I was wondering if anyone here has gotten degrees in a field, went into it for a while and successfully switched fields later on in life. I guess I need a little reassurance right now. My problem is I get bored very easily. I'm an urban planning major that doesn't want to be a GIS freak and policy wonk for the rest of my life. I'd love to get into architecture and/or real estate but I am worried that, like Leonardo Da Vinci, I would never truely get anything great accomplished because my interests are spread so thin. All I know is that I want to change urban form in a way that's aesthetic and benefical to society. Not necessarily on a huge scale though. I just constantly remind myself that whatever it is I want to be good at, I better start out as early as possible and focus on that, if I expect to be competent in whatever I'm doing. But if I could just hear some examples of planners becoming great real estate developers, developers becoming architects, economists becoming crocodile hunters, etc... it would give me great peace of mind. Thanks.

The answer is yes. I started out going to art school (photography) then decided I didn’t want to spend $25,000 to hopefully get a job making $20,000 or possibly more if I was lucky.

 

I dropped out of art school and got a degree in Accounting. I didn’t finish changing careers there, after being a bean counter for 5 years I got bored. Accounting is heavily revolved around Information Technology and this lead to another opportunity.

 

After working my way up from Staff Accountant to Assistant Controller, I was given the opportunity to oversee a conversion of the companies accounting systems based on my strong technical skills.

 

After completing the conversion I was offered my former position back but with the experience, I had no interest in going back into Accounting. With the experience I took a job doing a database conversion for another company and have been in the IT/IS field ever since.

 

Today, my experience in Accounting and Information Systems has given me the opportunity to be the IT Director of a prominent CPA firm here in Fort Lauderdale.

Don't stop learning, don't stop taking on a challenge, don't stop looking for opportunity to try something new or just do a little extra in your chosen field, and be willing to take calculated risks.  The career changes will come whether by careful design and planning along the way or simply by finding what you thrive on as a person and then earning money at it!

 

I think it can be a little unrealistic to know exactly what you want to do for the rest of your life at a young age.  I've considered career changes a few times, but haven't decided on anything yet.  The closest I've gotten is switching is from mainframe work to Java.  ;)  Ever since I switched, I haven't thought of a career change in a while.

 

I think people change careers all the time.  How easily it's done probably depends on the field itself.  I would imagine that some fields would require you to go back to school. 

I got my degree in economics, I've been in the book industry for the past eight years, and this fall I'll be entering grad school for urban planning. So you absolutely can do it. It just takes a little sacrifice.

 

I wish you the best of luck!

I think that where people get trapped is in their financial commitment to a lifestyle.

If you are supporting a wife, 3 kids and an invalid parent, it is going to be hard to take the pay cut that a career change usually incurs. If you remain a bachelor, it is no big deal.

In the end, the way you make money is just that - a way to make money. What is more important is to be true to yourself and the people who make up your life.

OTOH, I think that the career choice you are pursuing will give you many opportunities for future career choices as you will meet and learn about the many people who will be impacted by your work as an urban planner.

David, you're in DAAP.  You can steer your career whichever direction you would like it to go.  Go for co-ops that interest you and don't confine yourself to local opportunities which are obviously limited.  I'm getting the same degree you are and I've yet to do anything that resembles GIS monkery. 

People change careers all the time, and I'd argue it's easier now than ever before. As long as you have the passion and commitment to educate yourself (whether through school or independently), you can be successful.

 

I don't often agree with C-Dawg, but he's dead right here, every word.  People do it all the time; it's easier now than every before; and you can be successful if you have the passion and commitment to educate yourself, whether that education be formal or informal...

I'm actually switching out of architecture into urban planning.  Or shall I say, I'm getting a bachelors in architecture and a masters in urban planning.  But I currently have a job in architecture (in fact I've lied to my boss for over a year now that I'm going to grad school in architecture for fear they will no longer invest in me).  I don't know, you say you don't want to be a GIS freak, but to tell you the truth, you don't want to be a CAD monkey at an architecture firm either lol.  The good thing is, if you choose to continue your education in another field, you will become more well rounded academically and it could open some doors a bit higher up on the job market.

 

If you want my own personal opinion on architecture, I'm currently working at an architecture firm that does some higher end stuff.  I've had the opportunity to actually work in the design phases of some buildings, including a hotel conference center I designed the exterior for, but really who cares.  It's all overrated, but that's just what I feel  What matters is you enjoy the job you get, you feel your position is stable, and you don't get too stressed.

Thanks everybody :]

The good news about real estate is that you don't need any specific degree- just some ability to raise money and sell your vision to investors, lenders and city officials.  Not that it's easy....