[BMW F22]

I know this is a car forum but you guys have given great advice in the past so I thought I should get some opinions on this.

I finished my MBA a few months ago and have been working at the current company for a little over a year. It is a cushy job and pretty laid back. However, because of that I often get bored and feel complacent. I want to learn new things and move up but promotions there can take a very long time. For example, I'm due for a promo but it has been 2 months and I haven't heard anything.

I am in finance right now and while I have learned a lot, I'm not sure if that's something I would like to do from here on out. In other words, I have been trying to soul-search and see what would make me happy doing it for the rest of my life. How did you guys find your calling? Do you love or hate your what you do?

[upstatedoc]

Originally Posted by BMW E90

I finished my MBA a few months ago and have been working at the current company for a little over a year. It is a cushy job and pretty laid back. However, because of that I often get bored and feel complacent.

^^sounds like someone needs to go into business for himself.

[M_Six]

I've changed career fields so many times I've lost count. My undergrad degree is in geology. But since '98 I've been in IT. My MS is in Technology Management. I don't do nearly as much hands on stuff now, it's mostly big picture stuff and I love it. My boss may retire soon and I've thought about going for his job because of the salary jump, but Wifey says I'd be insane to leave this job as it's enjoyable, hassle free, and pays well enough for us to be comfortable.

But I know what you mean about not wanting to do something for the rest of your life. That's why I've changed fields so many times. I get sick of the same thing after 5 years or so. One advantage to IT is that it encompasses so many different things that it's easier to stay in the field and still do something new. I know zip about the finance field, but I'm assuming that you need lots of experience from the trenches before you can move into management, right? Do you have your eye on some other work in the same relative field?

[SAM135iAM]

I'm in the same situation as you OP. Except I haven't finished my MBA yet. I work in product development and engineering. I've been with my company for almost three years. I went to school for sales and marketing. I have grown to dislike the company due to the complacent atmosphere, and lack of upward growth and mobility here. What I have done to try and start the process of finding my dream job, or at least a better suited position for me, is really get my LinkedIn account set up nicely and apply apply apply to jobs daily. I also set up a GlassDoor account and have daily email notifications of jobs that match what I would like to be doing, which is in Sales and Marketing like i went to school for. That could be a start for you OP if you haven't already done those two things.

[BMW F22]

Originally Posted by upstatedoc

^^sounds like someone needs to go into business for himself.

I really want to. I have been thinking hard about it for a while. I had some ideas in the past but did not pursue them for various reasons. Now I am looking for a solid idea and I'm going to pounce on it. I'm willing to work a full time job and do something else on the side too.

[BMW F22]

Originally Posted by M_Six

I've changed career fields so many times I've lost count. My undergrad degree is in geology. But since '98 I've been in IT. My MS is in Technology Management. I don't do nearly as much hands on stuff now, it's mostly big picture stuff and I love it. My boss may retire soon and I've thought about going for his job because of the salary jump, but Wifey says I'd be insane to leave this job as it's enjoyable, hassle free, and pays well enough for us to be comfortable.

But I know what you mean about not wanting to do something for the rest of your life. That's why I've changed fields so many times. I get sick of the same thing after 5 years or so. One advantage to IT is that it encompasses so many different things that it's easier to stay in the field and still do something new. I know zip about the finance field, but I'm assuming that you need lots of experience from the trenches before you can move into management, right? Do you have your eye on some other work in the same relative field?

You are correct, it does require a lot of experience for management. My manager has been there for over 30 years. I'm really looking for different positions in the same field, more like a different field over all. The problem is what? I've been in sales for 5 years so I thought about going into sales and marketing.

[BMW F22]

Originally Posted by SAM135iAM

I'm in the same situation as you OP. Except I haven't finished my MBA yet. I work in product development and engineering. I've been with my company for almost three years. I went to school for sales and marketing. I have grown to dislike the company due to the complacent atmosphere, and lack of upward growth and mobility here. What I have done to try and start the process of finding my dream job, or at least a better suited position for me, is really get my LinkedIn account set up nicely and apply apply apply to jobs daily. I also set up a GlassDoor account and have daily email notifications of jobs that match what I would like to be doing, which is in Sales and Marketing like i went to school for. That could be a start for you OP if you haven't already done those two things.

Thank you for your suggestions! I've had a LinkedIn account for a while. What I have been doing is reaching out to my contacts (through mba program as well as friends), updated my resume and applying for other jobs.

[BMW F22]

Forgot to mention but I was contemplating on quitting and take a few months off to just travel. There's also personal, unpaid leave that I could try and get approval for.

[PSUSMU]

I have a B.S. in IT and a M.S. in Systems Engineering. I can't see myself doing anything other than IT stuff. When I hear people going for MBA, I still don't understand what you actually learn and want to do with it. What courses do you take for MBA? "Business" is so general, I feel like you need to specialize in something. "Oh, what do you do?" "I do business." :-|
There are some people that will never be satisfied working for someone else. I'm ok with it for now until I gain enough experience and more importantly, more contacts, in order to become an independent contractor/consultant.

Originally Posted by BMW E90

Forgot to mention but I was contemplating on quitting and take a few months off to just travel. There's also personal, unpaid leave that I could try and get approval for.

I support this 100% as I would love to do the same - the only hindrance I see would be explaining the gap in employment on your resume.

[BMW F22]

Originally Posted by PSUSMU

I have a B.S. in IT and a M.S. in Systems Engineering. I can't see myself doing anything other than IT stuff. When I hear people going for MBA, I still don't understand what you actually learn and want to do with it. What courses do you take for MBA? "Business" is so general, I feel like you need to specialize in something. "Oh, what do you do?" "I do business." :-|
There are some people that will never be satisfied working for someone else. I'm ok with it for now until I gain enough experience and more importantly, more contacts, in order to become an independent contractor/consultant.

I support this 100% as I would love to do the same - the only hindrance I see would be explaining the gap in employment on your resume.

It's funny you mentioned that. When interviewing for my current job, the hiring manager asked me about the gap that I had (it was more like 1.5 years). The gap was about 5-6 years ago. I told him I took some time off to "find myself." Surprisingly he said "i understand, I did the same when I was younger." He went on to tell me about stuff too.

I think ultimately I would like to start my own business, whether on the side or full time. The only issues now is I don't know what. I would love to work for a startup and help it grow. So if any of you guys out there is hiring, let me know!

[E90Alex]

Finance is a bit broad. Are you in high finance? (IB, PE, ER, etc...) or corporate finance?