boss, of course) it’s very easy to point out responsibility.

        As for the miscellaneous perks, I like the flexibility of work hours and the occasional team lunch! Perks definitely vary according to company, but I can live without 24/7 catered meals and foosball tables as long as our fridge is stocked with Coke. :)

    4. lindsay j*

      Hey, if your company is the one I think it is y’all are pretty cool. One of my co-workers contacted y’all about a cross-marketing opportunity and you were really responsive and easy to work with.

      1. Facilitator of User Happiness*

        Ooh, I don’t want to namedrop anywhere I can be Googled, but if it’s a compound word you might be thinking of the right one!

        (P.S. Feel free to email me at sockmuppetry @gmail if you want to say hi and see if you guessed right — I’m actually pretty curious to know which company you work for!)

  168. Content Specialist (Travel Website)*

    I work for an online travel website doing things like poring over user generated content to make sure it meets guidelines, checking user generated content for fraud, and responding to various issues with said user generated content.

      1. Content Specialist (Travel Website)*

        I was laid off and really looking for any jobs (to be honest), saw this one and enjoyed submitting reviews for a different site so thought it might be a good fit, and it was. I work remotely too which is pretty nice. My list of places to visit is ever-growing as I read and read and read all day.

  169. Ashley (Textile Designer)*

    I’m a textile designer for various fashion/home goods companies. I design the textiles for (hopefully) some of the favorite fashions you’ve seen this season, as well as the textiles on some home goods you may have around your house (bedding collections, curtains, wall decor, and various other soft goods). I graduated with a BFA in Fashion Design/Illustration, and I gravitated towards this field after realizing I didn’t really enjoy designing clothing (but still loved design). It’s a field that requires constantly staying up to date on the latest software (Illustrator, Photoshop, Corel Painter, and various other company-specific software). I always find myself either reading various software how-to books, watching demo videos on YouTube, and taking additional coursework. It also requires staying abreast of global trends in art, design, and culture. Overall, I enjoy it!

    1. kf*

      I am so jealous and amazed by your job! By day I do accounting work, at night I do school work.

      Every now and again I get to do some of my crafting. My secret dream job is anything to do with fabrics and sewing. I love the Project Runway episodes where they designed their own textiles.

      1. Ashley (Textile Designer)*

        Aw, thanks! It’s an interesting field, and it’s a bit more flexible (in terms of jobs) than fashion design, because textiles are needed for a wide variety of goods. I’d like to take more coursework in textile and material sciences, because with all this new technology coming out, there need to be more innovative textiles!

        1. GoochieWoman*

          I am a hobbyist/etsy selling weaver of textiles, accessories and I want to ask how you determine/decide on pallet colors. I tried weaving some pillow covers and selling them, but it’s so hard to know what colors people want/need/will pay handcrafted prices for!

  170. International Aid Worker*

    I work in global health in developing countries. I’m currently based in Fiji but have previously worked in Laos, Kenya, Zambia, Tanzania, and Vietnam in positions ranging from 3 weeks to 1.5 years. In my current position I’m supporting the local staff of my organization to improve the quality of their program, including improving their processes for monitoring the program, improving their reports to donors, and improving the quality of their trainings and community work. In the past I have done a wide range of different tasks including developing and facilitating trainings, program management, developing communications materials, designing surveys to evaluate the program, and data collection/management/analysis. All of my work has been focused on nutrition and maternal and child health.

    This was a career change for me (I used to be an engineer), so I can also answer questions relating to changing careers.

    1. vvonderwoman*

      How did you get started? I feel like every job description requires years of experience working in a dev country, and short of volunteering, I’m not sure of how to get any experience, let alone enough experience.

      1. International Aid Worker*

        I started out by getting my MPH focused on international nutrition. I had a lot of trouble finding a full-time job without any international experience, so after graduating I did an unpaid internship in Zambia. They covered my flights, but I had to pay for my own living expenses. Pretty much everyone I know in international development has worked for free when they were starting out either through volunteering or internships. If you’re American, Peace Corps is also a good entry point since they cover more expenses. (For Australians, there’s AYAD and VSO covers a lot of different nationalities.)

    2. vvonderwoman*

      Did you do any schooling in int’l development/maternal health etc. in order to switch from being an engineer? What are the specific aspects to look for in a valuable program (one that prepares you to actually get a job in a developing country)?

      1. International Aid Worker*

        I got my Masters in Public Health in order to change careers. It’s really a requirement for any job in global health if you don’t have a clinical background (and sometimes even if you do).

        Look for a program that has a lot of real world applicable experience. Are the class projects hypothetical or do they involve something that relates to an actual project the professor is working on or does work for a local organization (like writing a grant proposal for a local non-profit rather than just writing a hypothetical grant proposal).

        Also look into the strength of the alumni association. Where are their alumni working? How easily can they put you in touch with alumni doing the job you want to do?

        Most programs require some form of practicum or internship. Look into what their requirements are for this and how helpful they are in finding you a placement that you actually want to do. Don’t just listen to what the recruiting office or professors say, ask current students and alumni about how they found their practicum/internship placement.

      1. International Aid Worker*

        Language skills would be incredibly useful. Unfortunately I don’t have competency in any other language so I have had to find jobs where I can work in English. If there’s a country/region you really want to work in, learning the language will give you a huge advantage. In general, French would probably be the most useful second language if you’re open about where you want to work since it’s the working language in many countries in Africa.

        In every country I’ve worked on a longer-term basis, I’ve taken some language lessons and tried to learn at least the basics to varying levels of success. People really appreciate when you make an effort and it’s much easier when you don’t need every little thing translated in order to follow the conversation at a meeting.

    4. vvonderwoman*

      How do you take into account the local cultures/way of of doing things when suggesting your improvements? Is there tension sometimes? Any insightful examples/stories?

      1. International Aid Worker*

        Everything has to be based on the local context. When I suggest improvements, I rely on my local counterparts to help me adapt them to the local context or to tell me if they’re completely off-base and wouldn’t work. After some time I learn a bit about what will and won’t work, but no matter how long I live/work in a place I will never be a local and can never fully adopt their culture.

        It’s the easiest when you have a good relationship with your local counterpart and they are forward enough to disagree with you. This doesn’t always happen. In Laos, the culture is such that you should never say no to anyone. This lead to the local team saying okay when I wanted to do something but then not actually doing it and just saying it’s been delayed when I ask about it. Eventually I learned that what that meant was that they didn’t want to do it for some reason. I could then dig a little deeper as to why without directly asking, since they wouldn’t tell me if I asked directly.

        My favorite jobs have been the ones like what I’m doing now where the local staff owns the program and I’m here to support them. In the end, it’s their decision what to do. I can offer suggestions and advice but they know their context better than I do and have to decide what will work and what won’t.

    5. Sheep*

      Impressive (and exciting)! What was your ‘in’? I imagine an engineering-type project? Do tell more of your story! (I’m trying to break into the field, but from the more conventional background of MA in conflict / development).

      1. International Aid Worker*

        My “in” was basically getting a masters degree. Since an MPH (Master of Public Health) is basically a requirement for any global health work that’s not administrative, and often for the administrative work also, once I decided not to join the Peace Corps, it made the most sense to go back to school.

        If you already have an MA in conflict/development, my recommendation would be to get experience any way you can – through internships, volunteering, administrative work at an organization doing development work, etc. The more experience you have that’s even tangentially related, the more connections you’ll make and the better off you’ll be.

        This is a very competitive field. Especially international jobs. You’re not just competing against people from one city, you’re competing against people from all over the world who are willing to move anywhere. The more flexible you are in terms of location and the exact kind of work you’re doing, the more options you’ll have. Once you get your feet wet, you’ll have more connections and be able to make sure your resume at least gets looked at for each of the jobs you apply for.

        You also need to be persistent and not give up easily. Expect to have to apply for a lot of jobs before you actually get one. You should also expect to have some “between jobs” time. Most positions in this field are grant-funded and term limited. When one contract ends, it might take some time before you find the next one. If you’re lucky, you’ll get in with a large, well-funded organization that has the ability to move you from one project to the next. I haven’t experienced this yet in my career but am hoping that I might be able to with my current organization.

  171. Broadcast Producer*

    I’m a producer for commercial shoots at a large advertising agency. I create and manage production schedules, casting, location scouting, and any odd job on set that has to get done. My job doesn’t exist on Mad Men yet, but if it did, I’d report to Don Draper and Harry Crane.

    I love my job – it’s creative and also organizational. I guess the downside is that it’s relatively high-pressure, especially during shoots when you risk hemorrhaging money and blowing the budget to get the right shot.

    When I first started in the workforce, I had no idea my job existed, so I’d be happy to answer any questions about it. Thanks for doing this, Alison!

  172. Costume Designer*

    I’m a costume designer and I also dabble in wardrobe supervising and set tailoring. I design costumes mostly for dance now but have done theater, movies, and some tv as well. I now work for a dance company taking care of the costumes. We tour all over the world doing shows and outreach. I do a ton of laundry, fittings, alterations, and run performances.

    When I’m not on tour I spend most of my time designing ballroom dance costumes and jewelry. My house is perpetually covered in Swarovski crystals and sparkly fabric.

    1. S*

      Do you ever have interns or volunteers to assist you with the design, alterations, etc. And what qualifications do you look for?

      1. Costume Designer*

        I do. What I look for really depends on the project. I always look for strong sewing skills both hand and machine sewing. If it’s a big design job I look for people with great organizational skills to help me keep everything on track. If they’re helping me with ballroom costumes they have to be able to do the detail work (those stones all go on one at a time by hand). A big thing is a willingness to do whatever needs to be done and be able to do it quickly since you can never predict what’s going to happen at any given time.

        1. S*

          Thank you for the information. It is very helpful since I have been thinking about volunteering.

    2. Asking for a friend*

      I have a friend who does sporadic costuming and wardrobe work. When she’s doing it, she enjoys it, but she has long periods of downtime between jobs. What steps can she take to get to the next level? Are there options in the costuming world that are more regular work?

      1. dangitmegan*

        Depending on where she is located the next best step is probably to join the local wardrobe union. In every city we go to I always talk to my locals to learn about their union situations and most of the time they tell me they have steady work from about August to May. If you can combine wardrobe work with designing and sewing you can stay pretty busy. If she is not interested in joining a union the next best step is to really work on her contacts during every job she has so that each person she meets will think of her when they are hiring for the next show they are doing.

        There isn’t too much steady work unless you can find a theatre or company or even college that has on staff designers or costumers. And even then that’s generally seasonal. There’s always touring as well which if you get on with one of the touring Broadway shows or a huge music act can be quite a nice gig. Very few jobs offer benefits so when people get one they tend to not let them go so there is little turn over.

        If you have or can develop some niche skill and do it well that can translate into steady work. If everyone you work with knows you are the go to person for Elizabethan ruffs they will mention you to everyone they hear is looking for a ruff. I made myself a ballroom costume and people saw it and now I’m pretty much in the dance world full time.

        It’s not an easy career path. You have to love it or you will burn out so quickly. The only people I’ve seen have an easy time of the career are people who go on Project Runway and people who date/are the child of celebrities. Everyone else just has to hustle hard.

  173. Sex Educator*

    I’m a sexual health educator. My position is grant-funded, and that grant pays for me to do 3 weeks of comprehensive sex ed in a tiny county high school. The rest of my time is spent in other counties, providing sex ed to middle/high school students. I also work with special populations (incarcerated youth, homeless, etc.) to provide sex ed. I also teach puberty, but not a lot.
    Aside from actual teaching, I sit on a lot of committees and boards in the community to network with other organizations.

    1. Public Library Reference Department Manager (Jessica the Librarian)*

      Just wanted to say thank you for what you do. Getting good quality health information into the hands of those that need it is so, so important :)

    2. OriginalEmma*

      That was my dream job when I graduated with my public health degree. I taught sex ed as a peer educator while an undergrad and it was a tremendously fulfilling job. How did you become a sexual health educator?

      1. vvonderwoman*

        I did a lot of internships in sexual health ed/domestic violence etc. in college. That positioned me to get a competitive AmeriCorps position which allowed me to work full time for a year in a teen sexual health clinic. I worked with patients providing individual education and peer educators–training and coordinating them. That experience allowed me to get my current position.

        The biggest thing that helped me break into the field was being willing to work/live anywhere. A lot of people think San Francisco/New York is the place to be for those jobs, but the reality is that there is so much competition and about 3 dozen people more qualified than you applying for every paid position.

        Go to school in these areas, spend time volunteering, networking, taking advantage of all the resources in the city etc. But then apply to your first job elsewhere. Get some great paid work experience, and when you’re more qualified, then you have a shot at a paid job in a major city.

  174. Community Supervision Manager*

    I manage a community supervision office – the old and more familiar name is “parole”. My staff is responsible for supervising all those released from state prison living within a specific geographic area – which means they visit them at home and see them in the office , refer them to treatment, conduct urine tests, surveillance and search, determine when they are in violation and then arrest them and conduct the various hearings. My current assignment is relatively easy compared to my last one. In that assignment, I managed eight offices in various jails and prisons which were responsible for ensuring that inmates were released at the proper time. – not a day early, not a day late.

    Until coworkers at my last job started talking about taking the parole officer test, the job was totally not on my radar. It’s not the sort of job anyone really thinks about- so ask away!

    1. OriginalEmma*

      Interesting! Were you a police officer or other LEO before taking this job?

      What do you like best about your job? What’s the most challenging? What’s it like to work with that population? I imagine it is stressful and adversarial but I don’t know anything at all about the job.

      1. Community Supervision Manager*

        Nope, I wasn’t any sort of LEO before taking this job and with the exception of a few former correction officers neither were any of my coworkers. To be hired as an officer requires three years of casework experience and law enforcement experience specifically doesn’t count. As I was told in training, you can teach someone how to shoot, handcuff ,search and the relevant law in a couple of months but it takes much longer to learn how to work with people. Many of us started out in child protective services and those correction officers moved into prison-based counseling jobs before moving to community supervision. We call it “wearing two hats” and I spend more time with the social work hat on than I do with the cop hat on.

        I think what I like best about the job is the variety of things we do. We assess the releasee’s needs and help find suitable housing, treatment and educational programs. They often need common sense advice about looking for a job- you’re probably not going to get a job that pays more than minimum wage if you don’t even have a GED and you won’t get hired if you late to the interview. We investigate violations, including new crimes. When a releasee has violated , we determine what the sanction should be – it might be a return to prison, or more intensive treatment, or electronic monitoring. If we decide on a return to prison, we act as the prosecutor at the hearings.

        Most weeks, the most challenging part of my job is dealing with the bureaucracy above me. The next level above me are “serves at the pleasure” appointments and some of those people “don’t know what they don’t know”. Having been a good officer isn’t nearly enough to be a good manager, but it is necessary.

        As far as the population goes, there isn’t just one population, there are several and sometimes how they behave is counter-intuitive. Most with murder or manslaughter convictions are fairly compliant and easy to deal with, because most of them made one horrible, impulsive ,decision that ended one life and greatly affected others. (This doesn’t apply to those convicted of murder related to other criminal activity- but an awful lot of deaths are of the “bar fight gone wrong” or drunk driving type) . Those convicted of drug-related crimes claim they aren’t addicts and don’t need treatment while simultaneously blaming their many other crimes ( larceny, robbery, burglary,minor assaults) on their addiction. The white-collar criminals are in many ways the most frustrating to deal with. They often still have money hidden somewhere , hire lawyers about everything and think they’re smarter than everyone else. They’d rather sic lawyers on me about early discharges or getting permission to travel rather than follow the basic rule of getting a job even if it doesn’t pay $300K.

        It is often stressful and adversarial- but I’ve found I need a certain amount of stress in my life. And all of it is worth it for those rare occasions when I feel like I made a difference – when I run into a releasee years later and find out he’s kept his job or finished college and hasn’t returned to prison.

  175. Technical Customer Service Engineer*

    My job is to translate between science and business people and needs to help other business make new products or run analytical tests. I love working in the manufacturing industry helping make stuff that makes lives better.

    My first responsibility is to help potential buyers figure out which of our many grades of filter paper to buy.

    I work with scientists developing new rapid tests for diagnosing diseases, distributors who know very little about the science behind filtration or absorbance, and end-users who buy our filter paper from catalogs for their labs.

    I also do a lot of work internally, sometimes technical or marketing or pricing support, but most often on projects that involve working between functional areas.

    My background is in engineering, English, and business. My LinkedIn profile is linked above – http://www.linkedin.com/in/bethrobinson Please feel free to connect, just mention this thread.

  176. Figuring Skating Coach*

    (I’m going with my part-time job since my full-time job is a boring desk job)

    I coach little kids anywhere from age 3-adult in figure skating. I’ve been teaching group lessons for six years. I can teach anything from the basics to more advances moves such as jumps and spins.

      1. GoodGIrl*

        I’m taking skating lessons right now actually! :) I’ve been skating off and on for years and recently got back into it, and am loving it.

    2. Costume Designer*

      What a neat job!

      People keep telling me that I should branch out into figure skating costumes. Any tips? Or websites/ forums that you could suggest for research purposes?

  177. Director of Software Development (Pandora Amora)*

    I’m a director of software development at a successful website that sees over two million unique visitors per day. We have about 20 development teams; I oversee 7 of them, manage 14 developers, and spend about 20 hours per week on hiring.

    My background is not in computer science! I graduated a liberal arts school with a BA in linguistics. I’ve worked for several startups; and now my predominant role is not to write software, but to help people write software better.

    Am I changing the world? Not with my code, hell no. But I do have a large impact on my needy developers: those needing coaching and mentorship to become leaders; or those who are battling with depression in their personal lives.

      1. Director of Software Development (Pandora Amora)*

        Okay!

        In high school and college I worked any odd job: I dressed up in a giant tiger costume for a local amusement park one summer; I worked hard labor jobs on farms building henhouses, fixing tractors, and heaving hay; and the normal food industry things we’ve all done.

        In college I took a year to teach English abroad. I volunteered for several clubs; started a Japanese language club; and started writing computer programs to quiz myself on vocabulary.

        I graduated before the first tech bubble burst, and worked a variety of increasingly technical jobs. Eventually I ended up building a lot of tools to automate my job; and trained my colleagues to use those tools; and then spent a few years learning other peoples’ jobs and writing tools to help them do their work more easily.

        I moved on to startups; and found that I could select who I learned from just by reviewing resumes and doing phone screens. I’ve gotten good at listening to candidates; and at some point I was just tired of building teams for other people to lead, you know? So I started looking beyond my next job, at what my boss’s boss is doing, and figuring out how to get those skills.

        …if you’re going to run a half marathon (13 miles), I advise training to a raceable 17 or 18 miles. If you want to get promoted, figure out whether you currently can do that next role! If you can, then it’s just a stepping stone for you: set your sights on the next job up from the promotion you’re angling for.

        1. Sheep*

          I love that last paragraph! I’ll definitely keep that in mind in the future (in my very unrelated field!).

  178. Data Architect/ETL Coder (Windchime)*

    I’m jumping in before reading any of the posts because this sounds like so much fun!

    I’m on a really small EBI (Enterprise Business Intelligence) team within a larger IT department. Because we’re a small team, I wear several hats. Mostly my responsibilities are to design the data architecture for our data warehouse, and also to perform ETL (Extract/Transform/Load), which are the mechanics for actually getting the data out of the source system(s) and into the data warehouse. We are currently using SQL server and SSIS as our tools of choice, although that might change with the advent of Microsoft’s new licensing structure. It’s a very fun and challenging job. I’ve been on this team for about 2 years; my previous experience was in Crystal Reports, C#, and an old language called Easytrieve. And of course, my first love, SQL. :)

    1. kf*

      I am taking my first class in SQL this quarter at school. I have taken the courses in C++, OOP and in addition to SQL, my classes are Java and C.

      Is it any one language easier to learn than others or does it depend on what you are creating and your personal preference?

      1. kf*

        Sorry, let me clarify. The OOP was with beginning Java. This quarter I am learning SQL, Java and C.

      2. Pandora Amora*

        Yes, some languages are easier to learn than others.

        Interpreted languages (Ruby, Node, Perl, Python, R, Lisp) take care of a lot of details for you. In Java and C variants, for example, you need to manage memory, declare what types of data a variable will hold, etc.

        The easiest way to find out what is easy in one type of language versus another is to just try something out: write a tool that looks for a particular word in a large file, for example; or one that rotates a photo 90°. Try it in a language you know, then try it again in one you don’t.

  179. Physical Therapist*

    I’m a physical therapist in a skilled nursing facility (what most people consider a nursing home). Most of my patients are people who have ended up in the hospital for some reason or another and need some rehab before they can go back home. Sounds a lot simpler than it is ;)

  180. International Relations*

    I’m an international liaison officer in a federal department. My job varies a lot, but the main aspects involve:

    Hosting foreign officials when they visit our department (helping with their logistics, advice about the city/accommodation, as well as making sure they meet the right people while they’re here, so a lot of setting up meetings and possibly dinners, and occasionally airport pickups, and making sure any outcomes of their visit get done)

    When our bosses travel overseas (say to learn how they build chocolate teapots and whether we can do it with the other country), I’m the one that writes their briefs, about the country, culture, economy, how we build chocolate teapots and what parts of their system we want to learn about, etc. and I’ll make any presentations they end to deliver.

    I love my job because it feels really creative, and I get to meet so many interesting people and sit in on so many interesting discussions. I am always having to quickly learn about really interesting issues. It’s also a lot of working with a lot of other areas of our department (eg the chocolate teapot department)- I’m not an expert in anything, I just find the technical people and use their knowledge to figure out our end game.

      1. International Relations*

        It is! I think I got here by dumb luck because I had no idea what i wanted to do.
        I studied undergrad in Economics and Anthropology. Always been fascinated by people, and studying the different health and education systems around the world (not to mention economic systems).
        I also learned a few languages during school breaks, volunteering overseas and immersing myself in the native language while I was there. While studying, I worked part-time in a sports industry event management company, so had some experience organising large events with high-profile people.
        When I started going to career fairs, I hated the “for profit” reactions to my economics degree, whereas the type of work the government departments talked about were just the topics I had loved studying. I was lucky that Economics seemed to be in demand then (this was in Australia, not sure if it’s a sought after degree in the US?). So I applied to all of them for anything I could find in the Graduate programs (bulk recruitment), I didn’t really have much of a plan, just to find a paying job I didn’t hate so I could save up and go overseas a lot!
        I must have spoken so much about my work overseas that the department I chose put me in the international area, and I got to be involved (as a minion, but still) in our hosting a really high-profile meeting involving a lot of the world’s leaders, which made me realise the type of work I love. Since then I’ve moved a few departments, but always in the international areas, and can’t imagine doing anything else.

        1. Sheep*

          Cool! I would be completely starstruck if I got to meet (or just see) certain world leaders!

  181. Speech- language pathologist*

    I work as a speech-language pathologist (SLP) in an elementary school. I work with students who have speech (articulation, stuttering, etc) and language impairments. Prior to my current position, I was an SLP in stroke rehab helping stroke survivors eat and communicate. I love what I do and am happy to discuss it with anyone interested :-P

    1. International Relations*

      That’s so awesome, SLP sounds like such a great career, and I’d imagine being in fair demand. Is it hard to switch specialties (going from stroke victims to students), or do you find you can move areas fairly easily?

      1. Speech- language pathologist*

        It’s pretty common for SLPs to go back and forth between populations. It’s nice to have that option-if you get bored after a while, no need to completely switch professions, you can just move to a different setting. Graduate programs will include courses and clinical hours involving children and adults, we are prepared to work with any population. There is also a continuing education requirement to maintain a license, so I started taking school based courses when I made the career change.

        It was hard for me to switch emotionally, though. I really loved all of my patients and helping them regain independence, but there was basically no work-life balance in that setting. I still pick up hours at the hospital when my school is on break, so now I think I have the best of both worlds.

    2. Library Tech-Digital Projects (O)*

      You guys are awesome! I had hearing and speech problems in elementary school, and had to take speech class. If it hadn’t been for people like you helping me early on, definitely wouldn’t be where I am now. :)

      1. Speech- language pathologist*

        Aw, thanks! That’s really nice to hear (read?) And I’m so glad you go the support you needed!

  182. Supervisor - Commercial Insurance*

    I’m a supervisor at an insurance company – supervisor as in “has 20 direct reports” not as in someone who regulates insurance. I have the sort of basic management duties that Alison writes about frequently, and her blog has been a big help to me.

  183. Senior UI Artist (computer games)*

    I’m a Senior UI Artist, that’s short for User Interface Artist. I work in California’s San Francisco Bay Area at a computer game company. I first create wireframes usually in Visio, then mockups in Photoshop, the finally I animate them in Flash. I create simple things like loading screens, buttons, and icons but also very complicated UIs like a store within the game to preview and sell virtual goods.

    If anyone has questions just ask :)

      1. Senior UI Artist*

        The only large scale testing we have done was done by an outside company. They brought in local gamers to play our game while being video taped. We could watch the players playing live so we could see where they had trouble. An interviewer was in the room with them asking questions. The interviewer then compiled all the answers and gave us a detailed outline on what to improve and what players had trouble with.

  184. Bird Trainer*

    Yep, I train birds. I spend close to half the day cleaning, doing food prep, and other husbandry necessities. The fun part of my day is spent training, talking to people about birds, and performing in our bird show.

      1. Bird Trainer*

        We use a lot of positive reinforcement/operant conditioning. Food is definitely the main motivator, although the training can vary slightly depending on the species. Parrots are more intelligent than owls for example, so we can train more complex behaviors.

        We have several birds (raptors, parrots, hornbills) that fly in our show so flight training and recall especially is an important behavior. We also have a couple birds that demonstrate hunting behaviors. And of course we also have the talking parrots in our show. Many of our birds also know husbandry behaviors. So for example they will voluntarily present their feet so we can trim their nails.

    2. Monodon monoceros*

      Do you work with all types of birds or do you specialize in parrots, raptors, etc.? I worked with raptors for a while a long time ago. I loved them even though I never lost my fear of the eagles. Those talons and those eyes staring at me….

      1. Bird Trainer*

        I work with them all! Before my current job I actually had mostly raptor experience, but I currently work with a variety of parrots and raptors as well as hornbills, penguins, and more!

        And I think everyone should have a healthy respect for eagles ;)

      1. Bird Trainer*

        Super cool! I’ve looked into doing falconry before and it certainly requires commitment. That hawk definitely is your life… At least during hunting season. I love my job, but I enjoy going home after 8 hours and leaving the birds at work.

  185. Filmmaker*

    I produce feature-length documentaries and manage the production of documentary “real-people” commercials.

    It’s interesting in that it straddles the creative and business worlds and I get to meet a lot of fascinating people and go places that most people rarely get to see. It is not-so-interesting in that we work all the time and half of those aforementioned people are insane and hard to please (which is a big part of my job!)

    1. astro67*

      Any advice for people hoping to break into this field from a different and unrelated career? Is it just basically impossible? I’m in my mid-20s, but getting into filmmaking, not having studied it in undergraduate, just seems depressingly like a pipe dream at this point).

  186. Clinical Data Manager (Pharma/Biotech)*

    I work in medical/drug/device/epi research. You’ll mostly find us on pre-approval clinical trials for drugs or medical devices, but CDMs also work on post-approval studies (both clinical trials and observational studies) and academic and NIH funded studies. We do everything from working with protocol development, forms and data collection instrument design and build, database testing and validation, training data entry and site staff, coding, data mining and cleaning, and writing up the documentation and manuals to go with it, to database lock and delivery of datasets for statistical analysis and regulatory reports. Most of this stuff ends up at the FDA (or a non-US equivilant) on top of being human subjects research and involving highly sensitive health data. So it’s a highly regulated environment subject to surprise audits.

      1. Clinical Data Manager*

        Any opinions on what ones are good and not so good? The market has really expanded with the advent of “the cloud”.

    2. Clinical Data Coordinator*

      Do you work at a CRO or at a pharmaceutical company? I’ve been working in data management for ~2 years now at a CRO, and I’m curious how the job description changes if working for the sponsor.

      1. Clinical Data Coordinator*

        And some context — the CRO where I work seems to have made the mistake of growing too fast and is in the midst of some budget cuts (but I just got a promotion/pay raise, so yay for that)… so I am just curious what it is like on ‘the other side’, where there isn’t the same need for every 15 minutes to be billable to one project or another.

  187. Canine sports instructor*

    I teach people how to train their dogs so they can can compete with them in Agility, Flyball, or Competitive Obedience. I teach about 20 group classes a week, and some one on one.
    Yes, I make my living (and have full time for the last 8 years!) teaching people to play games with their dogs. It’s really human training, I do very actual dog training any more.

    1. The IT Manager*

      Wow! You must live in a very large city to have 20 group classes a week. Do you travel all over the city to varous locations for the classes and your private one-on-ones?

      1. Canine sports instructor*

        One location, inside the beltway of a major city. I know a lot of people that do different locations, but I have built up the program working out of one location over the last decade (started with it only a couple classes in a basement, now offer a full stale of classes.
        I am hoping to branch out, but been fighting health issues the last few years :(, so have not added other areas, but focused on the core business.

  188. amusement park worker/ old time photographer (lindsay j)*

    I know I’m late to the party but I figured I’d put up a post anyway.

    I’ve worked in the amusements business for over 10 years in various capacities. I did short stints in foods, rides, and as a market research assistant before I fell into cash control, which I really enjoyed. In one position I supervised the night shift of a large park where I was in control of a shift of about 9 people, a vault of around $700k – $1 million, and could process upwards of $750k in cash in on busy nights.

    In another position I managed the admissions, parking, and cash room departments, and had about 50+ direct reports. However we operated on a much smaller scale. There I was also responsible for rebuilding the cash handling processes and reestablishing accountability for cash variances from the ground up so I did a fair bit of internal auditing, loss prevention, database development, and excel work even though none of those were strictly in my job description.

    For the past year I’ve worked at an old time photography studio where I’m a costumer/photographer/sales person. I’m also their technical jack of all trades and have been working at designing spreadsheets to deal with different sales reporting and aggregating and disseminating other useful data.

  189. Rebekah*

    So I am an HR profession with about 4 years generalist experience (training, recruitment, benfits, admin). I took a year out to do an HR fellowship in India with an amazing NGO ( I literally get to hire folk who rescue slaves from bondage, waaay cool).

    However, I am heading home soon and job hunting. I have had a few phone screens, but none of them have panned out. How can I better leverage my international experience in a HR role, which tends to be more static/in-the-box and not interested in people with varied backgrounds/experiences?

    1. Senior HR Business Partner (HM in Atlanta)*

      My advice is to target international companies, especially companies with a strong presence in India or who utilize offshore resources in India. They will better appreciate your level of knowledge about the local employment market/business conditions.

  190. Senior HR Business Partner (HM in Atlanta)*

    I manage organizational design, M&A, long-term talent and risk planning, coach executives and managers on leading their teams (and sometimes on working with their peers), and weird situations.

    1. (Human Resources Specialist) JD*

      This sounds like awesome work. Would you mind giving me a synopsis of how you ended up in this role? Also, what advice would you give an HR person new to the field?

      1. Senior HR Business Partner (HM in Atlanta)*

        I started out with a BS degree in nothing specifically useful, but I had great writing, analysis, and computer skills. Oddly enough, that was the perfect combination of what was needed in a number of companies’ HR groups (I can put numbers to almost anything – so being able to show cost/return for stuff that had been fuzzy in the past was a great tool). I went the generalist route to start, getting additional responsibilities over time, until I knew how I wanted to direct my career. One thing I’ve always done was to learn exactly what the goal line was for the business. I would push back on anything done in HR strictly to check a box (or doing things the way that was easy for HR but didn’t help the business). Personally, I want my work to have meaning on the bottom line of the business. If I doesn’t, I’m bored.

  191. Professional Seo at an Agency Working with Big Brands (Paul Shapiro)*

    My name is Paul Shapiro and I do SEO for some of the world’s biggest brands. For those of you who do not know, SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization, and contrary to popular belief, what I do is basically marketing for websites, which in turn builds their natural presence on search engines like Google (I do not pay for placement). My job involves a lot of marketing strategy, social media, and data analysis. I am totally a big data nerd and have a computer programming background, which is not necessary for a job in SEO, but definitely helps.

    1. Sharm*

      Do you have recommendations on how one can teach themselves SEO if they aren’t already in the field? This is one of my areas of weakness despite having a marketing background, and it would definitely improve my skill set to have it in my repertoire!

      1. Professional Seo at an Agency Working with Big Brands (Paul Shapiro)*

        Sure, between Moz’s Beginner Guide to SEO: http://moz.com/beginners-guide-to-seo and QuickSprout University (created by Backlinko.com’s Brian Dean): http://www.quicksprout.com/university/category/seo-videos/ you should be in really good shape. The Art of SEO is also one of the few books I can recommend. Another one I might recommend, if you are interested in freelance is Danny Dover’s “Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Secrets” which really gets into how to organize a freelance set-up for SEO, rather than teaching SEO itself. Those online resources should put you in really good shape though. I often send them to people as training devices, if I am unavailable.

        1. Sharm*

          Thank you! Is there a particularly good way to gain experience by actually practicing and doing the tasks outlines on these sites? For example, is this something where I should set up a WordPress site and test things out? This actually sounds like it could be a fun side project…

          Thanks again!

    2. Eva G.*

      Hi Paul, awesome to see an SEO expert in this thread! I have a few specific questions:

      1. Once upon a time the advice was to get as many quality links that had the specific search term that one wanted Google to rank one’s page for as their anchor text. Is this still true?

      2. Once upon a time the advice was to have at least 300-500 words of text on each page that one wanted to rank, even if the text ended up being filler text that served no purpose for visitors. Is this still true?

      3. Are there any new SEO tricks you can share / things that have become increasingly important in recent years?

  192. Business Consultant/CPA*

    I work primarily as a consultant to small business (I specialize in public utilities) with a background as a CPA including financial statement auditing and taxes.

  193. H&S Coordinator/Property Manager, Co-op Housing (Sparky)*

    Hi! I work for a non-profit property management company that provides administrative and maintenance services to co-operative and non-profit housing throughout Ontario, Canada. My job is 2-fold: I’m the company’s Health and Safety Coordinator, and I also provide property management services as fill-in for staff vacation/leaves and to fill other staffing gaps.

    I’m happy to answer questions about co-op housing in Ontario (my knowledge of Non-Profit housing is limited, only because I’ve only actually worked at one), and about Health and Safety in the workplace under the Occupational Health and Safety act, with the understanding that I’m not HR and I’m not a lawyer (don’t even play one on tv)!

  194. Strategy Consultant – Healthcare*

    I work as a consultant for a medium sizes strategy consulting firm focused specifically in life sciences and healthcare. I arrived here directly out of school, as many do. The background of our staff is a mix of MBAs, MDs, PhDs, and bachelors degrees. Clients (pharma companies, for example) reach out to us with a business problem they need us to solve. In about 8 weeks, we work on teams to solve that problem, such as help with overall strategy, diligence and acquisition, product line expansion, and others. What we do is almost identical to the large firms (McKinsey, BCG) but we are healthcare topic focused and have a bit different methodologies in the nitty gritty of our projects.

  195. (Human Resources Specialist) JD*

    I’m an HR Specialist in higher ed. I’m in the early phases of my career (less than 3 years of total work experience). My first real job out of college was in HR. I spent 7 months there, then I was lucky enough to land a promotion to my next HR gig. I’ll haven been here 2 years this May.
    I do a lot of admin work, mostly working with new hires and processing their employment paperwork, writing and posting jobs, running background checks, etc. I have a truly awesome manager that has taught me so much outside the normal scope of my job, however.

    1. The LeGal*

      It looks like you’ve used your JD in HR. What skills to JD’s have that might open HR doors? Do you think that the JD helps you, or hurts you when applying to jobs?

  196. Operations and Admin Manager / Internat. Development*

    I’m sorry I missed this! Bookmarking to come back and read more. I’ll post mine just in case people are still reading.

    I work in a small international development non-profit and fulfill many functions because of our size. I help direct the program and work with staff to support their implementation; I write up concepts and proposals to funders; I seek new government contracting opportunities; I design our monitoring and evaluation to understand our impact; I make and monitor the overseas budget; I am the HR coordinator for our tiny US support office; I report on all program activities to the board; and I handle a bunch of administrative tasks. I bet I’m forgetting something. We work exclusively in Afghanistan.

    1. International Relations*

      That’s awesome, I love how you get to wear different hats in smaller organisations. Keeps things interesting.

      What got you into the field? Did you have a specific dream job? Were you particularly interested in Afghanistan? Is there a specific area of development you have a passion for?
      What’s your plan long term?
      I love hearing people’s stories :)

      1. Operations and Admin Manager / Internat. Development*

        Lots to say!

        I find my reasons for getting into the field mirror a lot of middle class privilege that I hear from others – I just always thought it was wrong that some people are born to deprivation while I have so much. And being interested in – why? Why are some societies broken while others work? (I actually have an answer to this now, but everybody finds it unsatisfying.)

        I was and am especially interested in Afghanistan because we went to the country to overthrow their government and replace it with something stable that could keep out the Taliban/al Qaeda. It was this big promise to replace something broken with something that would work. And I really wanted to be able to help follow through on that promise. So it was very abstract for me. Once I became involved I came to love the country. It is beautiful, and could be a wonderful and idyllic place. The people are filled with pride and so welcoming to strangers. I really hope to keep working there. Even though we are cutting everything having to do with helping the country, I think this might be good – dial back the help and find a sustainable mix of help that doesn’t go to waste, investment, and internal growth.

        I started with a focus on M&E to help me answer the question “why is something broken / what fixes it?” But I realize that I’m interested in this question for organizations as a whole. I love looking at a process, the motivations of the workers, and the environment, and trying to come up with a consistent work method that will bring results. I like the challenge of trying to get people on board with it and implement it. So I want to stay in operations and become a COO or Chief of Staff for an organization, probably a larger one.

        I adore working in agriculture, though unfortunately it’s horribly difficult to evaluate (cuz you just have to tease out the interactions between climate / weather, hydrology, biology, and people’s behavior – easy!). I think, though, I will have to give up work dedicated solely to Afghanistan or to agriculture if I want to keep growing in the field. Very few places have these narrow foci. I’m not completely sure of all the steps along the way, because there are few consistent job titles to focus on. My thinking is that a general outline is Program Officer–> Program Manager–> Program Director–> COO. Right now I’m at Program Manager, I believe. I’d say Directors need 10+ years, and COO 15+. So I’ve got some way to go.

        Though recently I have been really interested in what I call ethical supply chains. I’d like to be able to vote with my money by buying products that have certain ethics to them – labor practices, green practices. Unfortunately all supply chains are opaque (often, even to the people in them!), and the certifying orgs like fair trade and organic have only a limited reach. If I ever started a non-profit, it would be to try to solve the problem of supply chain opacity, which would allow people to buy products they find ethical. I have to go see if that Supply Chain Analyst on here answered some of my questions :)

        1. International Relations*

          Thanks so much for such an interesting response!

          “Why are some societies broken while others work? (I actually have an answer to this now, but everybody finds it unsatisfying.)”

          I secretly really want to hear your thoughts on this because I’m fascinated by the same question!

  197. Public Programming Coordinator at Museum (Amanda)*

    I’m a public programs coordinator at a museum/historical society. We’re one of the largest organizations in our state, but in the grand scheme of museums we’re small-to-medium.

    I handle essentially one-half of our public face. My coworker does kids/teachers/school programs, and I do adults/public/academic (undergrad & up). I brainstorm, plan, execute everything from lunchtime talks to open house weekends with activities to massive public events with thousands of people. My job is about half research/history and about half event planning. My job reaches into all aspects of the museum, so I’m often on project planning teams for bigger things, like longterm research projects, large exhibits, and statewide strategy. I travel a fair bit, since we do work to get out around the entire state.

    It’s very people-oriented, which isn’t always a good fit for me, but it’s good FOR me, if that makes sense. And I’m pretty good at it. It’s very detail-oriented, with LOTS of projects going on at any one time, and lots of interruptions. Very rare for me to get time to focus in-depth on any one thing. If I have to take focused reading time to read an advance copy of a book for program planning, I do it at home.

    Because we’re small (and this is the case with a lot of museums) I’m also often front line staff: managing front desk volunteers, opening & closing exhibits, doing some basic exhibit maintenance, sometimes leading school tours, and sometimes chief cook & bottle washer type of work. I also have ended up (partially by inclination, partially by skill, partially by age) managing most of our social media. I’m technically 40 hours a week but usually work more like 60+. I have 3 months of comp + vacation time on the books.

    I love what I do, and I have a graduate degree and ~12 years of experience in various aspects of museum & archival work. I just turned 30, so I’ve been fortunate to spend my entire career in museums, though I have had a variety of side jobs in for-profit endeavors (from restaurants to engineering firms).

    I think that covers it. I’d be happy to answer any questions. I’ve served on several national & regional professional committees so I have a decent grasp on the field as a whole.

    1. Sharm*

      I would love to hear your thoughts on what it’s like to work at a museum. I’ve worked in the performing arts, and many of my colleagues transitioned to museum work. I imagine the culture is similar, which I loved in the arts, though a lot of it was high highs and low lows, if that makes sense. The highs were great, but the lows did bring some drama, which was tough for someone who is generally pretty even-tempered and scared of conflict.

      On a functional note, what are some of your strategies and tactics doing social media for the museum?

      1. Public Programming Coordinator at Museum (Amanda)*

        Sure – I love it! Obviously. It’s a great job for anyone who wants to stay actively involved in their subject/field, but also wants to be practical about it, and wants to do more varied things. I imagine it’s a lot like loving theater – but not wanting to be an actor – so you work behind the scenes, and still get to immerse yourself in the cool stuff without living it 24/7.

        Culture is very similar to many nonprofits – those high highs and low lows, the general instability, the incredibly talented people who are just a bit quirky. Depending on the museum, I think there might be less of the glamour than there is for a performing arts organization – more drudge work. Some art museums definitely have that fancy profile, but I work in history – we don’t glam up too often!

        One big change would be that most museums are probably much slower on the uptake and much less flexible than arts organizations. The core idea of a museum is to stick around forever – and keep our collections safe forever. It’s not necessarily to react quickly & turn over a new program or show or take advantage of cutting edge stuff. Many museums do! But I don’t think that’s the norm.

        Strategies and tactics – my biggest is sharing our content in as many ways as possible. Objects, photographs, archival documents – all tailor-made for a visual medium. People love old stuff, and they love learning quirky things about it, so as often as I can I get that out in front of them. I always try to pair what I’m sharing with what’s going on in the world – an old snow-roller photograph on a snowstorm day. Generally, the more transparency the better: photos of our registrar looking at a new quilt acquisition show not just the object but the work that goes into it. People love behind the scenes stuff.

        The “social” part of social media is a lot about invoking nostalgia for me. Our most shared post of all time was of an old Howard Johnson’s restaurant in a prominent and frequently trafficked location that was torn down to make way for a CVS. We shared an old postcard in its heyday, and asked people for memories, and they went nuts! It was amazing. Asking questions that connects people to the history that we’re sharing is key.

        I’m by no means an expert, learning as I go along mostly!

  198. Blood Drive Team Lead*

    I’m a team lead for the external blood drive department of my blood bank. We go to various businesses, schools, religious and community groups and run blood drives. Sometimes it’s in a conference room or a gym, sometimes we bring a bus.

  199. Content Analyst/QA - retired (danr)*

    I worked for a library database publisher writing the specs to convert our data to MARC for use by various customers. I also tested the implementations on their systems. My previous experience was as a school librarian and then I became an indexer at the company. I was there for the transition from manual indexing and publishing to computer databases and most of it was interesting and fun. One of my jobs during the transition was to translate between the programmers and the editorial folks. They used the same words, but the meanings were completely different.

  200. CIO/Director of IT, Cost Accounting, & QC (Jamie)*

    I know I’m super late and no one will read this, but I wanted to play.

    I am the CIO/Director of IT (the former officially, the latter is what I actually use) of a SMB manufacturing company. I have about 200 end users, data center of multiple servers, with some niche software specialty which run production machines.

    My position is an unusual amalgam of IT, Cost Accounting, and QC. In my industry we run lean so it’s not uncommon for people to wear multiple hats.

    I’m the sole in house IT, with a contracted network engineer. My wheelhouse is DBA (PSQL in current environ) and BI, and sysadmin (Windows) but also handle about 80% network admin issues in house.

    Cost Accounting consists of inventory control and job costing; system config, auditing dollar flow, troubleshooting, etc.

    QC responsibilities involve overseeing the internal audit team and IA schedule, auditing, issuing CPARS, liaison to registrar and surveillance auditors, etc.

    1. Canuck*

      Your job sounds fascinating – love the idea of combining IT, cost accounting, and quality.

      How do you manage all aspects of those jobs? You mentioned you were the sole in-house IT, but do you have staff that help with the cost accounting and QC side of things?

      Hope you see this post, if not I will prompt you in one of the newer threads :)

  201. AGirlCalledFriday/Teacher/International Teacher*

    Certified teacher here (k-9). I’ve taught in the USA, Middle East, and Japan. If you have any questions about education, teaching, teaching overseas, teaching ESL, or anything like that I’d be happy to answer!

  203. Rev. (Church Pastor)*

    I serve as a pastor of an African-American church in a city of approx. 20K people. Spiritual adviser, community leader, Christian speaker/teacher, marriage/family counselor, etc….

  204. Rev. (Church Pastor)*

    Forgot to add, wrote two books (self-pub), “The Word of the Lord Came to Me–Now What?” a guide to sermon prep/delivery, and “He Wrestled With an Angel” (under the pseudonym Nat Hime), a whodunit set in SWLA in ’50’s–70’s.

  205. Market Researcher*

    Wow, a TON of replies to this after just one day, so this probably won’t even be read, but I’m an in-house market(ing*) researcher for a candy manufacturing company. In a nutshell, I try to determine what consumers think of our products and what they would like to see, but of course it’s more involved than that. Some examples of projects I work on:

    Attitude and Usage studies (also called Awareness and Usage) – I coordinate these but they’re actually performed by a vendor because they’re beyond the scope of what I can do in hourse. They begin by asking respondents unaided questions about brands they’re familiar with (asking them to type them into a box), then aided awareness (check all that you’ve heard of from a list of brands), then which one(s) they use, how often, for whom they buy them, etc. Then the study delves deeper into their attitudes, such as whether they feel like the brand is a good fit for them, etc. We usually throw a little something extra into the end of this sort of study (we pay BIG bucks and want to squeeze everything we can out of having an audience this large) such as asking them to view a commercial and give us their opnions or something like that.

    Consumer Segmentations – this was actually done before I joined this department (I transferred internally from accounting), but we’re due for another soon (and I won’t be around for it, either, due to being laid off). Basically you ask people a lot of questions about their views toward your product category, their personalities, and their demographics. Then a fancy computer program figures out how to break them out into segments that have a lot of similarities across the dimensions. Ours are proprietary, of course, but an auto company might have segments like “Hannah Homemaker, women 30-45 with young children who prioritize seating space (including room for carseats) and entertainment for the kiddos” and “Ralph the Racer, who doesn’t care about safety or being able to carry passengers, he just wants to go FAST (and look cool)” and so on.

    Taste Testing – with a food product, of course there’s going to be sensory testing. We do in-house taste tests with employees as the testers, and we do broader taste tests where respondents either come to a specialized facility with kitchen staff and little booths to pass to food through to the respondents, and also in-home tests where the product is mailed to the consumer at home and they take an online survey.

    For our in-house surveys, SurveyMonkey and Excel are my biggest tools. I inhereted this job from the manager who hired me (and who was then promoted herself, leaving me as the sole researcher again), and we haven’t been in the habit of getting to in-depth with analyzing the data, unfortunately, but I did take a seminar a few months ago on the topic and would LOVE to delve into it more. Alas, the layoff I mentioned above…

    One of my favorite things, I think, is focus groups–it’s more out of my number-crunching experience and into touchy-feely stuff, but it’s really fascinating to sit behind the glass and watch focus groups. We sometimes group the respondents into groups by which brand they’re loyal to (us or a competitor), or by age, so it’s especially interesting to see the differences between groups, or how people within each group play off each other. And of course there’s always one or two people in a two-day run that are fascinating people-watching, like the guy who was so enamored with himself he spent the entire hour-long session checking his hair in the one-way mirrored glass every few seconds, forgetting that to us, it seemed like he was look at us. Weird.

    Anyway, my job is full of longer-term projects, but is still ever-changing as we move from one study to the next, changing which brand or product we’re researching, and sometimes even researching potential new products, which is REALLY fun. And of course my role in the project changes as the project progresses, too, so I’m never bored.

    *Many jobs titled “market researcher” are about researching viable markets for a certain product or service, such as finding a need in a certain region, or looking for ideal real estate for a certain kind of business or whatever. That’s not what I do, so my title would more accurately be “marketing researcher,” but plenty of people call it the former anyway.

      1. Market Researcher*

        Well, we’re a non-chocolate candy company, but we meet your other requirements. ;-)

    2. Sharm*

      How did you get into this line of work, and how would one on the marketing execution side (i.e. actually sending out the email marketing or putting together a brochure) transition to more of a research or analytical role?

      1. Market Researcher*

        I’m afraid I’m going to be another not-so-helpful answer-er of this type of question. In my case, it was an internal transfer. I was in accounting, and had learned as much as I could in my role, with no hope of promotion anytime soon (and ironically had just earned my accounting degree), so I was starting to consider moving on to a new company.

        When the internal posting came out, I nearly deleted it because I saw it was in the marketing department and I am NOT creative. But I read closer and saw that it was actually a numbers-based job, so I went ahead and applied. The company had just one market researcher for a time, added a role for data analyst of existing data (IRI and NPD if you’re familiar with those), and wanted to add a third person to the team to assist with in-house research.

        I got the position (obviously), and learned a TON because I knew nothing about marketing or research methods before starting, and after six months or so, my boss was promoted to director of marketing and I was suddenly the only in-house researcher! Yikes! I still have the now-director as my mentor, of course, and run things by her when I’m not sure, but it’s actually been good for me, because of course I’ve learned even more without her to lean on daily.

        As far as how to get into it, I’d say if your company doesn’t already have the role, you could push for it, citing examples of where you wish you had more insight into your end consumers/users. Or even volunteer to just do some surveys and play with the resulting data as a side project–you can get a SurveyMonkey account for free, and if you need more features, even the paid accounts are completely affordable (my company subscribes at the $300 level and all we’re really missing that the top level provides is HIPAA-level security, which isn’t necessary when you’re just talking about candy).

        Or else search for entry-level positions elsewhere. Not much help, sorry.

  206. School PR Person (MW)*

    I always tell people I help bring the classroom into people’s living rooms.

    That is, most people don’t have kids in schools, and it’s been a long time since they were in school, so they have no idea what’s happening in K-12 public schools today. As a school PR person, I work to bridge that gap through media relations, web and social media, community relations partnerships, etc.

    I also deal with crisis communications (responding when something bad happens at a school), government relations (building relationships with elected officials), and–most importantly–internal communications (helping our employees know what’s going on so they can do their jobs better and be ambassadors for public education).

      1. School PR Person (MW)*

        It is, and I love it! Most of the time, it’s really great. Days like Sandy Hook (which was not in my area), it’s really tough.

  207. Marketing Analyst (E.T.)*

    I’m a marketing analyst at an ad agency. Most people hear “ad agency” and assume my job is something out of “Mad Men” or “The Crazy Ones”. However, based on the few episodes I’ve watched, those shows depict the creative side. Our agency doesn’t do creative; our clients mostly have in-house creative departments or work with other companies on creative. What we do is help the clients identify their target consumers, and then buy ads to reach those consumers.

    I mostly work with newspapers, magazines and online. For example, a landscaping company will likely want to target single family homeowners (since renters don’t do landscaping) with a certain level of income (since homeowners below that level usually do their own landscaping). My job is to identify which areas contain high concentration of these targeted groups and buy ad space for the landscaping company. This is the reason why the ads and coupons you receive in your newspaper differ from the ads and coupons your friend receives in her newspaper two zip codes away.

  208. Accountant for the German Sales Office of an american Language School / High School exchange company (Worker Bee)*

    I can’t give any advice on my current job, since it is based on the german market. But I want to be part of the Party
    I work as an accountant for the German Sales Office of a global company that provides english courses in english spoken countries. We created our own learning material.
    Also we offer High School years abroad.
    My first job during university (in Germany I was able to do both at the same time) was actually working as a Program Coordinator of a High School exchange organization.
    After that and before my current job, I worked in the US for a mortgage lender (branch manager) as his personal assistant.

    Please feel free to ask anything about (german) accounting, High School Programs, working abroad or germany in general. Looking forward to your questions

  209. User Acquisitions Marketing for Mobile Game Company*

    I’m late to the party, but I thought I’d chime in.

    I am the manager of user acquisitions for a mobile gaming company. Our flagship titles are AAA IP licensed titles developed in house, though we also have a port-and-publish model (ie, acquire games from other countries, localize them, and distribute them to English markets).

    In my role, I am responsible for setting budgets, creating advertising strategy, planning creatives, evaluating potential partners, negotiating contracts, monitoring and analyzing performance, reporting to management, etc., etc. I use Facebook Ads, Google AdMob, video networks, in-app display purchases and more. In addition, I get to play with app store optimization, game testing, market research, and inter-departmental coordination.

    My day-to-day involves a LOT of meetings by phone and in person, LOTS of staring at spreadsheets and analyzing lots of data (I joke about my job being made of alphabet soup as user acquisitions deals in quite a few initialisms), and LOTS of fine tuning of strategy against KPIs I define and report on to the executive teams.

    I get to travel for client meetings and industry conferences.

    I love my job. It is 12-14 hours some days, but only because I stop noticing the time passing because I get so engrossed in what I’m doing!

    1. Colin*

      Hi
      What kind of KPIs do you look for in new games? Also how do you find new games or new developers?

  210. IRS Contact Collection Representative*

    I work for the Small Business/Self-Employed (SB/SE) Division in a call center environment providing assistance to both individuals and businesses through telephone interaction. We address a wide range of issues from assisting taxpayers in understanding and meeting their tax responsibilities, to securing, analyzing and protecting sensitive personal and financial information, we try to resolve taxpayer disputes and delinquency issues, we provide steps to take when identity theft issues have been identified. I’d say the calls can be broken down in to three main areas: Education, Compliance and Collection.

    The part of the job I don’t like has nothing to do with the taxpayers and much to do with Congress. I did not follow politics at all before I started working here and now, I read everything having to do with any potential new laws as they affect me immediately.

  211. Attorney*

    I am an attorney for a state appellate court. I review cases that are on appeal and make recommendations regarding their disposition. I also draft proposed opinions for judges to review.

  212. Global Digital Communications Manager*

    Hi :) Late to the party, I’ve really enjoyed reading everyone’s responses!

    I am a Global Digital Communications Manager at a midsize, yet very international, company. Because we have many smaller offices (<50 people), I find it feels much more like a startup. My day to day is a big hodgepodge of things, mainly overseeing content creation on our website, social media outlets, designing/copywriting/AB testing emails, testing the site & our mobile app, and checking out new ideas to add into our pipeline for the development team.

    I am an American, working in Europe, and I speak Spanish fluently and French bilingually, so I can coordinate with our team members across the globe. Thankfully the ones in Hong Kong all speak English :)

    I love the variety in my tasks, I can really get a good sense of the bigger picture yet I also have a lot of responsibility for the execution and implementation of details on our projects. I also manage an international team of about 20 people – which, as my first management experience has been a tremendous growth opportunity. Because I love to travel and speak multiple languages, I have really enjoyed how often I collaborate with international team members in NA, SA, Europe, and Asia.

    Let me know if you have any questions!

  213. Financial Aid Administrator*

    There may be no one reading any longer, but I thought I’d chime in.

    I work in higher ed at a non-profit university, at my first job after college. I started at my institution eight years ago. I currently work in financial aid, having transferred into the department a few years ago.

    My work consists of a lot of back-end stuff, and I work closely with loans and federal work study. With this is a lot of troubleshooting various issues with our student info system and the Dept. of ED systems. I also meet with students sometimes, and supervise our student staff. We participate in the orientation sessions and preview days. While it’s not officially part of my job, I also participate as a judge in some student competitions, have offered to act as a student org advisor, and am active in our state professional association. My job really is less boring than it sounds. I usually enjoy my job, and I have a much better career path now than I did a few years ago.

  214. pop tart*

    I am really, REALLY good at quickly googling and researching items. I work in prop fabrication and we get a lot of requests to source components. Last week I had to find a doll wig for purchase, so I spent about a half hour researching doll wig sizing, specific dolls that wear the size I needed, where they’re available for purchase (Korea and China if you wanted to know), and then searching for that item in stores that could ship to the US next day. I’m really knowledgeable about doll wigs now. Another example was a couple months ago I had to look up a specific kind of vintage longbow, so now I know a lot about specific brands and sizes of compound and long bows, and that they are not typically made in smaller size for a child. My friends use this to their advantage and will ask me to help find say, a Slim Goodbody costume for a child, or the best pizza place by the beach within a 100 mile strip. I know it doesn’t sound super impressive, but I’m really fast at it and have no problem combing the depths of the internet to find an authentic looking 17th century witch broom if I need to. My trick is to do several searches at once using different terminology (“taxidermy fish” “fish blank” “taxidermy blank” “catfish taxidermy” “unpainted fish taxidermy”), open everything that looks like it might be relevant and search within those sites for my key words if necessary. You’d be surprised at how much you can learn about a subject by scanning forums and old Geocities websites!

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