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It's a get by on in a new town until something better happens position.
Or a pay the bills until school is over and the hours work position.
Or a need some extra cash part time job position.
Quote:
Do you guys think I should try switching career fields for awhile?
I think you should first find an actual career (or some sort).
Even if you had a real career position you should expect some a change up in that.
It's not uncommon for people to go back to school an change careers 3 times before retiring.
Sometimes, the devil you know is better than the devil you don't know. There is nothing keeping you from exploring your options, but perhaps if you are good at what you do now, you should find a way to continue on the path you are on, but in less of a pressure cooker atmosphere.
Do you just go from sous chef to Boeing? Do you have an aeronautical engineering degree you aren't telling us about?
Sometimes, the devil you know is better than the devil you don't know. There is nothing keeping you from exploring your options, but perhaps if you are good at what you do now, you should find a way to continue on the path you are on, but in less of a pressure cooker atmosphere.
Do you just go from sous chef to Boeing? Do you have an aeronautical engineering degree you aren't telling us about?
No, I don't have any type of aerospace degree. But there is a big boeing plant in my city and I have a few friends and extended family that work there and I was thinking about giving it a shot. But like you said I'm pretty good at what I do now but I just don't want to be in a position where I'm in my 30's (I'm 20 now) and look up one day and think damn I should have done something different.
What area do you live in? $18/hr will get you by, but it's not what I would consider a career level wage. I would look to some other form of work if you're having doubts at this point in your life. Think of how many years it took that 37 year old cook to reach $18/hr. Probably doesn't have much put away for retirement and will be working past the traditional retirement age to get by.
The only reason I would recommend sticking with this work long term is if you plan to open your own restaurant in the future. That comes with it's own challenges, and it's anything but secure, though the upside is greater than what you have right now.
The big advantage you have right now is that you can work part time while attending some form of secondary education. I guess the big question would be, what interests you? Do you want to open a restaurant one day, or do you want something else?
You mentioned Boeing... You can't simply show up and expect a position there. Most of their new hires possess some form of in demand skill set up and above a pulse. Depending on your interest, you could take trade classes and work to gain some relevant experience. Expect 4-5 years of work/school before you will have an appreciable skillset that would be useful for them. CNC machining is a popular choice, and there is solid demand for them (good ones) at Boeing. You could also attend engineering school if you're good enough at math and don't mind 4 years of college.
Be advised... Boeing has been eliminating jobs for years. Much like other manufactures, their goal is to do as much as they can with as few workers as possible. They have also been eliminating in house jobs in favor of outsourcing work to various suppliers around the country. You could make good money working for one of Boeing's many suppliers, but it would be a far cry from a Boeing wage. Oh yea, and those jobs are not immune from elimination either...
It's a jungle out there. Good luck in your pursuits.
YES! If you're unhappy now, it's only going to get worse as you get older. I don't know what your plans are, but even if you had your own restaraunt, it would be even more work and being on your feet all day in your twenties, is very different from doing it when your forty! If you can, go back to school, college, trade school, anything to increase your value in the workforce. If you're not ready for that then, try Boeing but I have a feeling that won't be easy either. Things only get more complicated when your older, marriage and kids have a way of changing things and you never know what life is going to throw at you. People always say: "it's never too late!" but sometimes it is, the time to make a move is NOW! They say when choosing a career path, you should do something that you enjoy so much, you would do it for free. If you don't know what you want to do, start with what you like! Good luck.
You've still got time to change; are you in college? As for your 37 year old co-worker it's probably the stress that makes him look like 45. Continue working until you find another job something that you enjoy. Good luck.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MrRational
This is NOT a career position.
It's a get by on in a new town until something better happens position.
Or a pay the bills until school is over and the hours work position.
Or a need some extra cash part time job position.
I think you should first find an actual career (or some sort).
Even if you had a real career position you should expect some a change up in that.
It's not uncommon for people to go back to school an change careers 3 times before retiring.
I changed careers at age 40 and again at 57, enjoyed all 3 but really love this last one. Started the first at age 22, out of graduate school. For someone age 37 $18/hour is not good money, that's the time when people will have several kids that will need to go to college and $36/hour is pushing it. You are at a good age to be able to get additional education and/or training for a career that you can stick with and have a comfortable income.
like it or not a lot of the population manage to get by on much less than $18 per hour. I'm not saying anyone should settle for a dead end job... everybody should follow their dreams... but it's doable.. perhaps not in Seattle or San Francisco or NYC...
The problem with starting over is it takes money..college is expensive.... but if you do the math and have the persona to succeed in your new field go for it... I'm lucky enough to have blue collar work that pays more than $18. Not much more though. I could make up to $24 at my place of employment if I changed positions.
Sadly we will never have the standard of living our parents and grandparents have, where they could survive on one income manufacturing things back when america made stuff, before the technological revolution and the art of automation. Unless your relatives just happen to buy or inherit a lot of land.. really getting a head for someone without a lot of money is somewhat tough these days... the rich get richer and the middle class stagnate... they work more and more hours for less and less money as the rich get richer and richer... something will break eventually.. you can only beat a dead horse for so long before it will not get up no matter how much it's beaten...
something will happen to redistribute the wealth again...
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