Majoring in geography was a mistake

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Tim_Tex
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15 Jul 2022, 6:57 pm

Majoring in geography and urban planning was a huge mistake

Computer science and the medical fields are the only majors that aren't useless right now.

After graduating in 2009, there were not a lot of opportunities I was qualified for, because it was during the Great Recession. Also, keep in mind that GIS is not a big field, so there were hundreds or even thousands of people applying for one job.

I had roughly 5 years experience in GIS before returning to college to get my bachelor's degree (I had a 2-year technical degree). My experience has been almost entirely in city government. So applying to GIS jobs in industries like oil and gas had been difficult because there were plenty of people who already had experience in that field, and who also had a basic programming/computer science background.

I had only been able to land two contract jobs since graduation. In both cases, I was let go after only 2 weeks, for no reason. The last one was in 2013. I had applied to numerous jobs since, but couldn't get my foot in the door due to so many employers using applicant tracking software.

On top of that, I am on the autism spectrum, and I am worried that means I would only get hired for menial, minimum-wage stuff, because people think that's all we're capable of doing.

I have also considered relocating, but worried I have been priced out of certain cities because only people with 6-figure salaries can afford them--and I am not qualified for anything that pays that much.


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shortfatbalduglyman
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16 Jul 2022, 4:28 pm

Someone once told me that "no matter how many job skills you get, someone with a better personality will always get the job"

(Limiting reagents,,)



Tim_Tex
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17 Jul 2022, 12:50 am

My only hope is if I am the only person who applies for a specific job, and the employer is very desperate.


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SpaceMartian
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21 Jul 2022, 4:50 pm

shortfatbalduglyman wrote:
Someone once told me that "no matter how many job skills you get, someone with a better personality will always get the job"

(Limiting reagents,,)


So... with limited skills and a complicated personality I'm essentially screwed? F****
May sound like a joke... it isn't, I hate it so much. That quote hits home.



Tim_Tex
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21 Jul 2022, 5:57 pm

I am not qualified to do anything else other than GIS, and at 42, I'm too old to start over.


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SpaceMartian
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21 Jul 2022, 7:32 pm

Tim_Tex wrote:
I am not qualified to do anything else other than GIS, and at 42, I'm too old to start over.

It is never too late unless you have to get into serious debt. Plenty of formation available on internet, maybe looking for a career change is not that bad of an idea.