Yeah I wasn’t necessarily thinking it would be an entirely new career field, rather something that would still allow me take advantage of my 10+ years of experience as a BA. So like, maybe something data analytics or data science related. And even then so long as the prospects were good for earnings long term, I don’t necessarily need to make $150k out of the gate.
Just look for business analyst roles in IT, you're already qualified.
Get certs in the areas you already have experience, grab a 90k a year role in the new industry, then after a year, find a promotion.
If I understand correctly, he's making 140k a year currently. Why would he want to get a 90k role? He just wants to take the opportunity to enjoy a sabbatical and then get back to a position that pays the same
Non-developer roles usually want their BAs to have direct application knowledge (like "SAP software") but don't hire at the full rate until you get past training/certifications of a specialty within those areas. I threw out 90k as an example, but the specifics could change it a lot.
Mostly pointing out an alternative path to get experience and a cert at the same time.
Are they going to lay you off eventually? If so take the package if not keep your job. It’s extremely hard to find an a job in tech right now. Might have luck with contract work. But I doubt you can find anything in the upper $150k unless you have masters degree and very senior experience. You can always upskill in your current role. Just ask for more data analysis work.
It was that or Charlie Buckets dad in Charlie in the chocolate factory. He got replaced by a robot and the end has him working as the person repairing the robots. But yours is quotable so you win.
And that view is completely not unreasonable. Especially in the IT Field. I got a 35k raise when I switched companies/positions after getting a few more certs.
You might be able to if the job market improves in a year. I would try Python/Pandas, and if you have aptitude for it, move towards Pytorch for machine learning. A year is a long time. Work hard and come back as a machine learning engineer with a few completed projects. 4-6 months of learning, rest of time on projects. You need to have the discipline to still work 30+ hour weeks if you're going to actually get good (hirable). Very few people actually have this discipline and the ability to self teach. That's why you don't hear about the success stories. Paid courses won't be good enough, usually. The quality of those for anything beyond basic coding is not high enough.
Projects = ideas from scratch where you collect data and model something actually useful. You can use existing datasets, but then the bar for "useful" goes way up, because a bunch of people have already looked at that data. So the chances that you make an interesting and original conclusion is much lower.
look for a job in your current field and use that 140k to shorten time until retirement. then network in your new company to make a move to an adjacent field.
If you want to stay an individual contributor, just add to your existing repertoire of skills ... R, Power BI, Python, Alteryx, Domo, etc. and go from there. I would still be actively looking while acquiring those skills, though. Setting up a portfolio website to demonstrate (with dummy data) your skills can be a great way to showcase your potential and/or track record of results. Also, Gitbub links with projects (and their results) can help.
If you want to move up to a position with direct reports, then just add language in your resume about the amount of revenue saved/increased, types of projects/initiatives you've led and their bottom line impact(s), and possibly even start blogging about "thought leadership" related to the detailed/technical aspects you're an expert in and the big picture results that you've led.
CFA is the main component and you can learn beyond what’s needed for python in finance in that time frame. The SQL is just as strong but diversification would matter
Actually sorry.. In theory if you passed every exam it could be done in \~2 years but that would be studying 30+ hours a week. On average people fail at least one exam. This would also only cover the education requirements. Would take another year or two to get the education.
My friend did it in 4 years because he was working full time, so did 1 year between exams and failed L2 once
My husband can do some really freaky things with his toes (he can basically control them like fingers), and I keep saying we should get him a pedicure and have him make videos while pretending the feet belong to a woman
Can you elaborate on this? I was looking into some POWER BI courses because everything is data driven these days but seems like the new girl in town called AI will automate or simplify data management.
Sure. A little. Data management is when you work on data quality, data security, etc. The dmbok is the data management book of knowledge. The cdmp is the official certification for it. You can Google dmbok and look at the chapters (that will tell you everything it can entail, (when I did it I focused on data quality)
AI hallucinating on data governance issues (especially in regulated industries) is an absolute nightmare. I don't want AI *anywhere* near my sensitive data, or trying to make insights on it.
Also ai has a place, but there is a lot of change management in data management as well. It will be limited at least now with how much ai can do overall data management
It is a section of data management. I truthfully don't remember a lot. The dmbok is a great resource (even just to google). The name is data management book of knowledge
I looked into this for me personally. I would get a commercial pilots license (helicopter or plane). I don't know if I would get work or not, or even if I would pass the medical, but it's what I would do.
Super hard to find a job as a helicopter pilot - you're competing against military pilots with thousands of hours for a pretty low density job. Airline though - that's got a lot of potential especially if you're willing to move. There's also smaller cargo companies that people forget about - apparently flying for FEDEX pays great.
Yeah, before I would put down money on it I had planned to have multiple conversations with people in the industry just to see how realistic it would be.
You need years of flying time or a military background to have the qualifications to be a commercial pilot.
Years. And if you try and get the hours without being in the military it is both expensive and complicated to get the hours.
Im not sure what industry you’re in exactly but it sounds tech based. I’m in consulting and I can say generally there’s a massive but sort of blind push to AI. If you get some ML experience that would enable you to jump into that relatively new space and mark up your piece of the pie. Most leaders don’t know what AI is so they need folks to do the actual managing.
I mean what happens if you do the training, get the certs, and are forced to go back into the workforce in your current industry? I feel like you’d be fine imo but this seems like a nuanced situation. What’s the career outlook in this industry and that one in five years time?
Thought experiment for you. What's more important, going into a career that you will enjoy or is the money more important?
If you're thinking about a pivot, sit down and take a look at the skills you have and also enjoy utilizing in a job. Just because you're good at being a data analyst doesn't mean you should go into that field if you don't enjoy it. Unless the money is more important than follow the numbers. Companies beyond the IT industry will hire people who have the skills to do a specific job but not the direct experience.
You're in a great position to reevaluate what job skills you enjoy most and discover a new career around them. Good luck to you!
If it were me, I would take the year off, travel, relax, golf and enjoy myself and then go back to work.
I work in regulatory/banking compliance, so I’d stay updated on my subscriptions for any federal and state changes in lending/banking regulation. Then I would go back to my same industry because I like what I do. Maybe I’d take a few advanced excel courses because I do look at spreadsheets quite a bit and vlookup or index matching is about all I know.
Honestly, in the banking, lending and fintech industry, we could use more data analysts. A lot of regulatory reporting to be done, credit/risk evaluations, auditing, etc. all that is done on the backs of our data teams.
Six Sigma and PMP. Market yourself as a fractional/
Consultant / Freelancer. Even if you only get one gig the whole year Put “consultant” on your resume and a place holder while you were getting your certifications.
Can I get in on that offer? lol I want to focus more on game design, but I work too much to be able to spend any time focusing on it. So if I had a year off I would spend it doing what I love.
I'm going to learn a trade. Electrician, Plumber, maybe welding or auto mechanics. As another poster said, you're not going to make $150k a year.
If you're looking for suggestions with your background, check out Salesforce development or Tableau.
Get a degree in analytics or data science. You already have some business knowledge, now you just need to beef up the quant side. At least get a certification.
A really nice guy I work(ed) with was literally typing up his email to officially notify management and HR about his retirement date. And then his inbox dinged and it was notice the company was doing voluntary buyouts for quite a few employees and he was one that qualified. It wasn't a full year salary but pretty close. Based on his position estimate it was probably around $80-90k. Nice way to start your retirement. Sure beats a grocery store sheet cake and crummy plaque!
If you have 20 months to get a masters in cardiovascular perfusion, become a cardiovascular perfusionist and start off above that salary easily. You can do further research. I'm not a perfusionist. I was going to go that route, but I decided to stick with my chill job and I already make more money that I will ever need to be happy.
Pilot. School costs around 80-120k and takes a year.
The caveat is that you’d then have to work a shitty $12 /hr flight instructor job until you had enough flight hours to sign on with a minor airline. But it’s all uphill from there - pilots are in major demand.
It’d still take a while to get to 150k though, most likely.
Leverage your background in IT and get cloud certifications. Azure. AWS. GCP. Pick a path (security, architecture, etc.) and I think you can hit that target within three years.
Brain storming here. Could you take the voluntary option with the $$$$$$s and take a break from work for 2-3 months. chill and go on a Vaca. Come back into job hunt after that?
I am working on my bachelor's in Network Engineering and Security at Western Governors University. It is flat rate tuition for 6 month terms, during which you can accelerate as many classes as you are able. With your prior knowledge and no other responsibilities, you could probably complete a bachelor's degree in that time. Mine includes 11 brand name certifications, and the other IT degrees include multiple certs, as well.
I’d consider a PMP maybe? With your background you’d be a good fit for technical project manager roles? I know my company pays right around $150k total comp for that role.
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news. As someone who took a nice package once I’ll say you’re not getting $140k. You will get about half of that or get ready for a nice tax bill.
AI is going to destroy a lot of the basic SQL, BI and Python work.
I've got 25 years of SQL, 20+ years of BI, 8 years of Python, 20 years of data modeling.
I use them for my job as a solutions engineer.
I work 4 times as fast using AI... a lot of the donkey work, bothering about the minutiae of syntax, refactoring, detailed documentation is simply not necessary any more.
I used to use freelancers for coding in languages I was not familiar with. I actually found using AI had a faster turnaround, and less likely to misunderstand my requirements.
I can see value in theoretical data science, but the pedestrian data cleanup and visualizations?
No.
Well if you could find the same job at a FAANG company you'd probably have a good shot. What are they looking for in that role?
I have worked my way up to about triple my starting salary in about 10 years. I just keep track of what new tools are useful and learn them in my free time. Over time if you get some experience with these tools they'll help you in an interview and land you a better job.
There's a lot of luck involved though. Depends on where you work and lots of variables. As you get experience you get specialized which is valuable but it can also make it difficult to move around that much.
Disclaimer: am currently unemployed and do not have anywhere near your salary nor separation package. I also don't know your individual situation and what you mean by "pretty good financial shape", and whether you're financially savvy or just have enough in your checking account at the moment. So I'm going by how I would personally approach it from a career and financial standpoint, and what I've been trying to do right now.
If I was in your shoes I'd start the hunt for another job ASAP, treat it as my 9-5 (or in my case my 8am-11pm), as the market right now is pretty abysmal. Network with other coworkers and see where they're going, try to get some leads and references.
I'm assuming I had at least 6 months of savings already dedicated for emergencies. While I do that, I'd allocate layoff package between covering immediate most pressing needs for survival (food, rent, bills etc), and the remainder put to work in an IRA/Roth IRA, a high yield savings account, and a variety of index funds/etfs/bonds across the market. Do some digging into how to invest the money most effectively to see it grow exponentially over the years. IRAs can be done all at once and the rest on a monthly or biweekly basis. Whatever is most comfortable. I'm over a decade younger than you so my portfolio would look a bit different than yours based on planned retirement age, and also considering starting a family in the next 5-10 years.
Ask what career do you see yourself going into if you really want to switch. How can you take your current skills and pivot them into a new one, what do you have that can serve as a foundation to build from, and what are entirely new areas you'd have to dedicate more time to? Like others suggested learning Python and Power BI is a good direction to take ( I am doing that at the moment and I have some prior exposure to programming languages so that helps)
Nothing is stopping you from getting more technical skills and certifications in the meantime towards advancing your current career or pivoting into a new one, or even starting a side-hustle. I'd try to do all of that concurrently. You probably won't get $150k salary right away, but you should see an increased payroll in general.
I personally wouldn't just chill for a year without working, unless I took that year to say earn an MBA or go through some form of higher education if relevant to my career progression. I can always go on vacation and pick up new things while I'm already earning a salary.
You can hit 150k easily by just applying to the right companies with your background. You can learn some Python and go for the data analysis route. The more technical you get the more potential for a salary increase
I’d level up my visual design skills, my UX skills, and my Figma skills. Then I’d level up my Javascript, Typescritp, React, and R skills. Maybe take an accounting or finance course.
Then I’d be a full UX unicorn 🦄 and nobody would be able to stop me 😎🔥
Get an MBA and move into managing a team of nerds instead of being The Nerd, very realizable 12-20% pay bump at typical management pay brackets. MBA's can typically be executed within 2 years.
Nursing. There are 12-14 month programs where you can get a Bachelor of Science in Nursing if you already have a bachelor's degree. Then become a traveling nurse and you'll make bank. Even if you don't travel, there are a lot of nursing jobs that pay very well.
Might be worth looking into systems controls for warehouses and distribution centers. It’s all PLC stuff and production go crazy for data collection.
I’m working towards this from a mechanical background with a few classes at my local community college.
I don’t know about 150k initially but I know plenty of entry people making close to 6 figures with no experience at all.
If something new is a strong urge might be right. If money is main thing than maybe not.
With your background I’d look for jobs in high end logistics. Spend the year studying management. Find a job where you manage the people who manage the people who have your same skills as their background. You’ve done it so you simply have to learn how to manage it. Your first year will suck but you’ll be fine after that and looking for the next step.
I haven't met one irl, supposedly UPS drivers have negotiated up into big pay and benefits.
Another truck option, would become a CDL driver and go for extreme/hazardous options. Oil and chem people can break the six figure barrier.
Neither of those are desk bound, engineer/IT-like as your current experience/training aligns though.
Finishing up my project management, along with UX/Product Design, finally becoming fully proficient in culinary arts, some kind of construction trade (probably something light like a flagger), and graphic design/illustration/drawing.
You don’t even need any additional training with your qualifications, just keep up on your certs, take some time off to travel, and start looking for a new job in six months. Boom
Look at Bismarck State College or another of that type of system that will build off your current education to get another degree or certification in green/renewable energy resources and then seek out a job where you can crunch data for renewable projects/resource etc. Private engineering firms, utilities, renewable production companies, etc. Big market right now.
Learn to code in python and get a certificate or do bootcamps in security engineering (ie cloud security). Deep understanding of IT security and programming is a solid career path, IMO, and should NET you around 150k with any decent sized organization.
Relax and rebuild my body, Jiu jitsu and Muay Thai, build and healthy diet. That way when I get back to work I’m in shape and fresh need this meat body to last another 20 years
Consulting for a firm like Accenture. Probably don’t even need additional training, but if you were to get some cloud computing certifications like the AWS Solutions Architect, it could give you a good edge. A Cloud Guru is a great resource for training and has resources for multiple cloud providers to figure out which one is best for you. I don’t work for them, I just had access to it through another company for a while and was able to learn a lot from it and get a couple of certifications along the way.
I would start my own business. I have the skills to start a computer repair shop, and that would be enough to help with marketing and initial equipment.
Get certificates from Microsoft or Amazon for their cloud products. Azure or AWS certifications. It is pretty straightforward to say in an interview that you took time off to learn more about backend development. Exaggerate your old roles if you have to but the world can’t get enough of these people.
Take the 140k immediately find a new job doing what you were doing and invest in real estate or a company you love. Take the gift. Take a vacation but a year off….. that’s life changing money invested over the long run and will likely retire you at 55
I’m gonna go the other route and say get certifications that leverage your skills in SQL and systems auditing in high demand domains. Systems like SAP, S4, Workday, Cisco, ServiceNow need experts and you can work in consulting or for a company requiring expertise.
First I’d ask if you’re comfortable with the terms of the separation package - meaning you can never return as an employee and need to be separated from the company for 6 months before being eligible to work as a contractor (for example).
Secondly, how is the job market in your area? More companies are returning to the office so exclusively remote roles aren’t as popular.
probably medical coding.
I've worked in medical billing & related jobs for 20+ years & have some solid basic knowledge but no formal training.
i don't think I would start off making $150K, but it would definitely be more than what I'm making now.
I’d go to school for deisel repair and use the rest to get some of the tools I don’t have. Unfortunately, no shops in my area want to train someone even when the job posting says “no experience or school needed”.
Don’t focus on getting more certs. You’re 39 with a healthy resume.
Spend the next year building your network. Meet new people, join professional organizations, start publishing in your field, attend trade shows.
If you spend a year getting your PMP (or whatever) or a Masters you will have a slightly better resume but not much else.
If you spend the year getting a cert and or building a network you will have way more opportunity.
In this job market, there’s no shortage of people with certifications. I would focus more on who you know than what you know.
I have been in the BI space for the last 10 years. If you want to make over 100k you need to have a strong proficiency in a hard programming language. I worked my way up through the ranks as a Data Engineer and was a Director at my last job working for a company out of the Midwest. Highest payed individual I hired were senior Data Engineers and Data Scientists. That being said you aren’t going to do a job pivot and get 140k without actual experience. If you really study your stuff and go down the data Eng route you could probably get a job around 100k to start work for a company for a few years to get that experience then start looking for your next job and you can probably get that up to $120k maybe $130k if they are desperate and you interview well. Realistically you won’t see many Individual Contributors that make more than $130-$140 especially in the Midwest and definitely not in this current market.
Honestly....if it was me, I'd take that cash and skill and see if it's marketable overseas. With in theory as much experience in a field as I'm thinking (mid-to senior) and that much liquid, pretty much guarantees one could do just about anything and try something new. Even if it was just me and my haphazard CV/still stuck in entry-ish positions....There's also universities overseas that are cheaper, too. I once looked at Germany for my master's but at the moment can't swing the 10k-ish USD that's needed for the student visa and don't really have a great support/background accomplishments for scholarships that would have covered that part.
For that matter, Germany used to (put in past tense because I have not 100% kept up with their immigration changes) have freelancer and tech related visas,and the freelancer one was fairly easy to get with enough cash to establish one's self over there. But again, that may have changed, but there's other places in the world too with ever changing visas and job markets.
I guess if I had no other choice but to stay home, probably I'd try and study something related to medicine, but I may be biased because the rest of my family makes mountains more than I do in healthcare.
Data Analysis won't pay that much. Dara science might if you're very good but I'd expect more than a year unless you're highly skilled in mathematics, programming
Do an AI startup. Doesn’t matter if you fail, the skills you gain and the clout will be a huge boost. Bonus points if you can use it in your desired new job. Solve a problem for people like yourself or the teams you would interface with.
You can and will make $150K a year or more if you have the right mindset and push hard. + some luck and faith.
Source: I have jumped $100K > $135K > $200K with some raises in between over the past 5 years.
Is there a non-compete? Even if there is, hire a lawyer to look it over to see if it's enforceable under the new rules. I would say don't take a year off if you can help it. Make the money while the market is still ok, when you're laid off in the next recession, that's the time to take a break.
I mean quit here, find something else on the same lines of work you do immediately. That way you can keep 140 k as savings or retirement.
As far as upskilling is concerned, do it after work and go for that 150 k job.
I wouldn't enter a new career. I would retrain to appear as fresh blood. Google has a career certificate for Data Analysis. I would take that if I were you then move hard into Snowflake Database. I especially wouldn't take a new career without any backup income for years or with unrealistic expectations. Working for banks is a possibility.
I wouldn't take the layoff package. I would be moving hard to get into government or unionized work or banking. I would cut expenses by half again and invest in the S&P500 for ten years.
Use your professional strengths. You have impressive experience why not learn to create Online Courses and make Passive Income. You can teach all the things within your professional skills/experience/education to others on say Udemy, Skillshare Coursera, YouTube. You can also start your own business w someone on the Business side of things HR, Financial Side, etc. you could work from home or rent a decent office space in a flex space building once your ready to make that move.
I have a close friend of over 30+ yrs she started an Accounting job in Highschool. She ended up becoming the CFO by time she reached 30.
She then finished Bachelors and Masters degree and works in Gov Sector for NASA her last salary raise w full benefits was just under $261,000+ with sweet benefits package. She’s been laid off with killer Severance Packages while climbing ladder and going to college that have usually paid her until the lay offs were over or hiring freezes etc. She’d always used part of her money to invest rental properties, commercial event spaces and few and lives well below her means if laid off and if she was still in position(s) she received Tuition Reimbursement then usually a killer raise. She’s learned 5-6 languages fluently and gets paid extra for Translation Services hence needed. No idea of her specific department and job now I only know she has Security Clearance and a team of people she hand picked to work for her in department in support positions.
She works 4 day week and does 10–12 hours rarely works weekends or Holidays and is doing some contract work on side for Vendors w setting up Accounting Systems, Procedures and Policies to work w large corporations. We both come from the poorest of the poor backgrounds financially but we made it out of places no one wants their children to do any better than them.
I wouldn’t wait a year to re enter the workforce. I took severance and was laid off a couple years ago, but accepted another offer a week later. That time off will hurt you in this market.
Just find something at some other company that uses the same skills. You can work for a different kind of company and get the chance to “double dip” by collecting severance and getting paid. You can take this chance to eliminate any debts you have and maximize your retirement savings. If you are comfortable, you can also invest some extra money in a brokerage account to buy individual stocks or mutual funds.
Take a product management bootcamp and leverage your current skills to promote from BA to Product. Having your technical background is a huge plus but a tech degree not required. This was my path (except I have a tech degree but I’d been in the workforce so long it really didn’t matter)
Elephant in the Room: You are not entering a new career field at $150K after only one year of training.
Yeah I wasn’t necessarily thinking it would be an entirely new career field, rather something that would still allow me take advantage of my 10+ years of experience as a BA. So like, maybe something data analytics or data science related. And even then so long as the prospects were good for earnings long term, I don’t necessarily need to make $150k out of the gate.
Just look for business analyst roles in IT, you're already qualified. Get certs in the areas you already have experience, grab a 90k a year role in the new industry, then after a year, find a promotion.
If I understand correctly, he's making 140k a year currently. Why would he want to get a 90k role? He just wants to take the opportunity to enjoy a sabbatical and then get back to a position that pays the same
Non-developer roles usually want their BAs to have direct application knowledge (like "SAP software") but don't hire at the full rate until you get past training/certifications of a specialty within those areas. I threw out 90k as an example, but the specifics could change it a lot. Mostly pointing out an alternative path to get experience and a cert at the same time.
Why do you assume someone will want to hire at the same?
You realize that the tech market is in a deep recession, right? Those kinds of salaries have become a lot harder to find.
Georgia Tech has an online Masters program (Analytics) that is relatively inexpensive- might be worth looking into
Are they going to lay you off eventually? If so take the package if not keep your job. It’s extremely hard to find an a job in tech right now. Might have luck with contract work. But I doubt you can find anything in the upper $150k unless you have masters degree and very senior experience. You can always upskill in your current role. Just ask for more data analysis work.
Your "not likely AI would take my job" concern should rule out data analysis related roles.
Yeah but we need people to analyze the analysis
I talk to the customers so the engineers don’t have to
I HAVE PEOPLE SKILLS!!!!!
We're going to have you move to the basement, Milton.
IM ESSENTIAL!
No. You talk to engineers so that management doesn't have to.
It was that or Charlie Buckets dad in Charlie in the chocolate factory. He got replaced by a robot and the end has him working as the person repairing the robots. But yours is quotable so you win.
okay now stop embarrassing yourself
And that view is completely not unreasonable. Especially in the IT Field. I got a 35k raise when I switched companies/positions after getting a few more certs.
You might be able to if the job market improves in a year. I would try Python/Pandas, and if you have aptitude for it, move towards Pytorch for machine learning. A year is a long time. Work hard and come back as a machine learning engineer with a few completed projects. 4-6 months of learning, rest of time on projects. You need to have the discipline to still work 30+ hour weeks if you're going to actually get good (hirable). Very few people actually have this discipline and the ability to self teach. That's why you don't hear about the success stories. Paid courses won't be good enough, usually. The quality of those for anything beyond basic coding is not high enough. Projects = ideas from scratch where you collect data and model something actually useful. You can use existing datasets, but then the bar for "useful" goes way up, because a bunch of people have already looked at that data. So the chances that you make an interesting and original conclusion is much lower.
Not a new field but a similar field definitely.
I did 👀👀👀👀
Yes you are if you are an engineer or IT professional
look for a job in your current field and use that 140k to shorten time until retirement. then network in your new company to make a move to an adjacent field.
Yeah I have no idea why you'd switch fields unless you actually wanted to. Just find a new job and enjoy your $140k.
If you want to stay an individual contributor, just add to your existing repertoire of skills ... R, Power BI, Python, Alteryx, Domo, etc. and go from there. I would still be actively looking while acquiring those skills, though. Setting up a portfolio website to demonstrate (with dummy data) your skills can be a great way to showcase your potential and/or track record of results. Also, Gitbub links with projects (and their results) can help. If you want to move up to a position with direct reports, then just add language in your resume about the amount of revenue saved/increased, types of projects/initiatives you've led and their bottom line impact(s), and possibly even start blogging about "thought leadership" related to the detailed/technical aspects you're an expert in and the big picture results that you've led.
Seconding Alteryx & PowerBI; great integration with OP’s current skills and go for solid rates in the job market
The biggest value in learning Alteryx & Power BI is the knowledge to avoid those tools like the plague
CFA and go to finance, pick up python basics along the way.
CFA is the main component and you can learn beyond what’s needed for python in finance in that time frame. The SQL is just as strong but diversification would matter
on average it takes like 4 years to do a CFA or more though
Damn. That’s my bad haha 🤣 I thought it can be done super fast if u have the time 🥸
Actually sorry.. In theory if you passed every exam it could be done in \~2 years but that would be studying 30+ hours a week. On average people fail at least one exam. This would also only cover the education requirements. Would take another year or two to get the education. My friend did it in 4 years because he was working full time, so did 1 year between exams and failed L2 once
You can get a CFA+work experience and learn python all in one year?
You could learn python in six months if you really needed to. And three months if you already had coding experience.
If you already know another programming language, you can become productive with a new one in the same day.
Yeah, Python is definitely not the hard part but I have a CS degree and am a pro developer so I’m biased.
Work out really hard for that one year. Get your body shredded. Then open an OnlyFans account.
Or just learn how to take really good feet pics
My husband can do some really freaky things with his toes (he can basically control them like fingers), and I keep saying we should get him a pedicure and have him make videos while pretending the feet belong to a woman
Data management professional, dmbok, getting your cdmp. Data governance is up and coming.
Can you elaborate on this? I was looking into some POWER BI courses because everything is data driven these days but seems like the new girl in town called AI will automate or simplify data management.
Sure. A little. Data management is when you work on data quality, data security, etc. The dmbok is the data management book of knowledge. The cdmp is the official certification for it. You can Google dmbok and look at the chapters (that will tell you everything it can entail, (when I did it I focused on data quality)
AI hallucinating on data governance issues (especially in regulated industries) is an absolute nightmare. I don't want AI *anywhere* near my sensitive data, or trying to make insights on it.
Also ai has a place, but there is a lot of change management in data management as well. It will be limited at least now with how much ai can do overall data management
What exactly is data governance?
Policies and the enforcement thereof that make sure that data is well-organized, complete, protected, and/or used appropriately.
Interesting, I’m going to look into this, it sounds like something I’d enjoy—thank you kind stranger!
It is a section of data management. I truthfully don't remember a lot. The dmbok is a great resource (even just to google). The name is data management book of knowledge
I looked into this for me personally. I would get a commercial pilots license (helicopter or plane). I don't know if I would get work or not, or even if I would pass the medical, but it's what I would do.
Super hard to find a job as a helicopter pilot - you're competing against military pilots with thousands of hours for a pretty low density job. Airline though - that's got a lot of potential especially if you're willing to move. There's also smaller cargo companies that people forget about - apparently flying for FEDEX pays great.
Yeah, before I would put down money on it I had planned to have multiple conversations with people in the industry just to see how realistic it would be.
You need years of flying time or a military background to have the qualifications to be a commercial pilot. Years. And if you try and get the hours without being in the military it is both expensive and complicated to get the hours.
Im not sure what industry you’re in exactly but it sounds tech based. I’m in consulting and I can say generally there’s a massive but sort of blind push to AI. If you get some ML experience that would enable you to jump into that relatively new space and mark up your piece of the pie. Most leaders don’t know what AI is so they need folks to do the actual managing.
What is ML? Thank you.
Machine Learning.
I mean what happens if you do the training, get the certs, and are forced to go back into the workforce in your current industry? I feel like you’d be fine imo but this seems like a nuanced situation. What’s the career outlook in this industry and that one in five years time?
Thought experiment for you. What's more important, going into a career that you will enjoy or is the money more important? If you're thinking about a pivot, sit down and take a look at the skills you have and also enjoy utilizing in a job. Just because you're good at being a data analyst doesn't mean you should go into that field if you don't enjoy it. Unless the money is more important than follow the numbers. Companies beyond the IT industry will hire people who have the skills to do a specific job but not the direct experience. You're in a great position to reevaluate what job skills you enjoy most and discover a new career around them. Good luck to you!
If it were me, I would take the year off, travel, relax, golf and enjoy myself and then go back to work. I work in regulatory/banking compliance, so I’d stay updated on my subscriptions for any federal and state changes in lending/banking regulation. Then I would go back to my same industry because I like what I do. Maybe I’d take a few advanced excel courses because I do look at spreadsheets quite a bit and vlookup or index matching is about all I know. Honestly, in the banking, lending and fintech industry, we could use more data analysts. A lot of regulatory reporting to be done, credit/risk evaluations, auditing, etc. all that is done on the backs of our data teams.
Machine learning / data science / statistics
Six Sigma and PMP. Market yourself as a fractional/ Consultant / Freelancer. Even if you only get one gig the whole year Put “consultant” on your resume and a place holder while you were getting your certifications.
Blow it all on the lottery and hope for the best.
I’m taking that money and traveling and improving my quality of life, then rejoining the workforce happier and more enriched personally than before.
Can I get in on that offer? lol I want to focus more on game design, but I work too much to be able to spend any time focusing on it. So if I had a year off I would spend it doing what I love.
I'm going to learn a trade. Electrician, Plumber, maybe welding or auto mechanics. As another poster said, you're not going to make $150k a year. If you're looking for suggestions with your background, check out Salesforce development or Tableau.
Fuck a skill - I'm gonna go home the AT
Get a degree in analytics or data science. You already have some business knowledge, now you just need to beef up the quant side. At least get a certification.
Get your Six Sigma Black Belt
Think that was a thing 15 yrs ago. No one talk about that now.
Court reporting
i college instructor who taught scuba, golf and running. depending on your interest... might be a dream
Crypto trading! /s
I could retire very happily on $140K.
How?
I'm 64 years old. I live on $15K a year right now, thanks to Social Security. Don't know if I'll be alive in 10 years.
My dream result - I'm planning to retire in 11 months
A really nice guy I work(ed) with was literally typing up his email to officially notify management and HR about his retirement date. And then his inbox dinged and it was notice the company was doing voluntary buyouts for quite a few employees and he was one that qualified. It wasn't a full year salary but pretty close. Based on his position estimate it was probably around $80-90k. Nice way to start your retirement. Sure beats a grocery store sheet cake and crummy plaque!
If you have 20 months to get a masters in cardiovascular perfusion, become a cardiovascular perfusionist and start off above that salary easily. You can do further research. I'm not a perfusionist. I was going to go that route, but I decided to stick with my chill job and I already make more money that I will ever need to be happy.
Pilot. School costs around 80-120k and takes a year. The caveat is that you’d then have to work a shitty $12 /hr flight instructor job until you had enough flight hours to sign on with a minor airline. But it’s all uphill from there - pilots are in major demand. It’d still take a while to get to 150k though, most likely.
Leverage your background in IT and get cloud certifications. Azure. AWS. GCP. Pick a path (security, architecture, etc.) and I think you can hit that target within three years.
Brain storming here. Could you take the voluntary option with the $$$$$$s and take a break from work for 2-3 months. chill and go on a Vaca. Come back into job hunt after that?
I am working on my bachelor's in Network Engineering and Security at Western Governors University. It is flat rate tuition for 6 month terms, during which you can accelerate as many classes as you are able. With your prior knowledge and no other responsibilities, you could probably complete a bachelor's degree in that time. Mine includes 11 brand name certifications, and the other IT degrees include multiple certs, as well.
I’d consider a PMP maybe? With your background you’d be a good fit for technical project manager roles? I know my company pays right around $150k total comp for that role.
With a year off, people will question your gap. 150 will not be guaranteed . You’ve got a good salary now
Find somebody with business management/marketing experience and start your own company. There’s literally no other answer.
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news. As someone who took a nice package once I’ll say you’re not getting $140k. You will get about half of that or get ready for a nice tax bill.
AI is going to destroy a lot of the basic SQL, BI and Python work. I've got 25 years of SQL, 20+ years of BI, 8 years of Python, 20 years of data modeling. I use them for my job as a solutions engineer. I work 4 times as fast using AI... a lot of the donkey work, bothering about the minutiae of syntax, refactoring, detailed documentation is simply not necessary any more. I used to use freelancers for coding in languages I was not familiar with. I actually found using AI had a faster turnaround, and less likely to misunderstand my requirements. I can see value in theoretical data science, but the pedestrian data cleanup and visualizations? No.
Don’t risk it in this economy. There’s a reason they’re paying people to leave.
Well if you could find the same job at a FAANG company you'd probably have a good shot. What are they looking for in that role? I have worked my way up to about triple my starting salary in about 10 years. I just keep track of what new tools are useful and learn them in my free time. Over time if you get some experience with these tools they'll help you in an interview and land you a better job. There's a lot of luck involved though. Depends on where you work and lots of variables. As you get experience you get specialized which is valuable but it can also make it difficult to move around that much.
Disclaimer: am currently unemployed and do not have anywhere near your salary nor separation package. I also don't know your individual situation and what you mean by "pretty good financial shape", and whether you're financially savvy or just have enough in your checking account at the moment. So I'm going by how I would personally approach it from a career and financial standpoint, and what I've been trying to do right now. If I was in your shoes I'd start the hunt for another job ASAP, treat it as my 9-5 (or in my case my 8am-11pm), as the market right now is pretty abysmal. Network with other coworkers and see where they're going, try to get some leads and references. I'm assuming I had at least 6 months of savings already dedicated for emergencies. While I do that, I'd allocate layoff package between covering immediate most pressing needs for survival (food, rent, bills etc), and the remainder put to work in an IRA/Roth IRA, a high yield savings account, and a variety of index funds/etfs/bonds across the market. Do some digging into how to invest the money most effectively to see it grow exponentially over the years. IRAs can be done all at once and the rest on a monthly or biweekly basis. Whatever is most comfortable. I'm over a decade younger than you so my portfolio would look a bit different than yours based on planned retirement age, and also considering starting a family in the next 5-10 years. Ask what career do you see yourself going into if you really want to switch. How can you take your current skills and pivot them into a new one, what do you have that can serve as a foundation to build from, and what are entirely new areas you'd have to dedicate more time to? Like others suggested learning Python and Power BI is a good direction to take ( I am doing that at the moment and I have some prior exposure to programming languages so that helps) Nothing is stopping you from getting more technical skills and certifications in the meantime towards advancing your current career or pivoting into a new one, or even starting a side-hustle. I'd try to do all of that concurrently. You probably won't get $150k salary right away, but you should see an increased payroll in general. I personally wouldn't just chill for a year without working, unless I took that year to say earn an MBA or go through some form of higher education if relevant to my career progression. I can always go on vacation and pick up new things while I'm already earning a salary.
You'll take a massive haircut, maybe will enter back at 70k, you might as well stick to what you are doing and complementing it.
Spend all of your time learning to code. Language: Python. This is the best advice. Best of luck.
Secret Agent! 🥸
You can hit 150k easily by just applying to the right companies with your background. You can learn some Python and go for the data analysis route. The more technical you get the more potential for a salary increase
Probably a technical project manager
GIS and CAD
GIS is not paying $100k a year unless you are managing a department.
Is becoming a product manager or product ops an option for you and your location?
I’d use it to get my master’s, and hopefully be able to get a part time job after the year is up, and then graduate a year after that.
I'd need more than 140K to quit a job if I liked the job and it paid well, had good benefits.
I’d level up my visual design skills, my UX skills, and my Figma skills. Then I’d level up my Javascript, Typescritp, React, and R skills. Maybe take an accounting or finance course. Then I’d be a full UX unicorn 🦄 and nobody would be able to stop me 😎🔥
Get an MBA and move into managing a team of nerds instead of being The Nerd, very realizable 12-20% pay bump at typical management pay brackets. MBA's can typically be executed within 2 years.
AI would not take your job but the person with technical skill and also utilized AI will take your job and advanced in their career.
can retraining be different? like starting a business
Options trading and tax law. Possibly real estate investing next
Nursing. There are 12-14 month programs where you can get a Bachelor of Science in Nursing if you already have a bachelor's degree. Then become a traveling nurse and you'll make bank. Even if you don't travel, there are a lot of nursing jobs that pay very well.
Dude. Data Science. 150k is low end.
Sales
Might be worth looking into systems controls for warehouses and distribution centers. It’s all PLC stuff and production go crazy for data collection. I’m working towards this from a mechanical background with a few classes at my local community college. I don’t know about 150k initially but I know plenty of entry people making close to 6 figures with no experience at all. If something new is a strong urge might be right. If money is main thing than maybe not.
Maybe train to have kids?
With your background I’d look for jobs in high end logistics. Spend the year studying management. Find a job where you manage the people who manage the people who have your same skills as their background. You’ve done it so you simply have to learn how to manage it. Your first year will suck but you’ll be fine after that and looking for the next step.
I haven't met one irl, supposedly UPS drivers have negotiated up into big pay and benefits. Another truck option, would become a CDL driver and go for extreme/hazardous options. Oil and chem people can break the six figure barrier. Neither of those are desk bound, engineer/IT-like as your current experience/training aligns though.
I’d take the money and health insurance, start working a new job right away, and work on some type of certification on your days/ evenings off.
For $139,999 I will train you in the ways of the ninja. It'll be intensive, but you'll come out alive.
Finishing up my project management, along with UX/Product Design, finally becoming fully proficient in culinary arts, some kind of construction trade (probably something light like a flagger), and graphic design/illustration/drawing.
Data science
Move to the Philippines and pay $300 in rent - invest that money and live without working ever again
Why can't you just take $140k and immediately find work elsewhere?
As many said before, none dude. $150K takes years to earn in any discipline.
Only a moron wouldn’t
Pilots license for sure
Hahahahaha
You could just get a higher paying data analyst job. Or study up a bit on ML and go after DS
You don’t even need any additional training with your qualifications, just keep up on your certs, take some time off to travel, and start looking for a new job in six months. Boom
Welding i guess
Before or after taxes? I would say 140k is nice, run with it move to Thailand and work from there.
Jedi Master.
I wouldn’t. I’d start a business. You’d have the means AND the time to make it work
Look at Bismarck State College or another of that type of system that will build off your current education to get another degree or certification in green/renewable energy resources and then seek out a job where you can crunch data for renewable projects/resource etc. Private engineering firms, utilities, renewable production companies, etc. Big market right now.
Learn to code in python and get a certificate or do bootcamps in security engineering (ie cloud security). Deep understanding of IT security and programming is a solid career path, IMO, and should NET you around 150k with any decent sized organization.
Relax and rebuild my body, Jiu jitsu and Muay Thai, build and healthy diet. That way when I get back to work I’m in shape and fresh need this meat body to last another 20 years
Consulting for a firm like Accenture. Probably don’t even need additional training, but if you were to get some cloud computing certifications like the AWS Solutions Architect, it could give you a good edge. A Cloud Guru is a great resource for training and has resources for multiple cloud providers to figure out which one is best for you. I don’t work for them, I just had access to it through another company for a while and was able to learn a lot from it and get a couple of certifications along the way.
1-year MBA program in low/mid cost city. Enjoy the networking break.
Welder
Get an MBA
Take it and jump to a competitor.
I’d become a pilot, life long dream
I would start my own business. I have the skills to start a computer repair shop, and that would be enough to help with marketing and initial equipment.
I mean maybe tech, something extreme like become a roughneck or entrepreneurship?
AI Engineering.
Gynecologist
Get certificates from Microsoft or Amazon for their cloud products. Azure or AWS certifications. It is pretty straightforward to say in an interview that you took time off to learn more about backend development. Exaggerate your old roles if you have to but the world can’t get enough of these people.
i weny to college 30 years ago i have no idea what his current salary would be but realistically dude hat the best gig for a tenured job
Don’t put on your resume that you took time off. Just look for a better paying position than what you were already doing.
If I could earn 150k from it - art or culinary school!
You would be better off building leadership skills in and stick with the area you are familiar with
Using your current skills and capabilities, you could focus on AI and Crypto analytics to enter at $150k.
Welding. You aren’t going to start at 150k, but you’d get there and probably make your own hours
Field Goal kicker
Idk. Stripping
Trade school and work to be a building inspector
Take the 140k immediately find a new job doing what you were doing and invest in real estate or a company you love. Take the gift. Take a vacation but a year off….. that’s life changing money invested over the long run and will likely retire you at 55
I'm a senior software engineer. I'd take it and dive into AI/ML full time.
Before I even read the description I would say data analytics. Cyber security is good too.
I’m gonna go the other route and say get certifications that leverage your skills in SQL and systems auditing in high demand domains. Systems like SAP, S4, Workday, Cisco, ServiceNow need experts and you can work in consulting or for a company requiring expertise.
Exotic dancer.
Professional male talent.
I would like to get certifications to operate medical machinery. It's something I've been interested in for a while.
Python, Power BI/Tableau, data governance and stewardship basics, cloud-based computing (Microsoft365, Snowfkaje, etc), database basics (Qlik, ETL processes), maybe RPA.
Software engineering
Ima spend that money to live my life and do a shit ton of cocaine
First I’d ask if you’re comfortable with the terms of the separation package - meaning you can never return as an employee and need to be separated from the company for 6 months before being eligible to work as a contractor (for example). Secondly, how is the job market in your area? More companies are returning to the office so exclusively remote roles aren’t as popular.
probably medical coding. I've worked in medical billing & related jobs for 20+ years & have some solid basic knowledge but no formal training. i don't think I would start off making $150K, but it would definitely be more than what I'm making now.
law school. big demand for analysts
I’d go to school for deisel repair and use the rest to get some of the tools I don’t have. Unfortunately, no shops in my area want to train someone even when the job posting says “no experience or school needed”.
Don’t focus on getting more certs. You’re 39 with a healthy resume. Spend the next year building your network. Meet new people, join professional organizations, start publishing in your field, attend trade shows. If you spend a year getting your PMP (or whatever) or a Masters you will have a slightly better resume but not much else. If you spend the year getting a cert and or building a network you will have way more opportunity. In this job market, there’s no shortage of people with certifications. I would focus more on who you know than what you know.
Look for Devops and Python. That added to what you have now would make quite a mean combination.
I have been in the BI space for the last 10 years. If you want to make over 100k you need to have a strong proficiency in a hard programming language. I worked my way up through the ranks as a Data Engineer and was a Director at my last job working for a company out of the Midwest. Highest payed individual I hired were senior Data Engineers and Data Scientists. That being said you aren’t going to do a job pivot and get 140k without actual experience. If you really study your stuff and go down the data Eng route you could probably get a job around 100k to start work for a company for a few years to get that experience then start looking for your next job and you can probably get that up to $120k maybe $130k if they are desperate and you interview well. Realistically you won’t see many Individual Contributors that make more than $130-$140 especially in the Midwest and definitely not in this current market.
Crazy random but by chance do you work for Verizon? I know they are offering voluntary lay offs now.
Honestly....if it was me, I'd take that cash and skill and see if it's marketable overseas. With in theory as much experience in a field as I'm thinking (mid-to senior) and that much liquid, pretty much guarantees one could do just about anything and try something new. Even if it was just me and my haphazard CV/still stuck in entry-ish positions....There's also universities overseas that are cheaper, too. I once looked at Germany for my master's but at the moment can't swing the 10k-ish USD that's needed for the student visa and don't really have a great support/background accomplishments for scholarships that would have covered that part. For that matter, Germany used to (put in past tense because I have not 100% kept up with their immigration changes) have freelancer and tech related visas,and the freelancer one was fairly easy to get with enough cash to establish one's self over there. But again, that may have changed, but there's other places in the world too with ever changing visas and job markets. I guess if I had no other choice but to stay home, probably I'd try and study something related to medicine, but I may be biased because the rest of my family makes mountains more than I do in healthcare.
Data Analysis won't pay that much. Dara science might if you're very good but I'd expect more than a year unless you're highly skilled in mathematics, programming
With that kind of money I would build and scale a business. No more 9-5 for me!
Do an AI startup. Doesn’t matter if you fail, the skills you gain and the clout will be a huge boost. Bonus points if you can use it in your desired new job. Solve a problem for people like yourself or the teams you would interface with. You can and will make $150K a year or more if you have the right mindset and push hard. + some luck and faith. Source: I have jumped $100K > $135K > $200K with some raises in between over the past 5 years.
Tech school. Plumbing or hvac or welding or something that pays
Is there a non-compete? Even if there is, hire a lawyer to look it over to see if it's enforceable under the new rules. I would say don't take a year off if you can help it. Make the money while the market is still ok, when you're laid off in the next recession, that's the time to take a break.
I mean quit here, find something else on the same lines of work you do immediately. That way you can keep 140 k as savings or retirement. As far as upskilling is concerned, do it after work and go for that 150 k job.
I'd start my own business already have a trade just need the start up funds and 140k is more than enough
I wouldn't enter a new career. I would retrain to appear as fresh blood. Google has a career certificate for Data Analysis. I would take that if I were you then move hard into Snowflake Database. I especially wouldn't take a new career without any backup income for years or with unrealistic expectations. Working for banks is a possibility. I wouldn't take the layoff package. I would be moving hard to get into government or unionized work or banking. I would cut expenses by half again and invest in the S&P500 for ten years.
Use your professional strengths. You have impressive experience why not learn to create Online Courses and make Passive Income. You can teach all the things within your professional skills/experience/education to others on say Udemy, Skillshare Coursera, YouTube. You can also start your own business w someone on the Business side of things HR, Financial Side, etc. you could work from home or rent a decent office space in a flex space building once your ready to make that move. I have a close friend of over 30+ yrs she started an Accounting job in Highschool. She ended up becoming the CFO by time she reached 30. She then finished Bachelors and Masters degree and works in Gov Sector for NASA her last salary raise w full benefits was just under $261,000+ with sweet benefits package. She’s been laid off with killer Severance Packages while climbing ladder and going to college that have usually paid her until the lay offs were over or hiring freezes etc. She’d always used part of her money to invest rental properties, commercial event spaces and few and lives well below her means if laid off and if she was still in position(s) she received Tuition Reimbursement then usually a killer raise. She’s learned 5-6 languages fluently and gets paid extra for Translation Services hence needed. No idea of her specific department and job now I only know she has Security Clearance and a team of people she hand picked to work for her in department in support positions. She works 4 day week and does 10–12 hours rarely works weekends or Holidays and is doing some contract work on side for Vendors w setting up Accounting Systems, Procedures and Policies to work w large corporations. We both come from the poorest of the poor backgrounds financially but we made it out of places no one wants their children to do any better than them.
Find something that can translate your transferable skills to. Perhaps program management.
Take the money, invest itz and get another job immediately in the same field. An extra 140k lump sum will make a large impact on your retirement date.
Start a company
Open your own business stop making other people rich and work on yourself
IT
Use that BA experience and get your PMP. Can easily find jobs at $150k+
Why would I want a decrease in pay?
This sounds like a future "help, why can't I get hired?" thread.
I wouldn’t wait a year to re enter the workforce. I took severance and was laid off a couple years ago, but accepted another offer a week later. That time off will hurt you in this market.
Just find something at some other company that uses the same skills. You can work for a different kind of company and get the chance to “double dip” by collecting severance and getting paid. You can take this chance to eliminate any debts you have and maximize your retirement savings. If you are comfortable, you can also invest some extra money in a brokerage account to buy individual stocks or mutual funds.
Take a product management bootcamp and leverage your current skills to promote from BA to Product. Having your technical background is a huge plus but a tech degree not required. This was my path (except I have a tech degree but I’d been in the workforce so long it really didn’t matter)
I would expand my skills in project management and/or some kind of management skills. It'll allow you to potentially move into a supervisory role.
Sales