dead end job?

I work maintenance at a factory pays very good for no degree and is easy. Im 24 so everyone tells me im crazy to think of leaving but iv been doing this since i was 18. I just started at a new plant but its pretty much the same as my last job. I get no satifaction or joy outta it, i make junk food so im not helping people. Im a year in a half from my BA in infomation systems and wanna finish but it stresses me out think of leaving a 45k a year job. On top of that im gonna have to start 3rd shift so daycare will go up and ill see my wife even less now.Anyone every been in a situation similar offer some advice?
thanks

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Spaced

I think the answer here is easy. You already said you don't enjoy your job and have been working on finishing your degree, presumably to use it. 45k is not bad at your age, but it doesn't sound like there is much potential to increase that. You should finish up that degree and use it in a career with more growth potential. It may seem easier to stay but in the long term you want a satisfying career with growth potential and you might as well start on it while your younger. You do have more responsibilities to deal with than the average 24 year old with having a family but you want to be able to make more than 45 and you want to be doing something that you enjoy and you certainly shouldn't waste that degree.

N2IT

Some factories have become highly technical. Do you all use a ERP system like SAP, JD Edwards, etc or maybe a scheduling software? You could continue on with the job and integrate your technical degree at the plant. I see this as a pretty good opportunity, I wouldn't without looking into that.

bull313

I believe your degree and additional certifications will give you a much brighter future than your current situation. Obviously you're going to have to make sacrifices in order to get there, but in the long term it will be worth it. You're still young and have a lot of time ahead of you. Good luck wth whatever you decide to do.

mnolan70

Its a VERY old factory and the IT dept. Has been centralized and moved to corp in TX so that was a downside. But i think ill just have to make some sacrifices and finish what i started. Sometimes happiness is more important then money.

petedude

Surprisingly enough, there are still pockets in this country where people "do the same thing" forever and there's social pressure to stay in that mold.

It's your destiny, though-- you'll have to decide what to make of it.

Dakinggamer87

bull313 wrote: »

I believe your degree and additional certifications will give you a much brighter future than your current situation. Obviously you're going to have to make sacrifices in order to get there, but in the long term it will be worth it. You're still young and have a lot of time ahead of you. Good luck wth whatever you decide to do.

I couldn't agree more!!

joehalford01

Do whats right for you and your family long term. Most people will not encourage you to do better because that's admitting they haven't made the best choice to stay put. Your managers will always tell you to stay put as well. Don't listen to them, there is a whole world out there.

--chris--

45K is nice but I see a lot of people around here (metro Detroit) that stuck around for their "45K" jobs for 30 years. Most don't see work as something to get satisfaction from, its what you do to do other things (like water ski, go on vacation, buy flat screens, get your kid braces...).

I'm a bit like you, was in a management role that paid well but had zero room for growth and provided little satisfaction. I have been making the jump over to IT for about 8 months now, still havent lit the fire and kept it going but Ive had a few hotspots that are encouraging!

And why do you think you will have to start off on third shift? Around here there are very few third shift IT jobs. Most are 9-5'sh.

Bryzey

I was similar to you. At 25 I decided to make the move from the factory(manufacturing supervisor) into IT. I'm in Australia though so the job market might be different.

I used my reputation in the business to leverage an internal position in the business systems team supporting and training ERP system users for the last 2 years why I figured out where abouts in IT I wanted to land.

That 2 years experience with a couple of certs has now given me a new opportunity.

I start a new in a couple of weeks more suited to what I want to do. Money and conditions are great and the company is really cool.

This new job will open up further opportunities for me in the future when I have more experience and more knowledge and certs.

Just set your goals. Once you do that you can put a plan in place to achieve them. If you are determined to get what you want things will work out for you.

I'm in a much better place now and am very happy I decided to make the jump into something I enjoy doing.

Good luck mate!