I don’t like my job and want to change careers, what should I do?

Last night around 8pm, a young man sent me a WeChat message and said, "Have you finished get off work yet? Let's chat tonight."

It was our department's farewell to the department head at that time. Break up dinner. I said, "I'll contact you later."

When I got home, it was almost 10 o'clock.

I am very tired and don’t want to talk.

An irresponsible thought flashed through my mind: If he doesn’t contact me, let’s wait until tomorrow.

At this time, WeChat rang, and it was from the young man: "Okay, tell me."

It seemed like this conversation was really important to him. I understand this eagerness. When I had questions and wanted answers, I was even more eager and anxious than him, but no one could help me at that time...

So I asked him to meet downstairs. .

During the chat, I found that he was very confused. In an unfamiliar industry, doing a job I don't like, working overtime every day, exhausted physically and mentally, I don't know what the future holds, I want to change careers, but I don't know what to do.

His anxiety may represent the anxiety of many graduates who have just entered society.

In fact, why am I not?

I remember that when I completed my college entrance examination and filled out my application form, I chose an economics major that I thought was awesome. I naively thought that I would be able to create my own world in the primary and secondary markets in the future.

As my studies continue to deepen, and I gradually see the depth of this industry, the more I feel that my qualifications are insufficient. In addition, there are many experts in the same industry, and the more difficult it is for me to make a difference. In addition, the postgraduate entrance examination ended in failure, and I couldn't choose the business I wanted to do at work. Therefore, now that I have switched to the Internet, I am doing a job that is not related to my university major.

But I don’t think that changing careers like this is “a waste of four years” as the elders say. I always believe that crossovers will be more common in the future, and compound talents will be more popular.

Don’t Internet people with economic thinking also have a unique competitiveness?

Because, I think, a person with an economic mindset will calculate an account every time he does something.

For example:

I want to ask a girl to watch a movie this afternoon. But in this afternoon, I could have done a part-time job to earn 200 yuan, or I could have read a 50-page book at home to learn and increase my knowledge, or I could have gone to a party with friends to spend the afternoon...

The one with the greatest benefit among all these "I could have..." is called opportunity cost in economics. It means that you choose to do one thing and give up the other things that have the greatest benefit.

Going back to the example of watching a movie, if for me, among all the things "I could have..." done, reading books at home to increase my knowledge is the most beneficial to me. Then the opportunity cost of me asking a girl to watch a movie in the afternoon is reading a 50-page book at home.

Here’s the key point, if I feel that asking a girl to watch a movie will be more beneficial than reading a 50-page book at home (or it will make me feel better), then I will decisively ask the girl to watch a movie with her. Girls happily go to the movies, have dinner after the movie, and have dinner after the movie... (omitted below)

If on the other hand, as a rational person, I choose to read at home without dating (lonely The rhythm of a lifetime...)

So once this account is calculated, students with economic thinking will make decisions to maximize returns. At work, students with economic thinking will definitely use their time Waste it on the most important things!

This is the gap. As a boss, if you understand this, wouldn't it be easier to choose Internet people with economic thinking?

This is one of the benefits of cross-border talents in my opinion. The example given is just a small point, but even this small point is enough to illustrate the problem.

Let’s go a step further and return to the topic of career change.

As an Internet person with economic thinking, I deeply know that my time is the most precious, especially during this young period, the opportunity cost of time is infinite.

Just like that very pretentious saying goes: Youth is so precious, everything seems to be a waste!

I have been working in the Internet industry for two years since I graduated. As my understanding of operations deepens, I increasingly feel that I am not very suitable for such a position: multi-tasking line job, the average salary level in the industry is low, and the ceiling is low...

Of course, it is undeniable that there are also a very small number of people who have used the operation skill to perfection, creating one industry apotheosis after another. , but after all, there are too few such people. At least 80% of operations are actually not easy.

But I admit that in today’s society, this ability is particularly needed.

Therefore, for me, operations should not be my main business, but a side business. I need a job that is more professional and more suitable for me to become my major. Then let my operational thinking expand my professional influence and achieve greater value for me.

For example, the WeChat personal account I created is the biggest test of my operational capabilities, and it is also something that may achieve greater success for me in the future.

So what should be my main business?

Since this time last year, after reading "Big Data Era", I have had a small goal, and I decided to do data analysis.

Why?

First of all, in terms of general trends, in the future world, whether it is the Internet, finance, consulting, retail or other industries, under the widespread use of computers and the power of the Internet, data will accumulate more and more. many. Data is of great value. Future business requires refined operations, which are based on data.

Through data analysis, future marketing will be more precise, customized services will become more and more popular, and many unexpected things are happening, perhaps a demand that you are not even aware of. The data has already been analyzed for you and will proactively satisfy you. The data understands your existence better than you do.

Personally speaking, the ceiling of the data analyst industry is higher. Of course, the entry threshold will be higher than that of operations. The nature of its work tends to be more single-minded and more professional. I can focus more on a specific thing without being interfered with by other complicated things (compared to operations).

To this end, I have also made some efforts

I started to learn EXCEL from scratch last year, read entry-level data analysis books, and took the opportunity to participate in various data analysis activities. I made friends in the industry, and also checked a lot of information on career planning and entry-level methodologies on Zhihu...

But this year, I spent a lot of money to sign up for classes to learn R language, work on weekdays, and take classes on weekends.

As of today, I have not had a break for more than a month.

Although it is very tiring, I feel it is very worthwhile for this little dream of changing careers.

The more you learn about data analysis, the more ignorant you feel. I know that this is a process that I must go through to learn, and it will be something that I must continue to persevere with.

I hope that one day, I can explain things in life to everyone from the perspective of data. Like DT Finance, I can share many unique perspectives derived from data, form interesting conclusions, and gain insight into those The beauty that is ignored by the public. Then publish it on this official account to give everyone more value.

Before I knew it, I was talking too much today. I have been working and attending classes recently, and I have been a bit incoherent, talking about whatever comes to mind.

In fact, I really want to give myself some time to rest. For example, I often fantasize about the time when I sit alone in a cafe, order a cup of mocha, sit on the sofa and look out the window, doing nothing and thinking about nothing. So casual, yet so luxurious.

So it’s a rare weekend, so let me stay in bed for a while.

I’m here first, I’ll share it next time!

Wish you good luck today, my dear friends!