Mediocre Life Wanted...

[MsAnthropy_Indefatigably]

So I'm a nurse. Not a well-educated one with a masters or the like...
Just an LPN....
That point has been ingrained into my mind for as long as I've held the profession...
Thought I would go on to do the RN thing, but as time went on, I realized I was just fine being "just" an LPN....
Then as more time went on and I started doing some real "soul searching", I found that I'm really more in love with science and technology than I am nursing. But without having a college degree (or by obtaining no more than a 2 year degree), what professions am I capable of holding that will give me the ability to:

a.) Work in the science/technology field
b.) not be micromanaged
c.) not be exposed to "customers" or "patrons" on a consistent and mind-numbing basis.

I used to work for Motorola when i was a teenager and was always told, "you should become an engineer", which to me was like, "I don't think so, that's what "guys" do"... but I should have probably listened. I just didn't realize I was "one of them" at the time. ..

 

[intpz]

Either go indie or go back to school. But chances are you'll still be micromanaged on some level.

 

[Intellect]

Either go indie or go back to school. But chances are you'll still be micromanaged on some level.

Yeah, your best bet if you want to actively work in a science/tech field would be to just bite the bullet and get the degree.

An alternative would be to intern part-time at a tech/sci company and express interest in working a higher level position. If they know/trust you enough, you could potentially slide past the degree requirement. If not, then you'll gain powerful references for later on.

It never hurts to just start applying for positions. Even without a degree or experience in the field, you can probably get some sort of entry-level job with a company you're interested in.

In the meantime, maybe you want to stay at your current job while pursuing your science/tech interests independently on your own time. That way you won't have to be micromanaged and you'll get to work on whatever projects interest you. Who knows, maybe you'll meet like-minded people and end up starting your own venture this way.

 

[intpz]

Actually my main suggestion was to go indie.

 

[Valentas]

Do you know what I understood? As much as I would like to not be bothered and work alone, there will always be some interaction, communication and I just need to minimize the amount of dumb conversations and embrace new stuff or exciting people and their ideas.

Also do not forget that people pay money and that points towards one thing: be more extroverted, it is nothing hard. You just need courage. For example, I was always very shy, never went to parties but one day my friend forced me to get out to that thing ... dance party.. In the beginning, I was hiding in the corner and thought that all this party thing is dumb but once my friend took me by hand and I followed to the crowd, I felt somehow...happy. It was fun. It was my attitude which changed rapidly.

Up till now, I don't feel awkward or shy anymore if I am invited somewhere, I just like to engage to talk with couple of people. And there is another trick: they have different attitudes, world views and you can learn a lot about yourself and humanity overall.

If you think that science is going to allow you to be more independent, that is certainly not false. But don't forget that a scientist without amazing communication skills cannot provide and explain knowledge to others. If you cannot prove to others your work, no matter how ground-breaking your solutions are, you are just one small person in the sea of others. You have no voice, no one will spot you.

It is like a beautiful analogy to human being's body: imagine you are a cell of your organism. Have you ever thought about what does your left side liver cell is doing at the moment? How it feels? Absurdity. Of course not.

The same principle applies to humanity. You are a cell(person) in an organism(humanity). Do you think that Chinese kid ever thought about you? Nope. Unless....unless you shout loudly that here I am people, look at me and praise me. The same analogy is a cancerous cell which reports itself with disease...

You said you want to become engineer. As far as I know, engineers are very chatty people because they are involved in group projects. There will always be stupid people among community for whom you may need to explain what you are up to. It may be irritating but that is life. We evolved to live in community and we must adapt. It is easier to adapt than change the world

The best idea is to start your own company. You will have to communicate a lot but you will not be ordered or managed...with the exception of economy which manages everyone.

If you have a dream - go for it but firstly find a place to shadow engineers and talk with them what pros and cons are...why learn a subject if you are not certain what it is like in real world?

 

[MsAnthropy_Indefatigably]

Do you know what I understood? As much as I would like to not be bothered and work alone, there will always be some interaction, communication and I just need to minimize the amount of dumb conversations and embrace new stuff or exciting people and their ideas.

Also do not forget that people pay money and that points towards one thing: be more extroverted, it is nothing hard. You just need courage. For example, I was always very shy, never went to parties but one day my friend forced me to get out to that thing ... dance party.. In the beginning, I was hiding in the corner and thought that all this party thing is dumb but once my friend took me by hand and I followed to the crowd, I felt somehow...happy. It was fun. It was my attitude which changed rapidly.

Up till now, I don't feel awkward or shy anymore if I am invited somewhere, I just like to engage to talk with couple of people. And there is another trick: they have different attitudes, world views and you can learn a lot about yourself and humanity overall.

If you think that science is going to allow you to be more independent, that is certainly not false. But don't forget that a scientist without amazing communication skills cannot provide and explain knowledge to others. If you cannot prove to others your work, no matter how ground-breaking your solutions are, you are just one small person in the sea of others. You have no voice, no one will spot you.

It is like a beautiful analogy to human being's body: imagine you are a cell of your organism. Have you ever thought about what does your left side liver cell is doing at the moment? How it feels? Absurdity. Of course not.

The same principle applies to humanity. You are a cell(person) in an organism(humanity). Do you think that Chinese kid ever thought about you? Nope. Unless....unless you shout loudly that here I am people, look at me and praise me. The same analogy is a cancerous cell which reports itself with disease...

You said you want to become engineer. As far as I know, engineers are very chatty people because they are involved in group projects. There will always be stupid people among community for whom you may need to explain what you are up to. It may be irritating but that is life. We evolved to live in community and we must adapt. It is easier to adapt than change the world

The best idea is to start your own company. You will have to communicate a lot but you will not be ordered or managed...with the exception of economy which manages everyone.

If you have a dream - go for it but firstly find a place to shadow engineers and talk with them what pros and cons are...why learn a subject if you are not certain what it is like in real world?

Well, I understand your point. And I'm not trying to avoid all human contact, but when you're a nurse, the people you work with are constantly changing and the experiences range from almost unnoticeable to completely energy draining. And when it's 40+ of these people day in and day out, it's tiring.

I don't have any intent on "becoming" extroverted. I am comfortable in practically any environment as myself, and at work I'm okay being noticed or recognized, but I don't plan on leading any ventures or being anyone's team leader any time soon. I enjoy anonymity unless faced with the being able to change something that no one will speak up on. But this gets me in trouble as well (at my current job) because I'm viewed as "defiant" when I question things.

I would consider myself all the classic INTP traits in this way. I don't like looking at this potential change as being a "dream" of mine. It's just a thought.

Also don't want to become an engineer, unless I become one... but I don't see myself having the motivation to get through 4 years of college...

Thanks for the input!

 

[SMO]

Technical writer, lab tech, nursing student tutor, pharm sales rep, fledgling vigilante, just a few suggestions.

 

[Architect]

Also don't want to become an engineer, unless I become one... but I don't see myself having the motivation to get through 4 years of college...

Then why are you looking for advice? I'm not being combative, but there's not much we can tell you if you aren't motivated to get re-educated and don't know what you want to do. There's no magic wand to get you into a more interesting line of work.

 

[intpz]

Then why are you looking for advice? I'm not being combative, but there's not much we can tell you if you aren't motivated to get re-educated and don't know what you want to do. There's no magic wand to get you into a more interesting line of work.

Re-education is a poor advice, I always hated school and I always found it, even more boring than an ESFJ talking about sports and feelings.

Me, I'm not going to get college education, both because I can't afford it and because it's boring and I know that I wouldn't do anything at home. If I was to get free education, I may pass it, but I couldn't "just go to school" for 4 years unless I had money to buy shit I want in "real life."

Best solution for her is to go indie, learn programming or animation, or something she likes and find an indie group to join, especially if she's from the US, CA or UK, where those folks seem to be found.

 

[Architect]

Re-education is a poor advice, I always hated school and I always found it, even more boring than an ESFJ talking about sports and feelings.

Generic comments is poor advice IMO. Eduction can be a boon to getting work you want, especially if you already have a technical degree. I was able to switch from science to a computer job with a year worth of CS.

Best solution for her is to go indie, learn programming or animation, or something she likes and find an indie group to join

Perhaps. Like I say I don't have enough information to give good suggestions.

 

[intpz]

Generic comments is poor advice IMO. Eduction can be a boon to getting work you want, especially if you already have a technical degree. I was able to switch from science to a computer job with a year worth of CS.

Unless she'd be getting real good education...

But anyway, what you said depends on chance. Same like me getting a job right now without education.

 

[MsAnthropy_Indefatigably]

Yeah, your best bet if you want to actively work in a science/tech field would be to just bite the bullet and get the degree.

An alternative would be to intern part-time at a tech/sci company and express interest in working a higher level position. If they know/trust you enough, you could potentially slide past the degree requirement. If not, then you'll gain powerful references for later on.

It never hurts to just start applying for positions. Even without a degree or experience in the field, you can probably get some sort of entry-level job with a company you're interested in.

In the meantime, maybe you want to stay at your current job while pursuing your science/tech interests independently on your own time. That way you won't have to be micromanaged and you'll get to work on whatever projects interest you. Who knows, maybe you'll meet like-minded people and end up starting your own venture this way.

This is probably more doable for me....

Then why are you looking for advice? I'm not being combative, but there's not much we can tell you if you aren't motivated to get re-educated and don't know what you want to do. There's no magic wand to get you into a more interesting line of work.

I like how a lot of you dismissed my interest in a 2-year degree as an acceptable level of education! lol

I'm sorry, I agree with @intpz. I don't have the affinity for university level education and hence why I maybe never really considered the engineering thing. I only went to college because it was what was expected of me. I don't care for all the abstract theory and team work that comes along with 4+ year education. I understand there are plenty of single moms out there sacrificing their time and whatnot to go back to school and become doctors and sh*, but that's not at all my interest. (read the thread title!)

What are your thoughts on IT-geared programs/ technical schools?? Useless? Too expensive to be worth it?