What do you do?

[Zreberlcoe]

I searched for a thread but couldn't find anything like it so I guess I'll start one.

I'm graduating high school in May so recently I have been thinking hard about, "holy shit what am I going to do with the rest of my life." Honestly I have been blind to the fact of what kind of jobs are out there. I also put this in general discussion because I know the majority of people on R3v look here. So what I'm looking for is what is your job? What do you do day in and day out? Simply you could put your job title, or you could tell your story about where you went to school and how you got to the place you are now!

I thought this would be a cool idea because I have no freaking clue what to do with the rest of my life and there are a lot of people on R3v with amazing stories and jobs.

Go for it!

[ky0u]

I'm a college drop out! :D ...turned web designer / developer. Would not recommend the drop out part. I do regret doing that now and I was super lucky to get where I am. I'll be going back and finishing as soon as I have time. I'm only 22 at the moment so it's not like I'm too far off track

I'm going to add this because it might be somewhat relevant
I ended up dropping out because I was unbelieveably lazy. Valued hanging out and fun over studying. Not saying do one over the other, but I had no moderation at all. You know all those stories of kids that slack off, don't pay attention and ace all the tests? That was me up til grade 10. Then I got accepted into early college at 16. The work habits I was accustomed to, combined with my personality and the college lifestyle/scene was a toxic mix. You can't breeze through college the same way as high school. And I fell on my face hard because I had no work ethic whatsoever.

It was just a stroke of luck that I had web development to fall back on. I tend to focus on things that interest me and would blow off shit that I was supposed to prioritize first. This didn't just apply to partying. I Learned to code on my own in middle school, so I often skipped class in college to fine tune my skills and expand my portfolio and network. When I flunked out, it was a wake up call that shit doesn't fall into your lap in the real world. I turned around, pulled myself together, and put my full focus into that. Due to actually making an effort this time and a huge stroke of luck, (mostly luck) I was able to come out fine.

But again, and I can't stress this enough, I regret not finishing my school. If i'd been serious about it, I would've had a bachelor's at 20 and probably could have had a double major by now if i wanted. I would not recommend that dropout part. Huge chance of failure

[anabolice30]

I'm also graduating in May. I plan on becoming a geologist, but that could likely change in college.

[nando]

I'm 35 and still have no idea what I want to do with the rest of my life :p

I can only tell you what NOT to do.

1. Do not rack up a bunch of debt. it will haunt you for years and years afterward, even if you're good about paying the bills on time.

2. Do not go to school just for the sake of going to school. College these days is mostly financed, so you'll end up with a bunch of debt for a degree you may not even want. see 1.

3. Don't get married for the wrong reasons and for god's sake don't have kids until you do. Wear a condom or don't screw any chicks. also, see #1.

4. If you have a job, start putting money away into your IRA accounts now. even if it's a small amount, by starting now, you'll be miles ahead of most other people by the time you're my age.

5. If you don't have a job, get one, any job will do. Don't be afraid to work shitty jobs. If you think the job market sucks now, try waiting until you're 25 and have no work experience.

6. See #1.

[DaButt]

I'm an Armor Officer in the US Army- so I work with tanks, HMMWVs, Strykers, etc and get to blow shit up (sometimes). I got my degree from The Citadel and the Army paid for my schooling. Was commissioned through ROTC. I'm 28 now, been in the Army since 21 years old, and I've led a VERY good life. Lived in Germany right out of school (thanks, Army), where I bought both an e34 and e39. Loved them both very much.

Next month I will move to Monterey, California where I'll study the Arabic language for 18 months. I'm looking for a rental house near Laguna Seca! Then I'll spend a year traveling the middle east and then come back to the US to get a graduate degree. After that, time will tell!

I'm not a fanatic, or a recruiter, but I will say this. I started life with ZERO idea of what I wanted to do with it. All of the armed forces (not just the Army) are a GOOD way to start life. You get to travel and see the world, experience other cultures firsthand, you learn a little structure and discipline, and you mature into a man, and oh, by the way, you're giving back to our great nation. All on top of the fact that you'll get paid more than most people your age. My dad did it, I did it, and now my brother is doing it- we're all glad we did. I RARELY do this- but if you want to talk more about it shoot me a PM, I'd be glad to discuss it in greater depth.

[DaButt]

I'm 35 and still have no idea what I want to do with the rest of my life :p

I can only tell you what NOT to do.

1. Do not rack up a bunch of debt. it will haunt you for years and years afterward, even if you're good about paying the bills on time.

2. Do not go to school just for the sake of going to school. College these days is mostly financed, so you'll end up with a bunch of debt for a degree you may not even want. see 1.

3. Don't get married for the wrong reasons and for god's sake don't have kids until you do. Wear a condom or don't screw any chicks. also, see #1.

4. If you have a job, start putting money away into your IRA accounts now. even if it's a small amount, by starting now, you'll be miles ahead of most other people by the time you're my age.

5. If you don't have a job, get one, any job will do. Don't be afraid to work shitty jobs. If you think the job market sucks now, try waiting until you're 25 and have no work experience.

6. See #1.

+ 1 to everything this guy says. Debt will kill you faster than a spider monkey.

[bmw325_num99]

If you are looking for a career I would recommend mine: Industrial Engineer.

I started out in mechanical engineering to get into the auto industry. That industry started tanking as I was halfway through (and Thermodynamics II would have been tough to get through anyway). I didnt want to be designing refrigerator HVAC systems or door spring assemblies for the rest of my life so I switched to IE as a major.

I have never had a problem finding a good job and I like that my job is to make things more efficient and run smoother. I have worked for 3 Fortune 50 companies and I have always been treated well.

Of course, all this could change in an instant but so far I consider myself lucky to have found Industrial Engineering. The toughest part of the job is explaining what I do to other people!

[ST1G]

I'm a college drop out! :D ...turned web designer / developer. Would not recommend the drop out part. I do regret doing that now and I was super lucky to get where I am. I'll be going back and finishing as soon as I have time. I'm only 22 at the moment so it's not like I'm too far off track

I'm going to add this because it might be somewhat relevant
I ended up dropping out because I was unbelieveably lazy. Valued hanging out and fun over studying. Not saying do one over the other, but I had no moderation at all. You know all those stories of kids that slack off, don't pay attention and ace all the tests? That was me up til grade 10. Then I got accepted into early college at 16. The work habits I was accustomed to, combined with my personality and the college lifestyle/scene was a toxic mix. You can't breeze through college the same way as high school. And I fell on my face hard because I had no work ethic whatsoever.

It was just a stroke of luck that I had web development to fall back on. I tend to focus on things that interest me and would blow off shit that I was supposed to prioritize first. This didn't just apply to partying. I Learned to code on my own in middle school, so I often skipped class in college to fine tune my skills and expand my portfolio and network. When I flunked out, it was a wake up call that shit doesn't fall into your lap in the real world. I turned around, pulled myself together, and put my full focus into that. Due to actually making an effort this time and a huge stroke of luck, (mostly luck) I was able to come out fine.

But again, and I can't stress this enough, I regret not finishing my school. If i'd been serious about it, I would've had a bachelor's at 20 and probably could have had a double major by now if i wanted. I would not recommend that dropout part. Huge chance of failure

My uncle did the exact same thing. He is a network engineer. He makes 150k a year. But is admit that if he could go back he would finish college.

[Jorgen]

Bachelors and masters in Mechanical Engineering. I basically do minor engineering, sales, and account management for a tier 1 OE supplier with Chrysler as my customer. Like where I'm at but see some people who have been doing it for 25 years and just enjoy their 5-15% raise annually an plug along, I am looking to do an MBA soon to be able to move beyond that and up somewhere.

[Ryan Stewart]

Associates in MIS, Bachelors in Management (International Business/Logistics and minors in Finance and German)

Software/Systems Analyst. It's IS but its a considerably more specialized, I manage a content management system for a regional hospital system. I got here by way of consulting after college. I like it, I manage a tier 1 system (high availability, customer facing) so its about as rock star as IS can get short of being an executive.

[flyboyx]

I'm 35 and still have no idea what I want to do with the rest of my life :p

I can only tell you what NOT to do.

1. Do not rack up a bunch of debt. it will haunt you for years and years afterward, even if you're good about paying the bills on time.

2. Do not go to school just for the sake of going to school. College these days is mostly financed, so you'll end up with a bunch of debt for a degree you may not even want. see 1.

3. Don't get married for the wrong reasons and for god's sake don't have kids until you do. Wear a condom or don't screw any chicks. also, see #1.

4. If you have a job, start putting money away into your IRA accounts now. even if it's a small amount, by starting now, you'll be miles ahead of most other people by the time you're my age.

5. If you don't have a job, get one, any job will do. Don't be afraid to work shitty jobs. If you think the job market sucks now, try waiting until you're 25 and have no work experience.

6. See #1.

thats awesome chris. probably the best advice i have ever seen posted here. o.p: it may not be the smartest thing to post questions like this here. you will get some straight shooting answers you don't want to hear and you will get plenty that expose and exploit your weaknesses.

with that said, i'm an airline pilot. i love what i do and i make a decent living. i couldn't imagine doing anything else. unless you have rich parents, it is impossible to get into this profession without debt. you can just be smart about it and manage it properly. avoid retarded schools like embry riddle at all costs

[Conki]

I agree that engineering is a good way to go.
Being a car enthusiast suggests that you are interested in or at least appreciative of machines. I started studying Auto Tech Management to get into the auto industry, then realized I could do more as an engineer, so I became an ME.

What made it harder for me to find a job is that I don't have citizenship or even a green card, so at this level most potential employers wouldn't even consider hiring me over a ciziten.
I constantly get letters about positions in the automotive engineering field, but I don't want to move to Detroit haha.

So as an American, you shouldn't have an issue finding a job as an engineer, just pick the discipline you like, and enjoy your life.

[nando]

thats awesome chris. probably the best advice i have ever seen posted here. o.p: it may not be the smartest thing to post questions like this here. you will get some straight shooting answers you don't want to hear and you will get plenty that expose and exploit your weaknesses.

with that said, i'm an airline pilot. i love what i do and i make a decent living. i couldn't imagine doing anything else. unless you have rich parents, it is impossible to get into this profession without debt. you can just be smart about it and manage it properly. avoid retarded schools like embry riddle at all costs

I made mistake #1. I avoided the other mistakes mostly out of luck. But there are definitely people who've done all of those things.. I have friends who are my age and have NEVER had a job! I know way to many people who had kids really young or got married for the wrong reasons, or got worthless degrees and have no way to pay for them. or all of them combined..

One one hand there are my sisters who have never worked and they have zero job experience. one was fortunate to marry and move to Japan. The other got pregnant at 18. Neither will likely ever have a job because they refuse to work at places like McDonalds or anywhere really. I have a half sister that we saw panhandling in town with a sign saying she had 4 kids to feed (a total lie). I don't talk to her for obvious reasons.

then there's my brothers, one who went to the navy and busted his ass, was top in his class and is now living in Hawaii, the other who busts his ass with 2 jobs working through school. I have no idea how they turned out the way they did considering their parents are total losers. thank god we were blessed with relatively good genes for intelligence, it's just too bad it was totally wasted on our father..

I have way too much first hand experience with sucky life choices, lol.

[mitchlevy7]

Im a senior mechanical engineering student with a specialization in automotive design. I work part time at a performance car shop and occasionally detail cars.

Your enemy is lazyness.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk

[ELVA164]

I originally got a full ride for Mechanical Engineering but for my own reasons decided to switch majors early on.

My more "normal" job is to work part-time as an elementary and junior high substitute, which is a lot of fun. I'm certified to teach grades 1-6 but I sub on either side of that because certifications aren't required for subbing. I'm using it as a way to determine which ages I would most like to pursue as a full-time teacher. I prefer elementary to secondary because it's so great sharing some mind-blowing fact with the kids or making some kind of crazy connection to the generally boring "scripted" lesson (e.g., the Earth and other planets start forming as a result of static cling!!). Young kids are a lot of fun and I act a lot more like a little kid than an older one anyway.

My second job is a bit more unusual. My Dad and I have our own business taking care of and transporting vintage race cars. The cars we take care of are all European and were built in the 1950s and 1960s. We prep the cars, deliver them to a variety of tracks, take care of them at the track, then fix everything and prepare them for the next race when we get home. It's a lot of fun and very mechanical, but extremely labor-intensive. The cool factor is just about unbeatable though. :D