i spent college years getting degrees in engineering and leadership, getting ready to go back for my MBA. i have always worked in the manufacturing sector and have been lucky enough to reach VP level. i do well, but without a doubt manufacturing in the US is dying. Do yourself a favor and go with something healthcare related, regardless of what the economy does people will always get sick and die, kind of morbid i know but also very true. So any field whether it be hopital oriented or pharmacuetical sales or something like that. Just my .02
Your too young to be worried about what you will do for the rest of your life, but getting an education is important even if it doesn’t make you money.
It will make your parents proud and and you can always rub in someones nose in your life(just kidding) Althougth I have a high level of education when I do security work people mistakenly think I am a pasta slurping knuckel dragging trogladyte.
I am in my early 30’s and am thinking about a carreer change so there is no way you can know now what you want to forever.
Just find something you like dont do it just for the money you will only find yourself disapointed.
So relax WooSaaa (badboys 2)
Fluffy
- Relax
- Focus on getting good grades in school and having fun
- Figure out what you’re talented in and enjoy doing.
- Find a major/industry accordingly and hone your talents in college.
Too many people go to college for the wrong reasons. I’m a strong believer in waiting until you at least know where your talent lies and what you enjoy doing (they’re usually one and the same) before ever going to college. Most teenagers don’t know WTF they want to do and that’s fine. It’s way more important to figure that out than sweat career choices at such a young age. In other words, look inwards, not outwards and you’ll know exactly what you should do for most (if not the rest) of your life. Oh, and don’t expect that answer to come anytime soon.
I’m a social worker with social services working with troubled adolescents and their families. I’ve been here right out of college since '97…At first I looked at Social Services as a stepping stone and I wasn’t going to be here long. 9 years, one wife, two kids later…I realize I’ll probably retire from here. I love it though and there’s nothing I’d rather do.
I work as a network technician for a small ISP. Is it what I went to college for? No, got a computer science degree, but lo and behold decided in my senior year that there was no way in hell I could sit and program for 8 hours a day when I graduate (which was this past June). Right now I am contemplating a move back to software, the time off has made me feel less burnt out, or else I am thinking of getting heavily into Cisco stuff with an emphasis on network security. Either that or find a cushy job as a network admin (well, all my friends that are admins tell me its cushy, until something blows up).
The problem with deciding now is that you will limit yourself.
I focused on being an accountant. Once I got into collage and really got into it, I discover I hated it and would rather mop a floor. I dropped out so I wouldn’t waste my time and get a huge student loan on something that I would never do. So worked at crap jobs trying to decide what I wanted to do. Eventually I took courses on becoming a computer programmer. It was hard because I had no background in it. I hadn’t prepared myself for it in HS.
So take an art course, take more than one kind of science, computer programming, business, history. Get a good balance so when it’s time to focus on 1, you are not limited.
I took art, and it helps me daily at work. Not because I do any art, but I deal with graphic artist.
Here’s my story:
In HS, I wanted to be a shock jock - never happened.
Went to a liberal arts college that allows students to go undeclared for 2.5 years, which I took advantage of. The Army, however, made me declare a major before that time, however, in order to keep my scholarship. Started out as a Public Policy major. Hated Poli Sci and switched to Economics.
Went on active duty for a little while. Got out.
Took a job in an executive training program in a Fortune 150 company. Stayed for 2 years before going back to school full-time to get my MBA.
Got a job with a small, private consulting firm in the health services field in the 3-person finance dept. Got laid off a year later when the co. got purchased.
Spent 4 months looking for a job in investments. Eventually took a job in financial reporting for an international bank. 3 years later, moved into an entry -level investment banking analyst job for the same bank. 4 years later, I’m a VP in investment banking at the same bank, doing better than I ever thought I would be just 7 years ago.
The moral of my story is that it’s not always important to know what you want to do with your life if you are smart, flexible, and not afraid to accept change. I made some big leaps of faith along the way, but I almost always trusted my instincts.
At 16, I knew very little of what was actually out there in the professional world. Hell, at 26 I was still pretty much in the dark. Just go at life with open eyes and an open mind and seize your opportunities. The trick is knowing the difference between an opportunity and a pitfall.
In short, life is like weight-training. Don’t get caught up in trying to find the perfect program. Put your time in under the bar and learn as you go.
DB
[quote]dollarbill44 wrote:
In short, life is like weight-training. Don’t get caught up in trying to find the perfect program. Put your time in under the bar and learn as you go.
DB[/quote]
Cool analogy!
Learn a trade, something for which you don’t need an employer as intermediary to a job.
Maybe you’re an NASCAR auto-mechanic, but you can do normal work on the side. Or you’re the webmaster for some company, but have your own web design business as well.
This way you can always find work, making your own jobs.
grew7,
At your age I still wanted to be a veterinarian, because I liked animals/pets. The first time I saw an operation on a dog, I discovered I had no stomach for watching living flesh getting sliced open.
When picking classes for college, I was most interested in literature and languages; I pursued those interests, enjoyed them, but wasn’t sure what I’d do with them.
When wondering what to do about grad school, a professor told me that my background suited me for programs in Medieval and Renaissance Studies. So I went in that direction; absolutely loved it.
Out of grad school, wound up teaching high school English, and I discovered my calling. After 4 years, however, I wanted more, and so headed back to get my Ph.D. in Medieval Studies.
After becoming ABD (All But Dissertation), the high school where I taught asked me to come back because they needed to fill a new Director of Technology position; I had stayed in touch (my wife ran their Computer Lab) and done most of the fixing and troubleshooting they needed.
I was there for 6 years, then moved back to Rochester NY and did tech support at SUNY Empire State College. Now I’m Director of Technology at a small private school for learning disabled students. I like working with/for teachers and kids, and intend to stay here until they push me out.
So…
1o-16: Veterinarian dreams (Ooh, that sounds perverse.)
18-22: Student of humanities
23-27: English Teacher
28-32: Ph.D. student
33-46: Technology
Go where your interests take you. If you don’t have any interests, then you simply have not been paying attention! Expose yourself to more of the world, starting now.
Read and hit the streets.
I know only person, and have yet to meet anyone else, who went ahead and became what they thought they wanted to be in HS. She wanted to be a Vet, went to A&M, went to vet school,a nd now shes a vet in TN, happy as can be.
In other words its the exception not the rule.
I started college with the intent of being a doctor, got my ass kicked by chemistry and eventually switched to a psych degree with plans of becoming a LPC. But…then got pregnant, got married and after a year fell into the job I have now, juvenile probation officer, which I’ve been doing for 9 years now.
Don’t stress too much about figuring out where your life is suppsed to be going when you’re 16. Learn all you can about everything, stay out of legal trouble and get all the pussy you possibly can.
I think it is very commendable, mature and ambitious to be thinking of a career for yourself at your age I think the majority do not.
My Screen name is what I do in the interest of sharing knowledge about various careers including mine I have include a link which has alot of interesting information about my field.
http://www.ibanagreatlakes.com
I hope you have a good school counselor and a close family member to help guide you in the right direction and I also hope you do not stress out on it to much you have plenty of time to find the right path. Gather as much info as you can and ask plenty of questions.
Good Luck to you!
I’m 21, and currently a web & graphic designer. I started learning 3D animation and modeling a few months back, anyone got experience in this field, and is it worth going into?
I’m looking to do some traveling in a couple months and working abroad. Haven’t been to college or anything yet, because I’m still not sure what I want to do.
I graduated from college three years ago with a BS in Microbiology and now make a pretty decent living as an environmental scientist. Most of the work I do is actually in computational statistics. Looking back, I think I made a pretty good choice considering I really did NOT want to go the whole Sales/Marketing/Finance route and lose my soul to the dark side.
I’m almost to the point where I earn just as much on my money market accounts as I do at my job. So, if you really know how to handle money and have a good business sense about you, I don’t think you can really be a failure in anything you choose to do.
Tell you the truth, I didn’t give a damn about working until my senior year in college, but my last year I woke up one morning and thought I was close to real life and I better have a plan. After I graduated I got a crappy job as a pharmacy tech. I called it my “until I find something better job.” I was a PE/Kines major in college and for some reason I started studying my ass off learning all that I could about anatomy, physiology, kinesiology, boimechanics, and every type of exercise I could find. I was a sponge.
I found out my passion lied in fitness and health. I was given the number of a local Training stuido and recieved 2 weeks of additional quality training in health and fitness before they would let me near a client. I worked as a trainer for 2 years, then I became manager of the store I worked in. I was approached by some of my clients who wanted to open a personal training business with me.
I have been owner/manager of my studio for a year in April. I have learned many things about life in the past year, and the biggest thing I have learned is that life is tough. Its feast or famine sometimes. I have a huge mountain to climb if I want to be a success, but thats what keeps me going during the day. I’ve had sleepless nights and I have wanted to quit a few times.
I guess I’m saying all of this to tell you that you need to keep your eyes open to find out what you want to do and what you’re passionate about. I am sorry if I have run off on a tangent I have had entirely too much caffine today.
[quote]dollarbill44 wrote:
In short, life is like weight-training. Don’t get caught up in trying to find the perfect program. Put your time in under the bar and learn as you go.
DB[/quote]
Holy shit that’s deep DB
Well, I’ll throw my little snippette of a life story in here, too.
Early in high school, I just assumed that I would join the Marine Corps and never really thought much about anything else. I didn’t know about financial aid or grants or anything about college, so I figured the Armed Forces were my calling. However, I discovered beer and ass my sophomore year and slowly lost interest in much else. I ended up dropping out of high school my senior year. (I actually wanted to go a fifth year since I was having so much fun, but wasn’t allowed.)
So I’m working a shitty job as a cook, and for being 18 or 19 with no responsibilities and very little in bills other than rent, I was doing ok. I was having fun.
Time passed and I started get bored with getting drunk every other night and playing Madden until 4 am, and I began thinking about the military again. So, at 21 I enlist in the Marine Corps.
I get married, do everything from delivering pizza to computer repair to coaching youth sports and end up back in restaurants as management.
Later, my life falls apart with the separation from my wife and I even end up homeless for a month. Very humbling, to say the least.
So, here I am now. I’m a full time student at the local community college and loving it. Yes, I am a 29 year old college freshman, and no, I don’t think I would change much in terms of how I got here.
My point, don’t get too wrapped up in what you are going to do now. Who knows what will happen in the years to come. Just be flexible, keep an open mind, and enjoy life.
Good luck to you,
Toddy
Male stripper by night, student by day.
I’m like Batman…in a g-string.
[quote]Ghost22 wrote:
Male stripper by night, student by day.
I’m like Batman…in a g-string.[/quote]
LOL… but he is 16 so I dont think he is ready for either of our occupations>
Fluffy
I’m actually leaning toward something in the field of medicine. I enjoy my high-school biology class very much and chemistry is interesting interesting.
O So I’ll definitely take those courses in college, which I should be able to pay for with a full a scholarship if I do well enough in highschool.
The only thing I dislike the idea of doing is a long residency. Even just three years sounds terrible… $10/hour working 80 hours a week? Ugh. And there is no guarantee I’d even get the residency I wanted, so much competition. I intend to keep working out through college, and losing all progress right up until then won’t be fun…
Though, I have no life now and I doubt I’ll have one by then, so I’ll see what happens.
Am I thinking too far ahead? I was just looking at what could happen if I made certain choices…