Results 1 to 11 of 11
  1. #1
    Join Date
    Aug 2002
    Location
    Les Pays Flat
    Posts
    622

    wwmd: career choices..

    Situation:

    * Recently finished study in technical management (sept '05)
    * Recently landed shitty paid dreamjob as editor of a skimag
    * Have other better paid shitjob, which I couldn't care less about (but is paying bills)
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Winter is coming, budget is getting pretty low, but perks will get me skiing in enough cool places. On the other hand I kinda miss a mental challenge and I've got the feeling my window for strategic/technical consultants is closing fast (In this line of work getting a job pretty soon after you've finished your study greatly increases chances for decently paid work with a good company).

    Talked to a recruitment guy who could get me a very nice job within 2 months, but I'd prolly have to give up the editor job, which I just started (heck, this is my first winter and I want to take advantage of it! ). Other downside: parttime consultancy is no realistic possibility.


    WWMD, go for the solid 60+ hours a week job and $$ income or be relaxed and enjoy the poor life of an editor?
    Last edited by AH; 11-21-2005 at 03:47 PM.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
    Posts
    2,935
    Quote Originally Posted by AH
    Situation:

    * Recently finished study in technical management (sept '05)
    * Recently landed shitty paid dreamjob as editor of a skimag
    * Have other better paid shitjob, which I couldn't care less about (but is paying bills)
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Winter is coming, budget is getting pretty low, but perks will get me skiing in enough cool places. On the other hand I kinda miss a mental challenge and I've got the feeling my window for strategic/technical consultants is closing fast (In this line of work getting a job pretty soon after you've finished your study greatly increases chances for decently paid work with a good company).

    Talked to a recruitment guy who could get me a very nice job within 2 months, but I'd prolly have to give up the editor job, which I just started (heck, this is my first winter and I want to take advantage of it! ). Other downside: parttime consultancy is no realistic possibility.


    WWMD, go for the solid 60+ hours a week job and $$ income or be relaxed and enjoy the poor life of an editor?
    I see three important letters missing from your education; mba. Work as a ski editor for a few years; get some shit done, network; if you still crave the dough, go back for an mba and get a real strategic consulting job. Without the mba or years of experience you'd just be digging up info for the lead consultants, which isn't going to be that challenging and it's not going to pay that well when you consider the costs of being corporate (suits, lunches out, skiing not as easy to do).

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Sep 2001
    Location
    Babylon
    Posts
    13,454
    he aint from Muerica so I dont think he needs an MBA to consult.
    get a job repping that terrible throat varnish you got us all to chug in Utah

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Location
    Wasatch Front
    Posts
    848
    Personally, I would stick with the ski magazine job for the winter, at minimum. Why surrender your soul to the corporate void sooner than you absolutely have to?

    All that said, it's hard to know exactly what the best move for you is, since we don't know your level of education, experience, and most importantly, your goals. Pick the one that will help you reach your long term goals; if you're not sure what those goals are, then take the ski editor job and think about it for the winter.

    Also, forget about the MBA unless a) you already have experience in your industry and b) you want a career in the business side of things (exception: if you want to change careers and move into investment banking or a similar field). There is an oversupply of useless, inexperienced MBAs out there who have no idea of what they don't know, but do have a finely honed sense of entitlement.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Oct 2003
    Location
    SF, CA
    Posts
    634
    Ski mag editor for sure. Cubes will be there for you when you are done living. Money will always be there for the poor saps willing to slave for it.

    And what does a degree in Technical Managment mean exactly? Do you have hands on programming or other tech skills?

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Aug 2002
    Location
    Les Pays Flat
    Posts
    622
    Quote Originally Posted by shmerham
    I see three important letters missing from your education; mba. Work as a ski editor for a few years; get some shit done, network; if you still crave the dough, go back for an mba and get a real strategic consulting job. Without the mba or years of experience you'd just be digging up info for the lead consultants, which isn't going to be that challenging and it's not going to pay that well when you consider the costs of being corporate (suits, lunches out, skiing not as easy to do).
    Allright, given the fact that in my line of business you usually start out as 'associate', the trashcan of strategic consultancy, that might be true. However, the job on offer is one I expect to be above my skill level (university), so that makes it a real shortcut into this line of business (this is due to the fact that the company I'd be working for would be a spinoff of a larger company which has quite a good reputation in Europe).

    @Derjaeger: As goals are concerned, I think that's exactly the problem I'm facing. This line of work is one of my longterm goals (as I don't see myself in a 20 year career as an editor), but it's conflicting with my shortterm goals (skiing!).

    @Woodsy: Mang what's up, long time no see! I'd be happy to send you guys another bottle, maybe you could run cars on that stuff, it would solve the whole energy debate

    @descender: TM is a Dutch university degree which teaches business management in technical corporations (think Shell, GM, etc). However, my personal interest has led me into the field of innovation and strategy, combined with solving problems at the highest possible level, that would make me a strategy consultant (Just not for business like Boston Consultancy Group or Roland Berger, but more intern @ tech companies)


    (btw, thanks for all the input!)

  7. #7
    Join Date
    May 2005
    Location
    Germania
    Posts
    671
    I am in a similar situation at the min, deciding between work and the snow. I'm doing a lot of thinking about what I want to have achieved and where I want to be in 5, 10 and 20 years time. It is tough, and I know my priorities will change, but I think this is the best way to do it.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Oct 2003
    Location
    Bellingham WA
    Posts
    1,933
    Quote Originally Posted by Incompetent Boob
    I am in a similar situation at the min, deciding between work and the snow. I'm doing a lot of thinking about what I want to have achieved and where I want to be in 5, 10 and 20 years time. It is tough, and I know my priorities will change, but I think this is the best way to do it.
    I blew off a 65K a year job to ski. So far I dont regret it, and Im stoked that my only comintments this year is to ski my ass off shoot a lot of pics, and whore my self out to various ski companies and mags.

    While the pay isnt going to be as good, the quality of life is going to be bar non.

    I am planing on getting a real job in the spring, but only if it lets me ski whenever I want........

    So I may be an unemployed egineer with lots of ski industry experiance for quite some time.

    Follow your dreams, not you check book, and see where you end up. I know that its going to take a shitload of cash to make me content skiing less than 5 days a week.
    The Ski Journal theskijournal.com
    frequency TSJ frqncy.com

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Nov 2005
    Posts
    87
    Quote Originally Posted by mtbakerskier
    So I may be an unemployed egineer with lots of ski industry experiance for quite some time.
    Who wooda thunk you could git a engineering degree from Cracker Jacks?

  10. #10
    Join Date
    May 2002
    Location
    Norte del río
    Posts
    2,212
    Quote Originally Posted by AH
    Talked to a recruitment guy who could get me a very nice job within 2 months, but I'd prolly have to give up the editor job, which I just started (heck, this is my first winter and I want to take advantage of it! ). Other downside: parttime consultancy is no realistic possibility.

    WWMD, go for the solid 60+ hours a week job and $$ income or be relaxed and enjoy the poor life of an editor?
    AH, recruitment guys will tell you anything. Stick with the mag for this winter, it won't look bad on your cv and there'll be vacancies around in June/july.

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Mar 2004
    Location
    Leysin, Switzerland
    Posts
    1,262
    Take the cash, save it over a few years, then go into semi retirement.
    Ski, Bike, Climb.
    Resistence is futile.

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