Thread Rating:
  • 0 Vote(s) - 0 Average
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
Career change
#1
Hi everyone,
This is my first post so please bear with me.
I am considering a career change. I am currently employed as a property claims adjuster and been considering getting a masters to be a registered dietitian.

My bachelors is in Actuarial Science (math) so i will need to do the required pre-reqs before applying for graduate school.

The reason for the career change is because I am burned out and tired of being a claims adjuster. Never ending work, never appreciated, call center like environment and unhealthy management.

I can feel the impact of stress to the body and that's how it hits me i need to do something.
I have been researching career change to RD.
Ideally I would like to do the masters online and some kind of coordinated program.

I live in Nevada if it helps. I am not sure whether i can use CLEP, ACE to fulfill the pre-reqs.

Any suggestions, school, recommendation, advise would greatly appreciated.

Thank you
[-] The following 1 user Likes brandyqwe's post:
  • GoodYellowDogs
Reply
#2
Dumb question; why do you have to get a degree, instead of just changing careers to something that you could do with your current degree? There are PLENTY of other options out there besides spending thousands to get a degree.

Just an FYI, I see this kind of thing, and realize that many people think that their job sucks, so they need a degree and to completely change career fields, rather than just change companies, or change careers to something they can do with their current degree (or even not using their degree, but something else entirely).
TESU BSBA/HR 2018 - WVNCC BOG AAS 2017 - GGU Cert in Mgmt 2000
EXAMS: TECEP Tech Wrtg, Comp II, LA Math, PR, Computers  DSST Computers, Pers Fin  CLEP Mgmt, Mktg
COURSES: TESU Capstone  Study.com Pers Fin, Microecon, Stats  Ed4Credit Acct 2  PF Fin Mgmt  ALEKS Int & Coll Alg  Sophia Proj Mgmt The Institutes - Ins Ethics  Kaplan PLA
Reply
#3
I agree 150% percent with what Dfrecore said. Many companies don't care what type of degree you have, just that you have one. You can get an entry-level job, or one slightly above since you do have work experience and it would be a helluva lot cheaper than going back to school.

....That beings said, my first degree choice was nutrition and my very wise mother talked me out of it by asking me if I wanted to work in hospital or school cafeterias for the rest of my life. RD's aren't paid very well and the vast majority of the jobs are institutional - boring at best, unfulfilling at the worst.

Or, you could try to go the route of the nutrition consultant, but that's even worse. With diet fads changing constantly and nutrition consumer being able to site scientific studies at the drop of the hat. (And yes your client will give you several 500 page scientific books about why the low fat crap and even the more modern your plate diet are garbage.. and influenced by the food industry.)

So sorry if this sounds harsh, I just faced the RD question years ago and in the years since then, I have known several RD's - and guess where I met them? At work. Reporting to me in medical sales. And you could get into B2B sales without going back to school, so why bother?


Lastly.... not trying to say not to follow your dreams, but really think about your dreams and what they will mean. How practical are your dreams and are you willing to be saddled with a ton of debt for a low-paying job in a hospital cafeteria. If that's really what you want, don't let anyone stop you. Live the dream. Just know what the dream really means.
Regis University, ITESO, Global MBA with a focus in Emerging Markets 4.0 GPA, Dual-university degree (Spanish/English) 
COSC BS, Business Admin

My BS Credits:
Spanish 80 | Humanities 67 | A & I Lit 72 | Sub Abuse 452 | Bus Ethics 445 | Tech Writ 62 | Math 53 | HTYH 454 | Am. Govt 65 | Env & Humanity 64 | Marketing 65 | Micro 61| Mgmt 63| Org Behavior 65| MIS 446|Computing 432 | BL II 61 | M&B 50 | Finance 411 | Supervision 437| Intro Bus. 439| Law Enforcement 63|  SL: Accounting I B | Accounting II C+| Macro A | ECE: Labor Relations A | Capstone: A| FEMA PDS Cert 
[-] The following 2 users Like burbuja0512's post:
  • dewisant, suzycupcake
Reply
#4
(09-10-2018, 09:32 AM)brandyqwe Wrote: Hi everyone,
This is my first post so please bear with me.
I am considering a career change. I am currently employed as a property claims adjuster and been considering getting a masters to be a registered dietitian.

My bachelors is in Actuarial Science (math) so i will need to do the required pre-reqs before applying for graduate school.

The reason for the career change is because I am burned out and tired of being a claims adjuster. Never ending work, never appreciated, call center like environment and unhealthy management.

I can feel the impact of stress to the body and that's how it hits me i need to do something.
I have been researching career change to RD.
Ideally I would like to do the masters online and some kind of coordinated program.

I live in Nevada if it helps. I am not sure whether i can use CLEP, ACE to fulfill the pre-reqs.

Any suggestions, school, recommendation, advise would greatly appreciated.

Thank you

If you have your heart set on being a Registered Dietitian (RD or RDN) it may be more economical to obtain a bachelors degree (using your gen eds from your first bachelors) than going for a masters first.  If you haven't already you can look for programs here: https://www.eatrightpro.org/acend
Amberton University
- MS Human Relations and Business - 2022
Thomas Edison State University (TESU)
- BSBA General Management - 2018
- ASNSM Computer Science -2018

Reply
#5
Before anyone can answer those questions, you need to know where you want to get your master's. Their policies will be the controlling factor is whether alternative credit can be used to fulfill them. Do you have a school in mind? If so, ask them. If not, do a little more research and create a short list of possible schools, then ask all of them. You'll find admissions staff for grad school much more responsive than they are for undergrad.
NanoDegree: Intro to Self-Driving Cars (2019)
Coursera: Stanford Machine Learning (2019)
TESU: BA in Comp Sci (2016)
TECEP:Env Ethics (2015); TESU PLA:Software Eng, Computer Arch, C++, Advanced C++, Data Struct (2015); TESU Courses:Capstone, Database Mngmnt Sys, Op Sys, Artificial Intel, Discrete Math, Intro to Portfolio Dev, Intro PLA (2014-16); DSST:Anthro, Pers Fin, Astronomy (2014); CLEP:Intro to Soc (2014); Saylor.org:Intro to Computers (2014); CC: 69 units (1980-88)

PLA Tips Thread - TESU: What is in a Portfolio?
Reply
#6
So, I know you're getting grilled, I won't do that- but as someone who specifically chose NOT to become an RD, I have some thoughts. If I may ask what is the reason for pursuing the RD credential? If you have a specific career that sounds attractive to you, we want to be sure that's the right match. RD is a license, and to obtain that license requires completion of a degree (bachelor's or master's) at only a limited number of colleges with the approved curriculum. This means, that you will not have good use of transfer credit or CLEP simply because there will be a long list of prereqs as well as NUT courses that must be "approved."

Keeping in mind that RD is not the only profession that studies nutrition or uses it in a career, but RD is the only credential that allows you to work in HEALTHCARE in every state. Many people make a distinction that RDs work with sick people, whereas many people in nutrition careers prefer to work with healthy people. So, as part of all RD training, you'll have to do a didactic training - this is like a residency in the medical field. You may find it interesting to google the placement rates - there are currently more students than placements, so this has created a bit of a bottleneck. We have a lot of students that have graduated with their bachelor's and are waiting for YEARS to get their didactic - which must be completed before taking the RD exam.

My point is that in the field of nutrition, obtaining an RD license is the longest and most limiting path. If that's the right path, then it is what it is- and you can go full speed ahead. If it's just the path because the default position is that nutrition = RD, then it might be a lot of other ways to get what you want using the principles taught here. (CLEP, ACE, transfer credit, etc)
Reply
#7
Hmm, I think a career change can be beneficial to your health if your current work environment is toxic.
But, before you start on anything, decide if it's worth the work and check out the requirements first.
Requirements - See here: https://www.nutritioned.org/registered-d...evada.html
In Progress: Walden MBA | TESU BA Biology & Computer Science
Graduate Certificate: Global Management & Entrepreneurship, ASU (Freebie)

Completed: TESU ASNSM Biology, BSBA (ACBSP Accredited 2017)
Universidad Isabel I: ENEB MBA, Big Data & BI, Digital Marketing & E-Commerce
Certs: 6Sigma/Lean/Scrum, ITIL | Cisco/CompTIA/MTA | Coursera/Edx/Udacity

The Basic Approach | Plans | DegreeForum Community Supported Wiki
~Note~ Read/Review forum posts & Wiki Links to Sample Degree Plans
Degree Planning Advice | New To DegreeForum? How This Area Works

[Image: e7P9EJ4.jpeg]
Reply
#8
Thanks for all the replies. I will take all advise into consideration.
I am 28 and have no student loans and own a home.

I am also looking at jobs with other insurance companies. I do not hate my job however there comes a point where i just want to walk out due to stress and workload.

Being a property adjuster you have to handle a lot of incoming claims daily and expectations to close your claims maintain a good nps, multitask.

With all these catastrophes around the states it makes life very stressful. There is always a lack of adjusters because people quit and move on.

We are expected to work overtime to get caught up however you can never get caught up with the volume of claims and the homeowners that need hand holding.

A lot of my co workers considering leaving and going back to be an auto adjuster in a different company. Morale is low. Yes the pay is good however the stress and workload does not match the pay.

I want a career that i can grow into with low stress and decent pay. I love science, that was my first choice however to please my parents i majored in something that i have no interest in.

I will continue on researching. That you all for your advise and input.
Reply
#9
(09-11-2018, 08:56 AM)brandyqwe Wrote: Thanks for all the replies. I will take all advise into consideration.
I am 28 and have no student loans and own a home.

I am also looking at jobs with other insurance companies. I do not hate my job however there comes a point where i just want to walk out due to stress and workload.

Being a property adjuster you have to handle a lot of incoming claims daily and expectations to close your claims maintain a good nps, multitask.

With all these catastrophes around the states it makes life very stressful. There is always a lack of adjusters because people quit and move on.

We are expected to work overtime to get caught up however you can never get caught up with the volume of claims and the homeowners that need hand holding.

A lot of my co workers considering leaving and going back to be an auto adjuster in a different company. Morale is low. Yes the pay is good however the stress and workload does not match the pay.

I want a career that i can grow into with low stress and decent pay. I love science, that was my first choice however to please my parents i majored in something that i have no interest in.

I will continue on researching. That you all for your advise and input.

Not sure if this helps, but I am in my dream field and I still had a toxic environment like this for 4 years.   And it was a very prestigious organization with a team that I absolutely loved.   I made it because I loved my team, but the stress took its toll and between having the worst boss I ever imagined possible and the worst CEO and eventually getting laid off, I was not in great shape.   I had to take almost a year off as a consultant.... but to be honest, I wasn't consulting as much as I could have been.  I was recovering.


So point being, aside from a career change, this situation can happen anywhere.  I now have a new job at what seems like a great company and positive culture, but if it turns out not to be great, it's ok.  I can find another job.  It just takes a lot to recognize when you need to stop putting up with the situation and start looking.
Regis University, ITESO, Global MBA with a focus in Emerging Markets 4.0 GPA, Dual-university degree (Spanish/English) 
COSC BS, Business Admin

My BS Credits:
Spanish 80 | Humanities 67 | A & I Lit 72 | Sub Abuse 452 | Bus Ethics 445 | Tech Writ 62 | Math 53 | HTYH 454 | Am. Govt 65 | Env & Humanity 64 | Marketing 65 | Micro 61| Mgmt 63| Org Behavior 65| MIS 446|Computing 432 | BL II 61 | M&B 50 | Finance 411 | Supervision 437| Intro Bus. 439| Law Enforcement 63|  SL: Accounting I B | Accounting II C+| Macro A | ECE: Labor Relations A | Capstone: A| FEMA PDS Cert 
Reply
#10
Have you looked into health analyst jobs? I know quite a few hospital systems that will hire folk with actuary degrees and train.
Reply


Possibly Related Threads...
Thread Author Replies Views Last Post
  Harvard Extension School Students Rally for Degree Name Change smartdegree 116 15,352 02-22-2024, 09:51 AM
Last Post: sarahmac
  Masters for Career Change ReyMysterioso 12 2,785 01-04-2019, 08:05 PM
Last Post: bjcheung77
  Career Options? cali86 24 5,163 12-20-2017, 11:50 PM
Last Post: cardiacclep
  Graduate Certificates for career change smf6824 3 1,800 05-23-2017, 12:10 PM
Last Post: SolarKat
  Considering a career change... tesu-acct-student 8 1,439 02-28-2017, 02:04 PM
Last Post: KayV

Forum Jump:


Users browsing this thread: 1 Guest(s)