College and my future have become confusing(when was it ever supposed to make sense)

Stingray89 · #1 08-30-2010, 06:28 PM

Well I started going back to college this past month and now I'm more confused about my future then I was before I enrolled. I'm currently going back for culinary arts, and while I love cooking I don't know if it's right for me as a career path. I was debating about going back for culinary arts or a firefighting degree and now I honestly think I made the wrong decision. I used to volunteer as a firefighter and loved doing it but I guess you could say life got in the way and I had to stop volunteering. Now I'm going to finish out this semester in my culinary classes but I'm honestly thinking about changing my degree to firefighting next semester. All's I've ever wanted to do is help people. Anyone have any advice for a 20 year old trying to figure out his future? Or better yet, any firefighters out there that can tell me how they feel about their jobs? And I know, I'm indecisive.

billiam5billion · #2 08-30-2010, 06:49 PM

I'm 28, and I'm just now starting on getting my business degree. I'm still not sure about much, but a business degree will provide me with enough earning potential to try and sort it all out for a few years. I've been a cook, a carpenter, a laborer, a 1-hour film monkey, a sergeant in the army, and now a librarian, and I'm still moving along to something else pretty soon.

College is something you do to attain a piece of paper. Don't let it stress you out too much. You can be a chef and help people too. When I really think about it, the only things in my life that are constant don't earn money much at all: bass, friends, skateboarding, family.

I guess my point is that 20 is a great time to be indecisive and passionate, so just go with it.

iamlowsound · #3 08-30-2010, 06:54 PM

Do what you want, be happy doing it, leave work at work.

lowsound

McHaven · #4 08-30-2010, 07:37 PM

There are degrees in firefighting?

Stingray89 · #5 08-30-2010, 07:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by McHaven

There are degrees in firefighting?

Yes, it's a fire science degree. It's not required for employment, but you will have an advantage over others who don't have one.

McHaven · #6 08-30-2010, 07:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stingray89

Yes, it's a fire science degree. It's not required for employment, but you will have an advantage over others who don't have one.

Interesting. I didn't mean to sound sarcastic or rude, I've just never heard of it.

Hoses 101? :P

PSPookie · #7 08-31-2010, 06:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by McHaven

Hoses 101? :P

Yup, your mom is the instructor for that one

L-A · #8 08-31-2010, 06:35 AM

Hose, Nap!

nathan · #9 08-31-2010, 10:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by L-A

Hose, Nap!

hahaha

MatticusMania · #10 08-31-2010, 11:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by iamlowsound

Do what you want, be happy doing it, leave work at work.

lowsound

+1

Soverntear · #11 08-31-2010, 11:26 AM

well happiness is a fish seldom caught. if you feel that helping people is your drive and fire fighting is the avenue you would like to use to help people, then DO IT. being a chef helps no one plus its one of the highest stress jobs in the world.

MatticusMania · #12 08-31-2010, 11:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Soverntear

well happiness is a fish seldom caught. if you feel that helping people is your drive and fire fighting is the avenue you would like to use to help people, then DO IT. being a chef helps no one plus its one of the highest stress jobs in the world.

really? I can think of plenty more jobs other than 'professional chef' that are easily more stressful. Happiness is the easiest of all fish to catch, you just need to fish in the right stream.

IconBasser · #13 08-31-2010, 01:01 PM

you also need to know your favorite type of fish along with what herbs to fry it with.

**jmattbassplaya** · #14 08-31-2010, 01:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IconBasser

you also need to know your favorite type of fish along with what herbs to fry it with.

And a case of beer with you while you wait to actually catch it

Thunderscreech · #15 08-31-2010, 01:24 PM

I'm in the same boat. Went back to community college that is 50 miles from my house to pursue a degree in architectural drafting and industrial design, but I find myself liking my computer science class more...i'm sure that temporary and will evaporate once it gets harder.

Sadly, the place I live has little to no employment opportunities (unless you like working for chain store retail and food service) that aren't taken by out-of-work Boomers or retirees who had to go back in the work force. Since building collapsed and I don't speak spanish I can't get a job there, so basically I feel completely worhtless. I know half of it is me, but the other half is the area I live in. Sometimes I really wish that I lived somewhere else that wasn't so stupid, lame, boring and culturally dead. Music scene? Hipster high schoolers trying to be like The Smiths/Weezer and old people playing acoustic hillybilly music on mutated instruments. Art Scene? The same people making the same pieces and selling them in same places and attracting the same people who crawl out of the toxic depths that is suburban virgina and take all the parking downtown on the weekends while their kids go out and die in drunk driving accidents. Lol yeah, I hate where i live, I hate the situation I'm in, and I can't really do anything about it but hate it.

chondro776 · #16 08-31-2010, 01:43 PM

I guess my advice is contrary to much of what has been said here:
Do a job you love or die trying (in other words, don't work for a living).

I have a hard enough time getting out of bed in the morning to work a job I absolutely LOVE 99% of the time. I simply could not do a job I hated, or live under the 'leave work at work' paradigm.

It helps that I am not really materialistic, so I can afford to skip the whole rat race, dog eat dog, climbing the corporate ladder lifestyle.

But to each his own....

MatticusMania · #17 08-31-2010, 01:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chondro776

I guess my advice is contrary to much of what has been said here:
Do a job you love or die trying (in other words, don't work for a living).

I have a hard enough time getting out of bed in the morning to work a job I absolutely LOVE 99% of the time. I simply could not do a job I hated, or live under the 'leave work at work' paradigm.

It helps that I am not really materialistic, so I can afford to skip the whole rat race, dog eat dog, climbing the corporate ladder lifestyle.

But to each his own....

I don't hate my job, but I dont necessarily like it. Its boring work but decent pay. I have no personal investment in the company aside from my time. Its quite easy to be out of the door at 4:30pm everyday and not give a damn about any of the problems going on at the office. I've never been one to take work home with me. I didnt in elementary/middle/high school or college and I certainly am not going to begin now. When work gets stressful I look forward to the end of my work day, as exiting those front doors takes quite the weight off my shoulders. Eff it, I'll deal with it tomorrow.

Its quite ideal to say everyone should do a job they love or die trying, but it isnt a real perspective at all. If we all just worked a job we loved then there would be a lot of necessary duties left undone.

chondro776 · #18 08-31-2010, 02:08 PM

Maybe idealistic, but I only get 70 years on this rock (give or take) and I am not about to spend 50 of them doing something I don't love.

Life is too short.

AGAIN though, to each his own....I didn't mean to sound harsh. I watched my dad spend his entire life 'not' working (he was gainfully employed...it just wasn't 'work'). Point being, I grew up being taught not to work for a living and I guess it rubbed off.

Regarding 'taking work home w/ me', I would be doing similar stuff at home or 'off the clock' even if I weren't getting paid for it.

Having a family may count against this for some. In other words, if you love your family and just want to support them, then maybe a pencil-pushing or ditch digging job is the best way to gain happiness. I (thankfully) have no one but myself to worry about, so I do what I like.

A million things could happen, I could be working at McDonalds tomorrow, but you better believe I would be working (no pun intended) on getting out of there and back into something that makes me happy.

None of this should be taken as me being lazy, I work my booty off at my job (60+ hour weeks are common and only 1-2 hours of that is spent on TB-lol).

One last thing to the OP: what you love today may not be what you love tomorrow...that is ok.
Right now, you want to help people? Great- go do it.

Stingray89 · #19 08-31-2010, 05:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chondro776

Maybe idealistic, but I only get 70 years on this rock (give or take) and I am not about to spend 50 of them doing something I don't love.

Life is too short.

AGAIN though, to each his own....I didn't mean to sound harsh. I watched my dad spend his entire life 'not' working (he was gainfully employed...it just wasn't 'work'). Point being, I grew up being taught not to work for a living and I guess it rubbed off.

Regarding 'taking work home w/ me', I would be doing similar stuff at home or 'off the clock' even if I weren't getting paid for it.

Having a family may count against this for some. In other words, if you love your family and just want to support them, then maybe a pencil-pushing or ditch digging job is the best way to gain happiness. I (thankfully) have no one but myself to worry about, so I do what I like.

A million things could happen, I could be working at McDonalds tomorrow, but you better believe I would be working (no pun intended) on getting out of there and back into something that makes me happy.

None of this should be taken as me being lazy, I work my booty off at my job (60+ hour weeks are common and only 1-2 hours of that is spent on TB-lol).

One last thing to the OP: what you love today may not be what you love tomorrow...that is ok.
Right now, you want to help people? Great- go do it.

Yea, I've always wanted to help people since I was young. Like I said, I used to volunteer and loved it, but life got in the way. I love cooking but these cooking classes are not really the idea I had in mind. I love to cook food don't get me wrong, but not fine dining food where you pay $100 for a piece of meat and lettuce. I'm gonna finish out this semester and see where I stand when it's done, but for now I'm gonna do my best at what I have.

And to thunderscreech, I live just outside of Richmond so I'm not far from you at all. I know where your comin' from about the jobs and the music scene sucks down here too so don't feel bad.

MatticusMania · #20 08-31-2010, 05:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stingray89

Yea, I've always wanted to help people since I was young. Like I said, I used to volunteer and loved it, but life got in the way. I love cooking but these cooking classes are not really the idea I had in mind. I love to cook food don't get me wrong, but not fine dining food where you pay $100 for a piece of meat and lettuce. I'm gonna finish out this semester and see where I stand when it's done, but for now I'm gonna do my best at what I have.

And to thunderscreech, I live just outside of Richmond so I'm not far from you at all. I know where your comin' from about the jobs and the music scene sucks down here too so don't feel bad.

Why not use your cooking skills to help people? Rather than cooking fine dining food find a way to efficiently feed the underfed. You don't need a college education to help people, only some means and a way.