A short career run - but what's at the end of the line?

Going from a BA in Journalism, then an MA in Marketing - I never wanted to be a journalist in the first place. But I never knew what I wanted to be anyway. Back home, the choices are limited and I hate going with the flow. 


My dad always wanted me to learn maths and do science, become an engineer or something along the lines of. My mum, who is a nurse, told me, after I had asked her how it is to be a doctor - that I should never even think of becoming one. Crap salary and after 11 years of studying, you might be lucky enough to find a job and get minimum salary on a lot of working hours. 


Then she was set on me studying finance and becoming an accountant of some sort. She didn't know too much about it, but knew it pays a lot in finance, so she didn't care. She wanted me to have all that I would ever want and never scrap for a living. 


Me, being the child that I was (horrible teenanger that is), decided I will do none of that. I wanted to do something related to communication, people and because I was quite good at writing and text based stuff from pretty much all my life, I was advised to study at this new and very hip School of Journalism and Communication. 


To make matters worse (that is, more desirable), they had a very tough competition to get in - so that for me, was the challenge that I needed. I worked hard to get in - 100 places for 1000 people. Unfortunately, I soon realised that I never wanted to be a journalist in the first place and I found scraping for stories and creating events and all that, was just very limited and bored me. 


Then, I discovered marketing. It united my communication skills and desires with a more business orientated approach. A more goal focused view. I was attracted to the strategy module and how to apply processes to businesses, how to implement and evaluate.


Unfortunately, after my MA, writing text as a journalist, just the thing I was trying to get rid of, caught up with me. I became a PR and Marketing officer. Writing press releases, adverts, leaflets, brochures and whatever else just brought me back to what I found boring again. But this time, I knew I had to change careers drastically if I ever was to get rid of it. 


I was lucky enough to be taken on a graduate scheme as a marketing analyst for a worldwide manufacturer (more of an analyst rather than much to do with marketing in the sense of marketing=communication like everyone thinks - it isn't of course, as there are other 3 Ps besides Promotion and it was with the Product, Price and Place I was dealing with). I discovered a whole new world and a fresh perspective. The rest of the 3 Ps are waaaay more interesting than the Promotion one, especially in manufacturing! A new way of thinking from the people around me. The right environment, the perfect job. 


I even started studying on a BSc because I need to get my skills up to speed. 


This job taught me a lot of things about me, the career I want to take and the people, the environment I want to be around. Working in an international company is a whole different perspective. The people think at another level, you see the world at another level. Manufacturing, I find very interesting and wish I could work in it in the future, if possible. Balancing the right price, with the right products, quantities, planning the production cycle and all involved with it - all of it very interesting. 


I had to leave it all because I needed to be with my other significant one, in a location that we both can grow and develop as individuals, as well as together, in our relationship. I learnt that location matters. At least for us now at this age and this stage. 


So found my second job as an Analyst, international company, great people - I am either very lucky or very convincing because with 6 months experience and no qualification in any of it, I got my second job in a completely different career line than my background - the career line that I want, but still feeling massively under-qualified. 


In the job search though, there were other positions considered - some moved faster than others. A consultant job is also in the mid process for application. Which might even fall through. But, what do I do if it doesn't?


That would require my travelling, being away from the place and the person I have just moved to be close to 4 days a week. On the other hand, this would be an amazing step for my career. How can I miss it? I feel guilty for even attempting it now that I have got a job.  


For now, I just hope I won't have to make that choice.