Career change at 27 - Engineering to Psychology

[Kgal]

I graduated as a chemical engineer and did that for three years in a refinery. Hated it.
I moved in to running my mothers business before the economy tanked. Liked it.
Shut that business down and started morphing myself into accounting and taking computer programming. Liked that.
Moved to Chicago and became the controller for a software firm with revenue of $6 million a year. LOVED it - largely because I was my own boss and I taught myself how to do double entry accounting. I also converted the company from a manual system to computerized.
Left Chicago to run a farm down in TX that I created. Hated it.
Tried doing accounting in a rural area. Didn't like that at all....because it was sexist and I was bored.
Was accepted in to the Masters of Social Work 2 year program - graduated - and have been doing social work ever since. THIS is what I love.

I was depressed during most of those years - except the Chicago job - until I made the decision to become a social worker.

I highly encourage you to follow your heart.

 

[Awesome]

There is really no point in going to school for the soft sciences. It's like getting a degree in business, you'd be better off with 5 years of experience. One of my friends has a degree in business and she landed a minimum wage job as a secretary, and the firm said you either needed 6 years experience or a bachelors degree. The thing is that even though college is very expensive, people still get degrees. When you get a degree you are putting yourself in a pool of other applicants that also have college degrees. If you are getting a degree, you need to pick something that will set you apart from the pack and I promise you that psychology is not one of them. Even if you don't get a job in engineering, you can use that degree virtually anywhere because it proves that you can work, it proves you can learn, and it proves you are smart. Those are all admirable qualities to have and it will really set you apart in the job market.
If you want to spend lots of money on a college degree, it should be on something that can put you on a path towards making money. That is what college is, a form of fitting a requirement to make money. I've been told by those older to me to play around and see what I like in college but I find that as such a silly piece of advice because in reality you are investing 5 figures, maybe even 6, into getting that degree. It should be something that can take you somewhere, not a place that lands you in McDonalds or selling cameras to people. I say you stick with engineering, get a degree that is actually required for job placement in the related field. At the very least, it's a very handsome thing to put on your resume.

 

[Kgal]

I'd like to add when I quit engineering to run my mother's business I worked 12 hrs a day 6 to 7 days a week and did things I thought I'd never do. It was a wonderful stretch.
When I did the farm I actually started a corporation; purchased 117 acres; and obtained a $500k loan for a start up poultry business. Again...things I thought I'd never do in my entire life at age 38 when I began that venture. We - my husband and my Dad and I - designed the whole thing. Then I hired a General Contractor to build it for me for it was all in my name. So even though I hated it - it was an incredible stretch for me and I learned a massive amount of information from it all.
While living in this rural area and me holding a horrible accounting job - we built a barn with an apartment on top. Then we built two monolithic dome homes on the 40 acres. Again...while the job was horrible and I was totally betrayed in that episode I got to build homes! Brand new idea homes! What a wonderful stretch that was.

Awesome is giving logical and efficient advice for you. If you are craving security in this tumultuous and chaotic world - this is the path to take. You could stay in the job he describes for a long long time...perhaps....assuming you get enough boomers to die off soon. 'Cause I assure you the majority of us are hanging on to our jobs tooth and nail. We cannot afford to retire.

Yet I want to ask you - can you see the diversity of experiences I have had by following my dreams? Sure they held some negative experiences...but oh wow did they also hold some positive experiences....wonderful experiences that have shaped me in to who I am today. I have lived a very interesting and amazing Life.

I don't discount my engineering training at all. I credit that choice of education (even though I too wanted psychology back then) for giving me Critical Reasoning Skills. My professors in Masters school said I was the most extraordinary student they've ever seen in that area. I'm sure you have them in spades too...so don't worry ....you will take that skill with you whatever you do.

Oh...and yes... I'd look for other ways of interacting with people than the traditional psychology route. That's old. It's going to go away. Take some psych courses to give you ideas but don't get locked into that particular degree. Some of the ones spoken of earlier in this thread sounded very interesting.

Happy adventuring!

 

[JCPA]

[MENTION=13077]Kamill[/MENTION] what course of action did you end up taking?

Could I suggest leveraging your professional knowledge in an adjacent field? For example, I think teaching engineering or math would add a lot of value to society. Here in the US, there is a critical need for STEM (Science Technology Engineering Mathematics). I could see teaching as being fulfilling by helping others learn about a profession in which you have experience. You could probably even guide them on their career tracks.

FWIW, back when I was an engineering student in college, I realized I needed to make a change. I spoke with my cousin, who was the Chairperson of the Psychology Department. He mentioned that if I considered psychology, I should expect to commit to a PhD to really do anything useful with the degree.

 

[INFJAli]

Thank you all for taking the time to read and share your advice...!
I don't take it for granted that anyone would to take their time to read, analyse and advise.
After reading, thinking and talking about this, I think my plan for the near future is:

1. Go to a therapist - clearly there are some issues I need to deal with,
2. Volunteer in an organization which allows people in distress to call in and just talk with volunteers (after several months of training). It won't interfere with my current job, and hopefully will allow me to understand if being a therapist is a good choice.

Thank you,
Kamill

Hi Kamill,

Did you do it??

Did you switch from Engineering to Psychology?

How’d it go?

Thanks,
Alison

 

[INFJAli]

Bro, I couldn't believe it when I saw the title of this post.... why? Because I am also a 27-year-old Engineer considering career change to Psychology!

Firstly, thanks to all the people that have replied. You have all put your greatest wisdom and effort into your responses, and I hope they helped Kamill as much as they helped me.

My situation is very similar: I have been graduated 5 years, but I studied Electrical Engineering and now work in Substation Design. So standard: great salary, job security, professional recognition... all great things to be thankful for. A great job all round. The one difference for me is that I struggle with my job, it takes up all of my energy and my boss is a completely non-empathetic perfectionist (definitely not an INFJ!). So I have reason to move job/company/career anyway.

But I feel the same as you... something missing, something not quite right. Some of my fellow Engineers are definitely meant to be Engineers. They care so much about... things! Equipment, boxes, wires! They turn them on, so to speak Not me though. I like the equations and numbers, but what I've noticed myself gravitating towards at work without any real reason is helping people. When I did the Myers-Briggs test and read the INFJ profile I had the same experience as you; it was like someone had been following me for years and recorded all my deepest drives and logged all my frustrations in the workplace.

Something's missing. Us INFJ's need to be satisfied on a deeper level. Now, I'm usually pretty terrible at realism and common sense (which begs the question why I'm in Engineering), but for this particular predicament of ours I think I have thought things out pretty sensibly:

What is a job? It's something that we spend most of our waking hours doing, from which we hope to get various things. Are you familiar with Maslow's hierarchy of needs? In ancient times we spent our days hunting and gathering, looking for shelter, then chilling and painting caves. This provided our needs of food, warmth, shelter and finally FULFILLMENT, this last one being met only after the first ones.

Nowadays, our jobs have the same role as this activity. We trade our time/effort for money and fulfillment. The money buys us the food and shelter we need, and entertainment too.

I'm sure some of the same thoughts have crossed our minds: Shouldn't I be happy with such a good job? Wouldn't a poor person from India or Ethiopia kill for this job?

If, like me, you live in the developed world then you are in a very privileged position of having the luxury to think about these things. People in poor countries have to work from the moment they wake up until bedtime just to eat. Luckily, that's not our situation.

So, the way I see it is, like someone above said: if you don't have any responsibilities (children, parents to support) other than yourself, then what use of your time and effort is going to provide you with the BEST overall happiness? Consider indeed whether you need to be working at a sufficient professional level in order to be happy (in yourself, not for your parents or peers). Consider also whether having limited money would cause you to be unhappy, and to what degree.

But consider also, that despite the professional level and salary of your current job, it is NOT making you happy. Phoning in sick because your not spending your time in a meaningful way is not happiness. If you had people to support, then not having enough money would indeed cause MORE unhappiness than this due to stress. But that's not your situation.

Can you see yourself doing your current job for the rest of your life? Scratch that, life is long and people change. Can you see yourself doing it for the next 3 years? How does the thought of doing it for the next 3 years make you feel? I'm guessing not happy, not inspired, and not potentially fulfilled.

So the question is, what use of your time provides you with the best overall balance of happiness. Fulfillment, and enough money for what you need right now.

There are only 2 things that you definitely SHOULDN'T do. Number 1 is make hasty changes and end up in a worse position, in another job which doesn't fulfill you, but also doesn't pay well and is less secure. That's just pointless! Number 2 is 'nothing', i.e. don't do nothing and stay in the same predicament for years.

Luckily for you (and me) there are 3 virtually risk-free paths of investigation to go down. Number 1 is to start doing new things in your spare time that are similar to your potential new career. Volunteer for a crisis helpline, do a weekend course in Counselling and/or Psychotherapy, volunteer for non-profit organisations.

Number 2 is an extension of number 1, if number 1 goes well. Can you get away with doing a straight 40 hour week as an Engineer with no emotional investment? Or even less, part-time? And start devoting more of your energy to these "alternative" options? Then you'd get the security of Engineering, with the fulfillment of the other options.

Number 3... if your home country is anything like the UK, then they are desperate for Engineers. Do you really think that if you took 3 years out to explore other options, then changed your mind, that you wouldn't get re-hired as an Engineer? Get your finances and plans in order, and try a series of other jobs for a few years to see how you fare. If you don't like the other options as much as you thought, then you back to programming-land!

My point is, there are intermediate options that allow you to try before you buy. And you might be able to find a more unusual Engineering job/role that lets you help people more directly.

There are plenty of people in shitty jobs who are unhappy, and there are plenty of people who are in good jobs who are unhappy. You don't want to be either of those - life is too short.

There are lots of psychology graduates and not many jobs. But if your capable enough to be an Engineer, and you got behind Psych 100% there's no reason to think you wouldn't be one of the few successful ones.

Also, like someone said above, being INFJ's may mean we need to set up our own environment's that we are in control of to be happy. Like this guy:

Only you can make the decision in the end. But follow the best advice from above:
1. Be sensible. Try before you buy.
2. Listen to your heart/gut. DO NOT ignore how you feel about your current job.
3. Remember that if all else fails, you can go back to Engineering.
4. Think about how you'd feel if you never explored other options. (Hint: bad!)

http://www.rophydoes.com/images/memes/gift_giving/office_01.jpg


PS - I was off work last year for 6 months with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and depression. I cured myself with the help of a psychologist/therapist. I now post tips on OCD forums to help people recover. When people reply and say that my post has changed their life, it gives me more satisfaction than anything I do in Engineering. Because I know that my effort and expertise has changed someone's life in a huge way. The only question for me is whether I continue to do this in my spare time, or can do it as a career.

Peace bro!

x

Did you do it? Did you change to psychology?

I’m a 29 year old engineer in the US. Basically growing up I wanted to be a writer, architect, or a psychologist. Anything that allowed me to connect with people, solve the problems of the world.

I was always deterred from these things. Both my parents are engineers and to them engineering is the best salary for the least amount of money dumped into college. It’s safe, stable, and very much needed in the world. You can do a ton with just a bachelors degree, which for me has been a huge blessing to be so financially stable with no student debt.

However I have been depressed for years now. I’ve changed jobs four times in the past three years, but all engineering is essentially the same. My friends tell me that jobs just suck, all bosses suck, all companies suck, and that there’s no real way around it other than to learn to appreciate where you are.

I’ve been in therapy for a year now and while it’s been hugely beneficially for my mental health, it’s also thrown into sharp relief that the main reason for my grief day to day is that I don’t get to indulge in the intensity of interactions with others, helping people and healing others in the way that I need.

I don’t think I can solve my issues with just simple job changes anymore. I think I need out of this field. Through therapy I feel like more and more that it’s a field I would deeply enjoy. But it would mean going back to school, student debt, grad school, all to end up making a lower salary than what i currently make. Definitely a poor financial and career decision if we’re only counting in dollars.

I just have panic attacks weekly at my current job. I can’t make it through this stress when it’s something I don’t even believe in or am not passionate about. When I talk to those around me about dealing with stress at work, it seems like what gets them through it is a passion for what they do. Teachers make no money and work ridiculous hours, but for the most part they genuinely enjoy the sparks of hope that they get from their students.

So any success stories on making this change and living it out now would be awesome to hear about!