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I'm your average 17 year old fretting about their future. Deep down inside, I don't know what I want to do with my life. I've always had a knack for technology but I'm wondering if that's the right career for me. I'm starting to realize that tech jobs are often found in big, expensive cities. Nobody really explained that concept to me, that if you'd like to tinker with computers for a living then you'll most likely end up somewhere crowded, expensive, and polluted. I'm personally a reserved person who appreciates frugality, I'm also slightly conservative.
So, I have a choice to make.
A. I work towards a technology degree and move to/near a big city, or
B. I work towards a non-technology degree and move somewhere remote.
I'll admit that living somewhere like the Midwest sounds perfect for me, as things like affordability and culture come into play. Some generic ambitions I have include starting a family, settling down, and enjoying life. I was born and raised in a big city for 17 years and am already tired of it. Conventional wisdom says I should stick to what I've been told and earn a degree then move to a big city, but I'm having last-minute doubts. What are you thoughts? Did you have a similar problem when you were younger? Which way did you pick? How did it turn out?
Where do you live now? Honestly it seems like you'll be happy in a mid-sized city even in the technology department. There's plenty of Midwestern cities worth checking out like Indianapolis, Columbus, Ann Arbor, Kansas City, Des Moines, Minneapolis, Madison, Milwaukee, Wichita, Omaha.. all are pretty affordable and have plenty to offer while remaining more humble areas. I love the Midwest myself, it seems like the best place to raise a family to me, and its relatively affordable but also rather progressive.
Also remember that even in many big cities there are areas that are extraordinarily removed from the downtown city center and even suburban in character. And that there are even more such places that are in the 'burbs of these cities that you might like.
But finish college first and if you can travel around the country first do that. You'll then have a clearer idea of where you want to live.
I'm your average 17 year old fretting about their future. Deep down inside, I don't know what I want to do with my life. I've always had a knack for technology but I'm wondering if that's the right career for me. I'm starting to realize that tech jobs are often found in big, expensive cities. Nobody really explained that concept to me, that if you'd like to tinker with computers for a living then you'll most likely end up somewhere crowded, expensive, and polluted. I'm personally a reserved person who appreciates frugality, I'm also slightly conservative.
So, I have a choice to make.
A. I work towards a technology degree and move to/near a big city, or
B. I work towards a non-technology degree and move somewhere remote.
I'll admit that living somewhere like the Midwest sounds perfect for me, as things like affordability and culture come into play. Some generic ambitions I have include starting a family, settling down, and enjoying life. I was born and raised in a big city for 17 years and am already tired of it. Conventional wisdom says I should stick to what I've been told and earn a degree then move to a big city, but I'm having last-minute doubts. What are you thoughts? Did you have a similar problem when you were younger? Which way did you pick? How did it turn out?
First of all, if you're asking these questions at age 17 you're NOTaverage and you should be proud of yourself for even thinking about this stuff. At your age I was in lockstep with my other college-bound classmates and wasn't even thinking about alternatives. So again, well done!
Second, there's tech and there's tech. If "tech" to you means working at Google or similar, helping to develop the Next Big Thing, then yes, you're probably headed to somewhere that's urban. "Tech" also takes on a more ubiquitous form, like IT support (infrastructure, web design, etc.). That tech can be done pretty much anywhere, either in person (most likely when you're starting out) or as another post mentioned, remote. If you love, or even like, tech you should pursue it - it'll always be with us and is pretty much automation-proof (off-shore'ing issues aside).
Good luck, and keep asking questions (here, school counselors, talk to local IT types, etc etc).
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