need help with a dilemma.

[raven@mirage]

I know ... they say the average adult goes threw 7 different career paths ... well I am 22 years old and I have already been through about 2 of them ... well 3 maybe 5 depending on how you look at it.

working in the porn industry as you know, I have maybe experience about 5 different career paths in that in itself, then there is working from home as a remote customer service agent for the shopping channel, direct energy, pizza hut, 241pizza, and boardwalk rental properties, and swiss chalet and of course working in a call centre buildings but those are more gigs then careers since they don't really last long or are as more rewarding for working from home for major companies.

and now I am in the dilema... I just recently started up my third business venture that I have been wondering about for a long time. but selling skin care products seems to be a good idea since that a multi-billion dollar industry who knew you can make tones of money from people who are a afraid of getting older. so now with this business starter kit from Arbonne International that was only 50.10$ to get I am wondering about the possibility of being a certified esthetitian.

I did some research on it where I found a school in Toronto at a spa called http://www.beauty-exchange.com/ global news did an interview of them, and CDI college has an esthetics course. but I probably won't go there because I have heard too many horror stories from people who have taken courses from CDI. then also Yorkdale adult learning centre has their esthetician program where I can earn 6 credits towards my high school diploma.

but my dilemma is my dream of being a midwife as well. of course some of the people I have asked all said do both which is what is probably going to happen anyway but I am wondering how do I go about doing it.

so any advice or suggestions.

 

[JessiMae]

Buckle down and finish your education.If you have not finished HS yet, then do it sooner rather then later. I don't know your situation, but I am assuming you are without children. It is alot easier to finish school when you are young and don't have dependants and lots of bills.

If you have finished HS and are saying to yourself, "I am not going to go back to school until I decide what I want to do" or "3-4 years of school is too long" quit making excuses. Even if you don't know what you are going to do, going to school is one of the best things you can do for yourself. Even if you earn a degree in basket weaving it is still a degree. A degree says you are trainable and can make a commitment. People are more willing to hire you, and even if the job has nothing to do with your degree you still have better chances then someone without a degree.

3-4 years flies by. I have been in school for 4 years and will most likely be staying another 2 or so just to finish my Bsc. It seems like a long time, but really it is not. I took OSAP my first two years and it does get scary towards the end. I know many people who are graduating with 50K debts. I only attend school part time these days because I cannot afford to graduate with a 50K debt. I am paying my own.

 

[kooley]

so let me get this straight, your 3 so called caree
1) avon
2) answering phones
3) porn

i think you need to go to school and kick your guidance counsellors ass and then get a real job!

 

[luv4lust]

i second the stay in school thing and having talked with you on msn and witnessed how stressed and emotionally troubled you are i think less work more school and some relaxation time is a better way to go.
having spent 3 years in college on osap it isn't as much debt as one would think. out of the 60,000 i was given doing well focusing on my work and grades applying for bursaries and scholarships, i only ended up paying back 6,000 the rest was covered by scholarships and bursaries.

 

[SupahotGavin]

certified esthetitian's make peanuts... I know a well known SP who spent a lot of good money in a 1 year program only to make $10/hr plus +$1 per person tips. fuck all. she has ditched the career path even before it started.

Clearly money isn't everything, but one cannot subsist on such a pitance darling.

Keep looking, if you lack post secondary or H school school is never a bad option as earlier suggested.


SGH

 

[tboy]

I too support the "go back to school" idea.....and this might insult you, but learn how to spell. NOTHING will ruin your chances of a job more than a resume full of spelling and grammar mistakes.

As Rub said, your drive and ambition to try new things is admirable. Especially in this day and age of kids walking around with a sense of entitlement and not wanting to work towards anything.

As also stated, not to knock your choices, but all those career ideas are more low paying jobs than a career. Now if that is what you enjoy doing, and don't expect to become rich by it, then all means, go for it. There are few in this world that can say they really enjoy their jobs.

Not to rain on your parade or anything but there are thousands of well qualified university grads working McJobs so you have to be better than they are, or know someone in the industry that you want to get into and use them as an in. I second the thoughts on those career colleges, DeVry is the only one I have heard of that actually means something in the business world. I know Herzing is another but if you expect accredation for the diploma that you get from these places, don't buy it. If someone goes to York and gets a degree in business and someone graduates from Herzing, who do you think will get the secretary job?

 

[shack]

but my dilemma is my dream of being a midwife as well. of course some of the people I have asked all said do both which is what is probably going to happen anyway but I am wondering how do I go about doing it.

so any advice or suggestions.

Go for the trifecta and become a wet nurse as well. Probably no one else will have that combination of skills.

 

[DistantVoyeur]

People listing beautician and midwife in the same career class might want to do a bit more research. It's not just showing up with a spatula and a catchers mitt.
It is a creditied university level course. Friend of mine's wife became certified after years of schooling at university. There is some serious training needed to cover complicated births. It is truly a step below a medical degree, and a small step at that IMO.

 

[tboy]

People listing beautician and midwife in the same career class might want to do a bit more research. It's not just showing up with a spatula and a catchers mitt.
It is a creditied university level course. Friend of mine's wife became certified after years of schooling at university. There is some serious training needed to cover complicated births. It is truly a step below a medical degree, and a small step at that IMO.

LMMFAO at Cather's Mitt and spatula.....fuck dude that was priceless!!!

 

[RTRD]

Ok...

People listing beautician and midwife in the same career class might want to do a bit more research. It's not just showing up with a spatula and a catchers mitt.
It is a creditied university level course. Friend of mine's wife became certified after years of schooling at university. There is some serious training needed to cover complicated births. It is truly a step below a medical degree, and a small step at that IMO.

...you said it first, so people can't rag on me for being the "negative" one...at least not the first one.

Nothing about the other "career choices" implied that there is a chance in hell the midwife thing will happen. They all screamed "what can I do to make money that is easy". Becoming a midwife ain't easy....it takes both a level of commitment and intellect that the other "career choices" did not seem to imply was there (not saying they can't be...am saying that usually these things show up by age 22...not that there aren't exceptions).

Then there is the whole "who hires a former porn chick to be their midwife" angle, but that is just raining on the parade, isn't it?

Lots of stuff one can do to make money without that level of commitment and time...TONS of trades people right now needed, for example, and plenty of programs where a person can learn a trade inside of a year. Guaranteed jobs that pay pretty damn well...about the same as midwifes with matching years of experience.

Not that any of this really matters, now does it? I suppose the first and best sign of the true eventuality is the seeking of career advice on an escort review board....

 

[xarir]

Minnie, you impress me with your drive and desire and enthusiasm. I mean REALLY impress me.

Ditto. My initial impression of you (we've never met, I only know you through your TERB posts) was that you were in the sex world for all the wrong reasons. Despite that though you've been persistent at trying to find your place in the world and you're clearly working hard to better your life through legitimate means. Well done!

... but learn how to spell. NOTHING will ruin your chances of a job more than a resume full of spelling and grammar mistakes.

I have to agree with this. Any resume I see with spelling / grammar mistakes is immediately rejected with some choice comments to my HR counterparts for not screening properly. Poor spelling / grammar just screams that you don't have attention to detail - it's a killer on job applications.

As for you midwive aspirations, why exactly is it a dilemma? I don't mean this next bit to sound harsh but I do mean it to be a reality check. If being a midwife is what you want to do, then do it. What is preventing you from applying to whatever courses / programs you need to take, studying your ass off and passing your exams? Where is the dilemma here?

Now this part will probably sound harsh but again, I mean it to be a reality check and nothing more. In terms of careers, you probably have little real experience. Let's face it, the porn work is not something that will go on the resume. So that leaves us with answering phones from home and a kit you bought for $50. At this point, you can't even claim call centre experience because what you've been doing likely amounts to little more than taking orders for pizza. Call centre experience is far more in depth; it generally requires months of intense training to not just take calls but to resolve issues. If someone's pizza order is screwed up, can you resolve the issue or do you merely pass the call on to a supervisor?

I don't doubt that you work hard. You probably put in a lot of hours. But the actual experience you have amounts to little more than any kid who flips burgers at McDonald's. This is important to understand.

If you go to university, the degree you get will in a way, almost be irrelevant. Ultimately, university teaches you critical thinking. It teaches you how to look at a situation, how to analyse it, and how to act based on your reasoned observations.

College on the other hand tends to focus more on practical skills and how to do a particular task or how to work in a particular industry. That's obviously good, but college skills are somewhat less "portable". For example, if you get a diploma in culinary arts (chef) it's less likely that you'll get a job as a newspaper journalist. But a university degree in say, history could end up getting you a job in something like marketing. On the surface they're clearly not related, but underneath it's the critical thinking and application of that thinking that matter most.

So in the end, it's up to you. If you want to be a midwife, then go be a midwife. Enroll in the program and start studying. But if you want more options, go to university or at least go to college. But don't think that you've worked multiple careers because honestly, you haven't.

 

[Garrett]

Why does this remind me of Jethro Bodine's dilemma whether to be a brain surgeon or a fry cook?

 

[Macator2003]

I agree with Rubmeister Minnie, with all three of his posts.

You and I have exchanged a few PMs over the last couple of years and you've always struck me as a lady that will not rest until you find something that you truly enjoy. Something that can cover the bills, put a bit towards some real estate and treats you to a few trips abroad to warmer locales a number of times a year.

If your dream is to be a midwife, then set some short-term, mid-term and longer term goals, see which educational institutes in the GTA offer such courses, talk to some of the graduates, see if they are happy with the dollars they are making, the choice they took.

It's important to follow your dream. I see people every day that hate their job, their lot in life. Most are bitter and wishing their life away, counting down the days until the next weekend, the next vacation, until their retirement. Most of us spend 8-10 hours a day working at the occupation we've choosen, another 1-2 hours getting to and from. I can't stress how important it is to find something that you love, your dream. I am one of the lucky ones and work at something that I truly enjoy.

Good luck and keep us up to date Minnie And get rid of the "I quit" under your name, you are anything but a quitter....

 

[RTRD]

Bright people here...

I personally find that there are a lot of bright people here.

...yes. I agree.

Does that mean this is the place to seek sincere career advice however, given the options IRL?

The very choice of this venue for such an endeavor me thinks reflects on the person asking the question, not the people being asked.

 

[RTRD]

Yeah...I hear you...but this is the thing...

You guys are being pretty mean to a girl who is looking to us to try to help her improve herself in life.

I have assessed people and their potential all my life in several fields. I'm not easily impressed. And while Minnie has a history and has not had the advantages some have, I think she has indeed got something special in her and given the right opportunity and keeping her spirit fresh I think she'll do really well somewhere.

I say I'll help people who help themselves so let's cut har a bit of slack and try to be a bit more positive towards her.

...I learned the hard way some time ago to not waste my time energy resources and emotional commitment on people with a "dream" and save it for people with a PLAN. Dreams are like assholes....everyone has one, and by themselves they are best kept to oneself. it takes no effort or commitment to have a "dream"...a "dream" is the sort of thing people come up with in lieu of making the time, commitment and effort to actually fucking do anything.

No...come to me with a PLAN. Tell me specifically what it is you want to do, what it is you have done to execute and said plan, and what it is you want my help with.

Someone who has found time to start "5 businesses" but not finish HS is still playing games with herself. I don't have time.

I have wasted considerable time and effort on such people in the past in an effort to assist others like myself from my "culture" (I am going to keep using that until it doesn't amuse me anymore..."culture"...what a fucking idiot you are BethyP)

I have assisted many others who had a PLAN. They don't all succeed, but I can live with failure despite a best effort. What I can't live with...and thus don't deal with any longer....is bullshit.

Yeah, I am one unsympathetic fuck. You know why? Because I have yet to hear someone sob story that was / is considerably worse than mine. Hence, I know it can be done....whenever a person decides to quit making excuses. And thus, my tolerance for excuses is limited.

You want to be a midwife but haven't found time to finish HS? "Dream" is right...as in "pipe" and "on"...

 

[stinkynuts]

MinniApple, take one step at a time. First, get your HS diploma. Without that, your options are severely limited.

What is it that you really enjoy doing? Are you a people person? Do you like routine? Do you like working outside or inside? Find out what you really want. You only live once.

Don't go into something just because there's a lot of money. You'll end up miserable and waste your time.

I really hope you find a career that suits you. It's taken me over 10 years to do so, so you're not alone.

Good luck to you.

 

[raven@mirage]

Well that an interesting read ... I posted it hours ago yesterday before I went off to back volunteering at the holistic expo. I also posted the exact same thing some where else on a different board in different age groups, and different perspective and all that really matters in both post is the positive responses don't need negative energy in my world anymore, and what matter is what my passion tells me to do, and I am going for both.

Yes ! I will have my birthing centre with recovery day spa.

For the one who think this is a dream and not a plan, let me tell you something this is one serious plan, which deadlines, and supports in place to make sure I reach my deadlines on time, from education counselors and career coaches, and even to the point where I even got holistic readers involved to make sure what I want is really my passion I couldn’t be anymore serious about this, but my weakness is letting people influence and letting them get power into what I really want when at the end of the day it’s all on me what I need to do and what I have to do.

The PLAN; for those who are really interested in knowing it.

October 22nd 2007 is the registration day for CALC or Yorkdale for Quad 2. I need 12 credits to complete my high school, does not really seem that bad since my age of 22 years old, I am a mature student and these adult programs are 9 weeks for one course credit I will be take 3 courses each quad. The midwifery program at Ryerson, McMasters and Laurentian require that I have the prerequisites of having 6 credits English, Biology or Chemistry, and Social Science or Humanitarians in the codes of 12U or M. with 70% of higher. And complete my admissions forms and essay and then I have to make it the point where I have an interview for the admissions department.


Also if I decide to go to Yorkdale …. They offer an 18-week program for an esthetician certificate. That will earn me 6 credits towards my OSSD (Ontario Secondary School Diploma), also there is an esthetician program offered at beauty exchange spa they have a 1 year part-time program and a 6 month full time program. If I complete the certificate program at Yorkdale and want to expand on it with the school program at beauty exchange, I will have more experience and be able to build up a client base.

I also need 6 credits for admissions to the midwifery programs offered at Ryerson, McMaster or Laurentian it will complete my high school because I only need 12.5 credits. I also phoned Ryerson admissions department, I just have to make sure I have my perquisite in English, Biology, Chemistry, Social Science or Humanitarians with 70% of higher.

I started high school in 1999 I fall into that bull shit new curriculum so that means I actually need to make sure I complete from where I left off in high school officially from grade 9, and also I am a mature student I qualify for PLAR credits, and with the requirements for the new high school diploma I also need 40 hours of volunteer work which will be completed at Jessie centre, and my co-op placement will be completed with the esthetician program at Yorkdale and added bonus of earning my esthetician certificate. Believe it or not the whole porn work and working from home being a remote customer agent for pizza places, shopping networks, qualifies me for PLAR credits.

I might actually end up finish high school with more credits then I actually require, but there is no limit to how many of them I need as long I get them. And with these adult schools available there is no time limit of when I can get them, but because of my pushing desire to get them now, and have this passion of having my birth centre with recovery day spa. It will be done.

What is PLAR?
PLAR stands for Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition and is the formal evaluation and credit granting process whereby students may obtain credits for prior learning. See the "Boxes below" for further information.
Requirements for PLAR
Students may be granted some credits for learning outside of school or for education completed in another province or country.
In order to be granted credits for prior learning, a student must have completed grade 11/12 English at CALC.
• Students may request APPLICATION FORMS from the Guidance Office.
• Each quad, information sessions will outline the PLAR process. Deadline dates for the submission of applications will be advertised via the CALCulator.
• When submitting your application, you must attach the original documents as well as photocopies. The originals will be returned to you.

YES! When someone orders a pizza and it screwed up it was my or another reps job to make it be can rectified unless it has to be over ridden by a supervisor. That goes with someone ordering something that fucks up from order a product or service from the shopping channel as well. The whole call centre thing is a bit more complicated then most people think and it really depends on how those policies and procedures work and which company it is for.

Funding for school will be a bit difficult but not impossible and there is no relaxing and just taking school for me since I do live by myself and thank god no children in the picture at this moment. So the only concern will be myself, and making sure I get my dreams accomplished with my action plan that has been in place and my support group forming.

and also the "I quit" under the screen name it's there because I have quit escorting, I have not quit on my life or my dreams or what I have for myself so I am able to look out for number one.

 

[Deviant]

Be careful about taking on too much at once. It might seem manageable at the beginning.


Whichever career path you choose, let it be the one where you love it.


Best wishes on your success!


P.

 

[stinkynuts]

Sounds like you have this all mapped out, MinnieApple.

Wish you succeed.

 

[The Cunning Linguist]

and also the "I quit" under the screen name it's there because I have quit escorting, I have not quit on my life or my dreams or what I have for myself so I am able to look out for number one.

Minnie....you can use "I have quit" or the conjuctive form "I've quit" since the event is now in the past tense.

Even if you were standing right in front of me, the correct phrase would be

"I am quitting", although that sounds a little stilted, it is correct grammer.

Good luck with your plans (and the dreams that spawned them), and be ABSOLUTELY sure that your resume and cover letters are free from gramatical errors and spelling mistakes.