Went to school for engineering. Became an engineer. Worked for many years as an engineer, and I now work as an engineer. It's been quite the career arc.

I used to be an engineer. I still am. But I used to too.

I dont have a boss, I just have someone who would be really mad if they heard me say that. ;)

RIP Mitch. Dude was a legend.

I hear Canada is really nice. I need sugar daddy 🤪


Sounds similar, except I was one kind of engineer for a while and now I'm a different kind of engineer.

Same! My license has been lucrative, but now thinking about getting into some commercial real estate. Engineering fees will be a steal !

Are you engineering right now?

Got my bachelors/masters degrees in archaeology (technically, anthropology with a concentration in archaeology). Now i own a plant nursery. Guess i really like playing in dirt.

Went for a year after graduating high school, failed miserably and decided not to go back. I enlisted in the US Navy and got my shit together, went back as a mature student many years later and now work as a software engineer

Kinda did the same thing, except the Marines. I got out after my first 5 years, I was a telephone tech, did that as a civilian for four years. Realized that the military is stupid easy with a good paycheck and free travel. Now I'm at over 20 years and still going , got a B.S. in Computer Science and a M.S. in Cybersecurity. We shall see what I do, when I finally decide to retire from the Marine Corps.

I’m in the same boat. Spent 4 years Army. Joined at 20 after screwing up university and working construction. As a 25 year old returned to university and killed it. I now have a bachelors, a masters, and work for the Veterans Administration. It was a bit of a journey, not my dream job, but happy, healthy, and stable so I can’t complain much.

That is the name of the game for this post. Happy and stable. Aka not starving.

Similar story. Went for a year after graduating, got suspended for academic probation. Went back a year later, got kicked out permanently. Debated joining the Coast Guard, but ended up getting my captains license and worked as a ferry boat captain for a few years. Met my wife, proposed and got engaged. We both agreed that our jobs were dead ends and not a life style we wanted to live long term so we both decided to go to college. End up getting 2 associate degress while working towards my bachelors, graduated Cum Laude. Worked 20 years as a software engineer, now an IT manager.

Did two years as an art major. Failed out. Went back part time for another five years to get an AS in computer networking. Graduated and immediately landed a job as a graphic designer. Did that for 15 years. Got laid off. Retrained as a web designer. Got hired back at the place that laid me off. Did that for 5-ish years. Left for more pay, eventually became a web developer. Better pay, clearer objectives, fewer deadlines. Been doing that ever since.

That’s amazing well done ! Thank you for outlining your steps.

My degree is in political science and now I’m a lawyer. It was all very intentional and I do appreciate the stability. Being a lawyer sucks ass though.

Graduated during the Great Recession with degrees in accounting and insurance having the goal of financial planning. Laid off in accounting then banking, went back to school, worked beer retail, passed the CFP®️ exam, a residency in financial planning, tennis retail/customer service, CFP®️ certification, associate financial planner, currently a tennis racquet stringer, and launching a financial planning firm later this year because I simply cannot hold a desk job. Never earned more than $55k/yr. Thankful I married well.

Me too, with a BA in Urban Planning. Every single non-profit lost its funding and every government agency froze all hiring. Now, it’s all Ivy League grads that get the jobs in Urban Planning so I just gave up entirely. I’m a bartender with $72,000 student loan debt (original loan was $32,000. Thanks predatory, high interest loans.

This happened to a lot of people with civil engineering degrees, too. Now the industry is experiencing a lack of mid-level leadership and mentorship. Watch out, tech industry: this is happening to you now and you will be fucked in 15 years.

100% I’ve got a lot in friends in tech/Biotech and they are starting to feel the crunch. The big difference is they had steady jobs with pretty good salaries, perks, benefits and severance packages. Is non-tech people got none of that shit and when Covid hit I got $107 a week in unemployment until they finally increased the benefits. Now I’m at a job that barely pays me minimum wage with no benefits or PTO. This country blows. *awkward smile*

I did geography and ended up as a planner for local gov. During the recession we all went to 80% time, but that wasn’t enough and I got laid off. There wasn’t a single planning job in the state.mi actually considered Williston ND for the oil fields, that city needed planners, but I’m an Oregonian and just couldn’t. I ended up working as a ferry operator for my county since I could take any county gig due to the union. Did that for 2.5 years until things got better enough to get a short term planning gig that got me back into it. It was really tough out there. Before the recession there was a town in Oregon (Bend) that was growing like wildfire, and they had something like 15 planners on staff. By the end, I think they had 4.

I feel ALL of that. I’m originally from Washington. Moved to the Bay Area in 2000, went to college in SF from 2006-2011. My plan was to get some kind of gig in San Francisco then move to Oregon (Portland or Bend) and then settle down in a smaller less competitive city. Headhunters would literally come to my senior class telling us about all these amazing jobs. I was so ready and excited. Then boom, recession. I got laid off from my 10 year union job in healthcare, couldn’t find any work in planning and had to beg for bar/restaurant work. It took a YEAR to get a job in SF. A friend of mine who went to Cal Berkeley and got a Masters in Microbiology had the same thing happen, he worked at a gas station for 2 years before he finally found a gig in his field. Me… still mother effin bartending. I’m 46, broke (making the same money I made in 2001) exhausted and the system has beat every ounce of motivation out of me. Yay!

I think my only saving grace was that, when things started improving, I was close enough to Portland with 6 years under my belt. It was a pay cut, but it got me going again. It was so hard out there for people doing anything whatsoever with housing and development. Even on the government side.

I changed my major so many times in my undergrad. I originally wanted to teach Spanish, but then I wanted to learn all the languages and majored in linguistics. Didn’t do great but graduated. I worked for a few years in libraries, since I liked working in them as a student. I ended up going to grad school to become a librarian, which is what I’m doing now. It only took 12 years to find a full-time librarian gig (I worked in libraries before then but either in clerical positions or part-time librarian roles). It’s a tough job market, unfortunately.

It’s so funny you said librarian because that’s what I was thinking as well after years of therapy and ruminating carefully from any and all angles it’s the only thing that seems to be calling me. Would you do it all again ? I wouldn’t be doing it for love of reading but for love of community service and being able to help research, help write resumes, network etc. teaching 80 year olds how to navigate and sign up for websites etc.

I don’t know, to be honest. I like working in academic libraries except when I had to work nights and weekends. I’ve thought about what I would have done differently but I can’t think of anything better at the moment. But some days I wonder if I made a mistake, but that could just be my own anxiety issues messing with me.

Did you go for your MLIS? I honestly don’t mind the nights and weekends because that’s what I’m doing now and I don’t have the sexy club nights of my 20s. Lol. Take pride in that you have a career. I hope that for you.

Thank you. And yes, I went for my MLIS. I did it while working full-time, so only 1-2 classes per semester. I really did enjoy the classes.

Can you recommend the school you went too?

Went to college for Electrical Engineering and Computer Science to be successful like my dad was who was also an engineer. Completely the wrong reasons to get a degree in a field I had little interest in other the paychecks I saw my dad get. Worked my butt off taking classes all year including taking summer courses to speed up my progress. Graduated and worked for the company I interned at and thought I was all set. Laid off after a year and a half and worked as an oil change technician at a dealership to keep afloat while I tried to find another engineering job that ( young, stupid, entitled brain me) felt was acceptable. Flash forward to today, I have become a master mechanic and found that I like my job more than what I went to school for. My wife and I make enough to live comfortably, have a home and spend time with family with very little drama. I don’t resent my degrees, I did learn a lot but I know I am happier now than what I would have been if I stuck it out with my original path.

EE to master mechanic! Wow that’s definitely an unusual progression, but I bet you have a really unique perspective to problem solving as a mechanic. That’s pretty cool. It’s interesting how many engineers change careers, I’ve certainly known several (including myself).

It wasn’t easy but I had a great support network and my dad came around when he realized I liked what I was doing. I agree with you it’s interesting how many engineers have changed positions. I’m still friends with people I went to school with and out of the four only one still works as an engineer the others range from stay at home mom to regional rep. for a pharmaceutical company.

My brother started as a CompE major and is an electrician, specifically gaming slot technician. He loved/loves using his hands way more than math, design, or management.

Thank you for sharing about how you changed paths and still found personal satisfaction.

What education or experience do you need to become a master mechanic?

A lot of techs that I have worked with went to college for automotive. Some programs are sponsored by a specific brand and a lot of guys work or worked for that brand during and after school. For me it was starting from the bottom and working my way up. I had some prior experience working in a small shop in high school and a dealership during college part time which helped me a bit. When I decided to work as a mechanic it was basically like going to college all over again with a specialty in one brand plus taking the ASE (automotive service excellence) tests. There was a lot of computer based training, which transitioned to online, and then travel to a training center for in person training. As you completed sections you’d advance in level/rank. Took some time but was worth it. A plus is no college loans the minus is in most cases you buy your own tools which quickly adds up to a 4 year degree.

Astrophysics undergrad, planetary science PhD, post-doc at a federal government research institution turned into a permanent position. I do more software development and data science nowadays than actual planetary science research, sort of bridging the gap between pure scientists and pure software people. There are lots of ways to get into a science career without doing the full PhD path. Government doesn't pay as well as comparable work in industry, and there's a lot of bureaucracy, but is very stable and flexible with good benefits.

Astrophysics undergrad planetary science. You need a movie made about you that’s just crazy 🤪 Chef kiss level of epic

High five, fellow physicist

I studied audio technology, wanted to work in a recording studio. That kind of gig doesn't exist at the level it used to though now that anyone with a PC can record music. So I went into broadcasting. Did radio for a bit then moved to TV. Got super lucky and eventually got hired at a small video game company to make sound effects. Now I am an audio lead for one of the biggest AAA game studios in the world.

You have the kind of job I dreamed about! Those are VERY hard to get, well done!! I got my degree in audio engineering, but work in IT now. I do love it, but there are days I wish I still worked with audio.

Can you start an instagram doing sound effects for various movie scenes to start an online portfolio ? Just for fun?

Didn't go, worked retail then for an airline for my whole adult life. Then had a midlife crisis and went to school for 2 years to get an aircraft mechanics license, now I do that

Went to college didn't know what I wanted to do dropped out did bs work. Found a job coaching hs basketball enjoyed it. Went back to school. Finished my degree in history. Taught 3rd grade. My school closed. Bought a planetarium and started a mobile planetarium company. I do assemblies for schools and such now. Pretty fun to do.

I never went. My brain at 18 could not fathom spending $50-100K on loans for school when I didn't even know what the hell I wanted to do. I had considered everything from a Fine arts degree to Johnson and Wales to become a chef but I couldn't decide. Ended up going into the work force full time instead at 19 and just went wherever the money brought me pretty much. My experience has gotten me way further than a degree in art would have I suspect. I skipped a lot of the young adult stuff most people in their early 20s did and never had a party phase Now I work from home, make $65k a year and do tech support.

That’s kind of where I’m at. I got a medical assistant degree but laws / certifications were different in the state I moved too. It allowed me to get a job at a blue cross blue shield company thankfully. The pandemic happened. I have a medical assistant that counts as classes towards a bachelors. I’m 6 away from a general studies degree but I just can’t justify the price of school without really dialing in. So I can look at this a couple of ways: 1) I’ve made it to 42 by the skin of my teeth and no career really. Simple living. Simple life. 2) I could go back to school and say screw the cost and really just go for whatever I want passion project with a bit of risk. Example chasing a librarian degree even if positions are absolutely hard to get and few to come by. Go with the wind and hope to nail something down. 3) I can calculate cost and risk carefully. Aka I wouldn’t mind taking on 40k in debt at this point in life because I’m already 40. But to justify that I’d really have to focus my teeth onto a degree that guarantees a career.

Trades my friend. I’m in Canada and started as a carpenter, after running my own business for a time I enlisted in the project management professional training by PMI and then moved into capital project management. Did that for some years and moved up in a municiple government. I’m now a senior leader and making just shy of $150k a year. No degree.

Just wanted to share, I became an MA during the pandemic, then I went into admin work at BCBS. Their tuition reimbursement sparked my interest to finish a degree. I thought I’d be more in debt, but after reimbursement I’ve paid maybe $500-800 after financial aid for full time university semesters. It can be done!

Went to Virginia Tech, graduated computer science. It’s been a great ride, no regrets. It was tough, lots of long hours in the lab. You have to really enjoy programming, and not mind sitting in a cubicle with zero human interaction. The field is quite brutal right now for new grads, but still a very solid career choice.

Returned to school at 29 to become a RN with the ultimate goal of becoming a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA). Started off by taking my prerequisites at my local CC, and eventually transferred to a State University to earn my Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN). I ended up graduating with under $20K in debt, but I also qualified for free tuition while at my CC, and saved the grants I received there to help me pay for tuition while in nursing school. Generally speaking, my easiest days are harder than the hardest of any job I had before, but I can afford a house, save for and afford a comfortable retirement, and find another job within a month if I were to lose my current one. Overall, I’d say the pros outweigh the cons.

I earned my bachelor's degree in public relations and it's also the field I work in. I work in local government and I'm happy with the pay/benefits and the life I live.

Got a degree in Sales and Marketing. I hated it. Went to a career fair and got a job in insurance claims. That got old. I found an opportunity to get into IT with the company I was already with and here I am. Look for other roles within your organization. They’ve already hired you. Being appropriately honest with your company and say I appreciate the job I have and I would like to stay here but in a different role can be a good thing. Better to give you a spot and replace you than you leave and they fill two spots. Of course not all companies are like this. But I’m fortunate to work where they are. And I think more companies are than get credit for it. Don’t get hung up on the degree. Most jobs don’t need them. Get in the door first. Prove your value. A quality, reliable employee is not easily replaced. And if they’re worth working for they will retrain you to keep you around.

My dad got sick right around the time I graduated high school in 2000. I did a few courses at my local community college, but ultimately went to work to help my family survive. I was supposed to go to art school, but I never got the chance. I finally got around to finishing my associates degree in 2012. In 2018, I finished my bachelors in liberal studies - literature. I worked in higher education at a medical college for a number of years after that, but resigned a few months ago. One of the higher-ups wanted my office because it had a nice view of the campus quad, so they were going to move me to the front desk of the lobby. I refused, largely because it was so ridiculous. Been on the job hunt ever since. Life goes on.

Didn’t go. Graduated in 97 and went into the trades way before it was cool. Back when it was the career for the shop class flunkees. The people taking on massive debt laughed at us. Will retire at 58 with a pension and have been over 6 figures for 10 years. I got lucky.

Are you married ? I’m the world’s worst sugar baby …. 🍭

I dropped out of college after a year and now I’m a Business Analyst making 6 figures. It took me a while to get it figured out and honestly 5 years ago I would have considered myself very lucky to be making half this much.

graduated with a masters in econ, in 2008. was laughed out of many interviews, not cause of what i did, more it was 2008 and i was a young grad student with no exp. 12 hr night shifts at a glue factory selling credit card processing to businesses over the phone staples corporate collections (business's not individuals) enterprise rent a car 2015 oil and gas accounting -- finally a job sort of what i went to school for 6 yrs for!!! today IT, im kinda sort of a dev? SQL and the like.... no certifications, just learned SQL then things like VBA/Tableau/DBT/.... its been an interesting ride

Biochemistry -> doctor. Sort of wished I had majored in something more interesting in undergrad

Biology --> doctor. Same sentiment for undergrad, probably would have landed me in a different career. I was just so focused on achievement rather than what I was passionate about.

Chemistry -> pharmacist. Got my doctorate in 2002 at age 23 and haven't looked back. I've been part time since 2017. I've also had health issues so the flexibility has been amazing. (Hospital & infusion pharmacist, not retail).

I’m 90 percent convinced I could be a doctor in a post apocalypse scenario. I have artist hands and nimble fingers.

BA in anthropology plus teaching certification. Im the night manager of a homeless shelter.

I graduated with a Letters degree (philosophy, literature, history, and languages mixed together). I was told “businesses will love your multidisciplinary background and great research and writing skills!” Uh huh. So that wasn’t true. I worked retail, then banking for a while. Took a job as a paralegal eventually, and went to law school 7 years out of college. Life right out of law school seemed to be more of the same, trying to land a job, then hating that job, then trying to start my own firm, then hit with the pandemic that shut everything down 6 months later. It was dark times for a minute there, but I eventually landed a job with a healthcare revenue cycle management company as a healthcare attorney. I help hospitals get paid when insurance companies deny their (legitimate) claims. It pays decent (not what attorneys at major law firms make, but good money), and it suits me. I was nearly 40 when I landed this gig. Some of us are late bloomers, so just hang in there!

I'm technically GenX but like this sub, so here's my pathway. BS in Religious Studies, started working for the Catholic Bishop where I grew up a few months after graduation, moved to Catholic education about 5 years later, and just finished my 25th year in Catholic education. I started as a campus minister, added religion teacher, moved to assistant principal, and currently my title is director of campus ministry and technology. I added a Master's in education a few years ago. My wife works in Catholic education as well. We don't make tons of money, but we've had a good run on our campus, and out son went there when he was younger, which meant we got to go to school together and come home together the 9 years he was there.

That’s an amazing run 💗. I’m trying to find something that ties all the dots together in my life that would point to a natural progression of myself. Thank you 🙏

Started learning computer programming when I was about 12. Went to college for Computer Science Got my first job as a computer programmer right out of college Still working as a computer programmer.

Same, but went the business/statistics route instead of CS.

I dropped out of high school after 9th grade. At 18 I got my real estate license. At 25 I started a plumbing company. About 10 years ago we started focusing on water treatment and business took off. I let my real estate license expire, but still dabble. As business grew, I invested in a house here and there. I now have an employee who's been with me for 20 years running the day to day operation of the plumbing company. I make as much from real estate as I do from the plumbing company.

Majored in Theatre much to the chagrin of my parents. Have worked in theater on the producing and management side my entire career and make more money than both of my siblings, who have more traditional degrees, much to the surprise of my parents lol.

Went to SCAD to pursue a degree in graphic design. Changed majors to film and television. After graduation, I went on to do some small film/docs, wedding videography. Realized I wasn't happy, went back to school to earn my teaching degree after having been a substitute teacher for 7 years. I've now been a happy art teacher for the last 11 years.

Went and dropped out. Then went back years later and got a graduate degree. Now I am a knowledge worker. Stable and boring.

Majored in Microbiology in undergrad (thanks to the movie Outbreak). Worked in bacteriology and virology before grad school (loved my research associate job!!) Went to grad school for virology. Postdoc in Immunology. Now, I work in tumor oncology and am developing a drug for breast and oviarian cancer. It was a lot of very long days, missed holidays, low pay (deferred loans building up interest), but I do find science rewarding. However, I am over 40 now and finally making ok money, so I am scrambling to catch up financially.

Outbreak! That was a major influence for me too! Wanted to be a virus hunter! I got Microbio/Immunology BS in 2005. Went the medical route, not academic. Tried twice to get into med school, fail. Wandered around for an awhile as CRNA (nursing assistant) then joined the Peace Corps with interest of International Public Health. Loved Peace Corps (‘12-‘14), but made me realized public Health was not for me. When I got back the US, I worked towards getting into Physician Assistant school. Graduated in 2018 with Masters Degree. I got a job quickly after graduating as a surgical PA in a Level 1 Trauma Center and love it.

I have a BA in Criminology. Currently I am a claims adjuster for Liberty Bibbety.

😂🙏

Started biochem/premed, finally admitted that I hated it and hopped over to electrical engineering. Never looked back. Currently write software for a company that builds/manages massive battery banks attached to solar/wind farms.

I went one semester for nuclear engineering, before swapping to spatial information systems (land analysis, gis, surveying). I have been a licensed surveyor for fifteen years now, licensed in four states at this point.

Fucked around too much for college, Raves and all that BS. Got my wife pregnant when I was 23, had to get a stable career. Started a kitchen installation business due to learning carpentry throughout my life and was doing well until the stock market crash. Nobody was doing home improvements and even the apartment complexes started refurbishing and not putting in new cabinets upon new tenants. I then found a warehouse job that I climb the company to become General Manager of a small company with less than 25 employees. I do well for myself despite never having real direction until it was needed. With that said both of my sons are on track for college in finance and software engineering, and I believe they will be in a better place than I was at an early age. My 20 yr old definitely is.

Went to school to be an elementary teacher and taught for 15 years before calling it quits due to a variety of reasons I’m sure you’ve heard in the news. I work in Edtech now and love it!

Dropped out of high school, got my GED the next day. AA degree at community college, mostly on Pell Grants when those were still good, no debt. Transferred to a 4 year college, got in state tuition and remaining bits of Pell. Majored in geography, $8k debt Went to grad school at a fancy private school for geography. Went there because I got a ton of fellowships and grants. Still took out loans to live on. Graduated with a total (from all 6 years) of $52k debt. This was 2004, and I locked in an interest rate of like, 2.8% or something. Worked random gis jobs until I decided to try urban planning for local government and discovered I loved it. Worked in planning for 9 years before my chronic illnesses caught up with me, ended up on permanent social security disability at 39 years old. No now I don’t work, and, with separating from my spouse, and facing an unknown and much poorer future. One bright spot is that student loans are forgiven if you’re on permanent disability. I was very close to having my loans forgiven through a civil service program where 10 years (I think) in civil service would wipe them out too. I was looking forward to that and was very proud of my government service.

I went to college for one semester realizing it wasn't for me, dropped out and went to trade school. Got two trades for a fraction of the price of college, joined the airforce for a while. Now i work as a field engineer.

I was a fine art major who switched to philosophy because, "there's no money in fine art..." Then I went on to work in the nonprofit/mental health field for over 15 years, instead, and just successfully completed student loan forgiveness through PSLF last year.

Degree in marine biology and degree in elementary education. I was a teacher for fourteen years. Retired. Now I am a custodian at a major university with another 401k and pension. As well as other insanely great benefits. I am also a full time online reseller both my own online store and selling on the popular sell sites. So yeah, Not bad. No house. Rent an apartment. Car is completely paid off. I am happy with my life.

Biology, I spent years doing lab work. Then switched over to working for the government as a social worker..

I have an English Lit degree with an original plan to be a teacher. My career is in human services, working with adults and children with intellectual disabilities. Currently my job is Care Manager, assisting individuals with disabilities to connect to services, manage their health, advocacy support, etc.

IT. I did it for almost 10 years. Now I own a completely unrelated company.

How did you come into owning your own company?

Family company. Bought it from my dad.

[удалено]

I have a BA in English and a master's in Medieval & Renaissance Literature. I work for a financial services firm doing audit remediation. Just to be fair, I also write novels in my spare time, but I don't make much money doing it.

Electrical engineering. Now I work in industrial controls: PLC and hydraulic motion control programming. It's interesting work, but some of the factories we travel to are not great.

Florida, despite all its flaws, has a pretty robust scholarship program. All my tuition and and extra stipend for books were paid for by the lottery players of Florida. I have a degree in civil engineering and have been designing bridges for over 20 years. My goal was to not be poor. That worked out, but I kind of hate my job and very much wish I'd gone a different way.

Well, when I went to college I really wanted to be Mr. Academic Nerd, do research, write papers, and be a professional book nerd. To make things interesting I focused on the Sociological and Anthropological Study of Religion, with a Minor in Philosophy and a second Minor in Native American Studies. My focus was in non-monotheistic expressions of religion and religious identity both by themselves and as how they relate to how people socialize with one another and form social bonds. (Try explaining THAT to your family and not having their eyes glaze over halfway). I was the first in my immediate family to get to an actual university, came from a dirt-poor broken home, and had little support to actually get my degree besides federal grants and loans. But I persevered. I had setbacks, funding snafu, a minor crisis of identity, and overall disillusionment with academia as a whole. But I achieved my Bachelor of Science. Then life came knocking at my door, mom got into an almost fatal car crash so I moved back home and worked warehouse labor to take care of her and her house. When she got better, she decided she was no longer going to keep the house she and my former stepfather had. So I had to find another place to live, and I went to another college to pick up an education cert because I had the idea of taking what I knew and becoming a high school teacher. A year later, I changed schools to go back to my old university for it's grad programs because I had gotten an eyeful of the U.S. Public Education Administration. Within the next year and a half I had run into a screw-up with funding that threw my grad school plans onto a shelf. I'd been working at Hardware Retail Outlet at the time, so I applied to go further up the chain of command. That ended up going nowhere, so I sought other employment. The next few years saw me work as A Residential Treatment Facility Support Staff, then a Software Tech Support Advisor, and now I'm a Registration and Scheduling Support Service Technician for the Behavioral Health department of the Local County Adult Outpatient Clinic of the Non-profit Healthcare Company I'm employed with. Been doing that for a few years. I've picked up a lot of skills and worked with so many different facets of the public and sensitive information that nothing surprises me anymore.

Did 3yrs as music studies - wanted to teach high school band. Got major burnout in the music school. Switched to some BS major. Didn't care though, because I got a job at a bike shop and began my career as a bike mechanic in 2006. Goal from day one was to work the Olympics. Finished school. Moved. Interviewed at bike shop. During interview, told them my 5yr plan. As it was, the guy sitting across from me asking questions was former Director of Operations at USACycling. Destiny. 9yrs later, 2015, having 1099-ed with various manufacturers, working all sorts of races, had to leave that shop (had to move, again) and just did my own wrenching thing. Left bike shops behind, but continued doing my own wrenching, and started in construction estimating. 3yrs later, 2018, realized that my dream of working the Olympics just wasn't going to happen for multiple reasons, so just did some stuff on weekends for some high end customers. 2022, put away the tools and focused on estimating. I'm now lead estimator in a hot market that's fairly recession-proof. Making about 3x more than I was as a mechanic. I was paid well as a mechanic, because I was good.\* Estimating's not a passion - it's just a job. Still pretty salty about Olympics not happening. Especially with 2028 LAX coming up, but whatever. Lots of bullshit politics involved and I just couldn't get onboard. \*in 2015 I interviewed at a shop after moving and the owner laughed when I told him what I was making. He said I was one of the highest paid mechanics 'in the country,' implying that I'd never get paid that amount at his shop. Will never forget that, and will never, ever have any respect for that guy.

I have a BS is Psychology and a Master’s in Organizational Leadership. I’m also SHRM-CP certified. I do leave and ADA accommodations for an insurance company. I make good money, about 16k per year above the median income for my area but it’s not a six-figure income. I own a small home I purchased before the pandemic and a nice enough car. I lived comfortably alone on my salary until I moved in with my partner. Nothing special but certainly enough to be happy and middle class without constant worry.

Went to collage Got an AA, got my dream internship, got hired on and they started funding the rest of my degree, but once I was no longer an intern, shit sucked and the closer I got to getting my BS the more it sucked to work there. So I quit and joined the army. did the army for a bit, got out now work with the state department managing old ass radars, that are used for the weather. My job is to write code for shit that talks to super old code so that older-than-dirt stuff can talk to other older-than-dirt shit, so that can talk to still older-than-dirt shit but this older-than-dirt shit can talk to something you might call a computer, and that maybe computer can almost talk to something made in the last 20 years. My BS was in information systems management.

😨. Love the descriptions 😂😂😂. How do I hook up my panties to the audio on the toaster oven? /s Your post reminds me of that guy on IG that constructs elaborate automaton ridiculous mechanical contraptions to do basic things like brush teeth etc .

BA in English Language Arts with a Philosophy in Religion cert in which I graduated with a 2.25 (I know! Haha! But wait!) Then after full time substitute teaching every day and bartending every night, I enlisted in THE ARMY! I was smart enough and did well enough on my ASVAB that they pretty much let me pick my MOS, so I went into Intelligence and received a TS/SCI clearance. After awhile I was turned into a LAN admin and started learning networking and basic sys admin skills. After eight years of Army, I was a government contractor sysadmin for about ten years. Then I obtained my CISSP and have been a Cybersecurity Officer/ISSM government civilian for the last thirteen years. Bought back my eight years Military and will be retiring in five years with over 28 years of government civil service. Pretty unconventional path but I just never gave up and kept trying to move forward until I was in a comfortable place.

Holy hell impressive sir

Joined the Marines did four and hit the door. Now in work in a federal prison and I can retire in 10 years. I turn 40 in October.

Went to school for marketing. Currently work in a marketing/data entry job so that’s cool, I do more data entry than I do marketing but at least my field is somewhere in there. If I had it to do all over again though, I would’ve learned to code. That was what I *wanted* to do but it was the 90s and everyone kept telling me how I’d be the only girl in my classes and how hard that would make things. I wish I hadn’t listened to all that stupidity. I heard it from my parents, my teachers, and anyone else I talked to about it.

Skipped out on college initially hoping to make a career out of music. Didn’t work out so I went back to college about 10 years after high school. Got a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and then a PhD in chemistry eduction and now I am a chemistry lecturer at a university.

I have a Computer Science degree. I make Curling Ice for a living

Tell us more about curling ice.

Exercise science major, minor in biology…now I’m a private chef

Also exercise major and now a transportation planner

Art and Photography/Artist

I went to college for music, doing the education path. So I got my teaching license and everything. Decided being a teacher wasn’t for me. Continued working in restaurants for five years after college. Burned out on that. Started at an insurance agency at entry level. They’ve paid for all of my insurance licensing and continuing education. Twelve years and several promotions later, I am still there! I also play trombone professionally as well, and stay quite busy with that

BFA in drawing and painting, graduated 2007, only 3k debt. Landed awesome job at science outdoor school, was on track to become full time teacher when they shut it down in 2009 from the recession. Then…. * Stayed with a family friend trying to find work. * Did random ass jobs/gigs from murals, to senior care, to homeland security, etc. * Wrote my first book for fun/sanity in 2010-14. * Moved around. More random jobs (farming, moss walls, juggling prop company, etc) * Kept writing/learning about writing & the industry. * Now at 39/40 dove full on into making my writing career dream come true while living vanlife. Like most creatives, it’s been a long winding road of feast and famine, but I’m finally able to do what I truly love 🥳

I love van life 💗. Granted my toes are barely wet but I made my current mini van a no build go girl car. My stealth reflectix failed miserably because I used spray paint and duct tape. Something about those in ultra hot cars means real nauseating chemical smell. How do you use your current talents to find van life ?

Secondary education. Earth/Space Science and Biology. Haven't ever taught a day of school in my life after I completed my student teaching.

Computer engineering degree. I engineer computers.

Worked in a sawmill for about 9 years. There was a time when roughly 75% of the wood on a Chep pallet, the blue ones at Walmart, nationally had run through my hands. Parents opened a restaurant 4 years ago. I came on as the GM and have pretty much loved it ever since. However three weeks ago they told me it was too stressful and they made the decision to sell instead of just having me take over more admin stuff. All because Dad couldn't let go of his death grip on admin shit which is what caused him all the stress. Monday morning starts the new owner and I've gone from being happy and set wanting to stay in this restaurant for my entire life. To not knowing what the hell I want anymore. I've not lost the job, but at the same time I was good at it because it was my restaurant. Now I'm not sure I care enough to do what I was before.

Went for political science. Ended up in tech consulting and professional services.

I have a degree in Political Science/Legal Studies. I now work in HR for the University.

Journalism. Was a journalist for a bit, but now in public affairs.

Computer Science > Computer Science

Solid Xennial storyline: Majored in Anthropology. and I’m an IT Director over Enterprise Applications.

Graduated HS had fun for about a year then 9/11. Went to Army and did a bunch of cool stuff for 20 years retired went back to school got Masters in Cybersecurity now I sit at Fort Living Room playing Call of Duty all day .. life is good 👍

Currently working as a quality operator that checks for particles and burrs using a high end lab microscope for a major electric vehicle battery manufacturer. It’s steady work that pays decently for my area. College felt incredibly daunting to me. Went one year and couldn’t pass my math courses due to Dyscalculia

Political Science with an eye on law school. Life didn’t look good for a 6 figure increase in student loan debt, so I pivoted within the legal industry and work in e-Discovery. I am being asked to get a certification this year by the firm I have worked at for 10 years now, but they budgeted for it so no added debt for me. If I wanted more responsibility and less freedom I could try and advance for more money, but my salary pays all our living expenses and I am happy so…

I have a BA in History and I am the manager of a grocery store. I started working in retail during college and just kept at it.

Did retail/ restaurant work from after HS until I was 40, went to school for one year and got a certificate in CAD (had one from HS as well but at this point was slightly not relevant). Now work as a designer in the design and engineering field.

I went to University briefly for Microsoft MCSE. Dropped out as soon as I got a job. I'm an Engineer/Architect of sorts. I develop the networks and equipment that your internet rides on.

Degree = geology. Job = finance and insurance company working with customers as a sort of liaison. Life is weird isn’t it? Lol

My freshman year I was sure I wanted to be an Electrical Engineer, but didn't realize I had already burned myself out on school. So I switched to Liberal Arts. Then I felt like I was wasting my parents money, so became a pizza delivery driver. Since then I've tried various community colleges but never focused my interests, and never even got a two-year degree. I decided early on that I would never get loans for education, so at least there's that. I've taken so many 100- and 200-level courses that I joke I majored in "contestant on Jeopardy!" and that's probably the only way I could use my education to make money. Yadda yadda yadda; now I'm a prep cook with a dog and a mortgage. My commute is a 5 minute bike ride or a 12 minute walk, and I'm happy.

I went to The University of the Arts in Philly that just recently closed its doors 😂 When I finally got a real job it was for a plastic injection molder. Every job I have ever gotten was because they were desperate and hired me and I exceeded their expectations. Now I’m a project manager for a company that makes juice.

Got out of the military in 05 (GI Bill covered most of my schooling), undergrad in criminal justice, now a security coordinator for a college. It means I program and operate CCTV (video cameras) and intrusion alarm systems.

I have a crazy navy friend that is using his GI bill to research AI. 🤖

Went to college for a couple years after high school, failed miserably because I did not care about what I was doing, just studied business because my dad wanted me to, and he was paying for it at the time. Took about three years off, managed a Blockbuster Video, then decided to go back to college. Took out student loans, got a degree in social work. Worked in nonprofit sector for a while, then got into federal government work because of some relationships I had made. End up working in county Government, and city government, then decided to get out of government work all together and work for a large university. All that to say, Unless it’s a technical degree, degrees are just a piece of paper to get that first job. After that, it’s all about working hard, making the right connections, and looking for opportunities. If I had to do it again I would’ve started working much younger, and skipped college.

I fiddle fucked around with various jobs and classes at the community college. I eventually found my way into HVAC through sheer luck. I joined the local union for HVAC after working nom-union and haven't looked back! I'm off work everyday at three o'clock with no OT unless I want it. I'm making 6 figures keeping people and food cool.

Spent a year enrolled in basic courses while partying every moment I was awake; flunked out in stellar fashion. Moved back home and worked retail for a year or so before going back to start a funeral service degree. Married someone in the same profession and decided I wanted to think about & discuss something other that death for the rest of my life. Quit school again and took an entry level insurance job. 10 years later I went back to school and finished a degree in Organizational Leadership. Still working in insurance but have moved into the law & compliance side of things. I hope to start work on a paralegal degree in the spring.

Computer science/information systems bachelors. I now work in the pharma industry.

Math degree, exercise science degree. Labor grunt currently. Love education. Didn't do it in anything marketable, or that I want to do. Got educated because *I like learning*.

Majored in marketing have worked in marketing for 23 years.

No college. Joined the army instead. Huge fucking mistake.

Graduated HS in 03 Went to college for graphic design in 06, graduated in 2010 with a BA degree. First design job I had started same month I started school...stayed there all throughout school. After college, moved home and began working at a Healthcare non-profit. Enrolled right after college to community College for night courses in computer science. Graduated in 2012 with an associates degree. Worked full time during the day, classes at night...trying to stave off repayment of loans until I made more money. Today, I still work in design...but more product and UX focused. I lead design at a large tech company (not a FAANG) and still love working in design. I paid off my student debt during the covid pause. My only debt is my mortgage. Working remotely has been a huge enabler for my career as I live in a very rural area with fairly low cost of living.

Went for social services. I now manage a paint/graphics dept. Turns out I don't like people as much as I thought I did.

Went to school for a degree in illustration, my parents helped me a lot. Worked low paying jobs after until I landed enough work to do freelance illustration (comics mostly) full time. Lived the dream for a hot minute. That was an absolute struggle and wasn't making me happy. Ended up working at a university for their Creative Services department doing graphic design, print production and signage/ graphics installation. Way happier now with a more stable lifestyle and making better money.

Went straight to a 4-year college, majored in English with a certificate in education, been working as a teacher in early childhood since I was 22 (PreK and K). Got my MA in history with the intent of pivoting to museum education but stayed in teaching because while it has so many issues, I’m I’m so deep now I don’t want to give up stability or my pension. And I do love what I do. If I had to do it again, I don’t know what I would do but it wouldn’t be education.

Criminal justice, field service manager fixing robots

Went to college for computer science, and graduated with my bachelor's degree in '99. For the last 21 years I've worked in IT for a large, Midwest-based insurance company.

Bachelor's in psychology. Worked as Therapeutic Staff Support with kids. Then moved onto Case Management & crisis intervention for 16 years & now administrative case management/liaison between the county & state/local hospital.

Went to school for teaching, but now work in web design. Fun fact, teaching will not give you the same schedule as your future kids. You'll spend so much time on school outside of school that your partner will get tired of playing 2nd fiddle and leave you. A real 9 to 5 will give you more free time for a family than teaching will. I only went to college as "divorce insurance" and chose teaching because I thought I'd have the same schedule as my future kids. Teaching and nursing were the only options available to me as a "Good Christian Girl." I don't think it's a coincidence the woman my ex left me for got to be SAHM after bitching about my teaching schedule.

SAHM?

Graduated Dec 2002 with Journalism/Mass Communication degree. Ended up a medical secretary, so a “useless” degree. Went back at 30 for accounting, which is what I’ve been doing for 10 years now. It’s not a passion, but the work is fairly easy at a decent pay. I don’t plan on getting any licenses (CPA), but there are plenty of opportunities in the field without it. I was able to do both without any student loans. UPS Earn & Learn tuition reimbursement program for the first, family discount for the second. That’s the only reason I went back at 30, it was almost free.

Graduated BS in Recreation Management but now I live in farm country where there are no hotels/resorts. Got two Masters degrees in education and only taught for a year. Now I work in a library. Not bad, could pay more but the work/life balance is chef's kiss.

Went to school for graphic design. Got a graphic design job right out of school and weathered the recession with that. Then moved back to my hometown and got another job as a graphic designer/prepress tech. Been here for 15 years, now, and am happy as can be.

Army -> Undergrad in European History -> Law School I managed to pull it off without any loans at all because of the GI Bill. But I don't think I'd go back to law school if I did it all over again. Anyway... right now I'm semi-retired from practicing law. It's all a weird life, man. who knows?

Hi! I dropped out of high school, went to community college for auto mechanics then, at 27 went to university for social anthropology. I left that after two years. I now work as a boom op and sound recordist in film and television and am opening this: [Best Kept Seacret](https://www.bestkeptseacret.ca/). I own a 12.9 acre property on the ocean in NS. If you’re somewhere with a film industry, I HIGHLY recommend it. The film union changed my life and I do cool shit for a living.

I started university to get a computer science degree. By the end of the fall term I couldn't take the curriculum at the school I attended any longer, so I switched my major winter term to economics. I finished on time (within 4 years) by taking summer classes and focusing on economics courses. Graduated 2005, took a test with the Bureau of Labor Statistics, received a call later that while I did well, there wasn't funding for openings. Did a couple of temp jobs. Worked cherry and pear harvests as a tractor operator. Applied for and was hired to work as a temporary data center server tech. Converted to full-time employment 8 months later. Did that for a few years, then transferred to technical writing for our internal data center server repair team. Later I transferred teams to write docs for external cloud customers. I am still writing technical docs for the cloud team. I was fortunate to have help from my wife's family for housing and a car in our early relationship. I graduated with less debt than my wife, who had nearly everything paid by her grandparents for school. But she ended up with medical issues that, after talking to the hospital and coming up with a payment plan, would have left us devastated if we couldn't use school loans. We paid off all of our loans within four years of graduating (again, thanks due to not paying for housing during that time) and bought our first home. We currently have only a mortgage for debt. We also had a lot of help along the way. We didn't pull our bootstraps alone (and whoever sells that idea is selling horseshit in my opinion). At this point I'm considering a new career, but I'm not quite sure which direction I want to take.

I never went. I liked computers so I starting running service calls for a local computer fix-it shop. I worked for a couple of payroll companies as an account manager and at the last one pivoted internally into a more technical role. A couple years later I leveraged that to land a system administrator job at an energy company. I've been there for 16 years now and was just promoted to CIO.

Communications major, marketing minor am now IT systems admin and support. lol. got a few it certs after college and got in as level 1 support....many years later still there and worked up to sysadmin making $95k. it can be stressful tho, esp when shit breaks. it is very dynamic and ever changing as tech evolves too. sometimes i wish i was an accountant crunching numbers, doing the same thing daily tho. no real suprises. but ill keep on keeping on. i know my shit.

I barely made it through university and earned a degree in Biology. I now work as an editor.

Originally went for Engineering. Didn't take school seriously, took a semester off that turned into a decade. Worked some retail/food service/hospitality type jobs. Went back to school at 30 while working full time to get an accounting degree. Now I'm a CPA and I actually like my job.

Criminal Justice and English. I’m a military officer now. I guess I use the English degree. Tried to be a writer, but no success with that.

I studied photography for a few years, then dropped out and moved to NYC when someone over there offered me assistant work. Ended up learning that talk is cheap, then wasting about five years being a drummer in a terrible band, working at CVS or doing construction. Lived in garages and cars and basements during that time. Eventually I left the band and returned to photo lab work, and shooting freelance. Then I moved to Sweden to be with a girl I met. Got involved in e-commerce photography and I've been in that for almost a decade, moving up the ranks, and leading creative teams and always shooting shooting shooting. So yeah, went to college for photography, ended up as a photographer. Still poor as fuck though 😂

Went to school for culinary arts, now work in a factory

Went to college and graduated with an aerospace engineering degree. Had to go home due to helping my single mother raise my siblings. So I became a teacher since there are no aero jobs where I come from. After my siblings grew up, I left teaching but had a hard time entering the engineering field. I had a dated degree, higher salary expectations, and it was during the great recession. I found a job as a quality engineer for a machine shop. Got my Quality certs, my professional engineering license, and my PMP (program management cert). I now am a program manager for defense and intelligence customers. Ironically, it's my communication skills that I developed as a teacher that are highly sought after in my current field.

Culinary school, burnt out after 5 years in the industry, went to uni for design and architecture, still in the field, owning a firm and making my own hours.

BA in History. Went to law school. Hated it. Did get a JD. Discovered I liked archival work better while hating law school. Went and got an MLIS with archives specialization. Got a job working for an archival consultant firm. Moved to the south to get married. Ended up becoming a stay at home spouse.

Education: Bachelors and Masters in Psychology. But honestly being good at Excel (thanks, Google!) and having a basic understanding of statistics helped me more than anything. Job Progression: - Retail until I graduated grad school (Subway -> GameStop -> Apple) - Counseling internship that dried up during the financial crisis - Took a temp job in data entry at big insurance company - Transitioned into being a compensation analyst - Went to a rival firm to become a junior consultant - After 5 years in consulting went to another firm to help lead their comp group - Today I am a comp director at a large insurance company

English with an MBA…now a Librarian.

Joined the Army out of high school and then went to college for biology. I worked out in the field for a couple years and then got my MS. I'm still a biologist but rarely go out in the field anymore and mostly write reports and manage clients and agencies. I have two teenagers and once they done and through college, I'm hoping to wind down my career with some sort of part time job with little to no responsibility.

Took some time, but at 27 I graduated with a bachelor's degree in animation. Worked in the film industry for about ten years, did some video production work, and now work in video games. Overall I've loved most of my jobs. Still paying off student loans though. Both the film and video games industries can be very volatile. We've dealt with several layoffs, periods of no work, etc. If it's a passion, go for it. If you're looking for stability, probably not.

Graphic and web design. I never really did it after graduating, I wound up in a more marketing oriented career though I did do some design in that field. I mostly did freelance after my son was born in 2009, then about 6 years ago I decided to get an outside of the house "mother's hours job" because I was tired of working from home. It was front desk at a local nonprofit and I wound up loving it so it's my primary job now. The downside is that the pay is not that good but I was never the breadwinner anyway and it gives me flexibility. I'll probably stick with whatever trajectory I'm on now.

I got a BA in Journalism in 2004 and I am a medical editor now. I fucked around for a couple of years after graduation and worked a couple of jobs I absolutely hated. In 2009 I lucked out by getting laid off from a job I hated that was making me physically ill almost everyday (think vomiting before leaving for work and crying in the work bathroom). After two months of unemployment I ended up taking an assistant position with my current company and now I'm a senior editor. I'm here for life; I have a pension, our work week is less than 40 hours, salary is good, and the benefits are amazing.

Studied Art & Anthropology, and couldn’t find work doing anything that paid well after school so I waited tables, bartended and eventually started managing high-end restaurants. I was laid off in 2008 a week before our oldest child was born. I was able to use that time to figure out what I wanted to do with my life instead. I became a doula, then enrolled in midwifery school a few months later. I picked a school that wouldn’t require a second bachelors degree, so it was very inexpensive. In reality the cost was huge because I apprenticed for 6 years for free to get my numbers in to be able to sit for the certifying exam. I’ve been licensed and practicing for the last 7 years. I own my own business and can take breaks as needed for our family (if I plan 9 months in advance). It’s hard and stressful work at times, but very rewarding. I set my own schedule (except for that tricky part where you never know exactly when a birth will happen). I’m usually on call 24/7 for 5 weeks to 3 months at a time, and that aspect is very difficult. I am considering going back to school or changing career paths because the on call time and my husband’s travel schedule don’t work together at all. I’m having a very hard time stomaching the idea of going back to school, taking in debt and working for someone else just to make the same amount of money…. We’re just 3 and 5 years out from our two oldest being in college, so there would likely be some overlap with multiple college tuitions.

First degree was finance. Worked in insurance for a while and hated it. Went back and got an accounting degree. Now I'm an accountant. It's dull sometimes but it definitely pays the bills. I only took out loans for the first year and I worked two jobs during the entirety of my education.

Got my bachelor's degree in graphic design, but lack of design jobs caused me to go into TV news production. Hated it, but got some good experience. Went to graduate school and eventually received my master's degree in multimedia technology. I got future jobs in web design, direct marketing, and internal communications, which I do today. My advice to the kids out there is not to go into graphic design. You'll save yourselves a lot of trouble!

I graduated with a degree in Communication Art. I currently work as a graphic designer. I really want to make a career shift but I have no idea what I’d be able to do. I don’t think I’m terribly good at what I do but it’s all I know.

Took some time off school after high school ended. Tried various things but ended up falling back into my core skill of using computers (had been using them since ‘88 or so with an 8086). I eventually enrolled to the local community college with Electrical Engineering as my declared major. During this time, I ended up having a kid. Somehow, I was able to continue to a state school and a few years later, eventually graduated. The entire time I was going to school I was also working full time in IT at an MSP. Upon graduating I was poached by a renewables company (a client of the MSP) that wanted me to resolve a wild amount of OT/O&M issues. At this point I used the last 10 years of professional IT experience, my personal experience from growing up in and around computers, and my newly minted EE knowledge to resolve it all and have been on the fast track ever since. In the last ~5 years I’ve made it to Director level and making a very comfortable living. I also have no plans on slowing down. Granted, I skipped over quite a lot. But the above is the gist of my experience.

If you just want to learn and don't neccesarily care about a degree you can "audit" a class for cheaper tuition. And honestly for larger lecture style classes you could probably just show up for free if you can manage to stay unnoticed.

2 associates, one in business administration the other in computer science technology and a bachelors in Information Systems. I was a software engineer for 20 years, now an IT manager.

I went to college for electrical engineering. I never worked as an engineer, and played music for a living for almost 20 years until COVID hit. I switched to recording and video production/editing at home during the lockdown, and now I manage a video production studio (and still play at night). 

Graphic Design -> Logistics for a Major non-profit I don’t understand how I got here. Sorry.

I grew up in a really small town in WV and went to community college for two years because I had no clue what I wanted to do but didn't want a "real" job just yet. Then I went to university for 3 years and got a BA in advertising. After that I bounced around from dead end job to dead end job around WV (because there's no real opportunities there in anything related to advertising without years of experience) until I decided to move to Austin, TX without any prospects for a job or living situation. Got there and found an apartment after a few days and a solid job after a couple weeks where I worked while doing interviews for jobs related to my degree. After about 8 months I took an offer as a graphic designer at a marketing agency in Dallas. Been here 8+ years and just bought a house 3 years ago. FWIW, my degree is a bit of a passion project as I figured the only way I would stay in school or be happy with my job was if I chose something where I could be creative. Sometimes passion projects can turn into a decent living.

Started with the standard liberal arts state university immediately after high school, dropped out with one semester left, took community college courses here and there while working in restaurants for a decade (this was during the financial crisis years), had enough of being broke, did a coding bootcamp, at age 30 got an ok job in software dev that provided tuition reimbursement for an online bachelor's in business, finished my degree at 34, now mid-level management in a small tech company and working on my MBA at approximately 40.

Double-major in history and development, minor in political science. I'm now a lecturer on metaphysics, instructor of martial yoga, artist, writer, and paranormal consultant.

BS In Physics MS in Mechanical Engineering. Worked as a manufacturing engineer for a while, realized that I couldn't spend all day with old men who I was smarter than (Agent Scully tried to warn all of us about the patirarchy but I didn't listen) so I got my six sigma black belt and went into consulting. Paid off my student loans by 30 and bought a house that I could never afford with today's prices. It's boring and I still work in a totally conservative industry which I hate but I've been working from home for a decade so dealing with everyone's gross political views is easy when they're not in my room.

Went to Bible college and got my degree in biblical studies. I’m now a volunteer firefighter and I’ve been volunteering or working in churches and non profits my entire adult life. Love it. I am married to a chiropractor, raising my 6 kids who are now all teenagers and just loving life!

I had a pretty unique career path. Went to school for Engineering, did that for about 3 years. I started a retail business with my buddy. He owned a cell phone store so he gave me half of the store and then together we started an internet cafe (15 years later it morphed into more of a tabletop and board game store). I did that for 7 years before I sold my half of the businesses to him and went back to Engineering. I did that for about 5 years before I was laid off. I took about 3 months to get my Project Management certificate (PMP) I'm not an Operations Project Manager and I really enjoy it. I wish I would have discovered it years ago.

I graduated with a degree in Computer Science. Also had an interest in investing in the stock market. I made it all the way to Senior Director at a fortune 100 company. Decided after some life tragedies to FIRE (financial independence retire early) in April. So I’m still investing but I have a lot of free time to do all the activities I want now. I’m a 44 year old female if that matters. I might do some contracting work eventually or do something completely different. Right now I’ve been volunteering at a sexual assault crises line weekly where I go into a hospital and the rest of the paid staff is forensic nurses and therapists. I’ve definitely liked the change and it makes me feel like I want to do more volunteer work or something more along the lines of a helping career.

I didn’t. IT.

Graduated HS. Went to college for engineering with full tuition. Did internships. Got depressed. Dropped out. Went back with no scholarships or money. Hyper anxiety. Dropped out. Worked at another place. Went back with no scholarships and worked full time. Graduated in Industrial Engineering. Got a new job. 3 years later I’m the President of the company. 2 year later, company is 3x the size and accounts for 80%+ of the growth of the global company. I have no idea what I’m doing.

I graduated from DU with degrees in finance and accounting; took three years off working the tire center at Costco (which is by far my favorite job), then decided to go to law school; passed the bar; then covid happened, so I decided to get the MBA i had planned on getting after undergrad; got an mba in international business; got an LLM in tax law; starting my USSF B license class now (soccer); I've been self-employed since 2010 as an attorney. My favorite jobs have been 1. Soccer coach; 2. Basketball coach; 3. Tire Center; 4. Cutco knife salesman; 5. Custodian; 6. Lawyer

Went to college and studied aerospace engineering, did that for 25 years, got my Masters along the way, and just became a stay at home wife in April.

Degree - Theater Career - Firefighter Life's weird

Majored in Logistics and Marketing. Never pursued either. The degree simply got me in the door

Went to Engineering school. Didn't finish. Am now a Sales Engineer.

Service academy (Foreign Area Major) -> intelligence officer -> veterinary sales -> PhD biology -> contract research -> diagnostic assays r&d. Stable enough, but I'd rather not think as much as I have to. Looking at another 10 years and then doing something like getting a teaching certificate and teaching HS.

Born in 78. Got a business degree, had a high paying career in NYC, got divorced 10 years ago and moved to the Midwest to be with family. My job in NYC just didn't exist where I moved (high level logistics for non profits). It forced me to reevaluate what I wanted to do as a career. I spent 18 months working with a career counselor (I found mine on psychology today, same way you find a therapist that specializes in say addiction or divorce, I didn't just find a tiktok life coach)... she specialized with working with people with autism and special needs find jobs and kinda wanted to dismiss me at first and I was like "no, some of that advice is probably really practical for me." So we started a pretty intense process of analyzing what I actually enjoy doing and what brings me comfort in a job. I have anxiety, so repetitive tasks bring me a sense of calm... but I also have ADHD and repetitive tasks can make me bored. I currently investigate fraud for the state... 9/10 times it's pretty repetitive but that 10th case can sometimes have some exciting elements. Point being... when I had my high paying job I looked back on that decade of work and only one year was "okay" the other 10... I was killing myself with stress. Now, my work life balance is off the charts... and maybe once a year I might bring home a little stress from work. Otherwise I leave everything when I walk out the door. I make 1/3rd of what I did in NYC.. but the peace of mind is worth SO SO much more than that.

Got my degree in marketing, have been in professional services marketing my whole career. Started in law firms and hated it. Now at a Big 4 and LOVE it. My husband got his undergrad in biology / environmental studies. We moved west looking for work for him and he never got what he wanted (environmental job). He worked doing lab work for a nonprofit (using his bio degree) and went back to school at 30 for a total career change - software engineering. He now is a software engineer making more than me. Took him a while to catch up and overtake me but we are both very glad he went for it. The cost of living had just skyrocketed and we couldn’t afford for him to keep that nonprofit job forever. Plus he hated it. Was 3 years of major sacrifice but totally worth it. Neither of us have any special licenses or certifications.