New Career ?

[admin]

What do you like to do? What are you good at? Answer those questions, then figure out how to make money doing it and work for yourself. That's what I do.
I love my life.
I enjoy what I do for a living and don't even consider it work. I almost never have a bad day. I enjoy the extreme flexibility I have to do what I want, when I want, traveling, learning new things, experiencing different cultures, being creative, cooking, trying new things. I am happy and laughing every day. Even on the rare occasion something bad happens, I still find a way to get some humor out of it, and I always bounce back and land on my feet.
I love challenges, opportunities to be creative, and competing in the business world. I travel frequently. It's great going places, and it's great coming home to my downtown penthouse condo.
Nobody handed me anything, and I didn't step in shit. I made it all happen, and anyone can if they put their mind to it.
All it takes is burning desire, faith, persistence, and a huge set of balls, with fear not being an option.
I will never work for anyone else again, and never have a boss again.

 

[marmal4de]

I spent far too much time getting myself educated (B.Sc., then back for an MBA when I discovered there was no interesting work in my field without a PhD); sure, I make decent money now, but it will take me another ten years to pay off my student loans, assuming I don't bankrupt my company...
If I could do it all over again, I would have gone into a skilled trade straight out of high-school; something transferrable, like HVAC, or heavy diesel mechanic, leaving the option of travel open.

I am also a B.Sc, i dropped out late in my 3rd year, after struggling with the fact that it was pointless.

 

[letsgodowntherabbithole]

I know this sounds crazy, but I have a degree in photography and own a studio with my wife. I got out of the field though when I realized just how overcrowded the market is getting these days with "photographers" who have nice camera but don't really know how to use them.

The better half runs the studio now while I work at starbucks. I know it sounds crazy but working at starbucks is the most exhausting, rewarding, challenging, and fulfilling thing I can think to do as a career in my life. They give you good insurance for you and your family for only working 22 hours a week. The pay isn't great at first but you get a performance based raised every 6 months. The 401k plan and the stock options they give are top notch and the work-life balance policy the company enforces keeps life on the up and up. Starbucks has stores all over the world and it's super easy to transfer anywhere you need to. I know so many people who transfer someplace new every year or two while working their way up in the company.

If your just in a transition in your life it's the best place to work in the world, and I for one will be making coffee for the rest of my life :D

 

[lagavulin92]

@letsgo: Wow Starbucks offering is awsome. I'll mind this when I need a job. It's also great to hear of your happyness.
Being only a senior student, it is very tacky of me, and I may be mistaken and am willing to be corrected, but these are my thoughts on careers:
I think a secondary education is a must. High schools offer courses preparing you for college and courses for start working serious straight out of school. The other alternative is an apprenticeship. If you live in the US they might be hard to come by except you want to do something crazy as becoming a luthier. In fact, you can even become a lawyer by apprenticeship.
Once you've had roughly 12 years of education, 3 options are to be considered:
1: Blue collar - http://www.bluecollarandproudofit.com/index.html

Now, being just blue collar won't get you too far. You need to do some college reading and have balls, as Kevin said. I have read several college books and I think, to start a business you need to read 4 courses' worth of books. It's nothing really. Micro- and macroeconomics, accounting, and management. Wikipedia is surprisingly informative and easy read about economics. Just pursue your interests and passions.
2: Academic - The main difference between an academic and a blue collar career is that it is less hands-on, but more scientific. It's not about finding out how to do something, but knowing or believing why something is so and defending your opinions and ideas. Blue collar workers must argue and justify to their clients why they are working better and more reliable, which is scientific, too. Degree holders must drive their car to their office desk, which is hands-on. A lot of what is learnt in college is to do well in a profession, but you still need to take courses for scientific writing and methods which you'll never use when you just get a job. I'm college-bound because I'm the philosophic type, but I'm too street smart to be stuck in the rigor mortis of the academic.
3: The US Army - no military force offers you so many career options without going straight to college and get an excellent GPA. Simply passing basic training gives you tremendous advantages in your job search. The pay is great, too. Unfortunately, being a foreigner, such an option is unavailable to me.
@lonestar: If you only have a high school degree, don't worry about not having a degree. Chances are you saved years from studying the wrong stuff and years from paying off debt. And check financial aid. Get most bang for the buck. If you ever consider an MBA, aim for the top tier. The rest is a debt trap and the crap that happened to Lawrence. If you can't put it on the resumé for a good shot at any job, or can't rely on the connections you've made, normal college/uni study is cheaper, if even necessary. Don't study Law if you don't have a better LSAT than 160. Your school tier would be 3 or 4 and you'll get no financial aid, making the degree another debt trap, and you'll be demoralized when you can't pass the Bar effortlessly. If fact, if you had a happy childhood, don't practice law in the US. It's a Darwinian feast.
Yesterday I was rejected by Yale, Princeton, and Harvard, which sucks because my match made in heaven, UofCambridge(Cambridgeshire not some school in Massachusets), rejected me. There are several external influences to the outcome of of the matching school and the high-paying ones, but it doesn't bear to the point and I digress. I think it is important to understand that the sledge-hammer of disappointment hit's you from time to time, but it shouldn't put you down in your interests.

My dream, besides the American Dream(H,pretty Wife,Kids,Dog), is to get the Pirelli calendar, become a Keeper of the Quaich, and buy and run the Port Ellen distillery again (I need to have the wealth in 20 years, the whisky industry doesn't have a lot of incentives for newcomers, yet Kilchoman made it so I can do it, too). These dreams aren't scratched in the least, as you can imagine. Basically, my career will be from white-collar (managerial/lawyering/socializing) to part-white part-blue(making the spirit). Hell, I'd be the first Asian distillery master!

 

[hilojohnny]

If I had to do it all over....with all that's happening in the medical field and the aging of our population....

I would become a Medtec or a nurse....not a physician (too many headaches )....something that takes 2-3 yrs of training.... :?

 

[admin]

Education is important, but it doesn't guarantee anything.
There is a saying; "Knowledge is Power" ... however, that is not true.
Knowledge is only potential power.
The missing link in all systems of education known to civilization today may be found in the failure of educational institutions to teach their students how to organize and use knowledge after they acquire it.
It's what you do with the education that matters.

 

[cortezattic]

This is not career advice -- just some observations I think you should keep in mind:
When you start feeling guilty about getting a paycheck for something you would have done for nothing, i.e. your job is your "hobby", then you know you're in the right line of work. The money need not concern you too much since what's important is not how much you earn, but how well you avoid blowing it on non-essentials.

 

[papipeguy]

Kevin's last comments really seal the deal. The value of education (formal or school of hard knocks) is how to learn and then how to use what you have learned I spent my whole career in industrial minerals sales. Boiled down I sold limestone and talc. I told anyone interested that I was a dirt merchant. Not glamorous but it more than paid the bills. A six figure income, 401K and stock options allowed me to retire 5 months before my 56th birtday.

Being able to communicate (written and verbal) with people is absolutely essential to success. I've worked with and met many brilliant people who could not get an idea accross to anyone because they just did not know how to express themselves. As the old saying goes,"You get one chance to make a good impression."

If you like people, are organized and can speak and write properly you're on the road to success.

 

[duncan]

The military is a very viable option. My only suggestion along those lines is if you do decide to serve and want a good education there are only 2 branches that will offer that right out the gate. First Navy, this one is near and dear to my heart. I served 14 years in the Submarine Force. I am a certified Fiber Optic Tech, I have been trained as a Lan Administrator, Fork lift driver, Micro Soldering (circuit boards and such), people management, explosives handling, CQC and anti-terriorism, Basic electrician, to name half of my resume. Over half of those things I was trained right out of boot camp. Second Airforce is almost the same structure when it comes to training, they just have a better life style and see cooler places.
In short, if you want to learn a broad skill set those are your two to go with. The Army and the Marines are very noble and I have the utmost respect for those who have served in them. Just I have heard that they care if you can fieldstrip a gun before you can fix any gear. Also had a friend in the Marines and when he got out he was qualified to be a Bouncer, Cop or a Marine.
Just food for thought the Military takes people up to the age of 38.

 

[admin]

@papipeguy

Being able to communicate (written and verbal) with people is absolutely essential to success. I've worked with and met many brilliant people who could not get an idea accross to anyone because they just did not know how to express themselves. As the old saying goes,"You get one chance to make a good impression."

If you like people, are organized and can speak and write properly you're on the road to success.

EXACTLY! Brilliant!
I was thinking of adding to my last post, and didn't, but now will ...
What They Don't Teach You At Harvard Business School: Notes From A Street-Smart Executive
Get that book if you want a "real" education.

 

[wolfscout]

Having military service is no guarantee of anything after the military. Don't let the figureheads and mouth pieces feed you false information. If you want to serve while you get your head on straight, during wartime.. kudos. But don't think it's a ticket to later life. Glory ( if one dares to call it that) gained is only valuable in your own mind. BTDT. just saying.

 

[duncan]

LOL, guess it is a good thing I am not a figurehead or a mouth piece. Wolf is right, nothing is sure thing for when you get out. Though with the right training and the right contacts you will have many more doors open to you when you get out. Also the post 9/11 G.I. Bill is awesome. You get paid to go to college when you get out.
I left the Military because I was tired of the New Government changing the Mission of it's Sailors. It would take something serious for me to return on my own free will.

 

[bubbadreier]

Lonestar, just PM me with some questions if you have them!

 

[lagavulin92]

I agree with you Kevin, but let me give an analysis of the order of gravity of the biggest and most common mistakes people do:
1. Lose faith in themselves. More often then not they are already daunted about their future in high school. They are made believe that they are not smart. The thing is, you can't measure intelligence, you can't draw conclusions about one's intelligence by his successes or failures, and even survival is no indication of competence. Failure is another source of demoralization. Some learn important lessons from their failures, others learn the wrong thing. Lack of self-confidence also cuts your paycheck. When a freelancer negotiates with a client, the first thing the latter does is haggling. Most freelancers make a compromise. Not only do they earn less, but they also lose the clients trust and potentially also the job.
2. fail to communicate - it's more vital than ever. There is a merciless divide between those who can small-talk and say thank you and those who can't. Treating people for a coffee is always great. It's 20 bucks well spent.
3. Kevin:

The missing link in all systems of education known to civilization today may be found in the failure of educational institutions to teach their students how to organize and use knowledge after they acquire it.

I think the problem is not that high school doesn't teach students critical thinking skills, but that it rewards those who don't bother thinking critically. You go to Kindergarten, play games, devise strategies, and win. In school, the opposite happens. Those who cram up stuff to do well in the exams get better scores than those who openly question the merit of what is taught in school. Usually senior level courses are taught by more abled teachers, but the rest is mostly crappy. That's my experience made in my soph year in Canada.
My putting this point last is also a little bit of a critique of today's society. People are becoming more and more risk-averse, irresponsible, and brainless, only doing what has a record of sucess. When a managers job is to look at optimization problems and fire (lay-off, declare redundant, effect a separation,...) as many people as possible and destroy a company's structure to raise dividends, bad things happen on the long run.