How did you find your direction in life?

[Vic Winters]

I'm 21 years old (soon to be 22) and I still don't know what I want to do career wise. I've worked real jobs, I've had a few years of community college, but it hasn't brought me any closer to knowing what I want. Most people say to me "it's ok, a lot of people your age don't know what they want to do..." But it's getting more and more disheartening as time goes by. The majority of my friends will be graduating this spring, while I have nothing to show for these past 4 years. I've taken all kinds of classes to see what I want to do, but there hasn't been much of a spark there.

So how did you find your direction or recognize your calling?

[Baryonyx]

I just decided one day that I wanted a job in the legal profession, and started studying a law degree accordingly.

[jomahu]

i found mine by accident....otherwise known as serendipity.

[Chris Fitzgerald]

Music was the only thing I've ever really wanted to do, so I decided to do that. It's been a hard road, but the scenery has been fantastic.

[Armueller2001]

Well I like money, and I've always been good at math and science, so engineering was a good choice.

[disenchant]

magic 8 ball.

seriously, i always loved writing, so finding a job as a writer seemed natural.

see what hobbies you like. then look up jobs utilizing the things you like to do. i like a relaxed, creative atmosphere. so i work in an ad agency where we wear jeans and play air hockey. i have a lava lamp, a strobe light, a disco ball and a blacklight in my office. i write tv commercials. it's fun!

[need4mospd]

If you had $1 million in the bank, what buisness would you start? You should do that. Be reasonable. If you want to be an artist, but your art experience so far is limited to stick figures and Lion King coloring books, you might want to rethink it.

[MAJOR METAL]

I turned on the news.

[sixstringbass]

Its taken me up till now in my senior year of high school to decide what im doing.It was gonna either be welding or graphic design but i enjoy welding and will be able to make money in only seven months as a certifide welder.im already signed up to go to Tulsa to become a welder. I learned how to weld from my father and enjoy being able to make things with metal, plus ill make a lot of money.

[alfredpunkjazz]

I always wanted to do music, so I got into music school, academic composition... But I miss a lot my rock days... I guess I have to keep on, two more years and I will have my grade, but man, it's hard.

I'm thinking that a second career after I finish this course would be a good option, who knows... Maybe I just let everything and start playing again like I should.

[A9X]

I just wander along until I find something that interests me and do that. I'm an engineer, but have worked in a couple of other fields including criminal justice since then. Next year I'm doing something else again, a position I found through serendipity (I like that word).
There's every chance you'll work in several different professions before you retire or die.

I used to think, 'make your hobby into a career', but everyone I know that's done that has simply lost their hobby.

[brianbj46]

i'm in the same position. Currently just trying to graduate. All i want to do right now is play music, but i'm considering a science career path that would leave no time for music....

[Armueller2001]

Originally Posted by need4mospd

If you had $1 million in the bank

I tell you what I'd do man... two chicks at the same time. Always wanted to do that. And if I were a millionaire, I think I could hook that up cuz chicks dig dudes with money.

[Ericman197]

Originally Posted by Armueller2001

I tell you what I'd do man... two chicks at the same time. Always wanted to do that. And if I were a millionaire, I think I could hook that up cuz chicks dig dudes with money.

This.

Oh yeah and pick something that you think you can do, and can make a decent stable living at. The economy over the next decade or so isn't looking too good, so I would avoid the type of jobs that have a huge supply with little demand... such as music, writing, anything that can easily be outsourced (radiology, tech support, architecture etc).

I think that the best career options are either:

No higher level education: the four+ years most people spend in college nets them a big fat negative, whereas you could invest that money in starting a business. This of course is risky and is more suited for very industrious types. Even if you don't want to jump into business, just about any trade will do. I see business/liberal arts grads very often making less money out of college than the kids who went straight into the workforce.

This is because those college grads are willing to earn $30k/year or less for the prestige of being a Managerial Assistant or whatever they do. That doesn't sound so bad as a starting income until you consider they're in their 20s already and have $100k+ in debts to pay off. Someone who became a plumber, carpenter or electrician might be making $50k/year with several thousand dollars in savings if he's extremely industrious.

My friend's father makes much more than that as a carpenter/contractor, and on the side he makes major additional income on the weekends by buying, restoring and selling houses. It isn't the easiest lifestyle but he makes well over $100k/year, which is really not bad for a first generation American who came here not speaking the language with no skills (he learned carpentry here).

I also have a hippy pothead friend who is making $40,000/year doing landscaping (this is probably not typical though). He works with his uncle and they do everything: cutting down trees, paving, transporting truckloads of stuff... whatever needs to get done. He's in a really good position because in a few years he's going to buy all the old equipment on the cheap (Dodge RAM 3500, some trailers, a small earthmover, a Mitsubishi FUSO truck etc.) and start his own landscaping company. This is a guy who barely graduated high school.

Some higher level education: In this category I would throw in all of the jobs that require some college, or a college degree but don't require extensive graduate level work. Becoming a cop is one option. Nurses also make pretty good money: I met a fellow med school applicant who makes $75,000/year, although I'm not sure what type of nurse she is... there are many, some making $30k and others over $100k depending on qualifications.

Higher education: I recommend this route to anyone who is willing to put in the effort, and has a reasonable career goal in mind. For example I think an MD is somewhat more of a secure career than a lawyer, but both can work. Be wary of masters/PhD level coursework because there are gluts in several fields. In chem for example, there are a lot of job openings in pharmaceuticals for a MS, but PhD pharmaceutical positions are harder to come by (not that a PhD can't do everything a MS can do, but they generally want to be paid $85k+ for doing different things, but may have to settle). Engineering is an OK choice but as I see it, it's something that like architecture could be outsourced to some extent. In liberal arts it will be hard to get a job that pulls in any more cash than a skilled laborer, unless you're very good at it.

[seanm]

I always enjoyed computers and was good at programming. But I didn't like school. So I went to college, and while the course was a waste, it did get me my first co-op jobs. Which turned into a full time job

[Vic Winters]

I want an education (degree), but I want to know how and where to apply it, because all the classes I've taken are beginning to feel like a waste. I've taken everything from microeconomics to chemistry to history to biology to computer design to calculus and so on and so forth. I thought about Pharmacy, but I couldn't stand cell Bio. If I don't further my education, my only option is to work incredibly long hours, breaking my back if I want to make a decent living. I did the 60 hour work week before, it is not something I wish to do again.

[i_got_a_mohawk]

In high school i just really fell in love with the sciences. Biology and Chemistry more so than Physics. Went on to uni to do Biochemistry, and, im really split minded about it, its just the amount of work they are piling on us is really draining at times, yet, everything we are studying is the forefront of the field, no text books, its all journal based. The oldest article ive read for coursework this year has been from 2005, most are from this year. (that doesnt apply to my dissertation which requires a sizeable amount of history).

[A9X]

I agree with Ericman197's post above. All the trademen I know do OK for themselves and some with some entreprenuerial skill have done very well. Most of the people I know with degrees from recent years now work in other fields.

[Vic Winters]

You can make decent money doing a trade, but you will bust your butt, not always in the best conditions for long hours. My dad does pretty well for himself in the tool and die industry, but that's because he's also pulling 15 hours of overtime/week at minimum. I've seen the cuts, burns and worse injuries he's endured.

[KJung]

Originally Posted by Vic Winters

I want an education (degree), but I want to know how and where to apply it, because all the classes I've taken are beginning to feel like a waste. I've taken everything from microeconomics to chemistry to history to biology to computer design to calculus and so on and so forth. I thought about Pharmacy, but I couldn't stand cell Bio. If I don't further my education, my only option is to work incredibly long hours, breaking my back if I want to make a decent living. I did the 60 hour work week before, it is not something I wish to do again.

Those classes are NOT a waste. The most important thing you get from a college level education is the ability to think, reason, and evaluate. This is what sets you apart from others in the job market.

Also, being around fellow college students is a positive thing in and of itself. Being around motivated, driven people (for the most part anyway!) is a very good thing when you are in your particular life stage.

Some of the most unhappy people I know at my age (50 now) are the ones who tried to overthink their careers early on (i.e., go to nursing school or engineering school because there are a lot of jobs and the starting salary was good). This is NOT a reason to pick a career. You need to find something you really like, and make sure you can at least make a decent living at it.

Briefly, in my case, I was gigging full time all the way through undergraduate and my Master's degree. I started to gravitate toward the behavioral science area because it interested me. It turns out, the head of the Statistics/Psychometric's Department was a big jazz fan and came to my gigs all the time (back then, there were 6 night a week jazz gigs!!!). We started talking, and next thing I know, I'm in Ph.D. program in Psychometrics (and, they covered all fees and expenses!). Twenty years later, I have a nice little consulting business in the area of new product development, market research, sales analysis, product satisfaction, etc., and I find as much joy in that as I do in gigging and over-analyzing gear

So... IMO and IME... don't sweat it, don't force it. BUT, don't sit on your a** in a dead end job either. Go to school and take a wide variety of coursework. You will be surprised at the opportunities that come your way if you stay focused on gaining knowledge and learning about the world.

IMO of course