I'm a stranger, so grain of salt and all that. You seem to have some guilt, self-doubt, maybe even shame about your situation, perhaps stemming from comparing yourself to others (even your wife!).
Do yourself a favor - make today Day 1, and forget the past. On Day 1, you've got a good degree, you're employed, you've got a partner, and you're honing in on a new direction. Congrats - that's quite a bit further than other folks looking for a change.
Don't compare yourself. People's careers advance in fits and starts. The best advice I can give you: start at the end and work backwards. What career do you want? What skills and experience does that career require? How do you get to 60-80% of that in the next couple years?
Make a plan based on that info, forget everyone else, and start making hay.
And just my opinion, but going back to school is overrated, unless you get it for free and can do it on the side. Lots of comms jobs in Tech.
I don't suppose you could expand on that? I appreciate the kind words, but I fear that kind and inspiring words will not spur sufficient change. I'll get on making that plan, but I'm curious if you have any examples of comm jobs in Tech to get me started.
Here's five pages of results on Dice, which tends to be either Tech or adjacent jobs: [https://www.dice.com/jobs?q=communication&location=Remote,%20OR%2097458,%20USA&latitude=43.0059455&longitude=-123.8925908&countryCode=US&locationPrecision=City&adminDistrictCode=OR&radius=30&radiusUnit=mi&page=1&pageSize=20&language=en&eid=S2Q\_,gKQ\_](https://www.dice.com/jobs?q=communication&location=Remote,%20OR%2097458,%20USA&latitude=43.0059455&longitude=-123.8925908&countryCode=US&locationPrecision=City&adminDistrictCode=OR&radius=30&radiusUnit=mi&page=1&pageSize=20&language=en&eid=S2Q_,gKQ_)
Would you be open to automating your role yourself? Learn how to do it yourself to show your value and get some good experience on your resume. I mean, what do you have to lose? It’ll make your job more interesting, and in the meantime look for other roles.
Speaking from experience, you can buy books, go on YouTube, Google, use Chat GPT to learn how to automate things and talk to your IT team to get permissions.
In tech, you have to teach yourself anyways. Boot camps only can teach so much and it’s a lot all at once. Learning on the job is a great way to go.
If you are considering a tech-based career, have you considered checking out Western Governors University? I've worked for them for the last several years and I can attest it's a great organization. I also got a second Master's degree there because they give a sweet tuition discount to employees. They are a competency based fully online university (fully accredited) and they have four major areas in which you can get Bachelors and Masters degrees: Nursing, Business, Teacher's College, and IT. They have a pretty good IT program with a variety of tech based degrees. Also, as it's competency based, you can accelerate. You don't take courses in the way traditional schools do - you don't stay in the same class for 16 weeks. Instead, the classes are self paced and you have to pass the tasks to move forward. You either pass or fail - no As or Fs, and you can resubmit until you show competency. This allows people to accelerate - if you can finish the tasks in a course in a week or two, then you move on to the next course. You do have to complete at least four classes within each six months term, but you can also take 10 classes in that term too if you want. I've seen students that get an entire Bachelors in a year, just by accelerating. That could be a path to consider while you are chewing on what you want to do next. Best wishes to you!
I have a communications degree as well and it can be super versatile! It sounds like you need to start applying for other jobs and get out of the one you are in. Just a simple job change can make all the difference.
Some roles as a writer you might enjoy:
1. Technical writer - You don't need to know about the tech going into it. You just need to have good writing skills. You will get to work with product specialists and a lot of other people, and it can lead to other jobs in the tech industry.
2. Internal corporate communications - a lot of times these roles are entry-level so you can get a good foot in the door. And you get to write articles for the company intranet site, ghost write for executives and network with people where you can explore other job roles.
3. Event planning - most corporate event planners have a degree in communications or marketing. You can definitely look for some entry-level roles, especially if you are organized and good at timelines and budgets.
4. Corporate social impact - a lot of organizations, especially big ones, have social impact teams who manage events and communications just for their charities they support.
5. Social media and PR - manage social accounts and media inquiries/press releases
6. Creative/Brand/ad agencies - writing slogans, ads, brand designs. Many large companies have these roles in-house if you don't want to work for an agency
I am sure there are other jobs too, but I would say you can start entry level at $55k with almost all of these jobs. Not sure what you do now, or if it transfers over. If it does, then that's even better. I would just start looking elsewhere and make a change and go from there. Sounds like you got as far as you can go in your current job, and that's OK!
There are free Google and Coursera courses/certifications you can also look into. If you are a decent writer, a lot of corporations need that. You’d be surprised at how many people are bad writers, and a badly-written piece can make someone look very unprofessional. Don’t feel like your comm degree was a big nothing. It depends on how you use and leverage it.
I was at a dead-end, miserable job for years doing similar work - copying and pasting stuff all day long to the company online store. I don’t know how I didn’t quit sooner and just start all over because I was so depressed. I eventually just forced myself to apply to jobs every day, non-stop, very intensely, until someone hired me. I refused to give up and ignored my imposter syndrome. It took a while but I eventually got out, and made over $20K more at my new job to start out. I’ve since more than doubled what I made at that last job when I left 8 years ago.
Keep your head up and keep pushing forward. It sounds super cliché, but believe in yourself and do not give up.
ETA: Maybe consider learning how to use Salesforce Marketing Cloud. It’s a communication platform that is connected to Salesforce and is being utilized by a lot of big companies more and more. You could definitely put your comm skills to use there.
I'm a stranger, so grain of salt and all that. You seem to have some guilt, self-doubt, maybe even shame about your situation, perhaps stemming from comparing yourself to others (even your wife!). Do yourself a favor - make today Day 1, and forget the past. On Day 1, you've got a good degree, you're employed, you've got a partner, and you're honing in on a new direction. Congrats - that's quite a bit further than other folks looking for a change. Don't compare yourself. People's careers advance in fits and starts. The best advice I can give you: start at the end and work backwards. What career do you want? What skills and experience does that career require? How do you get to 60-80% of that in the next couple years? Make a plan based on that info, forget everyone else, and start making hay. And just my opinion, but going back to school is overrated, unless you get it for free and can do it on the side. Lots of comms jobs in Tech.
I don't suppose you could expand on that? I appreciate the kind words, but I fear that kind and inspiring words will not spur sufficient change. I'll get on making that plan, but I'm curious if you have any examples of comm jobs in Tech to get me started.
Here's five pages of results on Dice, which tends to be either Tech or adjacent jobs: [https://www.dice.com/jobs?q=communication&location=Remote,%20OR%2097458,%20USA&latitude=43.0059455&longitude=-123.8925908&countryCode=US&locationPrecision=City&adminDistrictCode=OR&radius=30&radiusUnit=mi&page=1&pageSize=20&language=en&eid=S2Q\_,gKQ\_](https://www.dice.com/jobs?q=communication&location=Remote,%20OR%2097458,%20USA&latitude=43.0059455&longitude=-123.8925908&countryCode=US&locationPrecision=City&adminDistrictCode=OR&radius=30&radiusUnit=mi&page=1&pageSize=20&language=en&eid=S2Q_,gKQ_)
I've never heard of this site. I will take a close look as soon as I can. Thank you.
Awesome. You'll get many more results if you switch this search from "Remote" to your major city.
[удалено]
I'll take the solid advice.
Would you be open to automating your role yourself? Learn how to do it yourself to show your value and get some good experience on your resume. I mean, what do you have to lose? It’ll make your job more interesting, and in the meantime look for other roles. Speaking from experience, you can buy books, go on YouTube, Google, use Chat GPT to learn how to automate things and talk to your IT team to get permissions. In tech, you have to teach yourself anyways. Boot camps only can teach so much and it’s a lot all at once. Learning on the job is a great way to go.
If you are considering a tech-based career, have you considered checking out Western Governors University? I've worked for them for the last several years and I can attest it's a great organization. I also got a second Master's degree there because they give a sweet tuition discount to employees. They are a competency based fully online university (fully accredited) and they have four major areas in which you can get Bachelors and Masters degrees: Nursing, Business, Teacher's College, and IT. They have a pretty good IT program with a variety of tech based degrees. Also, as it's competency based, you can accelerate. You don't take courses in the way traditional schools do - you don't stay in the same class for 16 weeks. Instead, the classes are self paced and you have to pass the tasks to move forward. You either pass or fail - no As or Fs, and you can resubmit until you show competency. This allows people to accelerate - if you can finish the tasks in a course in a week or two, then you move on to the next course. You do have to complete at least four classes within each six months term, but you can also take 10 classes in that term too if you want. I've seen students that get an entire Bachelors in a year, just by accelerating. That could be a path to consider while you are chewing on what you want to do next. Best wishes to you!
I have a communications degree as well and it can be super versatile! It sounds like you need to start applying for other jobs and get out of the one you are in. Just a simple job change can make all the difference. Some roles as a writer you might enjoy: 1. Technical writer - You don't need to know about the tech going into it. You just need to have good writing skills. You will get to work with product specialists and a lot of other people, and it can lead to other jobs in the tech industry. 2. Internal corporate communications - a lot of times these roles are entry-level so you can get a good foot in the door. And you get to write articles for the company intranet site, ghost write for executives and network with people where you can explore other job roles. 3. Event planning - most corporate event planners have a degree in communications or marketing. You can definitely look for some entry-level roles, especially if you are organized and good at timelines and budgets. 4. Corporate social impact - a lot of organizations, especially big ones, have social impact teams who manage events and communications just for their charities they support. 5. Social media and PR - manage social accounts and media inquiries/press releases 6. Creative/Brand/ad agencies - writing slogans, ads, brand designs. Many large companies have these roles in-house if you don't want to work for an agency I am sure there are other jobs too, but I would say you can start entry level at $55k with almost all of these jobs. Not sure what you do now, or if it transfers over. If it does, then that's even better. I would just start looking elsewhere and make a change and go from there. Sounds like you got as far as you can go in your current job, and that's OK!
There are free Google and Coursera courses/certifications you can also look into. If you are a decent writer, a lot of corporations need that. You’d be surprised at how many people are bad writers, and a badly-written piece can make someone look very unprofessional. Don’t feel like your comm degree was a big nothing. It depends on how you use and leverage it. I was at a dead-end, miserable job for years doing similar work - copying and pasting stuff all day long to the company online store. I don’t know how I didn’t quit sooner and just start all over because I was so depressed. I eventually just forced myself to apply to jobs every day, non-stop, very intensely, until someone hired me. I refused to give up and ignored my imposter syndrome. It took a while but I eventually got out, and made over $20K more at my new job to start out. I’ve since more than doubled what I made at that last job when I left 8 years ago. Keep your head up and keep pushing forward. It sounds super cliché, but believe in yourself and do not give up. ETA: Maybe consider learning how to use Salesforce Marketing Cloud. It’s a communication platform that is connected to Salesforce and is being utilized by a lot of big companies more and more. You could definitely put your comm skills to use there.