Career move?

[Musaafirah]

Assalamualaikum,

Having worked in a laboratory for some time now, I feel maybe I may want to get into teaching. It was an initial aim actually, but then having experience with teaching children for some time, I feel I have no energy to deal with a class of 30 primary school children.
I was thinking of maybe focusing on chemistry so that I could teach secondary school children, but then thought being a lecturer may be easier and less exhausting.
Well, actually, I am just really confused at the moment and am not sure what path I should now take, if in fact I should get back into studying.
Having worked with consultants, I have become disillusioned at the medical profession, so wish not to waste an extra 4 years studying medicine, if I have to continually 'jump through hoops' as some Doctor's put it, just to be able to maintain certain contracts or whatnot.
Basically, I am a very confused person, not sure what I am wanting with life and any advice would be appreciated, as Masha'allah, having read through various posts, we seem to have posters with a wide variety of backgrounds on this forum.
Finally, please remember me in your duahs, so that I may get out of this bored state.
Jazakallah in advance...

[جوري]

You need to mull over it sis and do istikhara.. but I think it is a Q you should answer for yourself.. chemistry can be great fun if you enjoy it.. I like science in general to I am biased and my opinion shouldn't count in how you wish to live your life

[shailas]

First of all I believe if you pray to Allah in total submission and faith, praying to be guided, you will find your way through Allah. I made a career change last year from being a therapist for 10 years to being an engineer. :) It took massively focused studies for a year, but Allah brought the right people into my life to make this all possible.
Best wishes to you!!!!

[GuestFellow]

Walikaumsalaam,

Teaching at primary and secondary school is difficult. From my experience many students are violent and rude to the teachers. Teachers have targets to meet, keep up to date with so many changes, deal with inspectors, work overtime and so on. I would NOT teach at college or at university if you cannot handle the above. If you find difficulty looking after primary school children, I doubt you will be able to handle teenagers...

When making a career change, have an answer as to why you left your old profession.

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[Cabdullahi]

Get married insha'Allah and take up the best job in the world.

[Musaafirah]

Regarding mariaige, I'll see whatever happens insha'allah, as I know I'll most likely have to give up my job then anyway.
Khair, for my own peace of mind though, I am trying to move onto something different.
The reason I want to leave is simply because the hours will change in a major way, which will affect my life in general.
I wish not to work in the middle of the night, answering some Doctor's call to process an urgent sample, as a lone worker.
Teaching in universities though, does one have to have undertaken a PhD? Or some further education? I understand that some PhD students are required to teach or assist where necessary, but what if you want to just be a lecturer.
It seems though lately, that a fair amount of people are fed up. I have come across lecturers who seem to have lost the will to teach as they used to, due to meeting constant demands to justify their budget.
It's a confusing world out there..

[Musaafirah]

First of all I believe if you pray to Allah in total submission and faith, praying to be guided, you will find your way through Allah. I made a career change last year from being a therapist for 10 years to being an engineer. :) It took massively focused studies for a year, but Allah brought the right people into my life to make this all possible.
Best wishes to you!!!!

You only studied for a year to become an engineer?
What kind of engineer are you? Do you feel it's rewarding?

[tw009]

Teaching in universities though, does one have to have undertaken a PhD? Or some further education? I understand that some PhD students are required to teach or assist where necessary, but what if you want to just be a lecturer.
It seems though lately, that a fair amount of people are fed up. I have come across lecturers who seem to have lost the will to teach as they used to, due to meeting constant demands to justify their budget.
It's a confusing world out there..

Have you considered teaching at a community college that offesr diploma or certificate programs? I don't think you would require a PhD for that but you may need to go back to school for a year or two since they may want you to have masters.

[~Zaria~]

Assalamualaikum,

Having worked in a laboratory for some time now, I feel maybe I may want to get into teaching. It was an initial aim actually, but then having experience with teaching children for some time, I feel I have no energy to deal with a class of 30 primary school children.
I was thinking of maybe focusing on chemistry so that I could teach secondary school children, but then thought being a lecturer may be easier and less exhausting.
Well, actually, I am just really confused at the moment and am not sure what path I should now take, if in fact I should get back into studying.
Having worked with consultants, I have become disillusioned at the medical profession, so wish not to waste an extra 4 years studying medicine, if I have to continually 'jump through hoops' as some Doctor's put it, just to be able to maintain certain contracts or whatnot.
Basically, I am a very confused person, not sure what I am wanting with life and any advice would be appreciated, as Masha'allah, having read through various posts, we seem to have posters with a wide variety of backgrounds on this forum.
Finally, please remember me in your duahs, so that I may get out of this bored state.
Jazakallah in advance...

The reason I want to leave is simply because the hours will change in a major way, which will affect my life in general.
I wish not to work in the middle of the night, answering some Doctor's call to process an urgent sample, as a lone worker.

Assalamu-alaikum ukthi,

I think this is a good enough reason to be considering a career change (esp. for a woman).

I myself have worked many late nights and crazy hours (28+ hour shifts) in the past.
Alhamdulillah, this is just a distant memory for me now, and I pray that Allah forgives all of my past and future short-comings. ameen.

However, a career change is a big decision to make - its like starting a completely new chapter in your life.
So, you should ensure that you are doing it for the best reasons insha Allah:

e.g. It is possible to work in a lab that does not require night shifts......have you sought these opportunities?

In any case, I think you should ask yourself the following with regards to your current field of work:

- Is my job drawing me closer to Allah.....or possibly distancing me from Him? (e.g. from inter-mingling with the opposite sex, etc).
- Why am I actually working? (is it to support myself until marriage, insha Allah? Or as a service to mankind/ the ummah?)

- If your current line of work is not the most appropiate for a woman (because of undue interaction with males) - what else can you get involved in, without too much effort in this regard?
The reason i mention this, is because it is my personal belief that we tend to spend tooo much time in trying to attain worldly-related knowledge......and not enough time spent in acquiring knowledge of our deen.
Both are important, but very often our scales are weighted more to this dunya.

So, if you have already acquired one degree in chemistry - alhamdulillah.

And unless it is absolutely necessary to change fields - why not divert your attention to seeking knowledge in islam?

e.g you can enroll into online islamic courses/ universities (many are available for a minimal fee, and also offer sponsorships).
or join an arabic class
or make an intention to learn hifz......subhanAllah, what rewards exist for the one who makes the effort to commit the words of Allah to memory!
or join a NPO - and spend your free time in serving the less fortunate.

There is so much that we can do.....and so little time!

So make sure that: your intentions are correct before embarking on anything.

And dont forget to read istikharah.

We can only provide our feeble advices here.
But it is Allah that is the BEST of guides.

May Allah guide you towards all that is most pleasing to Him.
Ameen.

:wa:

[Mustafa2012]

:salamext:

Whatever it is you choose make sure it is something you enjoy doing.

If possible try getting a part time job in the area you want to change to or at a lower level for a e.g. teaching assistant to get a feel of the environment and what's involved. This way you don't have to make a full commitment to it straight away.

I know people who've worked in primary. It's a very demanding role. You have to love kids and have a lot of energy. You are also responsible for teaching all subjects which means a major time sacrifice involved in lesson preparation. Not sure how much time that would leave for ibaadah and family time etc. Best to speak to practising sisters working at the level.

Once you've spent some time working in the area you want to move in to then re-evaluate if it's something you want to commit to on a full time basis or if you want to make a life long commitment to it.

Pray Salaatul Istikhaarah and speak to people who work as teachers or any other area you were thinking of working in.

Weigh up all the advice, the signs that Allaah :swt1: gives you and then make a decision.

[Musaafirah]

Jazakillah for all that have given me advice here.

I haven't yet made a decision, so I'll see where I go from here.
Sis Zaria, I was thinking of just moving labs initially, but the same seems to be happening all over the country, so that's limited my options already.
Unfortunately, there is intermingling. I'm really fortunate that in the current lab, we have about a 90% female workforce, so makes life much easier.
I would love love love to work abroad even. But unfortunately won't be able to.

Teaching now doesn't sound too appealing. The funny thing is though, I used to love explaining things to fellow class mates for example, and loved the way they understood after I explained the principles to them.

Either way, please remember me in your duahs insha'allah.
I have maybe a few months to make the decision either way.
Jazakallah again.

[Rhubarb Tart]

What does being from Pakistan have to do with anything?

Ignore the troll. Can't you ask for fix shift pattern. Like 6am to 2pm. Or ask for part time position and get a fix shift.

[Musaafirah]

Ignore the troll. Can't you ask for fix shift pattern. Like 6am to 2pm. Or ask for part time position and get a fix shift.

Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way.
The bulk of the work load is in the afternoon. It seems as though they'll be extending our Saturday and Sunday wokring hours too!
Anyone have any experience with research?

[shailas]

You only studied for a year to become an engineer?
What kind of engineer are you? Do you feel it's rewarding?

Assalamu-alaikum
I'm a network engineer with cisco certifications (still working on more certs). This work is a blessing from Allah, I am so grateful. I have time to focus on spiritual studies and lead a balanced life. I work mainly from home and go to my office when I want to, as long as I participate in my team calls, and then of course I do the actual project work which sometimes requires leaving town for a few days at a time if the work can't be done remotely. If you like teaching, well, you would teach the customers how to use the products; there's definitely an element of teaching involved in my work. It's all very rewarding and a welcome challenge to learn a new line of work. I didn't think I could make a change like this at my age, but through Allah and Allah only (thank you Allah!), I did.

[Cabdullahi]

network engineer insha'Allah

its the way to go, unfortunately i haven't found a network support job after graduating yet, but insha'Allah soon.