trying to patch together a career.

• People tell me I should go to teacher’s college to become a music teacher. Don’t really want to but it would be the smart choice, probably. I warn against this. Short of a single person who plays violin in a major state orchestra, everyone I know with a music/music education degree is either unemployed and struggling or working in a completely different and unrelated field. Even if you get work as a music teacher, arts and music is the first thing cut from a school's budget and seniority matters.

I myself am doing the change directions and be a nurse path, but I got here after getting a decent job in my degree's field, leaving it because it wasn't fulfilling in any way, returning to the service industry, and getting fed up with a dramatic futureless job. I decided one night about a year ago that though it would take me a year, I'd start my pre-requisite courses at community colleges and get nothing less than As in all of them. I wanted it really, really badly. I wanted it more than anything I'd ever wanted. I'm starting nursing school in May. Go back to school. Even if you decide that nursing is not 100% what you want to do, it will put you (mentally, emotionally, and financially) in a position to decide what you want to do in a few years once you've had a little more skilled work experience.

I have a story for you: I went to nursing school because of the career prospects, family pressure, and a desire to help people, but three years later, I totally regret it and am not using my degree or license. Even though I was able to push through the stress of school, the reality of the career overwhelmed me. As a creative, sensitive, and introverted person, I became really depressed during school and work in the clinical setting because I was surrounded by thick-skinned, science-inclined, and outgoing people. I kept comparing myself to them and wondering why I felt so incompetent, when the real problem was that nursing was simply not a good fit for me. Reading your question, I can really relate to you. That being said, I don't think that nursing is a simple choice because it is so much more than just helping people or developing a certain skill set. Although the employment opportunities are more widely available and lucrative than those in other fields, the caveat is that you have to be able to deal with the stress of the job - stress that comes from patients' health issues, their family members, co-workers, doctors, and even yourself. Before you decide to go into nursing, ask yourself these questions: 1) Am I interested in applying scientific knowledge to taking care of people? 2) Would I be able to remain calm and level-headed in high-pressure situations (ex. medical emergencies)? 3) Would I be able to cope with bullying from co-workers or other members of the health care team? 4) Would I be able to work on my feet for 8+ hours a day? I'm not trying to discourage you as much as give you a more balanced view of the nursing profession (the good AND bad, rather than just the good). As Wolfster suggested, shadow some nurses in a few different units and see how you feel. By the way, I think you're onto something with the communications idea. Your previous jobs all seem to include a mix of publicity/media, education and social interaction, and it sounds like you enjoy that kind of work.

I think you need to focus. With so many divergent thoughts, it's very difficult to figure out what to do (or for me to give you concrete advice). In order, focus on three things: 1. Do you want to find a job doing something you love, or just a job at a place you like, regardless of what the work is? 2. If you want to be doing something you love, figure out what that thing is. CHOOSE ONE. I know it's hard, but I think it's the only reasonable way to achieve it (barring random luck). 3. Once you've identified what you want to do, dive deep on what it takes to get those jobs. This is going to probably involve going outside your comfort zone. Meet people in the industry. Have informational interviews or coffee with them. My experience is that most people are more than willing to chat with young people who are interested in their field. Ask them for advice. Ask them for introductions to other people they think you should talk to. They'll probably tell you about some skills you need to acquire, and then you can go about getting them. But more importantly, you're going to be building a network who can help you find a job when you're ready for it.

If you want to work in the arts, prepare to be poor and have an unstable life. Only do it if you cannot imagine doing something else. Only do it if you're prepared for the bottom to fall out of your life at any time. Only do it if you have really fucking thick skin. I'm not saying "DON'T DO IT" because that's what I'm doing, but the unvarnished truth is: I don't have much money, my car sucks, and my friends working in other fields have a much better quality of life than I do.

I was a bit of an arts administration type like you when I was 25, and I had just done a few internships and short-term contracts here and there. A friend was working for a little NGO in the museums sector, and they needed someone to help out on a bit of a project, so I did it, even if this wasn't in my area of expertise, and I had not imagined a career there. It led to a permanent contract as a project manager at the NGO, which was fantastic. Four years later, I had developed the skills and network in order to go freelance in the same sector, and that's what I'm doing now. My advice would be to take any little work opportunities where you find them, use your friends where you can, and focus more on the work environment that you like, rather than the content of the work. And if it doesn't work out after a while, then nursing seems like a good Plan B.

These are a variety of things for you to think about, based on your queries and stuff that I have observed/experienced over time. Nursing. My greatest concern for you is (and I do not mean this in a negative way): Do you have interest in the day-to-day work life of being a nurse? If I were in your shoes, I would see if there is somewhere in the community that you can volunteer now - a couple hours a week to both interact with patients and ask to also shadow and talk to nurses. I did this at a physical therapy center and found that the machines and X-rays were fascinating, patients, not so much.YMMV. In the past, I taught prenursing students and everyone did not have the aptitude for it and there are students who leave and do not complete the program. IF you want more info, memail me and I will share my observations. Teaching. Rather than getting even more education, is there also a way to find out if you would like it (as in someone pays you to be a teacher?). I used thttp://www.carneysandoe.com/ (http://www.carneysandoe.com/Job-Seekers/Positions-by-Subject-Areas/Music.aspx) and was hired to teach for a private school without any sort of education degree. Do figure out what a normal salary is for teaching (i.e. religious schools may not pay much so you may want to avoid those if it they are offered). They have positions throughout the world and you can pick where you would like to teach. It is only an application and you can just fill out and see if you get nibbles or not. The other option is to substitute teach in your area. If you do successfully land a teaching position, schools often pay for you to complete a masters - so you can pick up the education degree if this is what you want, or another masters related to your field. People leave the teaching profession, too, but it is a way to be paid and ask: Do I want to do this?" If I am looking to work in arts administration in Canada some way, what should my headline be, and how should I represent my background in a way that is concise? Basically, do my previous work experiences have any value going forward? Or do I need to develop a whole other skill set before I try to work in this field. Instead of posting this here, email people with this desired job title (hopefully people who may have some connection to you - as in a person who is listed as a graduate from your school, or a friend of a friend, but you can blind email people and get people to respond, too). Ask if you can either talk to them by phone, email, or in person (let them pick) and that it is for a limited amount(30 minutes max) of time because you just want to ask questions about career X. If you are starting to have self talk (augh! I'm an introvert) - the people you ask by email will either 1) want to help and respond or 2) forget you asked. Anyway, these are the people that you want to ask these questions from because they successfully landed your dream job and have peers who landed your dream job. So they can look at your CV/resume and recommend best titles and any necessary skills that you need and basically, how to market yourself. They may suggest other places to look. You can also ask subtle questions about job fit if this is a concern. For example, I wanted to work in communications for a new to me field, but only wanted to work in certain locations and earn a certain salary. So you can ask about the possible range of salaries as a person who is interested in the career (and they may point you to areas that make more or less money, too). This can apply to whatever questions you have. Anywho, I was able to switch into a new to me field and did this by doing info interviews - more info about it http://ask.metafilter.com/166292/Have-the-job-search-methods-laid-out-in-What-Color-Is-Your-Parachute-worked-for-you#2391153 so that I don't type it all out again. I’d love to work for a music festival. I don’t know how to get there. I’ve volunteered for many years but I was always doing dishes or something so I didn’t meet any of the important people. You know all the stuff above about doing info interviews? It applies here, too. Ask what people do,how they got there, etc. Hold out until you get the position/role that you want (because randomly applying will end up with the job that you got). Good luck. Feel free to memail -I've switched careers several times throughout my life and I can walk you through the info interview thing if you would like.

These are really helpful answers. I especially appreciate the comments from constellations, nelljie, wolfster and snorkmaiden about why someone like me might want to think twice before doing nursing.Thanks for taking the time to understand where I'm coming from. I am definitely interested in the aspect of using scientific knowledge to heal people but I do worry that being of a sensitive disposition could be a serious obstacle (I would like to become more thick-skinned though). I think it's excellent advice to shadow a nurse before I take the next step. snorkmaiden: excellent! Montreal is where I want to be. I will for sure check that out!! charmedimsure: it's encouraging to hear that you love being a public school teacher. thanks for also weighing in with the reality of what that's like when teaching music. I know that where I am there is very little budget for music in high schools, which makes me so sad. nelljie: Your advice and info is super helpful. I hadn't thought of applying for marketing jobs, definitely something to consider. Again thanks so much everyone who weighed in here!

On the plus side, nursing is a super portable skill that will let you find a job almost anywhere. Being able to pack up and move cross-country and find a job quickly is fantastic. On the downside, it's one of those jobs that is fine when you're 25 or 30, but it gets difficult to keep up with the physical demands as you get older, at least if you're doing it in a busy inpatient facility.