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I’m at a crossroads in my life. I’m about to be 30 and for most of my adult life I haven’t taken things very seriously. After playing around for the first half of my twenties I decided to go to college and recently graduated with a worthless history degree. I also recently got married and had a kid and now, due to these new responsibilities, for the first time in my life I’m feeling an urgency to get a career started. However, I have no idea what I want/or can do with my life from here. I went out and bought a book on all the different types of careers and after looking at that and doing my own research I’m even more confused. The only thing that was made clear was that I will most likely have to continue schooling, maybe even go back and get another degree. Here is my assessment after reading the book:
Engineering: No. It seems really boring to me and although I’m good at math I just don’t enjoy doing it.
Health: Med school is a no, due to several reasons, and wiping old people’s butts makes me nauseous just to think about so nursing is out of the question too. Radiology tech seems like something I wouldn’t mind doing and the schooling is only two years, but the waitlist for the college programs in this field are about 4-5 years and even if you attend an expensive private school, which you can get in right away, there are NO jobs in this field. After doing research I learned that this is because the ratio of graduates getting pumped out of colleges for these degrees every year exceeds the available jobs by an astronomical amount. Not to mention the programs are only offered in a full time (8am-5pm M-F), two-year format which means my wife would have to carry the burden of all the bills, which I don’t know if she can do.
Computer Science: I enjoy computers and have played around with programming but I know guys who were coding their own programs when they were 14 years old and whose knowledge is so in depth and whose lives are so invested into these machines it would be hard to compete with them in job market, even if I did go back to school and get a degree. I’ve always enjoyed the outdoors and social life too much to ever be a true computer geek. Also, as I already mentioned, I don’t enjoy math. Plus, I hear a lot of these jobs are getting outsourced.
Law Enforcement: I was seriously looking into police jobs for a while, and I would really enjoy this work (my dad is a retired cop), but almost no departments in the state of California are hiring and when they do have an opening for like 10 positions about 4,000 people apply (literally) and many of these people have military experience or law enforcement experience easily weeding out candidates like me. Not to mention I have a few “background” issues that I was told aren’t necessarily disqualifying factors but that I have do distance myself from them further, i.e., comeback and apply in a couple of years. I guess I could try to wait that out, and do private security in the meantime, but if they still won’t take me in a few years then I’m really screwed for having wasted a few years on it.
Government: I really like the idea of public sector work but the state is barely hiring and the positions that are available aren’t entry level and require a skill of some sort (psychology, law, environmental science, etc.) which leads me back to the question of figuring out what I want to do or what to pursue in grad school.
Military: I’ve strongly considered military and think I would enjoy it, and if I was single I’d probably do it. Plus, their background qualifications are very lenient compared to police departments. But leaving my wife and kid to go do 12 month tours in Afghanistan is not appealing to me, nor is moving my family all around the country.
Law: This seemed like a good option for me…at first. My mom went to law school and during that time I used to help her do case studies and research online and I really enjoyed it. Unlike math, where I hate to analyze numbers, I love to analyze cases, policies, the constitution, etc. However it’s no secret that most new law grads are unemployed or working at Starbucks do to the cut backs made by law firms and especially the oversaturation of the field which constantly pumps out more people with JDs than there are jobs available. And unfortunately, due to my GPA I won’t be one of those top 20 law grads but realistically would be looking to get in a regional Tier 2-3 school like University of San Diego, Santa Clara University or University of San Francisco. It will be very hard to compete with the UCLA and Stanford grads in this market. Not to mention the $150k loans I would be taking out for that.
Education: I really liked going to college and thus think I’d enjoy the teaching environment but from what I hear universities are veering away from full time positions and instead increasing the number of part time positions. Also, these jobs are very vulnerable to cut backs and to have any decent employment I hear you have to move around the country a lot, which I’m not willing to do because of my wife’s career and especially when my kid enters school.
Journalism: I like writing so I’ve thought about journalism/editor/author type stuff. I wrote a book a few years back and it was published in a small regional market. However, I did it because I like to write, not for money, and the dollar or two I made from each book barely even covered the expenses I paid to have it edited by a professional. Considering that 120,000 books are published each year in the U.S. and 70% of these books don’t make a profit, you literally have a better chance of being a famous pop singer than breaking into the book market and being the next Tom Clancey, which is what it takes to actually be able to live off of your book proceeds. As for journalism/editing, I know plenty of these people who are unemployed or doing freelance work that barely gets them enough $ to put Ramen noodles in their fridge.
Business: Business isn’t what it used to be because of the economy but I could always take an entry level sales or administrative position and work my up somewhere. However, I’ve never had an interest in corporate America. It’s just incredibly boring and soul sapping, at least for me. But I guess I have to feed my kid right?
Construction: This is probably my number one fall back plan. I worked for my uncle for several years doing construction before I decided to go to college. I could go work for him again and this time have him teach me the business in and out and maybe even I could take it over one day since I know he’s looking to retire this decade. Its not like I’m passionate about that work but I really don’t mind doing it. It’s kind of fun using my hands and being outdoors. But my parents (and wife) hate this idea. They say I’m “too smart” to be a construction guy for the rest of my life.
I have no idea what to do. Please give me your opinions.
I don't think more school is really a good option for you, you don't know what you want to study anyway. I suggest you just get a job, any job...and work...you might hate it, and that will then rule out that as a career, and you will look for something else...After all, my current job...no one even knows what it is really, ( I work with blind and deaf adults, and train them to use adaptive equipment) and prior to this I did unemployment adjudication...does anyone really go to school with that career as a goal? No...I was just offered the job, so I took it...and that became a career for me for a few years...until I decided to do something else.
Last edited by jasper12; 06-24-2011 at 03:49 PM..
Reason: edit
If you enjoy construction, why not go with that? Half the battle is finding something you enjoy. If you are passionate about your job, chances are you will absorb the knowledge much quicker, and become an expert in your field. These are the guys that get paid well for their time, because they can get the job done correctly, time and time again. If you pick something because of the money, and you only become average, your going to make enough to live, and that's about it.
With the options you listed construction sounds like the best option for you - especially, the fact that you attempted to "shop" the idea to your family says that there's something there with it to you. And, you won't be "just construction" it sounds like you'd be putting sweat equity into your own eventual business.
Construction sounds like the best idea. It takes some "smarts" to build properly. You could eventually have your own business and be well respected in the field. Maybe architecture might interest you? The people I know in construction, that really are interested in the art of building do well for themselves...
Construction sounds a good fit for you. Go with that. You already have considerable experience in this field. You will not need to get into more debt or shift your family around different parts of the country.
You may not enjoy it 100% at first, but still stick with it. Most of us don't get the exact career we wanted, but we adapt and grow to like it or at least tolerate it. If your wife and family think the career is too "blue-collar" for you, then you will just have to convince them that you are not going to be a construction worker for the rest of your life! That's what they are probably thinking, isn't it.
Before you start working for your uncle, have THE TALK. Clear out everything, your aims and expectations. Don't leave anything to assumptions just because he is family.
And again, whatever you start, just stick with it. Work hard and learn more about the industry. Make sure you don't end up in a dead-end job.
In this economy, with the cost of school and the risk of debt, construction does seem like a decent opportunity for a decent living, once/if the market picks back up. Right now my uncles business is hurting pretty bad. He didn't have any jobs last year, and this year he has finally started to get jobs again, even though they aren't big ones. I think it will pick up eventually (hopefully) but even if it did and I decided to pursue this, I would literally have to work as a day labor for about $11 per hour until (if) my uncle seriously wants to retire and have me take over the business, which could be in 5 years, but more than likely 10 years, and maybe even never, if his son ever decides to step up to the plate(which he probably won't). Living on $11 per hour in coastal California for the next 10 years will be a nightmare. I could do it for a limited time, but not a decade.
It seems like if you aren't into computers, engineering or business, having a good career is a crap shoot. Those of us who like law and history and political science are doomed to fight over the dwindling careers in education, public service and law, meaning most of us will end up broke or unemployed.
It seems like if you aren't into computers, engineering or business, having a good career is a crap shoot. Those of us who like law and history and political science are doomed to fight over the dwindling careers in education, public service and law, meaning most of us will end up broke or unemployed.
You are so right about this.
Seems like working for your uncle is not a good option either then. Especially because you are assuming he is going to retire and he has a son. Sure the son may not be interested right now, but you never know!
Imho, try to get into a large company in whatever position is available and try to work your way up. These companies usually have internal exams for promotions and since you have a degree it will count for something. But for the next few years, its going to be a hard ride.
Have you considered maybe stating up your own tutoring business? Since you're considering the education field, this would be another good option. A business-savvy private tutor can make good money, and there aren't really any start up costs (except for advertising).
Seems like working for your uncle is not a good option either then. Especially because you are assuming he is going to retire and he has a son. Sure the son may not be interested right now, but you never know!
Imho, try to get into a large company in whatever position is available and try to work your way up. These companies usually have internal exams for promotions and since you have a degree it will count for something. But for the next few years, its going to be a hard ride.
I think/fear this is going to be my only real option for a good career. The lawyer job outlook has gone down the toilet in the last 20 years and the tuition just keeps going up, higher education jobs are nill, public safety-at least in my state-is on hiring freeze, writing/editing jobs are a pipe dream, even nursing and med assistant jobs are ultra competitive nowadays and physician or software engineering careers require too much schooling at my age and way too much math. I feel like I'm living in Russia right after the collapse of the USSR. I better go brush up my Excel skills and try to get in with some company.
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