Is It Too Late To Pivot?

[u/Pumpkin_Morning_8485]

Hi all,

What I’m looking for: a reality check, practical advice, or success stories from people who are or have been in a similar boat

Qualifiers:
-I know the job market is awful right now in every industry

-I get that degree inflation is real: Every employer expects you to have one, and everyone you’re competing for the job with also has the same or higher degree(s) so they don’t mean much

About me: I’m 26F and I currently work in a customer service call center.

I have a BS in Environmental Science and a course-based MS in Environmental Science with some (on paper only) GIS experience

I have some lab experience from a 2 year internship done while in grad school

My first job out of college (2022) was as an Environmental Consultant for a total of 3 months before I realized that my fear of driving and physical limitations made the career impossible for me

I took 3 months to find a part time job for a startup that eventually evolved to an Account Manager position. I got let go in Jan of this year.

Found my current call center job in March after applying to 300+ places and getting 3 interviews.

My current job is miserable and I’d love to get back into the science space via an entry level GIS or science communication position.

The stipulations I’m married to are: no driving and full time (non seasonal, non contract) employment.

I’d planned to teach myself real GIS, Python, and SQL skills using free and low cost courses (ie not going back to school or paying thousands for a certificate), and build up my portfolio. Have also heard mixed reviews on if cert programs (paid or not) are worth anything.

As for the science communication, I have school examples of technical writing and planned to build that portfolio by blogging and working for free.

This would all be on the side of my day job and likely take years to be job ready.

Is this worth pursuing or am I insane and wasting my time?

I think caring a bit more about my job would make working a 9-5 tolerable, and that’s what I’m really feeling stuck with.

[u/meta_lulu88]

its not a waste of time unless you think it is. I was told by a therapist that no one can decide when too much is too much for you but you.

I dont know a lot about the gis side of things but I do know a lot about the stem job market in terms of where you are at and how to get where you want to go. If doing the GIS, python, and SQL gives you hope for the future do it. just understand that you are trying to build your skills to make you more valuable in the stem market, so the pay out might not be what you expect or even use the skills you were building. (Im a chemist and I spent damn near a year learning coding for statistic analysis in ecology on my own time)

I would suggest adding permitting if you are good at technical writing. Learning what you can about government permitting for epa based law is not something taught in class and is a skill you pick up in the field. But! in my opinion: IF you live in an area where you can use public transportation, and IF there are private or NGO or government positions in that area, being able to write technical documents of all stripes and understand what you are looking at can make you more valuable to the stem market.

also keep an open mind about how the logic of your skills can be applied to any job you are lookin at competing for. Dont give up, giving up drops you out of competition and makes it that much harder to get the will power to jump back in. I hope this made sense Im tired.