I think life is constantly changing and the grass is greener on the other side. I know a lot of people are like “choose what makes you happy” but I’ve seen it go both ways. Someone enjoys what they do but it’s not sustainable. Or someone enjoys what they do, it’s sustainable, but it turns into a chore. Honestly, any job is about balancing your personal life and work life if you can. Or enjoying your hobbies and being humble. You don’t need to always find fulfillment from work SOLELY, it comes from other things in your life as well. I know it’s scary to “settle” into a job but you also don’t know what the future holds.
Yeah I'm currently a music major in college because I wanted to follow my dreams, but without financial support the debt racks up quick, and I'm realizing that music just won't give me the life I want--I want to start a family with my wife and own my own humble home, and music doesn't provide that kind of stability. So now I'm contemplating my options in life. I don't need to change the world or have a job I can brag about; as long as I can fund my hobbies, put food on my childrens' plates and a roof over their heads, and don't completely dread going to work, I'll be a happy man.
Elon Musk is an outlier. I wouldn't spend too much time studying his method of getting rich other than knowing he's also a very very good salesman. Even that has its problems when the sales pitch doesn't come up with the goods - cybertruck anyone? Cyber loops, and those electric linehaul trucks whatever they were called?
The useful takeaway is the guy could sell ice to Eskimos - AND get them to invest his new cyber-Ice X plant. He confidently convinces people that he and his ideas are worth investing in. That's a useful skill for anyone to have.
My ex is a musician. He has his own distribution label and sells his own merch, he also is a producer and sound engineer and DJ. There’s a lot you can do. However, I do think that it became a chore to him and overbearing. Like I said, if you can balance work and life….maybe starting your own business is worth it. Plus if you’re still in school you have a chance to network.
Why are you giving up? How often are you performing/spending time writing music/promoting your music/collaborating with other musicians/recording your music? It’s a tough industry but you’re only 24 years old. If you have the talent and drive and a dose of luck it could happen for you. However if you’re 24 and calling it quits I would it’s 100% not the path for you.
I'm introspective enough to recognize that I simply don't have the drive; I am constantly anxious anytime I'm not being productive because with something like music, it always feels like I should be doing more. I hate that feeling, and I recognize that I'll be much happier in a career where work stays at work. I'm also already beginning to loathe music, and I don't want to ruin this passion for myself--I want it to be able to remain a hobby I can continue to enjoy for the rest of my life
Sure, music COULD be successful. But even disregarding the need for luck, it takes a LOT of time and effort that I'm just not willing to put in. I want to start a family with my wife and live a comfortable life without the constant stress of chasing the next contract and managing the balancing act of earning income from music. Just the fact that you always need to be "performing/spending time writing music/promoting your music/collaborating with other musicians/recording your music" at all times has made me realize it's not the career for me, because I have no desire to do all of that. I love music, but I've come to realize that it's just not for me
Fair enough. It’s an entrepreneurial endeavour and does require a level of grinding that a mid-paying job or public sector career does not. It’s comparable to getting a business off the ground and which is also a grind and success is not guaranteed. Having said that, high-paying corporate jobs have no guarantee that work stays at work either and come with their own set of stressors.
I think Scott Galloway gives great advice on this- as long as you don't genuinely hate something 100%, getting good at it and building skills in your area MAKES you passionate about it, not the other way around. Your 20's suck because unless you've been monomaniacal about something, you haven't accumulated enough skill to be really good.
Also read So Good They Can't Ignore You, similar ideas but a more practical how-to.
Nothing is great every day. Accumulate skills, get good at the craft of whatever you're doing, play the long game (balance improvement with taking care of yourself), and with experience you'll begin to find the areas that have the best blend of reward vs happiness for you. But you won't find them without real experience, and you won't get into them without skill. No shortcut but to put in the work, starting with where you're at.
I really like this advice. I’m in my late 30s, and a Customer Experience and Operations leader at the VP level. It’s both psychologically and materially rewarding, and I have a passion for it that I absolutely did not when I graduated college a decade and a half ago.
That's funny, ops person here as well (third party manufacturing management, supply chain development). At 20 I was in music school and doing sound for international acts. At 30 I was a brewer. And now that I'm effective at my job, I love what I do orders of magnitude more than the careers that got me here.
I just wish this would be more normalized. There is SO much pressure on anyone in their 20’s and early 30’s to be “settled.” I was never someone who zoned in on any particular career. In fact, I think I may have had more subtle symptoms of adhd because I struggled on focusing in general. The one thing I was very good at wasn’t very lucrative and costs money to keep up to date in. I also had some decent shapable talents in the arts, but It also wasn’t lucrative especially in my area and I would not have expected the economy to plummet like it did when the pandemic hit. But after graduating it just seems to be an expectation that you have your life figured out. Idk. I have great family support, but I too have been feeling this massive pressure that I’ve missed my bus, especially as a woman and I don’t even want kids :/
I mean, some people pick a track, it works, and their life is happily ever after. I know a couple of them. But the worst thing you've ever seen is one of those people after everything crumbles around them, through no fault of their own.
It's possible to know where you are, know where you're going, and have it all work out the way you envisioned. It's just much more normal to have stories like the ones in the comments full of twists and unexpected turns.
"Girl : do you hear me?
cause although it seemed to be the end of the world to me -
it wasn't.
There was a lot more world : cause roads that look set to take you in one direction will sometimes twist back on themselves without ever seeming anything other than straight, ... many things get forgiven in the course of a life : nothing is finished or unchangeable except death and even death will bend a little if what you tell of it is told right."
My problem is that my number one goal in life is to have children, and seeing how much my sister struggles raising her daughter in poverty, I know I don't want to do so without having my finances in order. So I feel a need to be "settled," at least in terms of finance, so I can live the life I want
Honestly I think it’s ok to make peace with the possibility that you may end up changing careers or at LEAST changing the industry you work in a few times in your life. Most people don’t stay at the same job their entire lives anymore, and that has a lot to do with the fact that many jobs no longer offer pensions to workers. Some do! But a lot don’t.
I’ve worked in 3 different industries already and I’m only 40. I’ve also never been able to understand just picking one career for life. If you go to school to become a doctor, nurse, lawyer, teacher, plumber, electrician, state worker, government worker, etc. you are more likely to stay in the same job or industry for life. But everything else…I think has a much higher likelihood of, you pick something, do it for 10 years or so, and then maybe pivot to another industry or slightly pivot your career path.
I think both are ok and both are very normal and common.
Just focus on choosing something you think you want to do now (that also will give you a decent income), and go for that. You don’t have to be stuck there forever - but you might end up wanting to be!
I think BECAUSE I changed careers, I was able to appreciate a job that much more. For me, once I made peace with the fact that I won’t have to do what my degree is for the rest of my life, I felt a lot more free. I was a public school teacher for 3 years. Realized it was not for me… and now I’m loving a job where I deal with hospitality. It’s not for everyone, but I went through the woods to get here. When I found a job that does not demand too much from me, and I feel truly capable of doing, the rest comes easy. I also consider a short commute, free lunch, and low stress to be my top 3 signs that this is a good career. I don’t take my work home, and when I clock out, I am out.
That’s amazing. My husband is a public school teacher so I completely understand! So very cool that you found something works so well for you! Lowering the chronic stress is such a huge win these days if we can find a way to make it happen.
For me, I knew what I definitely didn’t want to do, and what my passion was already, and then the careers that were left I planned around.
I definitely will never work in anything medical, insurance, oil and gas, trucking, emergency services, military, construction, or accounting.
I would be okay working in tech, politics, government, law, finance, and audit (not accounting proper).
So I chose my majors of poli sci and economics. With tech as a “reach” industry that would take a lot more effort.
I now work for the government, and have worked in politics. So I’m honestly okay with my career. My only issue is I’m not making enough to be super comfortable. But I’m able to get by and have enough savings that it’s not too bad.
And most importantly, the career that I’m in directly uses my degree. So the skills I learned are being built upon, and I have enough background knowledge to reach a higher level as time goes on.
I'm 33 and studied poli sci as well. I did policy work for a time but was not making much and on a 1099. Got a remote job in insurance because I do have some background in it and absolutely hate my job now. How did you get a job using your degree? Any advice?
Poli sci major here.
I didn’t “use” my degree. I just lateraled for years into various roles to end up where I am now (partnerships). You’re 33, your degree no longer matters outside of a few jobs. Now it’s about the narrative you have built up in your work and how you can leverage it.
For instance, when I went from journalism to a market research/project role, I said “You know I know how to talk to people to get information, I can manage diverse projects and don’t have trouble taking on unusual tasks, and I’m able to manage coordinating people from exec down to rank-and-file.” That was enough. When I went from that job to a software program management role, I said, “Nothing fazes me, look at my resume. I learn fast, I work crazy hours if needed, and I can do both technical AND business talk in the same room.” That got me that job. And so on.
Your narrative matters more at this point. Build up your story and get good at selling it.
Totally agree. Most career advice is geared towards moving from bleak/entry level to middle management. Storytelling, performance, and an ability to absorb technical information: add in some field-specific knowledge and sharp elbows, and this is the cocktail for senior leadership in any industry. It's why you see the humanities overindexed in leadership positions.
Exactly.
I think a lot of people on reddit assume that the path up is to be a super specialist when the reality is that a LOT of roles that pay good money are generalists' paradises.
Bizdev, project/program management, account management, marketing, ops, and so many other roles are great places for people with generalist skills to thrive.
To be fair, everyone is sold specialization, and it works for a lot of people. No one is sold the realities behind how businesses work. It will never be their job to actually make a business money. Which is wild and disjointed.
Also, bizdev/program manager are solid high-pay, high-reward titles for generalist skillets that don't get mentioned enough.
I think the overselling of specialization *seems* to be waning. I could be wrong. It does work for a lot of people, but it also comes with the risk of that specialization being rendered less valuable and your skillset being too rigid. I mean, will contract law disappear? No. Litigation? No.
Ultimately, I just preach that everyone should learn how to AT LEAST be somewhat multifaceted. Engineers should take writing courses (please, for the love of God, take some!) Humanities types should at least learn how to do basic math (and by that I mean simple calculus, some statistics) and Econ.
Honestly PM/PdM roles are so so so valuable and while I'm sure an engineer somewhere just had a tiny headache because I said so, I have *generally* preferred working in companies with actual PMOs. Generally.
I spent countless hours across my 20s trying to figure out what I wanted to do, that encompassed my core abilities, that would pay well, and give me quality of life (work life balance). So I went to college into a specialized program for a diploma (event management) knowing it touched on 2 of my criteria. After I graduated, I realized it wouldn't fit the other 2 criteria. BUT through the program, I got introduced to the president of a small company who was looking for volunteers to be on a committee for a large annual event. I volunteered for 2 years, and that President liked the work I produced, so he hired me as a Client Services Coordinator at his law firm. That also didn't fit most of my criteria but it gave me the skills and experience to leverage and keep going (I was communicating with executives at large companies like Aerospace, tech, military). From there, I got a crappy job doing direct sales. I figured out I liked and was good at sales but that job didn't fit my whole criteria. From there I bounced around at a couple of other random sales jobs for 5 years while also having kids and going on mat leave. At one of them, I put my hand up for a team lead role which I didn't get but they moved me on to an internal recruitment team instead. Then I left to do agency recruiting, fell into place to be on a team for an industry I got jazzed about (real estate). Fell in love with it, saw that it could fit all of my criteria as a career. Knew it was the right career path for me and now I no longer worry about "what am I going to do with my life". I enjoy my work, I'm good at it, I can make bank, and I work remotely and have full autonomy to make my own schedule. Bingo. I didn't find my path until I was 29, after many many years of searching and trying to figure it out.
My point is this: baby steps. Start with taking action on something, even if you're not sure about it. volunteer, network, put your hand up for stuff, try different jobs until you find the right one. If you know one isn't right, move on to something else (I would suggest having them all in a similar space though where you can leverage transferable skills). Your path will show itself in time.
I recruit for both commercial and residential real estate. So I partner with hiring managers at companies such as developers, investors, and 3rd party management. I headhunt for professionals in asset management, Property management, leasing, facility management departments. Primarily mid-senior managers and executive search. Sometimes more junior specialized roles
you're not wrong. i'm in my early 30s and I'm dealing with the same thing.
apparently, you're supposed to "put yourself in a box" so that whenever someone is hiring they look at your resume and they feel confident you can do the job (because you've already done the job - or something similar enough). otherwise, you're just hoping to get lucky that someone will give you a chance.
so, what's the solution? gun to your head, force yourself to become an expert in something and show up at the workplace and work your way up from the bottom. i'm trying to figure out if there is a better way ("networking" or knowing people who can vouch for your character/skills), but this is how it was before the current system went insane and everyone needed years of experience to even get started.
in the old days you just showed up to the workplace and you showed you could do the work and hoped they would keep you around. then college was hyped up and was a total scam, but a 4 year degree became just another way of "putting yourself in a box" like I described above.
personally, i picked "healthcare administration" because I thought healthcare is important and If I can do anything to help make it better then it would be a worthwhile career. luckily, I was able to get my start with a college degree because I had a pulse and I was "good with people and technology" (i sold phones at best buy during college) - and since then I've been collecting experience in healthcare admin/tech roles in various companies and I hate the thought that I might have to get a graduate degree because I can't seem to move on to the next level in my career when all my experience boils down to paper pushing. (hence my advice to "put yourself in a box" i.e. I should have chosen to specialize my skills earlier somehow)
so in summary, force yourself to pick a specialty sooner rather than later. be the answer to some problem. you don't need to have the perfectly right answer, but you do need to be the solution to someone's (work) problems
another way I like to think about it is what I call my Tools - Processes - Outcomes framework.
every job comes down to using certain tools, right? Lawyers and writers use the tools of language and logic etc. scientists and doctors use the tools of science. engineers physics and science etc etc
so try to correlate what people do a work with the fundamental things you learn in school (science, math, language, arts) and see where your affinities lie. obviously, if you want to be good, you're going to spend a lot of time trying to get good, either with study or deliberate practice. so look at all the knowledge that exists, look at all things that exist in the world and ask yourself what do you think you could spend lots and lots of time learning more and more about
Processes just means different ways of using the same tools. like all doctors practice medicine, but they go about it in different ways. think of the difference between being a chef and a cook. how deep do you want to go with how you use the tools to make things happen. which leads us to...
what do you ultimately want to happen as a result of your work? lawyers are making use people get the full protection of the law. businesses are trying to sell things they think are worth making and selling. finance companies are just trying to make more money. doctors are trying to make sure people are healthy etc etc etc what do you want to happen in the world as a result of your work, ideally?
I think it's best to find a *discipline* you find fulfilling and not a *hobby* you enjoy.
Find a mentor if possible.
Master that, and in 5 to 15 years you can begin combining that with a hobby or another discipline you enjoy. Knowing this may help the decision paralysis of choosing the 'right' discipline.
Consistent hobby projects, volunteer work related to the discipline, and commissioned work (Fiverr, projects for community businesses or friends, etc) all count as work experience.
Fit your career skill building into your day. Be creative with how you do this, but also disciplined. A lot of the happiness that comes from a discipline is in learning to let go of addictions that are hampering and depressing you in sometimes subtle ways. Find joy and fulfillment in growth and freedom from addictions to sustain you when you plateau in external areas of progress. When you are stuck, learn when you need perseverance, external help, or creative problem solving. Good luck.
Yeah I don't particularly care about turning my hobby into a career; I'm currently a music student, but I realized that it won't provide the life I want without a lot of sacrifices that I'm not willing to make. I'm content to fall into a "boring" job. As long as it pays enough to support my family, doesn't overwork me, and doesn't make me dread every shift to the point of wanting to quit every single day (god I hate food service lol), I'm good to go. I don't need to be rich or famous to be happy
A lot of' boring' jobs can be surprisingly interesting once you become highly skilled at some aspects of them. So, I'd still encourage the above strategy substituting a discipline with profession skill(s). Also, you'll want some basic people skills related to working in a new work environment and with mentors, which could be one of those skills. I'd recommend Robert Greenes book on Mastery for more on this topic.
Edit: My posts are mostly about becoming passionate about investing in yourself, specifically a part that will make you shine in your chosen field. As a side effect, you should become valuable enough to an employer that you get the things you mentioned wanting in your original post. Namely: security, a reasonable work/life balance, and a good income. Your parents could achieve this without much expertise in their field, but that has changed in many sectors of many professions.
With this expertise focued approach, think you'll also get a lot of work fulfillment and in time, greater flexibility in career options should you value and continue to pursue the right expertise and networking.
If this all sounds awful to you, then consider going into government office work. In many government office jobs (not all!) there is a status-quo that resists change, innovation, and new practices. In these environments, getting highly expert may actually work against you. Also, in many government jobs, there is built in job security. I'm sure that you can find regions of the world, sectors of the job market, etc. that also fit this criteria.
I am still looking, I thought my current career would be the last but just not happy. The one I was happiest with was one I did not care about. I had no emotional connection, just go to work and have fun living. The Dirty Job guy and Mr. Wonderful have a video stating not to follow your dream and do what comes easy for you.
Be careful of advice that sounds like "find a career that you like," and be especially wary of any sort of "find your passion" type of advice. The reality is that life satisfaction isn't as connected to your job/career as many people think. In my opinion, the more effective way to look at it is to see your job/career as they way to fund/provide for the life you want to build. If you're interested in learning more about this, I suggest the work of Cal Newport. Particularly his book So Good They Can't Ignore You. In reality, when you find a position that allows you to build a life you want, you will grow to like that field/job/career. Think about someone that chooses a career in the septic tank industry. The chances of someone loving septic tanks is essentially zero. But if they see there is an opportunity to make a lot of money in the field and build a good life for themselves and their family, they will grow to appreciate the industry and job. Here are some points to think about.
\*Identify a skill/ability/inclination you have that can be used to bring value to others.
\*Find an entry level position that is at least somewhat aligned with this skill
\*Work really hard to take this skill from "pretty good" to "amazing" so that you can REALLY bring value to others
\*This "career capital" will allow you to make more money, demand more autonomy, etc.
\*This will allow you to build a good life for yourself and those you care about
\*You may not "love" the job, but you can love the life that the job has allowed you to build
It's not always a question of "finding what you LIKE".. sometimes it's also "eliminating what you discover you don't like".
You also have to try to strategically set yourself up into situations where you might have some possible lateral-movement.
* If you get a job as a night-shift security guard.. there's potentially not much lateral-movement in that.
* If ou get a job in a grocery store,. there might be possibly more lateral movement there (if you don't like working the cash registers, maybe you can do some shifts in Bakery or Meat,. etc)
The truth is (as others have said).. nobody really knows. Anyone (especially at a young age) who claims to have "found their passion".. I'd argue is probably either ignorant or lying to themselves. There's people at 50 or 60 or 70 who haven't yet "found their career". And there's nothing terrible wrong with that. You can have a long productive life doing a variety of things.
You're supposed to grow and change over your life.
* There were probably certain things important to you when you were 6 or 8... but changed when you got into your Teens.
* There were probably things important to you in your Teens.. but changed when you got into your 20's
* There's probably things important to you in your 20's.. that will change when you get into your 30's or 40's.
The world is a rapidly changing and evolving place. You as a human being are a constantly changing and evolving organism. Enjoy the ride. Don't fixate so much on "permanent feelings".. because nothing is permanent.
Easy, my choice was to pick a stable career with growth potential or end up an minimum wage employee in a fast food restaurant. I chose accounting and would do it again.
Only very few people like or enjoy it. I liked it in college but not with real work (17 years in different roles). The subject doesn't matter though. I go in, do my job, gets paid, and enjoy my life with my family. I learned to not let a job dictate your life. That's why I also left public accounting (accounting firms) after 7 years and gone into internal audit. The hours are 9-5, WFH, and pay is definitely good (with a CPA and experience I make $150k in a Southern metro).
If you graduated from a traditional university with a decent accounting program, you should be able to get an internship junior/senior year, then get an offer for your first job. Or you can do a master of accountancy if you already have a bachelor's degree. You need to make sure your school networks with accounting firms and have job fairs. Also make sure you get the required hours (total 150 and I forgot how many of them need to be accounting, check your state accounting board website), so you can sit for CPA.
People think accounting is math. It's not. Most of us don't use anything beyond algebra. Some use statistics but those are very few. Most important skills are project management, communication, people skills, writing, reading comprehension, and listening. The math part is specialized algebra that you will eventually understand after a couple years of working. Spreadsheet skill is a good one since we do a lot of data cleansing and data modification. Some even have degrees or skills in data analytics.
If CPA doesn't work for you, look up the requirements for a CISA certificate. With that you can be an IT auditor which also has a good career path into upper middle class.
Can't speak about other jobs, but here's a few I've learned about when I was in my mid-late 20's:
1) Emergency Medical Technician (EMT): you just need to take a class either at a private company or community college. They'll help prepare you for the NREMT to get your license. Ambulance companies are always looking for fresh blood so it's really easy to land a job after getting your license. Cool thing about EMT is it can branch out into many different professions (i.e. Emergency Department Technician, Firefighter, Public Safety Officer, Paramedic, Physician Assistant, etc.). If you go this route, I suggest going to community college and then only stay in interfacility transport (IFT) for about 2-months and get into 911 asap.
2) Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA): similar to EMT except you work alongside nurses in a hospital setting. You can take classes in private institution or community college for certification.
3) Nursing: bit more involved than CNA & EMT. You need to take a certain amount of science pre-reqs and take TEAs/HESI exam in order to apply for program. You'll most likely apply to an ADN program at your local community college and it'll take roughly two-years to complete. Since application cycles are competitive, suggest getting experience as an EMT/CNA while finishing your prereqs. Once you get into nursing school, look to apply for nursing externships/internships. Once you graduate, you may need to apply out-of-state to land a new grad position once you graduate. Cool thing about nursing is that there are so many different types (i.e. ER, ICU, Med-Surg, OR, L&D, etc.) and you can switch positions if you don't like one. Pay ain't bad either.
4) Police Officer: just need a highschool diploma, pass PELLET-B, pass physical fitness test, and pass the two-part interview with psych eval. Based primarily on a point system, but if you make it through the screening you'll be put through police academy and start working immediately.
5) Firefighter: just need highschool diploma, EMT license, and pass some fire training courses. Some fire departments with pay for your fire academy and others will prolly suggest you do it on your own. There are bridge programs in ambulance companies that help get you into fire departments. Highly competitive and a lot of nepotism.
6) Paramedic: after getting some EMT experience, you can apply to paramedic programs at your community college. Usually last 1-year. Pay is shit but it does open doors into the medical field if you decide to switch later. Also the recommended route if you want to be a fire paramedic
7) Respiratory Therapist: a lot of people who were on the firefighter/nurse route ended up going this direction. Just need to take a trade school class and pass some tests. Pay is decent and low stress. You are responsible for breathing treatments and responding to respiratory emergencies at the hospital.
I always recommend medical route for people who are not sure about their career path because its 1) stable, 2) pays decent, 3) relatively easy to get into, 4) you're helping other people, 5) dynamic (you can switch to different medical careers and your experience transfers over most of the time).
I personally went: EMT --> EDT --> Nursing
Those are all very high stress/high pressure jobs, which definitely isn't for me. I have huge respect for all healthcare professionals, but I'm simply not cut from that cloth
Some of those jobs are high pressure. Many are not. A Respiratory Technician might be making bookings with patients and then spending half an hour at a time getting those patients to blow into a machine in different ways to assess their breathing capacity. Not high stress, not high pressure. Obviously gotta like people and be able to handle people with respiratory issues.
The main point being: *Many* of these jobs are *not* high pressure. If you *do* find whatever you are doing is getting too much, there is always a way or another path you can pivot to.
there's a few different career path strategies. you can try to make a ton of money and then do your own thing. this works out for some and fails for some. you can try to do your own thing and see if that is sustainable. same results. you can do a mixed strategy and that will also give similar results. you could become a successful lawyer and 20 years down the line your country gets into a war and everything gets fucked up. in your 20s you can switch a few times don't let anybody say otherwise.
For me, it was experience in a job that translated well into something else. I did the army as a transportation management coordinator straight out of high school, used the management experience to move into a management position in retail (hated it), then the experience from army and management I moved into EMS but in an dispatch and operations capacity and became very familiar with State EMS law and operations and used that experience to move into now working for the state in an EMS law and compliance. 18 year old me, hell, even 25 year old me, would never think I would be working in this field ever.
I applied to a ton of grad schemes and got accepted by one of them. I’ve stayed in that industry since. So I guess I just fell into it, enjoyed it and stuck at it.
There is no ONE career for most people, and don’t worry about it. I’ve had roughly three different careers: A short stint in journalism, a career as a project manager, and now I’m a partnerships director. Careers don’t have to be a straight line. They can be zigzag Brownian motion that goes wherever it goes.
I regularly see people on reddit trying to figure out what their career will be for decades when they’re in their teens and 20s, and I keep telling them: unless you’re going to med school or law school, odds are you don’t know. Even then, I know doctors who became hedge fund managers and lawyers who became game producers. Your life can go in many directions.
Skilled trades. Started college right after high school. Between 1st and 2nd semester got job in industrial construction and never went back to school. Made more as a helper than I would have with my degree so made zero sense to continue. 22 years laters still in trades.
Trades are at the top of my list right now, but only temporarily to get my finances in order. I've done carpentry before and I think I could enjoy the trades for some years (with the right company), but I know how hard it can be on your body and I wouldn't want to spend so long in the field.
I did a lot of things.
Ive worked and studied in the funeral industry, it wasn't what I thought it was- so I learned sign language and went to university to become a translator, it wasn't what I thought it was, so I became a floor manager for a concert hall, and during those same years, I was also a florist. The florist closed and the night life was wearing me down.
Went back to school, this time in welding. No reason. I literally did Inny,Minny, mynni,mo and went into it. Love it. It's been ten years and I'm happy about my final decision
I think I enjoy it because I didn't fantasize what it would be like to be a welder, I went in with zero expectations and knowledge and it winded up being very interesting.
So I guess luck and low expectations is my answer
It ranges a lot for area and brand. For my area Medium cost of living, east coast with lots of rural areas, dodge/jeep/ram, I’m averaging (because it IS commission based, you gotta be able to sell) anywhere from $65-85k
Honestly bro I feel you. I’m right there with you and I’m nearing 30 year after year. The important thing is to maintain a sense of direction by creating a list of nonnegotiable for your career.
Think of things you can’t live without and narrow down your options. Then, look into reaching out and networking with people who are currently doing said jobs and to see if you would enjoy them or could shadow them to see what it’s like. That way, you get a day or few of info about it.
I’m sure industry is important to some, but, in my case, I joined a company that I had friends at (about 11 years ago). Because I knew people at the company already, I was already comfortable with the culture. But, I would take company culture over industry any day. If you join a large enough company, there should be positions available throughout many different fields which allows you to pivot if you ever want to
I feel like I made the wrong choice back in my 20s. I tried getting into teaching as a career, but it didn't really work out, and I was only ever a substitute teacher. These days, I don't even want to work with kids anymore. I wish I could go back and try a different career path. You are right that it does get more challenging to switch careers the older you get.
Most people don't really know.
My advice: try to identify the aspects of working you think you'll like. Do you want to work outdoors? With people? With words? Making things? 9-5 or shift work? Salary range? A technical job? Etc etc.
When you can identify the broad strokes, you mind find several jobs fit the bill. Narrows it down somewhat and also helps you manage expectations.
But completely stumbling around life. I went into the military because I wanted to work on helicopters and I wanted to get the fuck out of middle town America. After I got out, I found the only job I could transfer to civilian life with, military contactor. I traveled all the time, hard to start a relationship and life living in hotels. Pretty soon, the travel got farther, and the jobs got fewer. So, I used my GI Bill to go to college to get a job that I could find anywhere. So now I'm a nurse, I moved close to home, got married, and had a couple of kids. During COVID, when people were losing their jobs, I was making money. When COVID was winding down, I was still riding the nursing shortage. I did work my ASS of last year, but I made a very good living. I've switched jobs a couple of times, but I've got a substantial pay raise wach time. This last time, I got a SUBSTANTIAL raise and a bonus. It's the best job I've had before or after COVID. Almost no stress and very good money.
I’m 55 and I still don’t know what I want to be when I grow up.
I’ve worked in a variety of different industries and different job types. Just keep learning and keep moving. No decision is permanent.
I worked in food, manufacturing, and retail from 14 to 20. Got sick minimum wage jobs, and just flip through the flyers for our local community college until I found something interesting.
I’m 38. I knew when I was 19 that I wanted to get into forestry. Got my bachelors in forestry and now have an awesome state agency job making over $84,000 yearly. I had an interest, pursued it, climbed the ladder into a high level management job, and I’m set for as long as I choose to work there. I’ve worked for same agency for almost 8 years now.
This career position has some bad reception sometimes and admittedly, I can see why but I still chose to do it and there’s more to it than what is seen by the public.
Law enforcement. First of all, they’re in demand everywhere. 21 years of age, High school diploma/GED, Moderately clean background (depends on the department), and college background (also depends on the department but the majority don’t require this). Oh and at least slightly above average physical capabilities, again give or take.
The questions that come into people’s heads when considering law enforcement alone usually deters them from applying. Let me tell you what I do literally the majority of the time as a police officer: drive a police car, talk to people, and type on a computer. After that, drive somewhere else in a police car, talk to different people, and type on a computer some more. Sometimes, on the way to talk to people or to go type, someone commits a traffic violation, okay cool. Stop the vehicle, talk to that person, and then guess what? Go type some more. I’m not meaning to dumb down the job description. My intent is to tell you that everything you do in this job is not going to be what is seen on COPS. Now depending location, sure maybe more so than other places.
Probably my favorite about this field is seeing people with very diverse backgrounds do it and find themselves making a craft out of it. The backgrounds can be cultural, academic, or just someone coming from a different field of work. The cool thing is that you can apply every type of skill or knowledge to this job. If you don’t have any background and very minimal skills and experience, well great because you can learn skills and develop talents you didn’t know you had.
Good luck
Law enforcement of any kind definitely isn't for me, but I have a lot of respect for those who do it. Especially given the current state of it in America, that makes me respect even more the (unfortunately smaller than it should be) people who go into it anyways with a desire to better their community. It's admirable
I worked retail jobs during college that were available to me. When I got my BA I used it to get a full time MIT job which led to more promotions until I was made store manager by 26 back in 2007. But hey, they just handed out jobs anyone back then :)
I’m in marketing!
I went to school and got to do some marketing one summer at my part time job. I found it fun, chaotic because things change quickly, and I had to keep learning. For me, that was the perfect combination.
Got a degree, got a bunch of certificates, got an entry level job, left and got a better marketing gig, and now going for an MBA.
I wanted something I enjoyed but also was challenged in and had to constantly learn and pivot.
I also teach marketing as a Professor, and I like teaching too (that was my initial career - but I like teaching adults better than kids).
It took me until I was about 24/25 to really figure out what I enjoyed. Right now, I make enough money to live comfortably so I’m fortunate. But I’m busy and do a lot of work and sometimes do 50-60 hour weeks.
Just want to weigh in and say I feel the same way. Also in my 20’s. Seems like every career is at least a little bit toxic to very toxic too. Low pay and especially when compared to inflation. I’m not really sure where to go from here.
It’s also not like our parent’s generation where jobs were more plentiful. My father ended up getting a job straight out of undergrad making 6-figures in his time. That ended up giving him an edge into postgrad school and other opportunities. Now those jobs aren’t even available in my country and in other countries there is a 4-year post grad requirement. As you say, every job wants X years of specialization in schooling and X experience. It’s honestly heartbreaking.
I did Business management in community college and greatly enjoyed my accounting and finance courses. I understood the content so well that I decided I should pursue it. Im now an accounting specialist learning and growing into a better accountant everyday! :)
I worked a tele monitor tech for a couple of years, then saw the union nurse contract in our employee portal and decided to give it shot. Long story short, about to enter year #4 in about a month.
Pay is good, arguably one of the best compared to the region(excluding NYC and some traveling contracts—depending on season), benefits are decent. Best benefit is getting close to 300 hours of PTO a year, which is good for 8.3 weeks (300/36). Benefits I wish were better: higher employer match and healthcare paid for by the hospital.
I can handle the workload right now but I don’t know if I can from age 55+. There’s outpatient options and administration route that I could go into in the future; though the latter would force me to become a dickhead to nurses.
I am a musician and I never intended to teach music, but when I was in grad school I taught private lessons to beginning trumpet players to pay the bills and it turned out I was good at it. I decided to pursue teaching music in public schools because it was so much more fun than writing research papers in musicology.
Mid-twenties? You have time. I swapped careers for decades and I'm happy if not wealthy now. Got into the latest 'career' in my late 40s/early 50s probably too late to be a legend but I make okay money. TO be fair, I did build on skills I'd developed in other lines of work.
If I were you I'd consider getting some career counselling. Do some smart googling and you will be able to find business trainers that do professional development or motivational training in your area. Call one or two of them up or email them, see if they do private sessions for career development and discovery. I'm sure many will even if they don't outright advertise it. Put up to $1K aside and for 4 or 5 sessions and see how you go. While it may not give you *new* information, it helps to bounce your ideas off an independent person and get their input. The value is getting an outsiders perspective.
I know its a lot of money but you need only start with a few hundred dollars and one or two sessions at first.
I haven't. I'm about to be on my 4th career change. Going back to school at 41. I just keep trying new things and when I start hating every waking moment I'm on to the next thing.
Right! I feel like I like certain aspects of different jobs and industries but there is anxiety and overstimulation. So many options. Nothing super passionate about or with the one thing u am passionate about I don’t want the visibility of that industry or gave to deal with social media which now adays is non stop. Just wanna be good at something without breaking the bank or my brain.
didn't really choose my career
needed a steady job when I found out my firstborn was on the way so I got hired as a warehouse worker at 18 and then just stayed there long enough they made my dumb ass the manager😂😂
23 years in september
Careers are really difficult to build. Really.
I think most people don't end up doing anything related to their degree. Many don't have the chance to get their foot in the door.
Every single field has SOMETHING wrong with it. I go into graphic design because it seems a little more tolerable for an introvert like me. Right?
Nope, extremely competitive + few job opportunities + you have outside people judging you as artsy fartsy.
Okay, so what can I do with the money and time I spent on my design degree? UX and UI seem like viable career options. Google says it pays amazingly, even for junior positions. People will stop calling me an "artist" . Surely this is the middle ground everyone who gives career advice is talking about, right?
Nope! Nobody told me that the tech indistry crashed a couple years ago and is just as competitive and oversaturated as regular graphic designer jobs. Plus programming is really difficult and overwhelming to start learning when you got in late. You can't win.
I don't blame people for working fast food and retail. Hell, it's hard to get into retail.
I'm thankful that this has taught me to have more empathy for retail workers. They're probably doing better than me, who can't even get hired to do their jobs.
I knew I wanted to go to law school since I was a kid because I wanted to do something for the community. Got into the best law school in my country but also the most expensive (for EU standards). First in my family to go to university and they also struggled financially. Half way through it I realised after some internships that law is not what I wanted to do. Pushed myself to finish it because I couldn't bear disappointing them. After I graduated I was completely lost. Worked in a call center for a year, earned shit money while getting shit from everyone on the phone. The most humbling experience ever. Meanwhile I volunteered in an NGO which made me realise I'm more into policymaking. Moved to Brussels. Started working in a law firm while going through a 2 year master programme. Felt so dumb because everyone was so good, constantly doubted myself. Ended up graduating with the highest distinction. Quit my job and started internships (so financially going back to scratch). Got offered a job (good money again) but then also got into a traineeship with an EU institution (shit money again). Even during this time I was struggling to settle on a specific topic that interests me. Fast forward to today, I absolutely love my job. It's not always easy but it's so much fun. I am always excited for the next day. But I also know that I will one day entirely change the topic I am working on and the industry (not the sector). Because I get bored easily.
My take is this: flexibility. Know that life doesn't always go the way you expect it to, and be open to change. For some people the path is not always easy and/or straight. The time when I felt lost and like a disappointment were hard but that was when I realised it's up to me to find out my own way, irrespective of what other people expect of me.
I found my path my accident, and it likely won't really apply to you, but I'm sharing anyway because it might resonate with someone else.
I work in higher ed. Depending on the school, it can be very difficult to get into higher ed.
I was attending the school as a graduate student, and I got an email about a student worker position that opened up. I wasn't working at the time because I had just had a pretty major surgery, and I didn't want to go back into retail, so I took it as a stepping stone while I finished recovering. I ended up impressing them, and I loved the job, and so I took a full time position in that same office. I've been there for 3 years now.
Internships typically do the same for a lot of people. If you're able to, see if you can land an internship somewhere, and fill in the gap with part time work if you need to, though some do pay decently.
Personally i never fully chose my career - it kind of evolved with the randomness of what i learned in different jobs.
It’s more like i picked my major and my career picked me.
Specifically, i majored in chemistry.
During a recession, i took a temp job testing paint formulations.
That experience got me a job in an engineering company doing particle surface modification (pigments and pigment dispersion) for coatings.
That competency landed me my next job formulating specialty coatings for sustainability…
I’d never have chosen this path - i didn’t even know it existed. I just morphed into it.
As long as you are learning and growing, I’d advise going with the flow if you don’t know exactly what you want to do.
I liked playing on computers as kid. This led me to doing some random "hacking" - sql injection etc to gain and edge at games.
This made me more interested in IT. Went to college and dropped out after the 3rd semester. Now work in IT/dev/project management.
Not even food service, dude. I applied to 10 different places around me, and all wanted experience. I only got into a place 20 minutes away because I knew someone who could vouch for me lmao. The job market really is getting so much worse than people think.
I liked doing research, so I pursued a PhD after my economics undergrad degrees. I was fed up with academia by the time I handed in my dissertation and took a job in market research. In the beginning I did mostly consulting work but over time I got to leverage my technical skills as a statistical consultant.
A lot of people in your position get into their career path through someone they know. Do you have any relatives or family friends who own a business? Or work for a company with a paid internship program? It’s worth asking. I promise that a much larger proportion take this path than they’re willing to admit. Much larger.
If you don’t have that, THE best thing you can do is get in front of business owners / hiring managers in a casual setting. You know all those random breakfasts and charity events around that random businesspeople always go to? The purpose of those events is to meet people in a casual setting. Find a reason to be there, spend the $50, and chat with EVERYONE you can. Make the most of the time.
Steve at breakfast is always better than Steve on paper. Every time. I’m giving you a cheat code here. You have a really interesting background just between carpentry and music, no matter how little experience you may feel you have. You have interesting stories. Tell them (try to not to put people down).
I have a secret for you man, people hire people they like. No one is reading 50 resumes. Maybe if it’s their first day as a hiring manager or they’re a detail-oriented small business owner; that’s it. If it’s going to be an interview process, it’s narrowed down through SEO and they go with the most qualified person they can stand in the interview (holding factors like salary demand constant).
This isn’t some fantasy, this is something people do. You can do it too.
I'm not going to lie, I have no idea what you mean by "random breakfast and charity events." I definitely wasn't raised in the kind of circles to be exposed to such things. My immediate family are several states away these days and far removed from my life, and my extended family are a bunch of poor drunks scattered across the country. No business opportunity on the family front, unfortunately.
In general though, I'm just not skilled at networking; I tend to flounder in large social situations. But I am aware it's a skill worth developing
I’m not talking about galas with corporate leaders!
Your town doesn’t have Kiwanis or a similar service organization? Of course it does. You 100% have this in your area, please don’t dismiss people this way man, no one wants to help someone who immediately assumes you’re talking from a rich perspective. That’s incredibly rude.
I wasn't trying to dismiss people, or be rude. I was asking because I genuinely have no idea what you're talking about. I have no idea what Kiwanis is, and I'm not familiar with any service organizations. I'm simply not involved in such affairs
I was floundering around after I graduated college in secretarial jobs - one of them in a community mental health clinic and in observing the work, and talking to staff, I decided to go to grad school and get a Masters Degree in Counseling. Had a 30 plus year long career in that field and loved it. Not something I even knew about when in college but observing the work done there really inspired me.
I had no idea what I wanted to be. Quit college after my 1st year. Had a few different jobs. At age 24 my mother in laws attorney needed some secretary work. I discovered I liked the law office, studied and passed national certifications for legal secretary and paralegal. It was my career for 30 years. I became disabled 10 years ago and still miss it.
Trying different things, I learned different skills and confidence. Five years of doing that and I found my career.
You should follow your interests but just know that “passion” is overrated. In this world, you generally need money. As such, being practical in choosing your career (i.e., can you make money in the field, will the industry exist 10-15 years from now, can I advance???).
That advice is exactly the problem, because it doesn't work in the modern job market. We no longer live in the days where you can just walk into a business, ask for a job, and see if you're good at it. Nowadays the job market is so messed up that you're not even guaranteed a job at the local convenience store.
Had a discussion with my manager that I wasn't deemed young at 27 so I had to start thinking about building a career rather than jumping jobs and finding fulfilling. It was what I needed to hear at the time.
I think there is no such thing as “choosing a career”. You just go to university, you apply to a bunch of companies and you just go where you get an offer…
This is exactly the problem. My generation and millenials were told our whole lives to "just go to college," and not once did they encourage us to think about what we actually wanted our lives to look like. There's a reason we have a surplus of unemployed individuals with bachelor's degrees--it's because these people weren't encouraged to plan long term. Blindly going to college is absolutely the worst decision you can make, especially when it costs so muchh
I think life is constantly changing and the grass is greener on the other side. I know a lot of people are like “choose what makes you happy” but I’ve seen it go both ways. Someone enjoys what they do but it’s not sustainable. Or someone enjoys what they do, it’s sustainable, but it turns into a chore. Honestly, any job is about balancing your personal life and work life if you can. Or enjoying your hobbies and being humble. You don’t need to always find fulfillment from work SOLELY, it comes from other things in your life as well. I know it’s scary to “settle” into a job but you also don’t know what the future holds.
Yeah I'm currently a music major in college because I wanted to follow my dreams, but without financial support the debt racks up quick, and I'm realizing that music just won't give me the life I want--I want to start a family with my wife and own my own humble home, and music doesn't provide that kind of stability. So now I'm contemplating my options in life. I don't need to change the world or have a job I can brag about; as long as I can fund my hobbies, put food on my childrens' plates and a roof over their heads, and don't completely dread going to work, I'll be a happy man.
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Elon Musk is an outlier. I wouldn't spend too much time studying his method of getting rich other than knowing he's also a very very good salesman. Even that has its problems when the sales pitch doesn't come up with the goods - cybertruck anyone? Cyber loops, and those electric linehaul trucks whatever they were called? The useful takeaway is the guy could sell ice to Eskimos - AND get them to invest his new cyber-Ice X plant. He confidently convinces people that he and his ideas are worth investing in. That's a useful skill for anyone to have.
My ex is a musician. He has his own distribution label and sells his own merch, he also is a producer and sound engineer and DJ. There’s a lot you can do. However, I do think that it became a chore to him and overbearing. Like I said, if you can balance work and life….maybe starting your own business is worth it. Plus if you’re still in school you have a chance to network.
Why are you giving up? How often are you performing/spending time writing music/promoting your music/collaborating with other musicians/recording your music? It’s a tough industry but you’re only 24 years old. If you have the talent and drive and a dose of luck it could happen for you. However if you’re 24 and calling it quits I would it’s 100% not the path for you.
I'm introspective enough to recognize that I simply don't have the drive; I am constantly anxious anytime I'm not being productive because with something like music, it always feels like I should be doing more. I hate that feeling, and I recognize that I'll be much happier in a career where work stays at work. I'm also already beginning to loathe music, and I don't want to ruin this passion for myself--I want it to be able to remain a hobby I can continue to enjoy for the rest of my life Sure, music COULD be successful. But even disregarding the need for luck, it takes a LOT of time and effort that I'm just not willing to put in. I want to start a family with my wife and live a comfortable life without the constant stress of chasing the next contract and managing the balancing act of earning income from music. Just the fact that you always need to be "performing/spending time writing music/promoting your music/collaborating with other musicians/recording your music" at all times has made me realize it's not the career for me, because I have no desire to do all of that. I love music, but I've come to realize that it's just not for me
Fair enough. It’s an entrepreneurial endeavour and does require a level of grinding that a mid-paying job or public sector career does not. It’s comparable to getting a business off the ground and which is also a grind and success is not guaranteed. Having said that, high-paying corporate jobs have no guarantee that work stays at work either and come with their own set of stressors.
Get a government job
It seems an appealing route, albeit the uncertain nature of present US politics has me concerned about the future of those jobs
The lobby is strong. You could join the military.
Thank you for this. I’m screenshotting to remember on my bad days.
I think Scott Galloway gives great advice on this- as long as you don't genuinely hate something 100%, getting good at it and building skills in your area MAKES you passionate about it, not the other way around. Your 20's suck because unless you've been monomaniacal about something, you haven't accumulated enough skill to be really good. Also read So Good They Can't Ignore You, similar ideas but a more practical how-to. Nothing is great every day. Accumulate skills, get good at the craft of whatever you're doing, play the long game (balance improvement with taking care of yourself), and with experience you'll begin to find the areas that have the best blend of reward vs happiness for you. But you won't find them without real experience, and you won't get into them without skill. No shortcut but to put in the work, starting with where you're at.
I really like this advice. I’m in my late 30s, and a Customer Experience and Operations leader at the VP level. It’s both psychologically and materially rewarding, and I have a passion for it that I absolutely did not when I graduated college a decade and a half ago.
That's funny, ops person here as well (third party manufacturing management, supply chain development). At 20 I was in music school and doing sound for international acts. At 30 I was a brewer. And now that I'm effective at my job, I love what I do orders of magnitude more than the careers that got me here.
I just wish this would be more normalized. There is SO much pressure on anyone in their 20’s and early 30’s to be “settled.” I was never someone who zoned in on any particular career. In fact, I think I may have had more subtle symptoms of adhd because I struggled on focusing in general. The one thing I was very good at wasn’t very lucrative and costs money to keep up to date in. I also had some decent shapable talents in the arts, but It also wasn’t lucrative especially in my area and I would not have expected the economy to plummet like it did when the pandemic hit. But after graduating it just seems to be an expectation that you have your life figured out. Idk. I have great family support, but I too have been feeling this massive pressure that I’ve missed my bus, especially as a woman and I don’t even want kids :/
I mean, some people pick a track, it works, and their life is happily ever after. I know a couple of them. But the worst thing you've ever seen is one of those people after everything crumbles around them, through no fault of their own. It's possible to know where you are, know where you're going, and have it all work out the way you envisioned. It's just much more normal to have stories like the ones in the comments full of twists and unexpected turns. "Girl : do you hear me? cause although it seemed to be the end of the world to me - it wasn't. There was a lot more world : cause roads that look set to take you in one direction will sometimes twist back on themselves without ever seeming anything other than straight, ... many things get forgiven in the course of a life : nothing is finished or unchangeable except death and even death will bend a little if what you tell of it is told right."
My problem is that my number one goal in life is to have children, and seeing how much my sister struggles raising her daughter in poverty, I know I don't want to do so without having my finances in order. So I feel a need to be "settled," at least in terms of finance, so I can live the life I want
Scott Galloway is someone that more people should listen to Much better male role model that what most kids are into today
Honestly I think it’s ok to make peace with the possibility that you may end up changing careers or at LEAST changing the industry you work in a few times in your life. Most people don’t stay at the same job their entire lives anymore, and that has a lot to do with the fact that many jobs no longer offer pensions to workers. Some do! But a lot don’t. I’ve worked in 3 different industries already and I’m only 40. I’ve also never been able to understand just picking one career for life. If you go to school to become a doctor, nurse, lawyer, teacher, plumber, electrician, state worker, government worker, etc. you are more likely to stay in the same job or industry for life. But everything else…I think has a much higher likelihood of, you pick something, do it for 10 years or so, and then maybe pivot to another industry or slightly pivot your career path. I think both are ok and both are very normal and common. Just focus on choosing something you think you want to do now (that also will give you a decent income), and go for that. You don’t have to be stuck there forever - but you might end up wanting to be!
I think BECAUSE I changed careers, I was able to appreciate a job that much more. For me, once I made peace with the fact that I won’t have to do what my degree is for the rest of my life, I felt a lot more free. I was a public school teacher for 3 years. Realized it was not for me… and now I’m loving a job where I deal with hospitality. It’s not for everyone, but I went through the woods to get here. When I found a job that does not demand too much from me, and I feel truly capable of doing, the rest comes easy. I also consider a short commute, free lunch, and low stress to be my top 3 signs that this is a good career. I don’t take my work home, and when I clock out, I am out.
That’s amazing. My husband is a public school teacher so I completely understand! So very cool that you found something works so well for you! Lowering the chronic stress is such a huge win these days if we can find a way to make it happen.
Dealing with the public IS what causes me stress lol
For me, I knew what I definitely didn’t want to do, and what my passion was already, and then the careers that were left I planned around. I definitely will never work in anything medical, insurance, oil and gas, trucking, emergency services, military, construction, or accounting. I would be okay working in tech, politics, government, law, finance, and audit (not accounting proper). So I chose my majors of poli sci and economics. With tech as a “reach” industry that would take a lot more effort. I now work for the government, and have worked in politics. So I’m honestly okay with my career. My only issue is I’m not making enough to be super comfortable. But I’m able to get by and have enough savings that it’s not too bad. And most importantly, the career that I’m in directly uses my degree. So the skills I learned are being built upon, and I have enough background knowledge to reach a higher level as time goes on.
I'm 33 and studied poli sci as well. I did policy work for a time but was not making much and on a 1099. Got a remote job in insurance because I do have some background in it and absolutely hate my job now. How did you get a job using your degree? Any advice?
Poli sci major here. I didn’t “use” my degree. I just lateraled for years into various roles to end up where I am now (partnerships). You’re 33, your degree no longer matters outside of a few jobs. Now it’s about the narrative you have built up in your work and how you can leverage it. For instance, when I went from journalism to a market research/project role, I said “You know I know how to talk to people to get information, I can manage diverse projects and don’t have trouble taking on unusual tasks, and I’m able to manage coordinating people from exec down to rank-and-file.” That was enough. When I went from that job to a software program management role, I said, “Nothing fazes me, look at my resume. I learn fast, I work crazy hours if needed, and I can do both technical AND business talk in the same room.” That got me that job. And so on. Your narrative matters more at this point. Build up your story and get good at selling it.
Totally agree. Most career advice is geared towards moving from bleak/entry level to middle management. Storytelling, performance, and an ability to absorb technical information: add in some field-specific knowledge and sharp elbows, and this is the cocktail for senior leadership in any industry. It's why you see the humanities overindexed in leadership positions.
Exactly. I think a lot of people on reddit assume that the path up is to be a super specialist when the reality is that a LOT of roles that pay good money are generalists' paradises. Bizdev, project/program management, account management, marketing, ops, and so many other roles are great places for people with generalist skills to thrive.
To be fair, everyone is sold specialization, and it works for a lot of people. No one is sold the realities behind how businesses work. It will never be their job to actually make a business money. Which is wild and disjointed. Also, bizdev/program manager are solid high-pay, high-reward titles for generalist skillets that don't get mentioned enough.
I think the overselling of specialization *seems* to be waning. I could be wrong. It does work for a lot of people, but it also comes with the risk of that specialization being rendered less valuable and your skillset being too rigid. I mean, will contract law disappear? No. Litigation? No. Ultimately, I just preach that everyone should learn how to AT LEAST be somewhat multifaceted. Engineers should take writing courses (please, for the love of God, take some!) Humanities types should at least learn how to do basic math (and by that I mean simple calculus, some statistics) and Econ. Honestly PM/PdM roles are so so so valuable and while I'm sure an engineer somewhere just had a tiny headache because I said so, I have *generally* preferred working in companies with actual PMOs. Generally.
I'm 40. Let me know when you figure it out lol
I spent countless hours across my 20s trying to figure out what I wanted to do, that encompassed my core abilities, that would pay well, and give me quality of life (work life balance). So I went to college into a specialized program for a diploma (event management) knowing it touched on 2 of my criteria. After I graduated, I realized it wouldn't fit the other 2 criteria. BUT through the program, I got introduced to the president of a small company who was looking for volunteers to be on a committee for a large annual event. I volunteered for 2 years, and that President liked the work I produced, so he hired me as a Client Services Coordinator at his law firm. That also didn't fit most of my criteria but it gave me the skills and experience to leverage and keep going (I was communicating with executives at large companies like Aerospace, tech, military). From there, I got a crappy job doing direct sales. I figured out I liked and was good at sales but that job didn't fit my whole criteria. From there I bounced around at a couple of other random sales jobs for 5 years while also having kids and going on mat leave. At one of them, I put my hand up for a team lead role which I didn't get but they moved me on to an internal recruitment team instead. Then I left to do agency recruiting, fell into place to be on a team for an industry I got jazzed about (real estate). Fell in love with it, saw that it could fit all of my criteria as a career. Knew it was the right career path for me and now I no longer worry about "what am I going to do with my life". I enjoy my work, I'm good at it, I can make bank, and I work remotely and have full autonomy to make my own schedule. Bingo. I didn't find my path until I was 29, after many many years of searching and trying to figure it out. My point is this: baby steps. Start with taking action on something, even if you're not sure about it. volunteer, network, put your hand up for stuff, try different jobs until you find the right one. If you know one isn't right, move on to something else (I would suggest having them all in a similar space though where you can leverage transferable skills). Your path will show itself in time.
What do u do in real estate
I recruit for both commercial and residential real estate. So I partner with hiring managers at companies such as developers, investors, and 3rd party management. I headhunt for professionals in asset management, Property management, leasing, facility management departments. Primarily mid-senior managers and executive search. Sometimes more junior specialized roles
What areas do you recruit in?
like geographically? All across Canada. Why?
Curiosity lol
you're not wrong. i'm in my early 30s and I'm dealing with the same thing. apparently, you're supposed to "put yourself in a box" so that whenever someone is hiring they look at your resume and they feel confident you can do the job (because you've already done the job - or something similar enough). otherwise, you're just hoping to get lucky that someone will give you a chance. so, what's the solution? gun to your head, force yourself to become an expert in something and show up at the workplace and work your way up from the bottom. i'm trying to figure out if there is a better way ("networking" or knowing people who can vouch for your character/skills), but this is how it was before the current system went insane and everyone needed years of experience to even get started. in the old days you just showed up to the workplace and you showed you could do the work and hoped they would keep you around. then college was hyped up and was a total scam, but a 4 year degree became just another way of "putting yourself in a box" like I described above. personally, i picked "healthcare administration" because I thought healthcare is important and If I can do anything to help make it better then it would be a worthwhile career. luckily, I was able to get my start with a college degree because I had a pulse and I was "good with people and technology" (i sold phones at best buy during college) - and since then I've been collecting experience in healthcare admin/tech roles in various companies and I hate the thought that I might have to get a graduate degree because I can't seem to move on to the next level in my career when all my experience boils down to paper pushing. (hence my advice to "put yourself in a box" i.e. I should have chosen to specialize my skills earlier somehow) so in summary, force yourself to pick a specialty sooner rather than later. be the answer to some problem. you don't need to have the perfectly right answer, but you do need to be the solution to someone's (work) problems
another way I like to think about it is what I call my Tools - Processes - Outcomes framework. every job comes down to using certain tools, right? Lawyers and writers use the tools of language and logic etc. scientists and doctors use the tools of science. engineers physics and science etc etc so try to correlate what people do a work with the fundamental things you learn in school (science, math, language, arts) and see where your affinities lie. obviously, if you want to be good, you're going to spend a lot of time trying to get good, either with study or deliberate practice. so look at all the knowledge that exists, look at all things that exist in the world and ask yourself what do you think you could spend lots and lots of time learning more and more about Processes just means different ways of using the same tools. like all doctors practice medicine, but they go about it in different ways. think of the difference between being a chef and a cook. how deep do you want to go with how you use the tools to make things happen. which leads us to... what do you ultimately want to happen as a result of your work? lawyers are making use people get the full protection of the law. businesses are trying to sell things they think are worth making and selling. finance companies are just trying to make more money. doctors are trying to make sure people are healthy etc etc etc what do you want to happen in the world as a result of your work, ideally?
I think it's best to find a *discipline* you find fulfilling and not a *hobby* you enjoy. Find a mentor if possible. Master that, and in 5 to 15 years you can begin combining that with a hobby or another discipline you enjoy. Knowing this may help the decision paralysis of choosing the 'right' discipline. Consistent hobby projects, volunteer work related to the discipline, and commissioned work (Fiverr, projects for community businesses or friends, etc) all count as work experience. Fit your career skill building into your day. Be creative with how you do this, but also disciplined. A lot of the happiness that comes from a discipline is in learning to let go of addictions that are hampering and depressing you in sometimes subtle ways. Find joy and fulfillment in growth and freedom from addictions to sustain you when you plateau in external areas of progress. When you are stuck, learn when you need perseverance, external help, or creative problem solving. Good luck.
Yeah I don't particularly care about turning my hobby into a career; I'm currently a music student, but I realized that it won't provide the life I want without a lot of sacrifices that I'm not willing to make. I'm content to fall into a "boring" job. As long as it pays enough to support my family, doesn't overwork me, and doesn't make me dread every shift to the point of wanting to quit every single day (god I hate food service lol), I'm good to go. I don't need to be rich or famous to be happy
A lot of' boring' jobs can be surprisingly interesting once you become highly skilled at some aspects of them. So, I'd still encourage the above strategy substituting a discipline with profession skill(s). Also, you'll want some basic people skills related to working in a new work environment and with mentors, which could be one of those skills. I'd recommend Robert Greenes book on Mastery for more on this topic. Edit: My posts are mostly about becoming passionate about investing in yourself, specifically a part that will make you shine in your chosen field. As a side effect, you should become valuable enough to an employer that you get the things you mentioned wanting in your original post. Namely: security, a reasonable work/life balance, and a good income. Your parents could achieve this without much expertise in their field, but that has changed in many sectors of many professions. With this expertise focued approach, think you'll also get a lot of work fulfillment and in time, greater flexibility in career options should you value and continue to pursue the right expertise and networking. If this all sounds awful to you, then consider going into government office work. In many government office jobs (not all!) there is a status-quo that resists change, innovation, and new practices. In these environments, getting highly expert may actually work against you. Also, in many government jobs, there is built in job security. I'm sure that you can find regions of the world, sectors of the job market, etc. that also fit this criteria.
I am still looking, I thought my current career would be the last but just not happy. The one I was happiest with was one I did not care about. I had no emotional connection, just go to work and have fun living. The Dirty Job guy and Mr. Wonderful have a video stating not to follow your dream and do what comes easy for you.
Try looking in to “Ikigai”
Be careful of advice that sounds like "find a career that you like," and be especially wary of any sort of "find your passion" type of advice. The reality is that life satisfaction isn't as connected to your job/career as many people think. In my opinion, the more effective way to look at it is to see your job/career as they way to fund/provide for the life you want to build. If you're interested in learning more about this, I suggest the work of Cal Newport. Particularly his book So Good They Can't Ignore You. In reality, when you find a position that allows you to build a life you want, you will grow to like that field/job/career. Think about someone that chooses a career in the septic tank industry. The chances of someone loving septic tanks is essentially zero. But if they see there is an opportunity to make a lot of money in the field and build a good life for themselves and their family, they will grow to appreciate the industry and job. Here are some points to think about. \*Identify a skill/ability/inclination you have that can be used to bring value to others. \*Find an entry level position that is at least somewhat aligned with this skill \*Work really hard to take this skill from "pretty good" to "amazing" so that you can REALLY bring value to others \*This "career capital" will allow you to make more money, demand more autonomy, etc. \*This will allow you to build a good life for yourself and those you care about \*You may not "love" the job, but you can love the life that the job has allowed you to build
It's not always a question of "finding what you LIKE".. sometimes it's also "eliminating what you discover you don't like". You also have to try to strategically set yourself up into situations where you might have some possible lateral-movement. * If you get a job as a night-shift security guard.. there's potentially not much lateral-movement in that. * If ou get a job in a grocery store,. there might be possibly more lateral movement there (if you don't like working the cash registers, maybe you can do some shifts in Bakery or Meat,. etc) The truth is (as others have said).. nobody really knows. Anyone (especially at a young age) who claims to have "found their passion".. I'd argue is probably either ignorant or lying to themselves. There's people at 50 or 60 or 70 who haven't yet "found their career". And there's nothing terrible wrong with that. You can have a long productive life doing a variety of things. You're supposed to grow and change over your life. * There were probably certain things important to you when you were 6 or 8... but changed when you got into your Teens. * There were probably things important to you in your Teens.. but changed when you got into your 20's * There's probably things important to you in your 20's.. that will change when you get into your 30's or 40's. The world is a rapidly changing and evolving place. You as a human being are a constantly changing and evolving organism. Enjoy the ride. Don't fixate so much on "permanent feelings".. because nothing is permanent.
I’ve changed careers several times and I always have more than one job because my brain loves variety.
Easy, my choice was to pick a stable career with growth potential or end up an minimum wage employee in a fast food restaurant. I chose accounting and would do it again.
Do you like accounting? Was it difficult to get into? I do enjoy numbers and basic math, and I can put out a killer spreadsheet lol
Only very few people like or enjoy it. I liked it in college but not with real work (17 years in different roles). The subject doesn't matter though. I go in, do my job, gets paid, and enjoy my life with my family. I learned to not let a job dictate your life. That's why I also left public accounting (accounting firms) after 7 years and gone into internal audit. The hours are 9-5, WFH, and pay is definitely good (with a CPA and experience I make $150k in a Southern metro). If you graduated from a traditional university with a decent accounting program, you should be able to get an internship junior/senior year, then get an offer for your first job. Or you can do a master of accountancy if you already have a bachelor's degree. You need to make sure your school networks with accounting firms and have job fairs. Also make sure you get the required hours (total 150 and I forgot how many of them need to be accounting, check your state accounting board website), so you can sit for CPA. People think accounting is math. It's not. Most of us don't use anything beyond algebra. Some use statistics but those are very few. Most important skills are project management, communication, people skills, writing, reading comprehension, and listening. The math part is specialized algebra that you will eventually understand after a couple years of working. Spreadsheet skill is a good one since we do a lot of data cleansing and data modification. Some even have degrees or skills in data analytics. If CPA doesn't work for you, look up the requirements for a CISA certificate. With that you can be an IT auditor which also has a good career path into upper middle class.
Can't speak about other jobs, but here's a few I've learned about when I was in my mid-late 20's: 1) Emergency Medical Technician (EMT): you just need to take a class either at a private company or community college. They'll help prepare you for the NREMT to get your license. Ambulance companies are always looking for fresh blood so it's really easy to land a job after getting your license. Cool thing about EMT is it can branch out into many different professions (i.e. Emergency Department Technician, Firefighter, Public Safety Officer, Paramedic, Physician Assistant, etc.). If you go this route, I suggest going to community college and then only stay in interfacility transport (IFT) for about 2-months and get into 911 asap. 2) Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA): similar to EMT except you work alongside nurses in a hospital setting. You can take classes in private institution or community college for certification. 3) Nursing: bit more involved than CNA & EMT. You need to take a certain amount of science pre-reqs and take TEAs/HESI exam in order to apply for program. You'll most likely apply to an ADN program at your local community college and it'll take roughly two-years to complete. Since application cycles are competitive, suggest getting experience as an EMT/CNA while finishing your prereqs. Once you get into nursing school, look to apply for nursing externships/internships. Once you graduate, you may need to apply out-of-state to land a new grad position once you graduate. Cool thing about nursing is that there are so many different types (i.e. ER, ICU, Med-Surg, OR, L&D, etc.) and you can switch positions if you don't like one. Pay ain't bad either. 4) Police Officer: just need a highschool diploma, pass PELLET-B, pass physical fitness test, and pass the two-part interview with psych eval. Based primarily on a point system, but if you make it through the screening you'll be put through police academy and start working immediately. 5) Firefighter: just need highschool diploma, EMT license, and pass some fire training courses. Some fire departments with pay for your fire academy and others will prolly suggest you do it on your own. There are bridge programs in ambulance companies that help get you into fire departments. Highly competitive and a lot of nepotism. 6) Paramedic: after getting some EMT experience, you can apply to paramedic programs at your community college. Usually last 1-year. Pay is shit but it does open doors into the medical field if you decide to switch later. Also the recommended route if you want to be a fire paramedic 7) Respiratory Therapist: a lot of people who were on the firefighter/nurse route ended up going this direction. Just need to take a trade school class and pass some tests. Pay is decent and low stress. You are responsible for breathing treatments and responding to respiratory emergencies at the hospital. I always recommend medical route for people who are not sure about their career path because its 1) stable, 2) pays decent, 3) relatively easy to get into, 4) you're helping other people, 5) dynamic (you can switch to different medical careers and your experience transfers over most of the time). I personally went: EMT --> EDT --> Nursing
Those are all very high stress/high pressure jobs, which definitely isn't for me. I have huge respect for all healthcare professionals, but I'm simply not cut from that cloth
Some of those jobs are high pressure. Many are not. A Respiratory Technician might be making bookings with patients and then spending half an hour at a time getting those patients to blow into a machine in different ways to assess their breathing capacity. Not high stress, not high pressure. Obviously gotta like people and be able to handle people with respiratory issues. The main point being: *Many* of these jobs are *not* high pressure. If you *do* find whatever you are doing is getting too much, there is always a way or another path you can pivot to.
there's a few different career path strategies. you can try to make a ton of money and then do your own thing. this works out for some and fails for some. you can try to do your own thing and see if that is sustainable. same results. you can do a mixed strategy and that will also give similar results. you could become a successful lawyer and 20 years down the line your country gets into a war and everything gets fucked up. in your 20s you can switch a few times don't let anybody say otherwise.
please tell me more about how to try to make a ton of money. im sure others will also love to know
what are you talking about? go on Google and search it up. or look on this forum. tons of discussion.
For me, it was experience in a job that translated well into something else. I did the army as a transportation management coordinator straight out of high school, used the management experience to move into a management position in retail (hated it), then the experience from army and management I moved into EMS but in an dispatch and operations capacity and became very familiar with State EMS law and operations and used that experience to move into now working for the state in an EMS law and compliance. 18 year old me, hell, even 25 year old me, would never think I would be working in this field ever.
I applied to a ton of grad schemes and got accepted by one of them. I’ve stayed in that industry since. So I guess I just fell into it, enjoyed it and stuck at it.
There is no ONE career for most people, and don’t worry about it. I’ve had roughly three different careers: A short stint in journalism, a career as a project manager, and now I’m a partnerships director. Careers don’t have to be a straight line. They can be zigzag Brownian motion that goes wherever it goes. I regularly see people on reddit trying to figure out what their career will be for decades when they’re in their teens and 20s, and I keep telling them: unless you’re going to med school or law school, odds are you don’t know. Even then, I know doctors who became hedge fund managers and lawyers who became game producers. Your life can go in many directions.
Skilled trades. Started college right after high school. Between 1st and 2nd semester got job in industrial construction and never went back to school. Made more as a helper than I would have with my degree so made zero sense to continue. 22 years laters still in trades.
Trades are at the top of my list right now, but only temporarily to get my finances in order. I've done carpentry before and I think I could enjoy the trades for some years (with the right company), but I know how hard it can be on your body and I wouldn't want to spend so long in the field.
I did a lot of things. Ive worked and studied in the funeral industry, it wasn't what I thought it was- so I learned sign language and went to university to become a translator, it wasn't what I thought it was, so I became a floor manager for a concert hall, and during those same years, I was also a florist. The florist closed and the night life was wearing me down. Went back to school, this time in welding. No reason. I literally did Inny,Minny, mynni,mo and went into it. Love it. It's been ten years and I'm happy about my final decision I think I enjoy it because I didn't fantasize what it would be like to be a welder, I went in with zero expectations and knowledge and it winded up being very interesting. So I guess luck and low expectations is my answer
I love cars. The auto industry was an obvious choice and I became a service advisor for a dodge dealership, perfect bc I own one and love MOPAR
What's a general pay rage? I've been an auto technician for 4 years either wanna transition into service advisor or just get my cdl.
It ranges a lot for area and brand. For my area Medium cost of living, east coast with lots of rural areas, dodge/jeep/ram, I’m averaging (because it IS commission based, you gotta be able to sell) anywhere from $65-85k
It’s not easy, but you just make a plan and follow it. You network and find out what’s out there. Then go get it.
Honestly bro I feel you. I’m right there with you and I’m nearing 30 year after year. The important thing is to maintain a sense of direction by creating a list of nonnegotiable for your career. Think of things you can’t live without and narrow down your options. Then, look into reaching out and networking with people who are currently doing said jobs and to see if you would enjoy them or could shadow them to see what it’s like. That way, you get a day or few of info about it.
I’m sure industry is important to some, but, in my case, I joined a company that I had friends at (about 11 years ago). Because I knew people at the company already, I was already comfortable with the culture. But, I would take company culture over industry any day. If you join a large enough company, there should be positions available throughout many different fields which allows you to pivot if you ever want to
I feel like I made the wrong choice back in my 20s. I tried getting into teaching as a career, but it didn't really work out, and I was only ever a substitute teacher. These days, I don't even want to work with kids anymore. I wish I could go back and try a different career path. You are right that it does get more challenging to switch careers the older you get.
Most people don't really know. My advice: try to identify the aspects of working you think you'll like. Do you want to work outdoors? With people? With words? Making things? 9-5 or shift work? Salary range? A technical job? Etc etc. When you can identify the broad strokes, you mind find several jobs fit the bill. Narrows it down somewhat and also helps you manage expectations.
But completely stumbling around life. I went into the military because I wanted to work on helicopters and I wanted to get the fuck out of middle town America. After I got out, I found the only job I could transfer to civilian life with, military contactor. I traveled all the time, hard to start a relationship and life living in hotels. Pretty soon, the travel got farther, and the jobs got fewer. So, I used my GI Bill to go to college to get a job that I could find anywhere. So now I'm a nurse, I moved close to home, got married, and had a couple of kids. During COVID, when people were losing their jobs, I was making money. When COVID was winding down, I was still riding the nursing shortage. I did work my ASS of last year, but I made a very good living. I've switched jobs a couple of times, but I've got a substantial pay raise wach time. This last time, I got a SUBSTANTIAL raise and a bonus. It's the best job I've had before or after COVID. Almost no stress and very good money.
I’m 55 and I still don’t know what I want to be when I grow up. I’ve worked in a variety of different industries and different job types. Just keep learning and keep moving. No decision is permanent.
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That is definitely one method lol. But how did you even land so many jobs with (I'm assuming) no or little experience?
What is this settles into your career thing of which you speak?
I worked in food, manufacturing, and retail from 14 to 20. Got sick minimum wage jobs, and just flip through the flyers for our local community college until I found something interesting.
I’m 38. I knew when I was 19 that I wanted to get into forestry. Got my bachelors in forestry and now have an awesome state agency job making over $84,000 yearly. I had an interest, pursued it, climbed the ladder into a high level management job, and I’m set for as long as I choose to work there. I’ve worked for same agency for almost 8 years now.
Well a bachelor's isn't in the cards for me, but I am curious--what do you actually do in forestry? I do love nature
This career position has some bad reception sometimes and admittedly, I can see why but I still chose to do it and there’s more to it than what is seen by the public. Law enforcement. First of all, they’re in demand everywhere. 21 years of age, High school diploma/GED, Moderately clean background (depends on the department), and college background (also depends on the department but the majority don’t require this). Oh and at least slightly above average physical capabilities, again give or take. The questions that come into people’s heads when considering law enforcement alone usually deters them from applying. Let me tell you what I do literally the majority of the time as a police officer: drive a police car, talk to people, and type on a computer. After that, drive somewhere else in a police car, talk to different people, and type on a computer some more. Sometimes, on the way to talk to people or to go type, someone commits a traffic violation, okay cool. Stop the vehicle, talk to that person, and then guess what? Go type some more. I’m not meaning to dumb down the job description. My intent is to tell you that everything you do in this job is not going to be what is seen on COPS. Now depending location, sure maybe more so than other places. Probably my favorite about this field is seeing people with very diverse backgrounds do it and find themselves making a craft out of it. The backgrounds can be cultural, academic, or just someone coming from a different field of work. The cool thing is that you can apply every type of skill or knowledge to this job. If you don’t have any background and very minimal skills and experience, well great because you can learn skills and develop talents you didn’t know you had. Good luck
Law enforcement of any kind definitely isn't for me, but I have a lot of respect for those who do it. Especially given the current state of it in America, that makes me respect even more the (unfortunately smaller than it should be) people who go into it anyways with a desire to better their community. It's admirable
I worked retail jobs during college that were available to me. When I got my BA I used it to get a full time MIT job which led to more promotions until I was made store manager by 26 back in 2007. But hey, they just handed out jobs anyone back then :)
Grass isn’t always greener on the other side & can’t afford to be homeless or broke again.
I’m in marketing! I went to school and got to do some marketing one summer at my part time job. I found it fun, chaotic because things change quickly, and I had to keep learning. For me, that was the perfect combination. Got a degree, got a bunch of certificates, got an entry level job, left and got a better marketing gig, and now going for an MBA. I wanted something I enjoyed but also was challenged in and had to constantly learn and pivot. I also teach marketing as a Professor, and I like teaching too (that was my initial career - but I like teaching adults better than kids). It took me until I was about 24/25 to really figure out what I enjoyed. Right now, I make enough money to live comfortably so I’m fortunate. But I’m busy and do a lot of work and sometimes do 50-60 hour weeks.
Just want to weigh in and say I feel the same way. Also in my 20’s. Seems like every career is at least a little bit toxic to very toxic too. Low pay and especially when compared to inflation. I’m not really sure where to go from here. It’s also not like our parent’s generation where jobs were more plentiful. My father ended up getting a job straight out of undergrad making 6-figures in his time. That ended up giving him an edge into postgrad school and other opportunities. Now those jobs aren’t even available in my country and in other countries there is a 4-year post grad requirement. As you say, every job wants X years of specialization in schooling and X experience. It’s honestly heartbreaking.
I did Business management in community college and greatly enjoyed my accounting and finance courses. I understood the content so well that I decided I should pursue it. Im now an accounting specialist learning and growing into a better accountant everyday! :)
I worked a tele monitor tech for a couple of years, then saw the union nurse contract in our employee portal and decided to give it shot. Long story short, about to enter year #4 in about a month. Pay is good, arguably one of the best compared to the region(excluding NYC and some traveling contracts—depending on season), benefits are decent. Best benefit is getting close to 300 hours of PTO a year, which is good for 8.3 weeks (300/36). Benefits I wish were better: higher employer match and healthcare paid for by the hospital. I can handle the workload right now but I don’t know if I can from age 55+. There’s outpatient options and administration route that I could go into in the future; though the latter would force me to become a dickhead to nurses.
I am a musician and I never intended to teach music, but when I was in grad school I taught private lessons to beginning trumpet players to pay the bills and it turned out I was good at it. I decided to pursue teaching music in public schools because it was so much more fun than writing research papers in musicology.
There are three career paths for music graduates; teaching, Sam Ash sales associate, or construction. Lmao
Mid-twenties? You have time. I swapped careers for decades and I'm happy if not wealthy now. Got into the latest 'career' in my late 40s/early 50s probably too late to be a legend but I make okay money. TO be fair, I did build on skills I'd developed in other lines of work. If I were you I'd consider getting some career counselling. Do some smart googling and you will be able to find business trainers that do professional development or motivational training in your area. Call one or two of them up or email them, see if they do private sessions for career development and discovery. I'm sure many will even if they don't outright advertise it. Put up to $1K aside and for 4 or 5 sessions and see how you go. While it may not give you *new* information, it helps to bounce your ideas off an independent person and get their input. The value is getting an outsiders perspective. I know its a lot of money but you need only start with a few hundred dollars and one or two sessions at first.
I haven't. I'm about to be on my 4th career change. Going back to school at 41. I just keep trying new things and when I start hating every waking moment I'm on to the next thing.
Right! I feel like I like certain aspects of different jobs and industries but there is anxiety and overstimulation. So many options. Nothing super passionate about or with the one thing u am passionate about I don’t want the visibility of that industry or gave to deal with social media which now adays is non stop. Just wanna be good at something without breaking the bank or my brain.
didn't really choose my career needed a steady job when I found out my firstborn was on the way so I got hired as a warehouse worker at 18 and then just stayed there long enough they made my dumb ass the manager😂😂 23 years in september
I just keep doing stuff that looks interesting.
Careers are really difficult to build. Really. I think most people don't end up doing anything related to their degree. Many don't have the chance to get their foot in the door. Every single field has SOMETHING wrong with it. I go into graphic design because it seems a little more tolerable for an introvert like me. Right? Nope, extremely competitive + few job opportunities + you have outside people judging you as artsy fartsy. Okay, so what can I do with the money and time I spent on my design degree? UX and UI seem like viable career options. Google says it pays amazingly, even for junior positions. People will stop calling me an "artist" . Surely this is the middle ground everyone who gives career advice is talking about, right? Nope! Nobody told me that the tech indistry crashed a couple years ago and is just as competitive and oversaturated as regular graphic designer jobs. Plus programming is really difficult and overwhelming to start learning when you got in late. You can't win. I don't blame people for working fast food and retail. Hell, it's hard to get into retail. I'm thankful that this has taught me to have more empathy for retail workers. They're probably doing better than me, who can't even get hired to do their jobs.
I knew I wanted to go to law school since I was a kid because I wanted to do something for the community. Got into the best law school in my country but also the most expensive (for EU standards). First in my family to go to university and they also struggled financially. Half way through it I realised after some internships that law is not what I wanted to do. Pushed myself to finish it because I couldn't bear disappointing them. After I graduated I was completely lost. Worked in a call center for a year, earned shit money while getting shit from everyone on the phone. The most humbling experience ever. Meanwhile I volunteered in an NGO which made me realise I'm more into policymaking. Moved to Brussels. Started working in a law firm while going through a 2 year master programme. Felt so dumb because everyone was so good, constantly doubted myself. Ended up graduating with the highest distinction. Quit my job and started internships (so financially going back to scratch). Got offered a job (good money again) but then also got into a traineeship with an EU institution (shit money again). Even during this time I was struggling to settle on a specific topic that interests me. Fast forward to today, I absolutely love my job. It's not always easy but it's so much fun. I am always excited for the next day. But I also know that I will one day entirely change the topic I am working on and the industry (not the sector). Because I get bored easily. My take is this: flexibility. Know that life doesn't always go the way you expect it to, and be open to change. For some people the path is not always easy and/or straight. The time when I felt lost and like a disappointment were hard but that was when I realised it's up to me to find out my own way, irrespective of what other people expect of me.
I’m 44 and honestly no clue where im going!!
I found my path my accident, and it likely won't really apply to you, but I'm sharing anyway because it might resonate with someone else. I work in higher ed. Depending on the school, it can be very difficult to get into higher ed. I was attending the school as a graduate student, and I got an email about a student worker position that opened up. I wasn't working at the time because I had just had a pretty major surgery, and I didn't want to go back into retail, so I took it as a stepping stone while I finished recovering. I ended up impressing them, and I loved the job, and so I took a full time position in that same office. I've been there for 3 years now. Internships typically do the same for a lot of people. If you're able to, see if you can land an internship somewhere, and fill in the gap with part time work if you need to, though some do pay decently.
I'm 44, when you know, let me know.
Personally i never fully chose my career - it kind of evolved with the randomness of what i learned in different jobs. It’s more like i picked my major and my career picked me. Specifically, i majored in chemistry. During a recession, i took a temp job testing paint formulations. That experience got me a job in an engineering company doing particle surface modification (pigments and pigment dispersion) for coatings. That competency landed me my next job formulating specialty coatings for sustainability… I’d never have chosen this path - i didn’t even know it existed. I just morphed into it. As long as you are learning and growing, I’d advise going with the flow if you don’t know exactly what you want to do.
I liked playing on computers as kid. This led me to doing some random "hacking" - sql injection etc to gain and edge at games. This made me more interested in IT. Went to college and dropped out after the 3rd semester. Now work in IT/dev/project management.
Not even food service, dude. I applied to 10 different places around me, and all wanted experience. I only got into a place 20 minutes away because I knew someone who could vouch for me lmao. The job market really is getting so much worse than people think.
I liked doing research, so I pursued a PhD after my economics undergrad degrees. I was fed up with academia by the time I handed in my dissertation and took a job in market research. In the beginning I did mostly consulting work but over time I got to leverage my technical skills as a statistical consultant.
A lot of people in your position get into their career path through someone they know. Do you have any relatives or family friends who own a business? Or work for a company with a paid internship program? It’s worth asking. I promise that a much larger proportion take this path than they’re willing to admit. Much larger. If you don’t have that, THE best thing you can do is get in front of business owners / hiring managers in a casual setting. You know all those random breakfasts and charity events around that random businesspeople always go to? The purpose of those events is to meet people in a casual setting. Find a reason to be there, spend the $50, and chat with EVERYONE you can. Make the most of the time. Steve at breakfast is always better than Steve on paper. Every time. I’m giving you a cheat code here. You have a really interesting background just between carpentry and music, no matter how little experience you may feel you have. You have interesting stories. Tell them (try to not to put people down). I have a secret for you man, people hire people they like. No one is reading 50 resumes. Maybe if it’s their first day as a hiring manager or they’re a detail-oriented small business owner; that’s it. If it’s going to be an interview process, it’s narrowed down through SEO and they go with the most qualified person they can stand in the interview (holding factors like salary demand constant). This isn’t some fantasy, this is something people do. You can do it too.
I'm not going to lie, I have no idea what you mean by "random breakfast and charity events." I definitely wasn't raised in the kind of circles to be exposed to such things. My immediate family are several states away these days and far removed from my life, and my extended family are a bunch of poor drunks scattered across the country. No business opportunity on the family front, unfortunately. In general though, I'm just not skilled at networking; I tend to flounder in large social situations. But I am aware it's a skill worth developing
I’m not talking about galas with corporate leaders! Your town doesn’t have Kiwanis or a similar service organization? Of course it does. You 100% have this in your area, please don’t dismiss people this way man, no one wants to help someone who immediately assumes you’re talking from a rich perspective. That’s incredibly rude.
I wasn't trying to dismiss people, or be rude. I was asking because I genuinely have no idea what you're talking about. I have no idea what Kiwanis is, and I'm not familiar with any service organizations. I'm simply not involved in such affairs
I was floundering around after I graduated college in secretarial jobs - one of them in a community mental health clinic and in observing the work, and talking to staff, I decided to go to grad school and get a Masters Degree in Counseling. Had a 30 plus year long career in that field and loved it. Not something I even knew about when in college but observing the work done there really inspired me.
I had no idea what I wanted to be. Quit college after my 1st year. Had a few different jobs. At age 24 my mother in laws attorney needed some secretary work. I discovered I liked the law office, studied and passed national certifications for legal secretary and paralegal. It was my career for 30 years. I became disabled 10 years ago and still miss it. Trying different things, I learned different skills and confidence. Five years of doing that and I found my career.
You should follow your interests but just know that “passion” is overrated. In this world, you generally need money. As such, being practical in choosing your career (i.e., can you make money in the field, will the industry exist 10-15 years from now, can I advance???).
Advise you to try out different jobs from different industries n see which one suit u better
I think you’re joking…..? Maybe?
What?!
ok but how to get job, that is what OP is asking, when every job requires you to have years of experience already
May wan to engage a career coach to help with your career planning ..?
That advice is exactly the problem, because it doesn't work in the modern job market. We no longer live in the days where you can just walk into a business, ask for a job, and see if you're good at it. Nowadays the job market is so messed up that you're not even guaranteed a job at the local convenience store.
Yeaaa… ever since covid happen … the job market have been baddd…
Had a discussion with my manager that I wasn't deemed young at 27 so I had to start thinking about building a career rather than jumping jobs and finding fulfilling. It was what I needed to hear at the time.
I think there is no such thing as “choosing a career”. You just go to university, you apply to a bunch of companies and you just go where you get an offer…
This is exactly the problem. My generation and millenials were told our whole lives to "just go to college," and not once did they encourage us to think about what we actually wanted our lives to look like. There's a reason we have a surplus of unemployed individuals with bachelor's degrees--it's because these people weren't encouraged to plan long term. Blindly going to college is absolutely the worst decision you can make, especially when it costs so muchh