How did you decide what you wanted to do with your life? (career)

While I realize that my wife and I may be exceptions to the rules... neither of us really chose our career paths... but by keeping an open mind and taking some risks we evolved into them.

I studied engineering in school (to be specific I had a double major in nuclear engineering and political science). I felt the combination gave me a good grounding in a hard science (and the math and learned ability to think logically) while the liberal arts side gave me a good "classical" education. From that sort of base, you find you have many options.

It didn't take me long to realize that I wasn't really cut out for a "pure" engineering career, so I used what I had learned to branch out more into the business side... making up for what I didn't know about business with the technical information and ability to understand new concepts and adapt to them.

This sort of flexibilty (combined with a solid educational base) allowed me to prusue unique opportunities as I went along AND to change career fields completely a couple of times... bringing a unique combination of skills and experiences that set me apart from the more mainstream competition.

(Recently a group of us, all in town for an executive level sales presentation to a potential customer, had lunch together. We were all surprised at each other's backgrounds... of the four of us, three were engineers (nuclear. chemical, and biomedical) with the fourth being a nurse by education. Maybe the "unique" had pushed each of us to the top in our respective specialties?)

My wife had similar experiences... starting out as a nurse, branching out, and becoming a nationally-recognized expert in research ethics... again bringing a set of unique perspectives and experiences into a monolithic field. But you don't move from being a nurse on a ward to doing something that differently without taking a lot of risks.

My advice is to get a good solid education (including a lot of "hard" science and some significant liberal arts ) to be well-rounded... and see where that leads you. If I had to do anything differently, I'd have included more business classes.

In the medical field, it seems the most successful folks are on the business end... but with a scientifically heavy base (whether that be medicine, engineering, etc)

If you look at the leading CEOs in some of the world's largest businesses, you'll see that many (most?) of them began in a hard science.

Bill

 

I didn't "decide". I studied in what I couldn't justify but liked. When I started 4 years ago a Management/International Commerce BBA, i had no idea what to expect and couldn't figure out why I liked it those courses so much. I still am not sure, but I just graduated, am starting work in june, and have rarely been that excited, and really looking forward to it.
Maybe in 10 years, I'll say I was an idiot, but as of now, I'm really glad I dumped engineering for international commerce.

Bottom line I guess is go for what you know you actually want to do is several years time.

 

I didn't decide either, I just kind of landed in it. I got a business degree and had no preconceived notions of what to do.

 

i think you'll find a lot of people who go beyond just being another grunt 'just fell into' their careers.

when i was 8 my parents got a commodore64. it was really cool playing those games and stuff, but when my bro and sis were bored of it and i had no-one to play with i'd sit there and stuff around with the code of programs to see how they tick.

fast-forward a decade... i was just another grunt starting out a life of office mediocrity to pay the bills, but difference with me was i didn't complain about the systems we had to use to do stuff, i went and messed around with them and 'enhanced' them. i did this in half a dozen different werkplaces over a few years, and got to the stage where i found i was entirely rewriting little systems, and even creating new ones for the rest of the staff to make their werk easier.

fast-forward to a few years ago, i was now 'a systems developer' and i saw a gaping hole in the information systems available to folk in public transport, and decided to forego moderate-high paying contract jobs in order to control my own project from the ground-up. the system is now in place internally to our staff, but is awaiting beaureaucratic stuff to go public. once that's done... who knows what i'll do, i like creating systems that make lots of other people redundant.

 

Decide? I never decided. I followed the money.

My advice to you is to look at what you know and like and start devoting a good bit of time to figuring out a means of starting your own business in that field.

A very wise man once told me "There are two paths to wealth, employees or tenants. Both suck".





Terry

 

I like that....

 

When I started checking out books from the library on the history of the Morgans, the Rothschilds, the Caryle Group and more recent economic history I figured that I wanted to do something in that sector.

But I also wanted to blow stuff up, so Army first. Finance later.

 

I knew what I liked to do for free, and for fun. I'll never forget the exileration I felt when people began paying me to do what, until then, was just a passion of mine. (flying airplanes, it was the only thing I knew I COULD do!)

 

I'm in your shoes man. Something i realized i absolutely hated and wouldn't be able to stand was english. I hate BS'ing papers that have to be ten pages long when i could put damn near anything into a single page. Therefore i figured out i never want to take another english class the rest of my life, why, because i hate it. ANother hting i realized is that i like building things when i was little all i did was play with legos and create things and had the best of times. So i figure engineering is a good starting point. I also like the straightforwardness of math, it is so simple, you just have to understand the concepts and apply them.

I'm taking an engineering class right now that is teaching me what it is really like in the real world, im not just playing with cad, but i am learning how to solve an actual problem. Not only would this class help me in my future job(s) but it also has a valuable life lesson.

In all honesty i can tell you this - find something you absolutely love. and it won't be a job, and don't let it turn into a job or else you've lost your passion for that subject.

So by cancelling out the negatives of what you don't like and adding the positives of what you do like, you can figure out what kind of profession to choose.

Good luck man!

 

I did decide. I picked something that I figured would pay decent and that I was good at.

It wasn't what I wanted to do for the rest of my life which was being a musician; I figured I'd try to do both, but after many, many years of frustration, I finally let the misic thing go. Sometimes I miss it, but I hate doing anything half-assed.

From the music side of things, I did learn some great skills which helped me out in my professional career: dealing with conflct, working with groups of individialus, public speaking, etc.

 

When I discovered who Hugh Hefner was

 

Years ago, I read a statistic that said 78% of the American public are in jobs that they tolerate or dislike. I decided then, I did not want to be in that majority. So I followed my heart, something I was passionate about. It was tough at first, but the rewards that came later, both monetary and psychic, have made up for the hard times.

 

I've alwyas wanted an exciting job. Nothing like an office manager, accountant, and stuff like that. Internation Arms Dealer--now there is a job for me, living life on the edge.

 

I have never known what I wanted to do. When I graduated last year I just took the first job I was offered. Been there for 7 months now and I don't hate it, but I want out. I'm far too intelligent, nor did I go to college to sit at a computer and type in some addresses to find out appraisal rates and real estate comps.

I need a challenge. When things slow down around the office I'm going to talk to my dad's stock broker about investments and working in that field. I've always been pretty laxed when it came to working, but I guess that was b/c I never had a real job. Nor did I realize, until now, it's the challenge I really need to succeed.

 

what makes you think being a stockbroker is any more stimulating? it's a sales job... you're spending 90% of your time cold calling, trying to get leads and buliding relationships... not picking out an investment portfolio..

 

We are in this situation now with our daughter, she doesn't really know what field to pursue, she was thinking Physical Therapy, but my wife talked to our Dr. the other day, he said Radiology is the way to go...

 

Not necessarily a stock broker, just work in that field. My dads broker said she would talk to me about different avenues I could take. Right now it's all of interest, I have yet to even begin the pursuit.

I'm not saying it will be satisfying, but I won't know unless I give it a go. Even if it is a sales job, it's a challenge. I'm looking for something to test myself and better myself.

Like I said, I have no clue what I want to do. Unless I take a chance on something I won't know what I like. I just know I don't like what I do now, nor do I want to turn real estate appraising into a career.

Whisky, I've heard radiology is a good field. A guy I graduated high school with is doing that now. I haven't seen him since he was about half way through the training, but I do remember him saying the money was good and he was enjoying it a lot.