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I would have pushed myself in hs to get a full scholarship to college then I maybe would have been more keen to go directly after high school instead of working for a few years and then going to college. I would have probably had a nice career before this recession hit.
I would have taken better care of myself physically
If I could do it over I would never have gone to college. I would have gotten into a trade.
I just turned 30 in Sept. I’ve been unemployed since April. When I was growing up, my Dad stressed OVER AND OVER AGAIN, “Don’t be a bum like me. Get an education. Get a degree. Don’t get trapped in a damn factory like me.” I listened. I thought he was right. I went and got a degree in what I thought I wanted to do for a living.
I spent 4 years of my life busting my ***** to get a degree in something I LOVED and believed would be my career for the rest of my life if I could. When I was 24 and I graduated, I realized the disparity of the economy, and I took what I could get. When I could tell that my employer at the time was struggling, I took steps to GET OUT. When I found a new job I was momentarily happy. When I realized how dismal the economy was, I took for granted what I had. When I thought that my company was almost doomed, I was mortally afraid. When we got bought out by a much bigger (and I thought) more stable competitor I figured I was momentarily safe. When I was let go, I felt like someone punched me in the stomach, and knocked the wind out of me. Now I have 5 weeks left of unemployment unless they pass another extension. I have no idea what my future will be and it scares the crap out of me.
I’ve watched my friends that went straight into a trade after high school FLORISH, while I’ve spent the last 10 years of my life accomplishing NOTHING If I have to go back for a new degree and change careers. They BUILT their 1st houses. I paid rent. They bought NEW vehicles. I paid too much for a different used car because I didn’t have collateral when I started a new car loan. They bought snowmobiles, and 4 wheelers, and any toy they desired. I hoped I could afford to go on a minor vacation that year. I got shafted. They moved ahead. I feel like the last 10 years of my life I was treading water. They were SWIMMING. I was SUPPOSED to pass them at some point. I’m not so sure that’s going to happen right now. Yes, because they work with their hands, and their arms, and their back, they might physically break down at some point and be unable to work. Somewhere around 45 I SHOULD surpass their earnings, while they worry about the next 20 years and they wake up every morning with aches and pains and have a hard time getting out of bed. So far, I haven’t seen that. I’d trade my supposed future potential for their morning aches and pains.
At this point I’m considering the idea of “trading sides” and going into a trade, but I’m just not sure how the economy will support that now either. I’d probably try to become and Electrician like my old man. I wouldn’t rule out Pipefitting or Boilermaker either, but with Residential and Commercial construction at such a low now too, I’m not sure how well that will go either. I’m also a little bit reluctant to go through 3 or 5 years (or whatever time frame it is) of being an apprentice and journeyman. Theoretically this is the time in my life where I should be “settling down” and getting married and starting a family. It’s awfully hard to do that if you live your life on the road traveling to out of town job sites and living out of a hotel. Then again, I could spend another 2 years in college + God knows how long after that reestablishing myself in a new field too. Or wasting just as much time in a dead end job someplace.
If I could do it over I would never have gone to college. I would have gotten into a trade.
I just turned 30 in Sept. I’ve been unemployed since April. When I was growing up, my Dad stressed OVER AND OVER AGAIN, “Don’t be a bum like me. Get an education. Get a degree. Don’t get trapped in a damn factory like me.” I listened. I thought he was right. I went and got a degree in what I thought I wanted to do for a living.
I spent 4 years of my life busting my ***** to get a degree in something I LOVED and believed would be my career for the rest of my life if I could. When I was 24 and I graduated, I realized the disparity of the economy, and I took what I could get. When I could tell that my employer at the time was struggling, I took steps to GET OUT. When I found a new job I was momentarily happy. When I realized how dismal the economy was, I took for granted what I had. When I thought that my company was almost doomed, I was mortally afraid. When we got bought out by a much bigger (and I thought) more stable competitor I figured I was momentarily safe. When I was let go, I felt like someone punched me in the stomach, and knocked the wind out of me. Now I have 5 weeks left of unemployment unless they pass another extension. I have no idea what my future will be and it scares the crap out of me.
I’ve watched my friends that went straight into a trade after high school FLORISH, while I’ve spent the last 10 years of my life accomplishing NOTHING If I have to go back for a new degree and change careers. They BUILT their 1st houses. I paid rent. They bought NEW vehicles. I paid too much for a different used car because I didn’t have collateral when I started a new car loan. They bought snowmobiles, and 4 wheelers, and any toy they desired. I hoped I could afford to go on a minor vacation that year. I got shafted. They moved ahead. I feel like the last 10 years of my life I was treading water. They were SWIMMING. I was SUPPOSED to pass them at some point. I’m not so sure that’s going to happen right now. Yes, because they work with their hands, and their arms, and their back, they might physically break down at some point and be unable to work. Somewhere around 45 I SHOULD surpass their earnings, while they worry about the next 20 years and they wake up every morning with aches and pains and have a hard time getting out of bed. So far, I haven’t seen that. I’d trade my supposed future potential for their morning aches and pains.
At this point I’m considering the idea of “trading sides” and going into a trade, but I’m just not sure how the economy will support that now either. I’d probably try to become and Electrician like my old man. I wouldn’t rule out Pipefitting or Boilermaker either, but with Residential and Commercial construction at such a low now too, I’m not sure how well that will go either. I’m also a little bit reluctant to go through 3 or 5 years (or whatever time frame it is) of being an apprentice and journeyman. Theoretically this is the time in my life where I should be “settling down” and getting married and starting a family. It’s awfully hard to do that if you live your life on the road traveling to out of town job sites and living out of a hotel. Then again, I could spend another 2 years in college + God knows how long after that reestablishing myself in a new field too. Or wasting just as much time in a dead end job someplace.
Go learn a trade, then Try to get into a company that has trade workers. In 20 years when you're body can't do it any more, you can go into management with your degree. I've met a lot of guys with college degrees who do that.
Go learn a trade, then Try to get into a company that has trade workers. In 20 years when you're body can't do it any more, you can go into management with your degree. I've met a lot of guys with college degrees who do that.
True, I don't see myself as actively wanting to be management someday since they tend to be the 1st necks on the guilotine if things go wrong, but I wouldn't have any qualms about becoming a supervisor, etc. if it came down to it. I also wouldn't mind working for the Union either. I've seen my Dad take on various positions over the years that got him into becoming a Union Stewart, a Safety Dept. rep, etc, because of his experience. I think it was also one of those "if we're gonna keep giving you raises we might as well promote you since we don't know what the hell else to do with you" situations. Now he's kind of burnt out with all of the company BS and is happier on the floor again, but at 55 he's just biding his time. I'm not expecting myself to put 30+ years in the same place like he has though.
Go to college? Not go to college?
Went to a great state college, with plenty of scholarship and paid internships. Graduated with a science degree, and then later an engineering degree. In hindsight, would have dropped the science degree.
Got married sooner? Later? Not at all? Married a different person?
Nope, married the best woman in the world. I did not propose until I was making good money. I wish I could have proposed earlier.
I don't deserve her.
Different college major?
Different career track?
At times, I thought I wanted to be a physician. I am really the only one without a medical degree in my family. However, deep down, I know that I probably would not have nearly the family time I do today. My parents worked themselves to death.
Saved/invested more? Spent more?
Nope. Was investing in a 401k and IRA since I was 18. While everyone was blowing their money away during college, I was reading the wall street journal and saving for a brighter tomorrow.
Any thing I would change?
1. Tell my wife I loved her more.
2. Spent more times volunteering at the soup kitchen.
3. Visited Asia more often
Otherwise, I am pretty happy with the decisions I made. Though I am not a "pure" libertarian, I have been happy with most their economic predictions thus far (libertarian thinkers like Ron Paul). Invested in Gold and overseas at the right time. Invested in Big Oil during the Bush regime. Did not buy the big mcmansion during the housing boom. Funny, how lots of people look at these guys as loons, but they appear to be right every single time.
Would have gone into business for uncle and skipped college entirely. Most of his foreman pull in a good 70k a year which is more than I've ever made and would have been making that for around 8 years now. He just hired a new supervisor in at 125K. Most of the people working for him have no degrees, just experience in the siding/construction industry.
I have another friend who did this for his family and makes quite well, has a 5br house in Pittsburgh, new vehicles, very well off. Didn't take any training, just working construction in the summer.
I know people who are grocery store supervisors at Publix now pushing 6 figures, they never went to college, started as bag boys and stuff.
I have another friend who invested his money from painting into a boat, he now does charter fishing and makes quite a large sum of money.
I went for degree in Information Systems and have had to deal with company buyouts, layoffs, outsourcing, decreasing wages, H1B's and about 3 straight years now of unemployment/underemployment. w/ a few gaps before that. Even stuff I was working on 5 years ago is now almost obsolete. The industry wants fresh meat or PhD H1B from India to work for 50k.
Even at lower salary if you remain working and investing and earning returns starts snowballing. Not having any income and going in to debt for a future that isn't there well, just doesn't work.
signed salutatorian of your high school
I am like Further North and family pushed me to get degree as well, would have been better off doing a labor/quasi labor trade job and being a manager. LoL they wanted to put me on a manager track like that when I was 18...I was writing excel vb formulas for them that was better than what they were doing over 10 years ago. So dumb of me really... But, America pretty much sold a big lie to go to college. Now with everybody having a degree it is like we never went. Seriously some of the dumbest kids I knew in high school now have degrees.
I went for degree in Information Systems and have had to deal with company buyouts, layoffs, outsourcing, decreasing wages, H1B's and about 3 straight years now of unemployment/underemployment. w/ a few gaps before that.
Even at lower salary if you remain working and investing and earning returns starts snowballing. Not having any income and going in to debt for a future that isn't there well, just doesn't work.
Most people are brainwashed into getting a degree nowadays, so of course white collar, computers and healthcare are all oversaturated. Education is the biggest scam. You put yourself into debt that you will never pay off - if you are not born with a silver spoon in your mouth. You have to step over a lot of people, scheme like crazy and basically brown nose and play politics to the nth degree if you want to make it in any of those oversaturated professions with a real salary. All that takes a lot of energy, time and money to do - and you are competing against all those other "kiss ups". Blue collar, trade and having your own business are all looked down on.
If I had to return to high school? I would have never went to college and just started looking to marry into a well off family, like some of my childhood friends did. They are all set for life, and the family gave them jobs. Hey, since it's "who you know" and individual aptitude is worthless then that path would have been the quickest and easiest.
Most people are brainwashed into getting a degree nowadays, so of course white collar, computers and healthcare are all oversaturated. Education is the biggest scam. You put yourself into debt that you will never pay off - if you are not born with a silver spoon in your mouth. You have to step over a lot of people, scheme like crazy and basically brown nose and play politics to the nth degree if you want to make it in any of those oversaturated professions with a real salary. All that takes a lot of energy, time and money to do - and you are competing against all those other "kiss ups". Blue collar, trade and having your own business are all looked down on.
If I had to return to high school? I would have never went to college and just started looking to marry into a well off family, like some of my childhood friends did. They are all set for life, and the family gave them jobs. Hey, since it's "who you know" and individual aptitude is worthless then that path would have been the quickest and easiest.
So basically you're saying that you'd rather not have to work hard, just marry rich? I think you're be selling yourself short. There are plenty of people doing well for themselves in the "Real" world. I don't see why that's unattainable for someone such as yourself. Marrying rich just to be rich never works out well, as far as I can tell.
Marrying rich just to be rich never works out well
All marriages are a crap shoot so if you are going to take a chance, you might as well marry rich.
There are plenty of 60+ year old divorced surgeons out there who only care about having a pretty young chick to show off at cocktail parties. Chick wants the money, guy with money wants the chick. Total symbiotic arrangement.
Women know it is not that hard to fake it:
Moderator cut: image removed
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But definitely not as ugly as that man.
