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OT: If you could pick any profession, what would you choose today?

Jerademan74

Jerademan74

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I am a chemist who never really worked in the lab, and went into chemical sales and overall business management for chemical companies my whole career. I was a Pre-Med major at Penn State, but did not get into Med School. As much as I still wanted to be a medical doctor most of my career, I now have no regrets having worked in the specialty chemicals industry as I feel like I have learned so much over the years. Many people however wish they did something other than the fields they ended up in. Other than wanting to be the best athlete in a professional sports league (who wouldn't), what would you have chosen?
 
I like where I'm at career-wise, currently.......but I didn't envision being here.

If I had to do it all over again.....I'd get into chemistry or engineering.
 
I am a lawyer now, but my undergrad was in accounting--a field of study chosen SOLELY because I wanted to make some money at an actual job after college. Three years in I was making good money but it looked like they were going to make me a production accounting manager so I bolted to get a law degree.

Any job you have had for 29 years like this one, will be a pain in the ass at times, and there is not a lot of new stuff anymore, but all in all its a pretty good career representing ordinary middle class folks.
 
Mathematician, which I am now. It's a luxury, being able to block out whatever part of reality that's bothering you at the moment. I'd be watching the news with the wife and she's yelling at the TV and I'm happily scribbling away on a math problem, oblivious. There's no BS, you know when you're wrong, and you know when you haven't quite made the proof complete, and you know when you've done enough. Also you get to read and study work from some seriously brilliant people; I'm teaching an Non-Euclidean geometry class at the moment, and looking at stuff which was proved two thousand years ago, you can't help but marvel at their passion and ingenuity.
 
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Hindsight is 20/20. I, too, am a chemist. Now, I'm an OR nurse.

To answer your question, honestly, I want my free time back. I want my life back. I don't "want" to work. That's the truth.

If I could go back, I'd be more astute in finances. I was at Penn State when Wall Street was the "in" job and AIDS was scaring people away from medical school. I recall med schools were concerned b/c one year the ratio of apps:acceptance was like 1.89:1. Yes, it was that low, IIRC, in 1988/89.

I would now choose pathology in medicine; worldwide religious archeology (passion); high school physics/chemistry teacher; if, we lived in an IDEAL world. But, we dont.

Retirement is now a reverse mortgage. So, anything I do MUST make financial sense. I want my life back. I don't want to work. Life is so short and so precious. I simply want to be happy. Anything that brings JOY to my life, the better.

Here's a letter from Albert Einstein to his son...
http://www.brainpickings.org/2013/06/14/einstein-letter-to-son/
 
I've told people if I had to do it again, I'd have become a physical therapist.

But since I work in IT, I'll also add that at various points I wish I'd done a Internet startup, and that one may still happen. It's a lot more difficult to do today than 5-20 years ago, but it is still possible.
 
I'd be a professional golfer or any professional sports person for that matter.
 
I would have sold insurance. Your typical independent agent for a national company. Work hard for a few years and have a lot of free time once the customer base is well established. I know a lot of guys that make good money and don't need to put in a lot of time running the day to day.
 
Jerademan74 said:
Ummm, that was the 1 thing in my post I mentioned that everyone would like, but if you had the talent, you probably would have done that?:)
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Hah, I did fade away reading your post ... but I don't need to be the best at it. Top 30 would be pretty good.
 
demlion said:
I am a lawyer now, but my undergrad was in accounting--a field of study chosen SOLELY because I wanted to make some money at an actual job after college. Three years in I was making good money but it looked like they were going to make me a production accounting manager so I bolted to get a law degree.

Any job you have had for 29 years like this one, will be a pain in the ass at times, and there is not a lot of new stuff anymore, but all in all its a pretty good career representing ordinary middle class folks.
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I've been a lawyer (solo practitioner) for over 40 years. Like you dem, I've always represented middle class folks. I've been told many times I'm very good at what I do and I have no doubt that is true. Still, if I had to do it all over again I would have done something else with my life. My dissatisfaction is on many levels. There is a lack of mental stimulation in most of the work I do. I am tired of seeing accolades routinely given to lawyers in large firms who are no better lawyers but are part of a "club" that neither welcomes me, nor respects solo practitioners. Finally, I am tired of decades of 60+ hour weeks that have resulted in little more than a decent living. Since I always wanted to be a lawyer, I'm not sure what else I would have done. Teaching maybe, or perhaps a historian.
 
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fairgambit said:
I've been a lawyer (solo practitioner) for over 40 years. Like you dem, I've always represented middle class folks. I've been told many times I'm very good at what I do and I have no doubt that is true. Still, if I had to do it all over again I would have done something else with my life. My dissatisfaction is on many levels. There is a lack of mental stimulation in most of the work I do. I am tired of seeing accolades routinely given to lawyers in large firms who are no better lawyers but are part of a "club" that neither welcomes me, nor respects solo practitioners. Finally, I am tired of decades of 60+ hour weeks that have resulted in little more than a decent living. Since I always wanted to be a lawyer, I'm not sure what else I would have done. Teaching maybe, or perhaps a historian.
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I hear you, and I feel the same way sometimes, fair. My dad was a HS English teacher so I got a good look in the 60s 7s and 80s at how you can work 60 hours a week and NOT make a good living:) As some here may have noticed I am kind of a competitive person so trial work has suited me well, and after you do it for 30 years you begin to become adept at getting the cases ready without killing yourself through worry. I still love making motions arguments in the trial court and appellate arguments, because those pesky facts are either totally unknown or utterly settled.
 
I became an engineer largely on the counsel of my dad. I've had a successful consulting career, and while professionally fulfilling, I've never really been in love with it. One of my former roommates at PSU switched from engineering to finance in our sophomore year. He's pulling in 7 figures, so if I had to do it over, I would have switched with him like he suggested way back when.
 
demlion said:
I hear you, and I feel the same way sometimes, fair. My dad was a HS English teacher so I got a good look in the 60s 7s and 80s at how you can work 60 hours a week and NOT make a good living:) As some here may have noticed I am kind of a competitive person so trial work has suited me well, and after you do it for 30 years you begin to become adept at getting the cases ready without killing yourself through worry. I still love making motions arguments in the trial court and appellate arguments, because those pesky facts are either totally unknown or utterly settled.
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Hey guys....I guess it is a common feeling amongst solos and small firm attorneys. I have not practiced quite as long as both of you. Only about 20 years here.....about 10 in a big firm defending docs and hospitals in med mal cases and about 10 as a solo representing everyday folks in all sorts of matters from divorce, custody, personal injury, etc. Over the years my satisfaction with the profession has continued to decrease. I think one part of my dissatisfaction is the expectation that an attorney is available to a client 24/7/365. With the advent of smart phones/tablets/wifi, etc clients expect that they should and can get in touch with you at a moments notice and that you should respond immediately. Add this to the regular stresses of practicing law and the administrative responsibilities associated with running a practice, your life outside of work can quickly disappear. Its funny because many believe that attorneys make a fortune but when you consider what your effective hourly rate is after considering all of the hours that you work on stuff for free (i.e. pro bono work, administrative work, work for clients that stiff you, etc) many attorneys get paid an hourly, take home pay equal to less than many other people in the work force. Its a grand illusion. Now add to that than you can walk out of law school with student loans in excess of $120,000.00 and you come to the sobering realization that lawyering is not what its all cracked up to be. And to think that I have not even touched on the lack of civility that exists in the legal profession today..... UGHHHH...rant over!

If I had to do it over again I'd move to Nashville and would become a studio musician (guitar is my passion) and I would have loved every minute of it! Oh, and yes, when my pickin' fingers got tired in this mystical life, I would have joined the professional golf tour and would win the Masters with a final score of -20! :)
 
LighthouseGolfer said:
Hey guys....I guess it is a common feeling amongst solos and small firm attorneys. I have not practiced quite as long as both of you. Only about 20 years here.....about 10 in a big firm defending docs and hospitals in med mal cases and about 10 as a solo representing everyday folks in all sorts of matters from divorce, custody, personal injury, etc. Over the years my satisfaction with the profession has continued to decrease. I think one part of my dissatisfaction is the expectation that an attorney is available to a client 24/7/365. With the advent of smart phones/tablets/wifi, etc clients expect that they should and can get in touch with you at a moments notice and that you should respond immediately. Add this to the regular stresses of practicing law and the administrative responsibilities associated with running a practice, your life outside of work can quickly disappear. Its funny because many believe that attorneys make a fortune but when you consider what your effective hourly rate is after considering all of the hours that you work on stuff for free (i.e. pro bono work, administrative work, work for clients that stiff you, etc) many attorneys get paid an hourly, take home pay equal to less than many other people in the work force. Its a grand illusion. Now add to that than you can walk out of law school with student loans in excess of $120,000.00 and you come to the sobering realization that lawyering is not what its all cracked up to be. And to think that I have not even touched on the lack of civility that exists in the legal profession today..... UGHHHH...rant over!

If I had to do it over again I'd move to Nashville and would become a studio musician (guitar is my passion) and I would have loved every minute of it! Oh, and yes, when my pickin' fingers got tired in this mystical life, I would have joined the professional golf tour and would win the Masters with a final score of -20! :)
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I absolutely agree about the 24/7 availability. I often take client calls late at night, while I'm eating, at sporting events, etc., and you're right...it's expected. By the way Lighthouse, if you're only 20 years in practice, I would guess you're in your 40's. Couldn't you still move to Nashville, start a practice there, and do music on the side...or better yet, do the music and be a lawyer on the side...or even better, just do the music?
 
fairgambit said:
I absolutely agree about the 24/7 availability. I often take client calls late at night, while I'm eating, at sporting events, etc., and you're right...it's expected. By the way Lighthouse, if you're only 20 years in practice, I would guess you're in your 40's. Couldn't you still move to Nashville, start a practice there, and do music on the side...or better yet, do the music and be a lawyer on the side...or even better, just do the music?
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Yup...45. Problem is the little ones I have running around the house. We are anchored in a school district now and can't drag my kids out of the area now. Wish I could though because that would be awesome. I do know an attorney from PA who followed his dreams part way into his career and has subsequently relocated to Jackson Hole, Wyoming. He has a pretty cool practice out there.
 
Jerademan74 said:
I am a chemist who never really worked in the lab, and went into chemical sales and overall business management for chemical companies my whole career. I was a Pre-Med major at Penn State, but did not get into Med School. As much as I still wanted to be a medical doctor most of my career, I now have no regrets having worked in the specialty chemicals industry as I feel like I have learned so much over the years. Many people however wish they did something other than the fields they ended up in. Other than wanting to be the best athlete in a professional sports league (who wouldn't), what would you have chosen?
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Air traffic Controller 35 years.. Oh to do it over again.
 
Jerademan74 said:
I am a chemist who never really worked in the lab, and went into chemical sales and overall business management for chemical companies my whole career. I was a Pre-Med major at Penn State, but did not get into Med School. As much as I still wanted to be a medical doctor most of my career, I now have no regrets having worked in the specialty chemicals industry as I feel like I have learned so much over the years. Many people however wish they did something other than the fields they ended up in. Other than wanting to be the best athlete in a professional sports league (who wouldn't), what would you have chosen?
Click to expand...
Architect
 
Riverboat Pilot. Make 500k+ a year and have every other week off. Your week on you get picked up and driven to and from the ship. On the water all day with more time off than on.
 
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demlion said:
I am a lawyer now, but my undergrad was in accounting--a field of study chosen SOLELY because I wanted to make some money at an actual job after college. Three years in I was making good money but it looked like they were going to make me a production accounting manager so I bolted to get a law degree.

Any job you have had for 29 years like this one, will be a pain in the ass at times, and there is not a lot of new stuff anymore, but all in all its a pretty good career representing ordinary middle class folks.
Click to expand...

I did the exact same. I chose accounting solely because I wanted to have a job waiting for me. 9 years later and it has treated me well, though I went the public route.
 
You guys that want to be Architects................be glad you didn't enter that field. Over the last 15 years fees have dropped between 30%-50%, project schedules are often 1/3 the length of time they were, and the majority of the time the scope of services is more inclusive for the smaller fees. It is a very competitive industry that has undergone a major feeding frenzy the past 5 years or so with almost all of the medium sized firms swallowed up by the big guys, and small / specialized firms scratching everyday to keep afloat.
 
bytir said:
You guys that want to be Architects................be glad you didn't enter that field. Over the last 15 years fees have dropped between 30%-50%, project schedules are often 1/3 the length of time they were, and the majority of the time the scope of services is more inclusive for the smaller fees. It is a very competitive industry that has undergone a major feeding frenzy the past 5 years or so with almost all of the medium sized firms swallowed up by the big guys, and small / specialized firms scratching everyday to keep afloat.
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I always loved drafting and doodling my dream house. When I got out of the Army, I started in an Arch Tech program and did extremely well (4.0 in major) with the plan to transfer to a 4/5 year school. One of my profs told me that the industry was tough (early 90's) and that you had to have a fire in your belly when you wake up every morning in order to make it. I wasn't sure I had that fire or wanted to put up with the dumb stuff from clients. I applied to VA Tech as my only transfer after graduation, but wasn't accepted. I've had a good career (quality engineering) but I sometimes wonder what might have been. My nephew is a second year Arch. student at Pratt, so I am living vicariously through him.
 
Sviatoslav said:
Orthodontist. No doubt about it.
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Yeah the girls ben the wires, and now you can send the models to labs for Invisalign and also a series of pre-bent wires that can complete the treatment plan faster. Parents will spend anything on their kids. People are generally happy with the results. Orthodontists in Lancaster, PA are making btw 800-1200k. I know them all pretty well. No evening or weekend call compared to many doctors.
 
I don't know if I'd switch to it professionally, but I regret not finishing my AERSP degree. I kind of wish I could be an industrial designer, but my art skills are lacking. I always felt functional design skills could overcome that, or at least be a great compliment to the more artistic designers.
 
I'm an engineer and wish I had become a psychiatrist. I'm constantly trying to understand what makes people tick. My wife occupies about 90% of that activity. I just feel like if you can understand the way people think then all sorts of opportunities could be had. Any psychiatrists out there?
 
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