First off, I have read a lot of the other posts so I figured I would write this out and see what advice any of you have.

Just for a little history to start off with, I have completed my MBA from an accredited university as well as BAs in (don't laugh) Philosophy and (general) Communications. And in all of my jobs I have started off at the entry level (grocery bagger and machine operator).

For the most part I have only had two jobs in my life: working for a grocery store for 9 years, and working for a semi-conductor factory for about 4 years now. I have a strong belief in working my way up in a company so IF I ever "make it" at that company, I will have a better understanding of the workforce, the ins and outs, etc. That is part of the problem though; I have been passed up numerous times for promotions.

Should I stick it out at my current employer and just try to figure out exactly how I can improve for their needs, or should I look for a better career path elsewhere where I can be happier sooner? I guess another problem with the second is how to find another job that is fitting and appropriate, but I guess I will leave that for another time. I have also thought about going back to school, but I honestly do not know for what.

It is not about the money either. Obviously better pay is always nice, but I want to be appreciated and have a challege with work I enjoy.

Thank you very much for reading. I am sorry for the wall of text.

G.

Yes, if you like what you do then you are way ahead of the game!

If you have an MBA you might want to constantly apply for jobs in business. That is a good degree to have and you might land something as a stepping stone. Put up a profile on linkedin and look at what others do.

A job with a small company in teh industry you now work in might be a good target.

I have more questions than answers at this point.

What position do you hold with the company now?
You spent a considerable amount of time, energy and money acquiring your MBA. Why? What were your goals and intentions when you started that journey? Have they changed?
You also learned a bit about business in during your MBA journey. Did you find something you liked or had an aptitude for? Finance? Accounting? Marketing? Did you meet people who were doing what you'd like to do once you got your MBA?

A lot of folks on this board have considerable experience and can give you a number of efficient pathways to a successful career. But much of your post seems to circle in part around what you should do with your life. That's like asking us to tell you who you are, and I don't think we can do that.

For VinTek,

I am currently a workflow coordinator. The position is not much higher than a machine operator to be honest.

I spent so much energy working towards my MBA because I thought it would be a good segue from my "not very respected" undergrads into a more respectable program.

And I did learn a bit about business along my journey. One of my emphases is in marketing as I found that very interesting (the other is in management). And no, I have not really met people that do what interested me. I find it hard to ask favors, but I will definately look into that more. I also made a Likedin account I am going to use per someone else's suggestion.

And you are very correct in that my post "seems to circle". I used to identify myself as a student, so identifying myself through my career is something for which I really have to quickly get a grasp.

What are some good ways to get into a marketing firm if even on an intern basis? Perhaps I should just look them up in the area and ask for an internship on my days off work?

For DoingHomework,

I signed up for a Likedin account like you suggested. I still have work to do with that site, but again, thank you.

For fflyffdzd,

I am confused about what my heart wants. Like I said above, I am interested in marketing though. I kind of lost track of what I really wanted to do with my life after teaching some undergrad courses during my MBA. I taught business statistics for a few semesters and disliked the subject but loved my students. Then I taught philosophy (sorry, I love the ancients!) and hated the students. I know that is terrible to say I hated the students, but it made me confused and reconsider my life goals.

Thank you very much for the posts so far VinTek, DoingHomework, and flyffdzd.

An obvious next step might be a production manager. If you like marketing then perhaps you can find a job with a company trying to expand in products you are familiar with. I don't mean a sales job. I mean marketing as the business function - identifying the market and figuring out customer needs and how to serve them.

I echo what DH has to say but have more questions. Maybe these questions will lead you to some answers.

Does your present company recognize the value of your MBA? Can you talk to the marketing folks there? If they don't have any marketing people, could they use one?

I read about the dichotomy of your 2 teaching assignments. It seems like teaching may not be for you. But what happens if you do some work in marketing and find that it this is not for you either?

Finally, from a sheer practicality standpoint, has the acquisition of your MBA left you in debt? The tools that an MBA acquires can be useful for a lifetime. However, the degree itself can have a relatively short shelf life in terms of monetization. If you are in debt, you may have to take something less than ideal for the short term to capitalize on your degree, raise your base pay, and reduce some debt.

My current employer does not seem to care about the MBA. And you make a good point about the marketing position not working out. I feel I can be happy if I go further with my current employer. Currently I am going out of my way a lot more than before to work overtime shifts no one else wanted and to get on any committees to help out.

And for the practical, I never had any debt from school. My only debt is my mortage. Honestly though, I think this has been part of my problem. Not 'needing' the money, I have been pretty dumb and complacent with just making it.

Perhaps I am wrong, but I am going to look for other jobs while putting most of my energy towards making myself as good for my company as I can. I am excited about my future at my current employer, and I think the major reason is that part of how the marketing job or anything else for that matter might not work out. The grass might not be greener.

I appreciate the suggestions. And anything else you might want to suggest is appreciated too.

Have you considered testing out alternative career paths with your own side micro-business? I could be reading into this too much but you seem like a good candidate to try a side hustle and bootstrap your way into something you're more passionate about (and better qualified to do long term).

For what it's worth, I'm a Communications major who never took advantage of his degree. It wasn't until I stopped worrying about my career growth and started thinking about my life growth that I did work that was fulfilling in every sense of the word.

Not everyone has it in them or wants to bootstrap their own micro-business but it's an awesome way to test the waters for alternative work/life paths. If you want to start up a chat about this send me a DM and we'll keep this going.

You don't make any mention of networking. LinkedIn is a great resource BUT it is just one of many steps to be taken. It's good that you don't have debt, but it's bad that you're not utilizing your MBA or alumni contacts.

Getting ahead is not so much what you are or what resume you flash - much of it is who you know and who knows you. Marketing depts. are heavily loaded with MBAs who have been working in the field for years and have plenty of contacts.

Why have you not discussed your ambitions with your manager and dept VP/SVP? Or did you - if you did, what did they say? There has to be a reason why you have been passed over. Once or twice, hey, that happens to everyone. But if it's a pattern, then the problem is probably how you are perceived by others.

If I had a choice between someone who was working hard and someone who was working smarter -- the latter someone who was also a team player with initiative, reliable, trustworthy, and creative -- I would pass over the person working OT and go for the other characteristics that are far more important.

Lastly - most execs DO NOT rise up through the ranks any longer. People with experience at multiple companies who have shown the ability to be flexible and "hit the ground running" are much more likely to be given preference when an opening comes up.

If I were in your shoes I would not have stayed in one company for so long and would have rather joined other companies, held different positions and thereby learnt all the aspects of the trade. Moreover, I would also have a wonderful MBA degree to back my decision and let me grab good positions.