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starryprince · Nov 26, 2019 at 11:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by StreetcarBlanche

So, take the steps to make this ideal job happen. Don't be like me -- I pigeonholed myself in my late 40s by taking the wrong jobs for the wrong (never right) reasons; getting laid off or fired and then being forced to register with temporary agencies (who are notoriously unreliable as an income resource because recruiters are divisive and always lie).

If I could turn back time, if I could find a way, (Oh, Cher!) I would go back to my 20s, and be like Seinfeld's character George Costanza and have an "Opposite Day" so that I could pursue jobs that were in my wheelhouse, versus jobs that I had no interest in. I would literally do everything 100% differently with my life if I could rewind the past 26 years. But I can't. So, take heed with my advice: do NOT pigeonhole yourself with mental health counseling as a career. So far, you can't find mental health companies who will allow you to work part-time so you can fill your 3,000 hours needed to get your license.

If you want to work in an LGBTQIA organization, then do it. Start as a volunteer or do an internship, or take a support role like front desk just to get your name and face associated with those organizations. Join a local chapter in your city and network yourself and your interest doing that sort of work. The more you talk with others about your interest, the more clear you'll become, and the faster you'll see opportunities appear for yourself, job-wise.

Thanks a lot for your advice! Yea, I've been looking into LGBT organizations and I sent a few emails but I never heard back. I've tried volunteering and I sent out more emails but I still didn't hear back. The only thing I can do is keep trying. I even applied to jobs in LGBT organizations that either pertained to my degree or didn't and, because of my lack of experience, I didn't get the jobs. So I feel stuck. The only thing I can keep doing is keep trying. I've been telling people what I would like to do and what organizations I'm looking for but, for some reason, they keep sending me jobs that I don't want and that are in completely different fields. I'm not sure what's going on with that.

It's so interesting because you need experience for everything, like being a receptionist. I applied for retail when I was just getting into the job field and I didn't get the job due to lack of retail experience. I will keep trying because that's the only thing we can do, right? Thanks a lot!

Quote:

Originally Posted by bpcyclist

I did 7 years of brutal residency and fellowship after medical school to get my supposedly dream job. Guess what? I didn't really enjoy it. I do think I was pretty good at patient care. But what I really was passionate about was building companies. I realized I should have gone to business school. But it was too late.

Fortunately, I got to build a couple of nice little companies before I got sick, but that was just dumb luck.

You need to find what your passion is and then go do that. If that means you have to move to a big city, then move. If that means you re-train in animal care or astronomy or the grocery business--go do that.

Life is short. Don't waste it doing something you'r not into, even if at one time, you thought you were. You gotta do what you enjoy.

Thanks a lot! =) Like I said in my post, I already know what my passion is and I'm moving towards it. I have a mentor and she's taken me under her wing so I have a good start with that. However, it's a mentorship, not a paying job (yet). I'm still loving it, though. It solidified that this is what I should have done from day one and that I should have followed this dream from the start. So I'm trying to find another job that will tide me over until I can start making money from the job in my passion field. I can move out of the city or go back to school but I don't have the money. I'm already in debt from grad school and I don't have money to pick up and move out of the city. I already started moving towards my passion in this city, so I plan on staying here because at least I started moving towards my dream here and I've build up a really good relationship with my mentor.

Thanks a lot for your response! It was very helpful!