It may seem like a silly question, I don't know, but is it actually possible to get a job in something we're very good at and highly trained in? When I got my Masters, there were no opportunities for me to use any of the skills I had developed and it depressed me. I didn't want to move elsewhere right away because if I did decide to go back for my doctorate (and I am going back this fall), I wanted to go back to the same school that I got my Masters. After I get my doctorate, I'm fully capable of moving anywhere in the world. I have no kids, no house, no significant other, no family outside of parents, and not really any friends so I'm free to move anywhere and not lose anything. The problem is that I wonder if there will be any opportunities even if I get my doctorate. I realize that at some point I will need my own steady income, but after spending years (a decade after I finish my final degree) training in one area (even though I will have studied many different areas within said area), it feels horrible to think that I won't be able to use any of these skills at all. It will make my life feel more like a waste than it already does.

So, do people who are highly skilled and trained in multiple areas in a field usually get jobs within that field or am I doomed to do something that means nothing to me and that I could have done without going to college at all?

I also feel that despite all the training and peoples' reassurances to the contrary that no matter what I do I'm never quite qualified enough to get a job. Who would hire me if there are any other candidates? Especially when I've never had a full time job before—except for one year, I was in school and there never really seems to be the right job opportunities around. Career counselors I talked to at my university couldn't help me. My professor/advisor pretty much told me to go into temp work (in a completely unrelated area) and good luck getting anything much else and he also seemed to have considered me talented enough to say that he was going to put that he taught me on his resume. Not like it would do him much good if all I'll ever amount to in life is random temp jobs.

I just want to know…have I been lied to? Am I actually not any good at anything I do or is nothing I'm good at worth anything? I am completely disenchanted by the whole concept of jobs and careers.

[StrongerMan]

The truth is, some people are just better at the job search process. That is, they know how to shmooze and sell themselves. They key in on what the hiring people want and they spin a great tale of how they are THE ONE to be the solution for those needs. They often are. They also know how to ask for what they need to craft an effective job search. They can line up great references and letters of recommendation with ease. They build strong networks. And many aren't afraid to stretch the truth of their experience and skill set. Yes, they lie (fib?). This is risky, but more often than not, it is never discovered or at least doesn't end up biting them in the you know what. Today's work cuture, more than ever, rewards these types with the best positions and the fastest advancement. I remember as a kid always being told to be "nice" and "considerate"... don't be "boastful" or "brash" or "big headed". Give others a chance. Share. Modesty is best. They were setting me up for failure in this dog eat dog world. They could never have imagined how competitive it would get. So, yes, training or degrees may very well come up short. I guess the answer is to take what you've learned, apply it to solve real world problems (even as an intern or co-op) and use that to create a marketable product (you) to get a job you like. Or else, teach.

There aren't a lot of teaching positions like there used to be. At least not in universities, which would be the only place I would be qualified for (I'm not sure off the top of my head how many more years that would be and if I just need a certification or a separate degree). Otherwise, my plan WAS to go into teaching because it's the only way to get a steady paycheck.

I was hoping that I was getting better at networking and all that, but I think some people are just not as naturally adept at using people. At least I have no qualms about using people if necessary. That is at least one good thing I guess.

[Strive4health]

I think it is possible but it takes more time to find. For me, I am heading into and while I am not fully trained or really good at anything, I enjoy it a lot. It's worthwhile to find something enjoyable, even if it takes years to build up proficiency. This is different than a "dream job" where everything is perfect but I would rather have sanity, consistency and regularity than perfection.

[Perna]

Just because one studies a subject does not mean someone "becomes" that job right away; jobs/occupations/callings, etc. take experience as well as knowledge and skills. Because you are a carpenter who can frame a house does not mean you can build a set of stairs, necessarily. School is mostly theory rather than "use" and what we learn can be used in a multitude of ways and it is up to us to apply the theory to the area of use we are most interested in and come up with our job/career.

I liken it to working for a large box store, say Walmart. Studying "Walmart" and its history and what it does and how it does it, getting a Wharton MBA degree in Walmart does not mean one could instantly take over as head cashier or even as CFO? Managing distribution because one has a business degree in transportation doesn't happen right away, one has to work 10+ years and work one's way up, no matter the field.

I think you should look for ways to get some practical experience, to make sure work in the field you are studying is what you want. If you have a degree in history, for example, you need to work for the Government or at a museum or a library/archive, etc. Just knowing "about" the Battle of Gettysburg and having a doctorate in history does not automatically get you a job as a Park Ranger there, you would have to have decided to pursue a job as a park ranger long before that and factored in that career path: http://www.nps.gov/wrst/parkmgmt/upl...omeARanger.pdf

What job/occupation do you want specifically? I would look that up and see how you could get experience to work up its ladder. Deciding to be a writer and getting a Doctorate in "Writing"/Journalism, one still has to actually write something. Engineers have to actually build good bridges or airplanes before they are sought as good engineers, etc.

I do have experience though…as much as I know how to get anyway. Like I said, my advisor couldn't help me and neither could career services.

I've participated in many groups and I'm published. That of course isn't enough. I've tried time and time again to get an assistantship for the experience, but as usual I'm one of the very few people in my department who hasn't gotten one. I have an inkling as to why and I've worked to improve in my weaker areas, but it won't make a difference for at least a year anyway at this point.

I would mention occupations I've considered, but I'm sure everyone will tell me to get switch degrees and/or I'm wasting my time so I've thought better of it. I shouldn't have to apologize or explain to people that I know what I was placed on Earth to do. I just don't know personally how to profit off of it, unlike most other people in the field. I have just apparently not manipulated people enough. Perhaps I don't have anything worth trading? I am biologically female so I would think that what's between my legs would be enough and now that I'm finally willing to trade that for success, maybe there's still hope after all?