R3v, give me your life advice!

[devon.818]

I know many of you have been around a while, so there's a wealth of life experience here just waiting to be tapped, well come on and share it!

Need some career advice. I don't know what I want out of life really, granted I only turn 19 in a month so I have being you going for me.
I go to a communitycollege, taking gen Ed classes, so I'm storage on my way somewhere(don't know where lol).

So many options out there. I like working, I enjoy blue collar work. however, I haven't experienced enough business or sales type jobs to know how I'd fare with a career the professional world.
I'm good with money, great with math, good mechanical and technical abilities.

I know I could do a trade an work it day in an out, but I want to enjoy what I do.


Leaning towards something engineering related. not opposed to something where I get to deal with people(love hospitality and interacting with customers or clients). Job security is a must.


so what advice do you have for a guy who is somewhat lost in a sea of possibilities?

[ohthejosh]

As I was reading it I thought engineering, then I read youre already leaning towards that so......in that case..... male prostitution will apply all the qualities you mentioned.

Customer service, working with your hands, math & money skills, and youre young. :)

Jk srsbzness tho, heads towards engineering maybe even IT if you like that sort of thing.

[McGyver]

go with mechanical engineering. you can get a job designing and fabricating crap. so you get the engineer pay with the gratification of seeing something you designed get made.

[Jorgen]

I would agree with the others try to go after something in engineering. Not sure what is out in MD but around detroit you could start going after internships as like Roush Saleen etc. to try and get into the performance automotive world. I graduated in 2006 from undergrd and mechanical engineering, I am about 1.5 months from finishing my masters and work for a supplier. Sometimes it is mundane but working for suppliers can have fringe benefits (entertaining customers; dinners, golf, strip clubs, etc.) that you don't get as much at the OEM's and in some other fields. My job is 50% sales and account managment and 50% technical.

[ohthejosh]

Oh yea one more thing, don't give up. A bachelors doesn't mean shit anymore. Do what Jorgen is doing and get that Masters afterwards.

[Mr. Burns]

I'm 32, and recall having psych classes in college.

I think the thing that stuck to me most was the study that on average, a normal male or female will have THREE "careers" in their working lifetime.

I'm working on my 3rd.

I work for the federal gvt, I'm here for life.

prior to that, I worked in sports physio/nutrition...graduated to sales in waste management, and now i'm here.

what I studied in school has fuckall to do with what I do to this day.


Devon, do whatever you enjoy the most- don't make it feel like a "job" and the $$$$ will take care of itself.

cheers

[Mr. Burns]

oh ya.

get married at 17 and post on R3V that your bff boned your uggo helicopter pad landing foreheaded gf and gripe about it for months on end.

[mrsleeve]

Petroleum,


Find a neiche somewhere in the energy business and you will be fine

[samiam3356]

MMA fighter? #billybadassstyle

never too late for school but figure a way to help pay as you go. School loans are the devil. I see them kick A LOT of people's ass. Seems hardly anyone is repaying them either. I could go on and on about this but if your going to rely soley on financial aid to go back to school, then I say FUCK that.

[RobertK]

The best advice is to do what makes you happy not just what makes money and when you are making a decent income be sure to set aside a portion to purchase assets that generate passive income.

Passive income = more personal freedom.

[Mr. Burns]

The best advice is to do what makes you happy not just what makes money and when you are making a decent income be sure to set aside a portion to purchase assets that generate passive income.

Passive income = more personal freedom.

^^^^^^^^^^

that.

at 17 I started messing around with turntables, and midi controllers.

I now DJ part time, when I damn well please and can chose the venues I spin at.

for 5-6 hours of work(fun) I get to socialize, play sensationally loud and bassheavy music, get people moving/dancing and create a vibe that has really no definition.

it's trully the best feeling ever when you get a crowd of 200-400 people moving.


oh the 1000-1500 per gig helps too;-)

THATS MAH E30 MONNIES!

[Morrison]

I would really recommend something in the IT segment. Pretty much every company needs IT people so you would be much more marketable. That means being better able to choose what city/state you want to work in as well as for what company. I have a bachelor's in mechanical engineering but would go for business or IT if I had it to do over again. There just aren't that many companies looking for ME's and the ones that are, want the senior guys. To get your foot in the door at any of the major automotive firms, you'd pretty much need a Masters as stated earlier.

I pretty much work as a programmer anyway, programming Siemens and Johson Controls building automation systems, mainly HVAC.

Make your job the thing you do for money and make your hobbies the things you do for fun.

[z31maniac]

I'd go for a trade.

Electrical, plumbing, HVAC, etc. Eventually work up to have YOUR name on the truck of YOUR own company.

I would do this now, but I couldn't afford the pay cut while I apprenticed and such.

[VANOS714]

just get a job on the automotive business.

[priapism]

I've never known an engineer to want for work. And they're all hands-on types, like you mentioned.

Engineering degree + MBA is a killer combination.