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Advice on career plans? Is it too late to go into finance/investment?

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  1. #1

    Advice on career plans? Is it too late to go into finance/investment?

    Hi,

    Can anyone give me some advice on my career plans?
    I will be 29 in 2 months, I have a Masters in Mech Eng and I've just returned to HK from working 3 years in the UK in Engineering related industries (construction, machinery). I have just completed my first year working in HK at an international heavy-vehicle based company working under the title of a "technical assistant engineer". However my actual role truly does not reflect my title at all as I am literally managing the project of the biggest client my company has. They send me to prepare and conduct all presentations, prepare and conduct all proposals and analyses to present our number one client. I get on great with colleagues etc. but despite this, I still feel like I'm just "floating" around in the company, I've had an informal chat with my MD (the one who officially interviewed and hired me) about the situation because I want to succeed and progress but they're being really secretive about what the future holds for the company and me. Also because the company is European, all my superiors are European and I am worried that no matter how I get promoted, all managers will remain as Europeans.

    I'm almost 29, this is my fourth job and the reason I keep changing jobs is because I feel like it's not challenging anymore. I need a job that will allow me to succeed and I don't want to waste time sticking to a job if the company doesn't have any plans for me. To be honest I feel really bitter, seeing my old school mates who never worked hard, got awful grades but now succeeding at what they do financially much more than I am...

    Has anyone felt like this before and what did you do? I have a wife and we are planning for a baby but before that I need to progress (both in work and financially).

    Is it too late for me to go into finance or investment at 29?

    Any advice both positive and negative would be greatly appreciated!

    Tyron


  2. #2

    Join Date
    Jun 2004
    Location
    HK
    Posts
    14,624
    Quote Originally Posted by christina.ycc:
    Hi,

    Can anyone give me some advice on my career plans?
    I will be 29 in 2 months, I have a Masters in Mech Eng and I've just returned to HK from working 3 years in the UK in Engineering related industries (construction, machinery). I have just completed my first year working in HK at an international heavy-vehicle based company working under the title of a "technical assistant engineer". However my actual role truly does not reflect my title at all as I am literally managing the project of the biggest client my company has. They send me to prepare and conduct all presentations, prepare and conduct all proposals and analyses to present our number one client. I get on great with colleagues etc. but despite this, I still feel like I'm just "floating" around in the company, I've had an informal chat with my MD (the one who officially interviewed and hired me) about the situation because I want to succeed and progress but they're being really secretive about what the future holds for the company and me. Also because the company is European, all my superiors are European and I am worried that no matter how I get promoted, all managers will remain as Europeans.

    I'm almost 29, this is my fourth job and the reason I keep changing jobs is because I feel like it's not challenging anymore. I need a job that will allow me to succeed and I don't want to waste time sticking to a job if the company doesn't have any plans for me. To be honest I feel really bitter, seeing my old school mates who never worked hard, got awful grades but now succeeding at what they do financially much more than I am...

    Has anyone felt like this before and what did you do? I have a wife and we are planning for a baby but before that I need to progress (both in work and financially).

    Is it too late for me to go into finance or investment at 29?

    Any advice both positive and negative would be greatly appreciated!

    Tyron
    It's never too late to do anything BUT you need to do it for the right reasons.

    Do not go ONLY for the money (many do and stay only for a few years) - make sure this is somehting you really want to do (for the money of course but also for other purposes)

    Btw, Banking/Finance does NOT always pay - only some specific roles (the one everybody talk about but that are in fact a "minority" in the banking/finance environment)
    Drunken Master and Loz_2 like this.

  3. #3

    Join Date
    Dec 2008
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    -
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    You' d better find out what the real problem is: engineering companies really don't provide opportunities or has it to do with yourself? If it's the latter then no matter what field you go into you will not have the success you are expecting.

    As for your claiming that European companies only hire European managers I disagree. I know several Asians (in their early 30s) that work as department heads for European multinationals.

    Last edited by Drunken Master; 05-11-2010 at 05:05 PM.