For those who have made a career change...

[Saint Nick]

Did you get a whole new four year degree or did you take some classes in the career you were interested to make yourself a little more credible?

I am debating getting a full blown degree, but don't want to spend the money and occupy another four years of life getting said degree. I figured it would be just as well taking some classes in the subject and getting an internship, especially because I already have a degree.

 

[rudder]

Depends on what career you are going to. Many places just want a degree.. they don't care what it is in. Like if you wanted to be a pilot for instance. if your B.S. was in basket weaving it would not matter as long as you had specific flight time requirements needed by the employer.

From southwest airlines:

Education: Graduation from accredited, four-year college preferred.

 

[edro]

What are the careers?

 

[highland145]

Interested in this as well. Asked my engineer friend if he would hire me if I went back for a E.E. He said I was older (46 now) than he would hire and since I have been self employed, no.

 

[GasX]

After 17 years in the pharmaceutical industry managing clinical trials and selling services to drug companies, I quit and entered grad school last year to earn my second Master's degree. This time next year I will be preparing to graduate as a certified Anesthesiologist Assistant and will be passing gas for a living.

 

[GasX]

Interested in this as well. Asked my engineer friend if he would hire me if I went back for a E.E. He said I was older (46 now) than he would hire and since I have been self employed, no.

Get him to say that on tape, and you can retire.

 

[polarmystery]

I went from a power distribution engineer to a logistician. I'm now back in school to get into the computer/hardware engineering field.

 

[Saint Nick]

Boy, I'm sure going to get a lot of shit for this...

But, I want to move from the IT industry into horticulture. I know I will be taking a potentially huge pay cut, but I have barely started my carrer. Hell, I'm still an intern in an IT department. I'll be 24 next month.

 

[highland145]

Get him to say that on tape, and you can retire.

They'd just can his ass and tell me to f-off.

Passing gas and getting paid? Now that's something I can do.

 

[highland145]

Boy, I'm sure going to get a lot of shit for this...

But, I want to move from the IT industry into horticulture. I know I will be taking a potentially huge pay cut, but I have barely started my carrer. Hell, I'm still an intern in an IT department. I'll be 24 next month.

Might not make any $$ but if you enjoy it go for it.

 

[Saint Nick]

Might not make any $$ but if you enjoy it go for it.

I just want to make a modest salary and not hate myself for doing a job I do not enjoy. I have been battling this for a few years now and I wish I would have just started tackling the problem back then.

It is a big task to get into something else. I need to meet with some teachers and those in the industry to see if it is what I want to do. Then, I need to get an education in the industry, then an internship or job. Pretty long and taxing process.

 

[edro]

Yeah, that is a majorly different career path.

I would think that most companies hiring a horticulturalist would at least want a biology degree. Of course, if you were self taught in horticulture, and had some experience in nurseries, etc... you might be hired by someone.

What do you actually want to do?
Park ranger? Forrestry? Landscape designer? Researcher? Turf science?

 

[Farang]

For horticulture you could probably do a year's worth of prerequisites and then jump into a Master's program. So a year of night school, then two years of college, and you're not making a lateral move education-wise like you are with another B.S.

I'm a political science major, looks like my career is going to be in food production, and I can get a M.S. in Food Science with a similar model (my biggest obstacle is my lack of calculus and the time it would take to get up to that level). In my case, I'm just taking advantage of the cards that were dealt me and sort of going with the flow. My target career out of college hasn't panned out so far, sometimes its best not to swim against the current.

 

[Saint Nick]

Yeah, that is a majorly different career path.

I would think that most companies hiring a horticulturalist would at least want a biology degree. Of course, if you were self taught in horticulture, and had some experience in nurseries, etc... you might be hired by someone.

What do you actually want to do?
Park ranger? Forrestry? Landscape designer? Researcher? Turf science?

I wouldn't mind doing some work in the nursuries, research, and working on turf. Landscape design would be great, but that is a whole new skill set (design) apart from the horticulture. UNL has an undergraduate program for it, but it is six years long (puke).

I feel like my best bet is similar to what Farang posted -- take required classes to get into the Master's program, then go that route. And in the meantime, pursue some sort of internship locally (or a job) that is in the field. Or keep working IT somehow while pursuing this to help pay.

 

[MyThirdEye]

i thought you were going into the music program?