riptides
Super Member
“Build your own dreams, or someone else will hire you to build theirs.”
Farrah Gray
Farrah Gray
Thinking of a career change...
- Thread starter El Wood
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Dr_Zinj
Veteran Member
Here's my 2 cents.
If you want a job with a lot of variety over the course of a career, try the military.
They'll train you for a particular job; and then you'll end up doing about a dozen other jobs part time along the way.
I wasn't real happy at the 10 year point, but realized that with 10 more years, plus the education opportunities, plus the health care, etc., I'd be a fool to walk away from it all, even with several deployments to the world's largest kitty litter box.
It took being assigned to Washington DC after 20+ years, PC manure up to my eyebrows, and a Seven Habits course to finally get me to say, "ENOUGH!"
So here's the Doctor's Guide to Career Transitioning.
1. Don't quit your current job. You need the resources. Medical Insurance, current retirement accounts and pensions, a stable phone/e-mail/business contact point (check your department's regulations on personal use first though), and your current income.
2. Identify your goals in life. You an do this on your own, but most people can't do it well solo. Get enrolled in a Steven Covey 7 Habits of Successful People course, or Landmark Forum course, or something similar. They have the exercises and coaching to get you to do what needs to be done. Note: people's goals in life often change over time. Don't be afraid to reevaluate 10 or 20 years down the line.
3. Identify your personal assets. By that I mean what you know, what you can do, what schooling and training you have, what certifications, etc. you can bring to any job. You'll do a lot of that in step 2.
4. Match your goals with what you have to reach your goal, and what areas you're short in (if any.) If you've got it all , congratulations!
5. Use your current job to get the areas you're short in, filled. Take courses, especially if you get some or all of your classes paid for by work. Be creative in how each of those classes benefit you on your current job in case the boss want's justification for shelling out the dough.
6. If you're going to work for yourself, start your business part-time from your full time job. Work your way into it. If you can pay your personal living expenses, all the bills for the business, and are making enough profit to invest in retirement all from the business, then you can quit your day job and go full time.
7. If you're going to work for someone else, you might want to get some tips from a job coach.
If you want a job with a lot of variety over the course of a career, try the military.
They'll train you for a particular job; and then you'll end up doing about a dozen other jobs part time along the way.
I wasn't real happy at the 10 year point, but realized that with 10 more years, plus the education opportunities, plus the health care, etc., I'd be a fool to walk away from it all, even with several deployments to the world's largest kitty litter box.
It took being assigned to Washington DC after 20+ years, PC manure up to my eyebrows, and a Seven Habits course to finally get me to say, "ENOUGH!"
So here's the Doctor's Guide to Career Transitioning.
1. Don't quit your current job. You need the resources. Medical Insurance, current retirement accounts and pensions, a stable phone/e-mail/business contact point (check your department's regulations on personal use first though), and your current income.
2. Identify your goals in life. You an do this on your own, but most people can't do it well solo. Get enrolled in a Steven Covey 7 Habits of Successful People course, or Landmark Forum course, or something similar. They have the exercises and coaching to get you to do what needs to be done. Note: people's goals in life often change over time. Don't be afraid to reevaluate 10 or 20 years down the line.
3. Identify your personal assets. By that I mean what you know, what you can do, what schooling and training you have, what certifications, etc. you can bring to any job. You'll do a lot of that in step 2.
4. Match your goals with what you have to reach your goal, and what areas you're short in (if any.) If you've got it all , congratulations!
5. Use your current job to get the areas you're short in, filled. Take courses, especially if you get some or all of your classes paid for by work. Be creative in how each of those classes benefit you on your current job in case the boss want's justification for shelling out the dough.
6. If you're going to work for yourself, start your business part-time from your full time job. Work your way into it. If you can pay your personal living expenses, all the bills for the business, and are making enough profit to invest in retirement all from the business, then you can quit your day job and go full time.
7. If you're going to work for someone else, you might want to get some tips from a job coach.
JamesHW
Platinum Member
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One possible avenue if you have the desire would be to go back to school and get accredited in computer forensics. I met any number of leo's in classes when I got accredited and they seemed to enjoy the field.
dmccarty
Super Star Member
What do you do with your accreditation? Work for an government agency or a private company?
Later,
Dan
forgeblast
Elite Member
There are some online universities that also offer forensic accounting.
JamesHW
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The best way is to get your organization to send you to classes. I came up through the ranks by self study all things IT, becoming a generalist. This eventually led to support positions which then led to a job where I was expected to learn the forensic stuff. Prior to taking any classes I invested in books about the subject.
I'm a bit out of date since I moved onto other areas of support (did not like the travel related to forensic acquisitions in my org), but a good book that helped me to start might be File System Forensic Analysis
Training classes I attended included Encase and FTK
There are lots of different forensic software and books on forensic analysis
If interested I suggest the op read up on the subject and get to know the forensics guys in his org (if there are any) who do this and see what is involved in getting into the field. I posit that since he is already a LEO that they may be willing to give him some assistance. Getting to learn all this stuff isn't easy and it can be quite a sweat when you are on site and under the gun to do forensically sound acquisitions on all the devices. But once CFCE certification is accomplished you have a good skill that is portable and that does not require any particular physical skill. I got into it by reading everything I could get my hands on and helping folks recover lost data off their computers, but getting ahead included a lot of long hours and hard work and a healthy dose of networking and luck.
JamesHW
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Oh, and in response to Dan's question, first private then .gov
dmccarty
Super Star Member
James, thank you for the answers.
Later,
Dan
Later,
Dan
bdeboer
Platinum Member
Me being mid (um errr later 40's) can say your age is OK to start NEW careers but be aware it is very tough job market out there. You are making very good $ for someone your age and probably more than you will get doing much in any HVAC or Electrician job at the moment. I've been Electrical Engineering and did not make that in Ohio and Michigan is in worse shape for Jobs Market... I did HVAC work for many many years as Industrial Equipment designer, building from scratch as Engineering, Fabrication and Installing the Ovens Washers, coolers etc into factories. Again not making what you are now and times it is very hit/miss lots of work 7 days a week then nothing for 2 or 3 months... I also had 7+ years in Union Shop as Industrial Electrical Maintenance, good work but again you worked weekends off hours and holidays when shop was normally closed the maintenance worked 12hrs... I was on 1st, 2nd and 3rds all in the same month worked every weekend & was lucky to have Tuesday/Wednesday off. Went to work Thanksgiving week on 1st shift the boss said Mark I want you to start 2nds Wednesday on 2nd shift and work that all thru the Thanksgiving shutdown... I said Nope that dont work, How about I Quit and go home, (10 or 15 maintenance guys all standing there & Boss was a jerk) it really felt good lol...
There are next to NO place anymore offering Pensions other than a few Unions and State/Government jobs & looking back I think I should have finished my Pension Military job but Clinton cut forces and I was forced out of USAF to start switching my jobs... I've gone thru maybe 10 jobs from Hanging/Finishing Drywall, Rough carpentry, Electrician, Welder/Fabricator Industrial Maintenance and went to school for Electronic Engineering. I finished my Associates Degree in 97, now I'm unemployed again & going BACK to school again to finish my BSEE degree which is going to take 3 years as only SOME of my old degree transferred..
Mark
Good Post, I saw the $29/hour and hear of experienced machinist's etc. being offered 1/2 that.
Also good luck going back to school