Jobless despite master's degree

[redherring]

After a month of current unemployment this year, several months of unemployment last year and two lost jobs between the two periods, I am getting stuck with my job prospects.

I have a master's in health sciences. The jobs are not my fit, because they're too broad and I'm disorganized.

The only jobs open to me are research jobs. My networks are all in be research. I could maybe get a job again in research, but I realize after years of struggling this would be stressful and I would most likely lose the job.

I've attempted to think about branching out into health education, health promotion or health communications, but realize these are quite vast and separate fields in themselves.

Moreover, I am interested in fields that do not have a career outlook. Education looks like a bleak field now. I am interested in science education with a community action theme or in serving as an educational consultant to help improve schools. But there are really no steady jobs in these fields that 1) I can do right now 2) will exist due to funding cuts.

I plan on going back to school soon to retrain in a more relevant field. But I am intrenchably stuck right now.

What fields might I focus on? Where might I look for more guidance on the job search?

I have read all the career books and those aren't helpful because 1) of where I am in terms of my interests and background 2) I have difficulty connecting some dots.

I have some people who are great support, but for some reason I can't make use of their support.

I am trying to figure out 1) what areas to target 2) ways to improve my networking. At the moment, I feel like there's no niche for me to search in and no way for me to creatively apply my skills.

[Entelechy]

Unfortunately, college degrees don't guarantee much of anything these days (as you know).

How much income would you realistically like to earn per year? Maybe I can offer some suggestions.

[Merr]

I think you may be over-complicating the job-hunting process. You're working hard and exploring so many possibilities that you may be overwhelmed by it. It seems to me that you're interested in helping others. Is linking this to education because of your own educational background or because you want to be involved in the education process in some way?

In terms of networking, I'd suggest attending lectures in the areas that interest you. If you google or talk to people you know, you should be able to find out about free or inexpensive lectures which you could go to. It's a great way to network and has worked really well for me. Although I wasn't interested, at drinks afterwards, one person I spoke to offered me a job interview.

Also, look for specific online boards (if you haven't tried to do this already) as you might be able to use it for networking or find out about opportunities for networking.

[redherring]

Entelechy-Right, it depends on the field as well. I am thinking at least 40k.

Merr--Thanks for the advice. My natural tendency is to be all over the place (ADD) unfortunately. So, I'm not sure how to reign it in when searching. Also, do you have thoughts on where to look for networking groups or lectures? I can look at local universities, but apart from that risk getting lost in oodles of google searches

As far as my interest in education, I am interested partially because of making use of my education (giving back) and partially because of a broader interest in education.

[Emini Trading Expert]

You mention that you are in health sciences. If you were to stay in the field and were to design a "perfect" job for yourself, what would it look like?

I have friends that have made quite a bit of money in the health/fitness field but I am not sure that working in that industry is what you are looking for. Can you share with us more about what you are looking for?

[redherring]

I'm looking fore I a job where I can work in science education or work in a clinical setting doing clinical education or whatever counseling my background currently allows.

At the moment, the mph that I have just sets me up for research careers. I've scoured elsewhere. Nurses do the health promotion/education, science education jobs are scarce because of the lack of funding and my lack of teaching degree and counseling jobs also require more background.

My friend thought that maybe I could get into health communications by working on my skills at writing angles for blogs and newsletters and other medium. But I'm not sure if that would provide a job I could do now without going back to school.

I'm pretty stuck. I'm not sure if I can get a job that pays at least 15/hr.

[Entelechy]

80ish percent of people with college degrees do not work in a field related to their degree. Is being a scientist/researcher an absolute must for you, or are you willing you join the majority of graduates?

$40k is very doable if you're willing to look at alternatives.