Home » Other » Community Hangout » Can I vent?
Can I vent? [message #179542] Tue, 27 June 2006 21:09 Go to next message
nightangel73
Messages: 7
Registered: June 2006
Junior Member
Sorry for disrupting you guys but I kind of feel depressed and I guess I want some support. I am what you guys may call a frustated IT gal. Here is my story in short. When I was in college I made a mistake, well i didn't knew better back then and i graduated with a degree in science (microbiology). After working in the labs for a couple years I realized that I choose the wrong career and that what i want to be is an IT professional. I really discovered when I was in third year of college and didn't knew I was going to like them that much. Well so I decided to work on a plan to become an IT professional. I decided to do a master degree in information systems. I worked full time and studied. At the end of my degree and working hard on making conections with the IT fellows I managed to get out of doing labwork and do more of a computer administration work for the laboratory. I was very happy with the job. VERY HAPPY. Well I was living in my home country Puerto Rico then and I wanted to move to the live for the rest of my life in america. I thought once I finish my graduate degree was going to be a good time. I moved to the US and applied for jobs and I found many jobs all of them doing laboratory work and nothing of computers. For computer jobs I fall into the lack of experience category. So I continued working in the labs each day hating it more. I switched company to a bigger one in the hopes I may reach the IT department. I sold my old car to one of the IT managers of the company so at least I got some attention to be seriously considered for an IT position and well he told me in a nice way that the degree is not enough, that I need more skills. He suggested I could try to have a consultant position which I can't take because I can't have a traveling job like that. I felt like throwing the towels when he talked to me but since I truly HATE so much the laboratory and I spent so long doing my graduate degree, holding life plans like marriage and children I come up with strenght to continue the battle toward finding an IT job. I decided to do WHATEVER IT TAKES. Since I like databases the most I have thought that studying oracle might be a good idea. I have sign up for a good oracle school and I like a lot how it is teached the support, materials etc. I really can't do a study alone with a book thing. The course as good it is as expensive it is and I have made a loan and I'm using money I wanted for wedding and a future house in the hopes I can get an Oracle job once i finish. For the love of god i hope I have made a good decision. If I don't find a job after all this new struggle and I am going to feel so hopeless..
Re: Can I vent? [message #179805 is a reply to message #179542] Wed, 28 June 2006 18:10 Go to previous messageGo to next message
djmartin
Messages: 10181
Registered: March 2005
Location: Surges Bay TAS Australia
Senior Member
Account Moderator
My first degree was in Biology (1975 - part time for 5 years while working as a lab gofer in the 'faculty') then I did a Post Graduate Diploma in Computing (equivalent to Course Masters). I am sorry that you dislike the lab work so much. Some computing work can be almost as bad.

Please have a look at these links http://www.orafaq.com/forum/m/137374/67467/?srch=sit+up+david#msg_137374 and http://www.orafaq.com/forum/m/166859/67467/?srch=sit+up+david#msg_166859

You may like to update your profile to show us where you are currently based.

David
Re: Can I vent? [message #179810 is a reply to message #179805] Wed, 28 June 2006 20:49 Go to previous messageGo to next message
nightangel73
Messages: 7
Registered: June 2006
Junior Member

Well computer work is not really work for me since I find it fun. I really could do it for free. Labwork is truly work for me since I don't like it. If the pay was high then it wouldn't be as bad but you work like a slave and not that you are sit in a chair drinking a cup of coffee it is rough excercise too which no problem for me as I am still young but I do not want to imagine doing that when I am past 40 years old, add to that going home to cook and taking care of children. Just imagine that in a normal day I can get to inject 378 bottles. It is no life.

Thanks for the links they were good reading. In my job now I have being given an opportunity to work supporting an oracle application (LIMS)for the laboratory and that is what I plan to use as my job experience. My instructor says that will definetly help. I hope that it does!
Re: Can I vent? [message #179840 is a reply to message #179810] Thu, 29 June 2006 00:33 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Frank
Messages: 7901
Registered: March 2000
Senior Member
nightangel73 wrote on Thu, 29 June 2006 03:49


Well computer work is not really work for me since I find it fun.


I agree with David. Computer work is just a job as well. It may have its fun parts, but it has its boring repeating sides as well. Don't think that the work will be all fun, just because you like your computer at home. They are two different things altogether.
Said that, I have to admit I still like my job overall, albeit there are some parts of it I utterly dislike as I said.
Re: Can I vent? [message #179938 is a reply to message #179542] Thu, 29 June 2006 06:14 Go to previous messageGo to next message
nightangel73
Messages: 7
Registered: June 2006
Junior Member
It all boils down to what you like. And it is true that in work that is different to home. Right now I do both lab work and computer work and it's a difference in the world the two. But it is what I like. I have other coworkers who hate computers but love the lab work. It's how they are.

Re: Can I vent? [message #180002 is a reply to message #179542] Thu, 29 June 2006 11:54 Go to previous messageGo to next message
smartin
Messages: 1803
Registered: March 2005
Location: Jacksonville, Florida
Senior Member
Hey if it helps, I saw a position advertised here a while back looking for Oracle work with LIMS. I didn't know what LIMS is, but I applied anyway, but never got past the screening process.

Two points. 1, there is stuff out there for Oracle with LIMS. 2, the way IT jobs are found now seems really crazy to me, but, in general, it basically is a bunch of recruiters and HR people who don't know anything about IT at all.

They are given a sheet of paper with a bunch of words and acronyms on it, and are told to match resumes with the words on the paper. So it is easy to get stuck in the trap of not having experience in one specific area that a company is looking for, even though you may be excellent in all of the other areas that matter most.

I am in the same boat with you as far as travel. It is much much much easier to find Oracle and IT work if you are willing to travel all over the country for various 6 and 12 month projects. But if you want to build a stable home and family location, it is tough. I'm struggling finding work in my spot. You can help with this by being in a location that is heavy IT and heavy Oracle instead of in a smaller town.

But one more thought I wanted to share is that I think it is great that you are dedicated and persistant with your career and education and training yourself in IT and Oracle to learn what you need to learn and seek the experience to find a job that you will be happy with. But...

Be careful of what you sacrifice in order to accomplish your goals. One of the main reasons we live and work and make money is so that we can have a happy life outside of work, we can have a family and wife and kids of our own. Be careful about trading away those opportunities and benefits and joys for work. Try to seek balance and a way to have a little of both.
Re: Can I vent? [message #180022 is a reply to message #180002] Thu, 29 June 2006 19:05 Go to previous message
nightangel73
Messages: 7
Registered: June 2006
Junior Member
Yes that is true and I think I am good at balancing things out. I'm just hoping my plan works since the program is very expensive so it is a considerate risk as I have no guarantees. I have rejected the consultant traveling jobs offers for that very reason of family and children which makes things tougher for me but I am not risking my relationship. I told my bf that I did not want that my plans on schooling affect our future marriage plans at this point. The oracle program is only about a year so it's not like it's too long like my graduate degree. Looking back I might had choosen better the mister before the masters just because since i did the contrary chosing the master then the mister at my age the good misters are extremely few lol. I have had bad luck at love, worst than the jobs because at least i have always found jobs even if i don't like them but finding a man to marry has been the biggest challenge I have ever had..oh well I am picky so there is that too lol. But in my country there is a shortage of men that is unbeliavable. My bf is wonderful and very supportive and he wants that i have the job i dream. Where I live I have to say there is many jobs. I live in raleigh, nc and this area is very industrialized, hundreds of research and pharmaceuticals companies. I think the sacrifice is worth it. I don't believe we should live a life doing a job that makes you miserable. It's way to much time of our life that we spend at work so it is important. Before I begun the program I really had been doing nothing but to play with my computer when I come home from work (bf I can see him on weekends only since he lives a little far)so really by the time my bf proposes and the wedding is set I should be all set. I don't have to cook and clean because my parents live in my house so it's not bad at all. But there is the sacrifice of being pressured by tests, homework etc...


LIMS = Laboratory Information Management System. I am working on Labware LIMS application which runs in oracle.

I own a website as a hobbie. You guys can check it out www.ClearSkin.net I did all the design but I didn't programmed it. Smile

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