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ricco67

ricco67

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Yep, they give bonuses for military band members, too. It's a nice gig if you can get it. But as for me, I'll sing Roy Orbison sometimes after I've been drinking...but nobody should ever be subjected to me attempting to yodel in the high registers. That'd have to be a violation of the Geneva Convention, somehow.

It hasn't been easy, but I've suffered my indignities in private.

Sometimes that's good, sometimes it's not. Life is full of these little inconveniences, at least, that's what I keep telling my college kid. Esp when she whines about some injustice done to her.

Being an adult sucks and I want my legos back.

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crunchtastic

crunchtastic

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Well, I'm glad that I apparently wasn't the only person sending a "WTF!!! call me!!!!!" text. :blush:

You discovered what I recently did, that the formerly choice AF OCS is impossible to get into these days. My SO was a Navy

man and would recommend Amphib. Small ships, (relatively) shorter floats, with only a couple of big Med and North Altlantic

cruises during his enlistment. Home base is VA Beach/Norfolk, which does not suck. He was one of those smartypants with big scores and took the crap job of boatswains mate when he went in. Other than the occasional 'problem with authority' on account of being a smartass (you two are

alike in ways) it was a good fit for him. We should probably stop with all the unsolicited advice. You'll figure it out.

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TheNiche

TheNiche

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Well, I'm glad that I apparently wasn't the only person sending a "WTF!!! call me!!!!!" text. :blush:

You discovered what I recently did, that the formerly choice AF OCS is impossible to get into these days. My SO was a Navy

man and would recommend Amphib. Small ships, (relatively) shorter floats, with only a couple of big Med and North Altlantic

cruises during his enlistment. Home base is VA Beach/Norfolk, which does not suck. He was one of those smartypants with big scores and took the crap job of boatswains mate when he went in. Other than the occasional 'problem with authority' on account of being a smartass (you two are alike in ways) it was a good fit for him. We should probably stop with all the unsolicited advice. You'll figure it out.

Wow, that IS scary. I mean, there are many aspects of my preference surrounding the naval quartermaster example that I didn't flesh out, yet that are aligned with his experiences. The small ship opportunities are among them, for all kinds of reasons. I have to admit, this is a little bizarre.

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Subdude

Subdude

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But since I've already got a business degree, an MBA is largely redundant. And since I'm qualified for the CFA and intend to also pursue that designation, getting an MS in Finance would also be largely redundant.

I would very much disagree. Whether or not the classes repeat what you may have had as an undergrad, a graduate degree will always look good on the CV and give you a leg up in the job market.

Up until this week, the niche sector that I'd been courting was the economic development industry, where my real estate experience and business degrees would be a good fit.

If you are starting your career, is it the best strategy to target a specific sector? I should think that with a business degree the priority would be to first find a reasonable job and then work to develop an area of expertise.

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TheNiche

TheNiche

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I would very much disagree. Whether or not the classes repeat what you may have had as an undergrad, a graduate degree will always look good on the CV and give you a leg up in the job market.

I agree, actually. This is a problem for a cynic like me, however, because if all I feel like I'm doing is paying lots of good money in order to spend countless hours jumping through academic hoops without intellectually challenging myself on new material, then I'll sabotage my own performance and skate by like I've done for the better part of my life since elementary school. Seeing as this would be a very expensive capstone academic experience, I'd like to enjoy it, actually do well, and have that reflected in my GPA and class rank...and that's only going to happen if I value the experience intrinsically. And if I can maximize my intrinsic satisfaction, frankly, I think that extrinsic benefits will follow later on.

If you are starting your career, is it the best strategy to target a specific sector? I should think that with a business degree the priority would be to first find a reasonable job and then work to develop an area of expertise.

Re-starting my career, actually. And yeah, I've been there and done that. I already had transferable experience and have frequently provided consulting services to organizations within this sector. Also, I had a highly-targeted sector-specific employment campaign in mind. It just occurred to me that pursuing this sector probably would've been a strategic blunder.

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TexasVines

TexasVines

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are you going in to kill 4 years until the economy improves or to change careers?

Marines = the hardest

Army = they still march around places and sleep in tents

Navy = no one marches around a boat (but they do scrape rust) and at least you get to sleep "indoors"

Air Force = no one marches around a plane and they fly to places fast

if you want a career change go in the Navy and go into IT or nuclear propulsion (the nuclear job market is about to explode and south Texas is looking to build two more so you could get a job right close to home)......the problem with nuclear is that big ships go NO WHERE......you can not send a 5,000 person carrier (much less the group) into some small Italian port without people thinking the USA has invaded........they send the SMALL oil burners to places like that......the guys on the SMALL oil burners are the ones that get to see all the coolest places because the USA does not like to burn the fuel and a small ship does not take over a town when they pull in

nuclear subs go NOWHERE.....so if you are looking at getting on a boomer and thinking about seeing the world.......your world needs to consist of home port and UNDER THE OCEAN.......those are the ONLY places that boomers go no matter what anyone else tells you.......so at least get on a surface nuclear ship......if no nuclear go into IT or fire systems control and get on a SMALL boat

you really should look at the Coast Guard if you are looking to kill 4 years

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Dream

Dream

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niche,

i really appreciate how you were an "open book" during this whole process of losing your job and going on the job hunt. reading thru the posts from the start and seeing how you dealt with this, planned your next step, and marketed yourself has been a real eye opener. this downturn, esp commercial real estate, has been brutal. the way you have been turned down at every corner must be very frustrating. thank you and i wish you the best of luck.

fyi: my 2 cents: you are a smart guy, you should start your own business, hard work and a little luck is all it takes. what's the worst that can happen, it doesn't work, so what, at least you tried.

dream

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TheNiche

TheNiche

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fyi: my 2 cents: you are a smart guy, you should start your own business, hard work and a little luck is all it takes. what's the worst that can happen, it doesn't work, so what, at least you tried.

dream

Been there, done that, with a partner on a real estate venture that was first conceived of during the heady days of 2007. Needless to say, some of our assumptions about the future sucked. If my partner is unable or unwilling to bring fresh capital to the company, we're looking down the barrel of a commercial foreclosure. If not...the company survives but sees relatively little return on its investment for several years, at least. It's not something I like to harp on, but true nevertheless.

In that context, honestly, it feels a little like I'm 18 again. No transferable professional experience. Degrees that for all intents and purposes barely convey one's stick-to-it-ive-ness anymore. Few attachments. Beans, rice, Ramen, and 190-proof neutral grain spirits mixed w/Tang as staples of my diet. Nothing much to show for my life to this point. ...but having that business is considered an asset on my balance sheet, and that creates problems where either student financial aid or even food stamps are concerned. It really does suck, even to think in those terms, much less to have such meager "entitlements", which I paid towards in better times and as a distressed entrepreneur, denied to me.

It's as though I were a starry-eyed little kid playing a video game, and an impish younger sibling came over and pressed the reset button...and then peed on my Nintendo. Frustrating as all hell, and I can't hurt the bastard or else I'll get in trouble with 'big brother'. In that context, I can't help but wonder whether gaining an 'in' with big brother (i.e. military service) wouldn't be a really good idea, long term. Obviously, I can't survive on my own with any semblance of peace or tranquility.

I'm rambling a bit. Sorry. I know it sounds creepy, but as you might've figured out I do commiserate with Joe Stack...and being stranded in Austin, I've come to find out that I'm by far not the only person, even out of the locals. I only think that his "solution" was suboptimal.

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Subdude

Subdude

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I'm sure it's small consolation at the time, but life is full of "resets". It's not like you think as a kid, a smooth progression onwards and upwards, with everything you want sort of dropping into place. You'll end up with a lot more careers than you realize.

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AtticaFlinch

AtticaFlinch

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I'm sure it's small consolation at the time, but life is full of "resets". It's not like you think as a kid, a smooth progression onwards and upwards, with everything you want sort of dropping into place. You'll end up with a lot more careers than you realize.

Ain't that the truth. I'm a mere 32 and already on my third career - not third job, third career.

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Subdude

Subdude

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...and that creates problems where either student financial aid or even food stamps are concerned. It really does suck, even to think in those terms, much less to have such meager "entitlements", which I paid towards in better times and as a distressed entrepreneur, denied to me.

One supposes that just as there are no atheists in foxholes, so there are no libertarians in unemployment lines.

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TheNiche

TheNiche

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One supposes that just as there are no atheists in foxholes, so there are no libertarians in unemployment lines.

One would suppose incorrectly on both counts.

It does seem implied from your assertion that I am in an unemployment line. This is false, on account of that I was a full-time student last semester, attempting to re-tool myself to suit the new economy. But if you're a full-time student, they stop sending you unemployment checks. That doesn't necessarily mean that financial aid is forthcoming...it certainly didn't in my case. It also does not follow that a more in-depth academic background in accounting will get you anywhere in this economy. I can't even get interviews for bookkeeper positions.

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Triton

Triton

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Degree in finance huh?

Well, I know at the car dealership that I work for (Texas Direct Auto), they just lost 3 financiers and they are on the look for people in finance. (TDA is the world's largest seller of vehicles on Ebay and one of the largest in Houston). Check em out... you may want to get a job there if you havent. *sry... didnt have time to read everything you wrote so I wasnt sure if you got a job already*

http://www.texasdirectauto.com/

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