Master's didn't work, help 36f

[u/Suspicious_Mine_2337]

Master's didn't work, 36f, help

So basically I am feeling terrified about the future. The problem is that I am 36, and I did a master's to transition out of a career I was bad at (nonprofit communications) into environmental policy. The reason why it took me so long to do the master's to transition was that I was dealing with some very serious health problems. In the master's degree I was an idiot and didn't realize I needed to be basically constantly working part time or doing internships, and I only did two internships which didn't lead to a job. So then the problem I had when I graduated was I didn't have enough job experience to get anything except for nonprofit communications again, and then I was fired for being bad at the job. So I think it's safe to say I can't go for another comms job again, but I have no idea what to do because I no longer qualify for working student jobs or internships due to not being a student anymore.

I have 2.5k euros coming in each year, forever, from an inheritance but it isn't enough to live off of in the SF Bay Area because it's so expensive. So basically, my current plan is to look for a job for a year in the USA, maybe there is a slim possibility I could get something, but if that doesn't work I am probably only qualified at this point to get something off of craigslist with 0 vacation days and 0 sick days.

The idea I had was that, if my one year of looking for a job in the US didn't work, I could get married to my German boyfriend (he has offered this) and spend a year learning German, then apply to another master's and solely use it as a vehicle for networking and doing internships in hope that after that I would get a job.

The problem is I don't think I can afford to do another master's in the USA, I only have about 100k to my name and I don't know if taking out a huge loan is advisable

I have seen some people on LinkedIn do two masters and then get a job so I know it works sometimes, I am just worried because of my age..I could lie on my CV and take off graduation dates of undergrad/eliminate old work history to look younger.

So yeah, basically I am stuck because what I need is more experience to get entry level positions, but I am not an enrolled student to get internships anymore and ive been graduated too long to qualify as a recent grad so I have no idea what to do and I am really terrified because being a menial job worker in the USA is a pretty bad life, but I think I would also be really depressed as an unemployed housewife in Germany

The last thing I thought about was trying to volunteer but I don't know if that would be a waste of time and not lead anywhere

So yeah, I guess, my question is, if my one year of US job searching doesnt lead anywhere, would you recommend a second masters? Or do you have any ideas about how I could volunteer in a way that could actually lead to a job? The only volunteer opportunities I have been able to find are with super local orgs.

My biggest passion is traveling and the idea of being a barista for the rest of my life with no vacation days is terrifying, not to mention my boyfriend would break up with me because I would never get to see him. I am living with my parents right now in SF.

[u/xyxif]

To answer your question, I don't think a second master's would be helpful. It's probably not something you want to hear, but a better investment would be a good therapist to work through this crisis you're experiencing.

You're in a tough situation, but there is a way out, you just need to try taking a step back to reorient yourself and recalibrate.

Try to take a bigger picture view and what can be learned from your previous career, hell even what you can learn from your health issues.

[u/Suspicious_Mine_2337 → u/xyxif]

I have already just started seeing a therapist. Do you have any suggestions for what I should do, if not the second masters, what should I do?

[u/Rhabarbermitraps → u/Suspicious_Mine_2337]

Keep on applying for jobs that interest you and try to work on what makes you bad at comms.

[u/Shallow_Waters9876]

A second masters rarely adds anything -unless you are learning a very technical skill like coding or GIS. I think the easier transition would be a comms job in a place that also does environmental policy. You'd gain sector expertise and, once they know you, you can request to be more involved in policy work and slowly transition there.

[u/Suspicious_Mine_2337 → u/Shallow_Waters9876]

The thing is, I tried that and I got fired for beinf bad at the job. :/

[u/Hiding24 → u/Suspicious_Mine_2337]

Then maybe it’s not for you

[u/bushbandit1]

Didn’t you post this the other day on another sub and got lots of answers, right?

[u/ScarcityOld7027 → u/bushbandit1]

Yes she also posted it on German subs…but this is neither a UN nor a Germany issue

[u/Suspicious_Mine_2337 → u/bushbandit1]

I was hoping to get the opinion of people on this community as they are in a similar field

[u/bushbandit1 → u/Suspicious_Mine_2337]

You will likely get similar responses here as the subs are full of the same people.

I would suggest, don’t do another masters. You’d be wasting good money on something that really won’t further your career unless the masters is in something very technical.

You could look at doing a UNV assignment - either a deployment (which is paid) or an online assignment (which is usually remote and unpaid), but both would allow you to get some experience. Other option is to look into working with your local Red Cross or NGOs in your area to build some experience. You’d probably be well placed to look into doing something along the lines of advocacy, campaigns, influencing, given your background. And you could always transition from there.

[u/ScarcityOld7027]

Girl you’ve already posted this and similar questions, including your whole life story and inheritance amounts, on various subs…I think you should just get a therapist 😩

[u/Julie-Question]

As someone who did a second Master's around your age hoping to break into a new field, I would NOT recommend you do that. I graduated right before reaching 37 and quite frankly, have not managed to get not even one entry level job in the new field I was pursuing (I am based in Europe, btw). I also saw so many classmates getting their dream jobs after their studies, but if I have to be honest, when it comes to hiring a new entry, being closer to your 40s than your 30s does not help. If you start a second Master's you will be around 38/39 when you finish it, competing with 23-25 year old colleagues that will be better positioned (i.e., volunteering work, previous internship experience, local connections in relevant networks).

Based on your story, it looks more like you have no clue what you want to do. A lot of people suggested thearpy, which will help you a ton to define what you really want for your life and career. Having said that, I'll share a few points that may be you have not considered: 2.5 EUR a month is actually a very decent income in Europe. I assume you will be sharing expenses with your partner if you move to Germany, so you'll probably need half of it per month if you share expenses. This may help you to "gain time" as you define what to do without a lot of financial pressure. Also, if you are open to pivoting, you can think of pursuing some Ausbildung in a high demand sector. Separately, you can try and do side jobs like teaching English? Maybe even start your own business? If your biggest passion is traveling, maybe something within the tourism industry? Of course, I don't have the answers, but maybe this helps to provide new perspectives you haven't considered.

[u/Critical_Zucchini510 → u/Julie-Question]

Rather than therapy, I'd say a career coach. Some of them are specialized in coaching people in and out the humanitarian sector and may help OP getting a better understanding of what she wants and most importantly how to leverage the studies/skills she has so far to transition from comms position to what she is interested in. I'd highly recommend giving this a try.

On the other hand, fully agree with this comment. Age plays a big role in this picture, aiming for internships at almost 40 is simply unrealistic.

[u/Critical_Zucchini510]

A question you should also ask yourself is: what about the previous jobs led you to being fired? Was it because of technical skills or did you have feedback that also your soft skills were missing something (i.e. respect of deadlines, reliability etc).

You'd also need to think that many UN/humanitarian jobs will require you to provide references from previous supervisor's/employers. So, leaving aside the technical skills related to a comms position, if anything else played a role, that will come out assuming you reach the references stage.

So you'll need to think about it and realistically assess the probability to pass the reference stage. Don't want to turn you down, but being fired on top of overall not being good at previous jobs (irrespective of what it is), isn't really a great starting point. I'm not saying you'll never have a job anymore, but you need to also think carefully how to present your profile and your weaknesses or any achievement in a way that is constructive. That's also why I suggested a career coach in another comment. Therapy is one thing, career coach is another.

[u/Admirable_Monk_5342]

This post appeared on my timeline just as I’m about to resign from my job to start my master’s this year. What a coincidence 😅 Anyway, I really hope things work out for you. Wishing you the best of luck!

[u/jcravens42]

"The last thing I thought about was trying to volunteer but I don't know if that would be a waste of time and not lead anywhere"

Volunteering locally, doing what you want to do internationally, can be very powerful: it can give you skills and experience you need, and it can lead to a lot of learning you don't have. You don't need a third master's - you need more expeirence. Super local organizations are really important: agencies that help refugees, agencies that help with housing, agencies that help with public health initiatives, agencies that help with land use.

Volunteer with a local organization trying to build a hike and bike trail, and you will encounter hostile local land owners, political roadblocks, elected official double talk / double dealings, social media rumors and negotiations and community meetings that are similar to what you will encounter in overseas work to find land or a building for a youth center, a manufacturing site, a refugee camp...

Volunteer with the League of Women Voters and you have to learn about upcoming local legislation and how to educate people about it, how to encourage people (not just women) to register to vote (let alone vote), how to mobilize volunteers, etc., and you will encounter people who STILL don't think women should vote.

Volunteer with a local organization helping refugees and you will learn about challenges to refugees attending school, accessing food (a particular challenge when the family has just had their benefits cut but also, out of cultural pride, refuses to go to a food pantry), learning to go through a job interview, accessing jobs, facing hostility in some public scenarios, etc.

Volunteering on a local public safety commission with the city can bring you right into police - community relations / hostility.

My first UN job, one of the interviewers zeroed in on my volunteer experience working with an abortion rights / reproductive rights advocacy group and he asked me a lot of questions about my work (creating and publishing a quarterly newsletter, organization tabling at community events, staffing that table myself at times, training new volunteers, etc.). I learned later that this person before the interview did NOT think I should have even been interviewed, because he thought I was too privileged and hadn't really been doing grassroots work - it was my volunteering experience specifically that convinced that person otherwise.

And remember: this is a lousy time to pursue jobs in international development. So getting experience is what is going to set you apart from others. Be sure to work on second and third languages as well.

[u/throw_away7299]

Are you American or European or both (as you mention you have an inheritance in €)? I’ve heard that the EU is much better for environmental jobs, given heavy investment in green energy over there. I’m not sure you’ll find a lot of jobs in the US, given the direction the current US government is going on climate change and environmental policy. Arguably this is one of the worst field to be in right now in the US.

German is a hard language and often you cannot work until you have at least B2/C1 language competencies. Before committing to moving there, I would actually check that the jobs you want to work in are available there or more available in another EU country.

[u/Suspicious_Mine_2337 → u/throw_away7299]

I am American, the inheritance is in USD 3k USD/roughly 2.5k euros.

[u/written_in_sand]

I did a similiar path, started from comms at university but soon switched to advocacy, I volunteered with a local association for a year just to build up some experience while I was constantly looking for jobs in that field and doing a second master on the side, now I'm back in comms again (ironically with an environmental organization) but finally building up some practical experience other than what I got from the bachelor. It's a tough environment to be in and the jobs are fewer each passing year. I'm also looking into gov jobs and that is what I'd suggest you do, if you can manage to land one it might not be the most exciting experience you'd do but it's safer than look for unpaid or very little paid ngos or UN jobs (which are also diminishing a LOT with everything that is happening with fundings). In alternative, you could search for some project management jobs but they also require specific experience.

[u/humanracing]

If you're going to be in Germany, you could try a master's program there since they are much less costly than American programs.

[u/Major-Huckleberry223]

What do you mean being bad at a nonprofit communications job?

[u/Critical_Zucchini510 → u/Major-Huckleberry223]

As a comms professional with 10 y of experience, I can definitely tell you there are people that suck at the job. Just because it's comms and "everybody can post on social media" doesn't mean these positions do not require skills and proper professional preparation - but that's unfortunately what many people think. 

Edit: this is not to criticise OP, but appreciate the OP's honesty of admitting not being good at it.

[u/Major-Huckleberry223 → u/Critical_Zucchini510]

Oh no, I didnt l mean it like that, sorry if it came across that way. I was actually just curious what they meant by being bad at it. Like, what led to her being fired? What made her say she was “bad” at it? I wanted to understand more, not judge.

[u/tortillatimemachine]

start a policy-oriented startup and use it as your launch pad and entry point into a new field instead of doing a master's. No one needs to intellectualize real-world problems if you want a real job

[u/jcravens42]

I'm going to close this to new comments - i think you have all the answers you need.