28 and dont know what job to do, any ideas? (self employed, degree, employer)

[nicoler09]

ive looked into some things like
-medical records assistant
-nurse
-teacher
-dental hygenist
-waitress

i guess some of these things would have more free time (which id probably spend trying some projects that could lead to self employment permanently) which is important to me
i dont completely hate teaching but i dont think im good at it, im not very good at explaining things, even though i would try to be helpful

i never had dreams to become a nurse or anything like that or working with medical records or in a dentists office
and it doesnt really excite me i feel like i would go to work miserable and i would get fired
and something like waitressing didnt go well last time, and it would just be temporary and not a career, and im looking for something that could become a career i guess

[jambo101]

There will come a point in your life where where you wont have the luxury of turning down jobs just because you feel you wont like them, there will come a point where you'll take anything available to make enough money to live. During my teens and 20's i would jump from job to job always hoping there was something better, at 30 i realized it was time to fold em and i got a good paying union job in a milk processing plant, for the next 30 years i moved 10,000 milk containers every night, i hated it but it paid all of lifes bills and now gives me a darn good pension.
My advice? get a truck drivers license , and get your life a rolling.
Ya cant always get what you want but you can get what you need.

[jobaba]

Are you attractive?

Marry a man who makes real good $ (150K+) and then you can do your blogs all you want and whatever $ you make can only help.

It might sound like a joke, but it's a very real reality among my social circle and extended.

[nicoler09]

Originally Posted by jobaba

Are you attractive?

Marry a man who makes real good $ (150K+) and then you can do your blogs all you want and whatever $ you make can only help.

It might sound like a joke, but it's a very real reality among my social circle and extended.

i wish i were that attractive, i know some people who have done that i think they are lucky

i guess im just average

[s1alker]

I'm about your age and still work the same dead end low wage shelf stocking job I had straight out of high school. Find something you're competent at and stick with it before you end up living with your parents the rest of your life. At least you said you were good at math, a subject I was totally hopeless in to the point where I never got past basics. When you're a socially awkward weirdo like myself your job prospects are quite limited unless you happen to be a genius in a certain area.

[plmokn]

Originally Posted by nicoler09

I studied engineering

Did you graduate? If so, don't give up on engineering. There is a wide variety of jobs available. It's OK money, fairly flexible hours, usually excellent benefits (I earned two master's degrees on the boss's dime) and loaded with pretty smart people with whom you interface. You'll start at $60K or so and with one strategic job change, you'll be making over $100K in less than ten years. And, with a 4% company match and a 8% rate of return you'll have $1.6M in your 401(k) after 40 years even if you only average a 2.5% raise every year.

Lots of cool and interesting jobs. I worked on the Space Station Electric Power System, F-14 Radar and Infrared Sensors, Missile Defense, and now flight control systems for passenger jets. Interesting stuff!

If you're a female, you're the queen bee. There's never a shortage of guys to socialize with and even if you don't want to socialize with guys at work, those guys have lots of friends.

You can always do you hobbies on evenings and weekends because engineers don't often work much more than 40-45 hours a week.

Most engineering careers have plenty of "Plan B" options too - if you hate your job or get laid off, chances are there's another job available in your metropolitan area.

I really like engineering and I am encouraging my four daughters to look in that direction. (Oh, by the way, I was a C student in undergrad too - you don't have to have perfect grades to find work.)

[michimaize]

You have an engineering degree and like film...what about lighting design or sound engineering, architectural acoustics? Stage design?

[statisticsnerd]

Originally Posted by nicoler09

i really dont know what to do
i have tried full time and part time jobs before and i couldnt keep them and got fired completely no interest and it just felt like torture, and i had no motivation to come into work, i would come in an hour or two late, at work i would just surf the web because the work was so mind numbing
i have tried a job as a waitress, web programmer, quality assurance assistant, lab assistant

any advice?

From this day forward, promise yourself that you will do everything in your power to get to work on time. Set a target of 15 minutes early so if something happens (like bad traffic), you won't be late. As far as surfing the web, STOP IT! You are there to work, not to screw around! Don't beat yourself up for your past mistakes, just don't ever do them again.

Do whatever you can to get the highest paying job that you can handle. Forget the "follow your passion" garbage that a lot of people throw around. Let me tell you. I am an auditor and the work I do every day is mind numbing and monotonous. Most jobs are like that, and that is why they pay you. Work sucks! I'm afraid that's just how it is.

The best you can do is spend very little, do your job well so you will keep it, invest like crazy, and hope that one day you may be able to retire. It sucks, but that's how it is.

[yellowbelle]

What about meeting planning?

How about concert/event planning (like at a casino or some other, smaller venue) - the people who book shows and carry out the details of what type of bottled water the act wants in their dressing room?

[The Shepherd]

Look, you only get one life to live and sometimes not a very long one at that. If there's something you really want to do then do it. Find a way to make it work for you. People like to cite bills and family responsibilities as reasons why you can't pursue this or that. Those are people who settled. Don't ever settle. Better to die trying than to die doing something you don't like. There are people out there who found what they love and make a decent living doing it. So why can't you? I'm one of them.

I followed my passions and have never had a problem. My passions have led me to work for others and for myself. All profitable. I don't like my current job but I don't regret taking the job and giving it a try either. And the money I'm making has allowed me to save up for my next move. The idea I'm going to stick with this job for 30+ years just so I can pay a bill and collect a pension is ridiculous.
Not my kind of attitude. And don't let the fear of failure stop you. Another settling mindset. I've failed plenty of times but what successful person hasn't? The successful people in my life all have stories of failure and they have no regrets. I certainly don't regret mines.

So keep going. Keep trying, keep failing and keep getting back up. One day you'll get back up and it will be the last time you will have to do so.

Good luck!