Your Job

[volk68]

I agree.  Being able to enjoy your job is important, because you are going to spend more time at work than at home.  If you hate your job, you're basically going to hate 70 hours of your life every week (and in some cases, more).  On the other hand, it is called work for a reason, and very few people will ever have a job that they love ALL the time.  It's a balance.

Myself, I work in radio.  I have been in radio since I graduated from college almost 9 years ago.  The pay isn't going to make you rich, but the work (up until recently) has been pretty diverse and interesting.  The plus side of this business is that it is possible to get payed to talk, play music, build/repair computers, hang out at parties, and get lots of free stuff.  The drawbacks are long hours (as everyone in the chat room can attest to), low vacation time, huge egos, and at the management level, very high corporate pressure.  Corporate pressure has really cranked up at my job over the last several months, and several of us are contemplating a mass exodus.

If I could do things over, I would probably have pursued my video editing/animation skills a little harder than I did.  I have always enjoyed video editing and 3D animation, but the market was very hard to get into.  I just missed a position at NBC and have been in radio ever since.  I'm not sure the market is what it used to be though, since it's pretty easy to create high quality video work from almost any new PC these days.  Still, if I could get into that business, I would do it in a heartbeat.

[ChgrSteve67]

I think for a lot of us our current job chose us, we did not choose it.
The lucky ones got chosen buy a job that they love to do.

The suck part of life is that the job we think we would love to do usually requires lots of money to learn how to do it or knowing the right people.

Try to find a job that you would love to do and see how much it pays, then find another job to live on while persuing the job you would love to do.
When the job you would love to do supports your life style quit the other job.

The sad part... You usually don't get a life during this time.

As for myself.
I worked as a warehouseman and went to school to learn computers. Now I work on computers for a living and hate it.
I think how great it would be to work on cars (restoration or custome) for a living but I hate working on cars.
I would love to be a Billionair but that takes money.
Going back to school to learn something else? I'm not willing to give my life back up at this time so I guess I'll continue working on computers.

My 2 Cents

[BigBlockSam]

a lucky man is a man that is happy when he gets up to go to work. try to do something that makes you happy. Rene

[69bananabeast]

the best thing like a lot of people have said is find something you really like to do and run with it. I love working  with cars so here I am half way donw with my associates in autobody collision/refinishing technician. One of my teachers already offered me a job in the summer to be an Estimating Apprentice for$30K a year in his shop.  I wouldn't recommend waiting to take school either , but I also wouldn't recommend taking too many classes without knowing what direction you want to go in.  1) You waste your own time by taking classes that you dont really need  2) Also wasting money by taking classes that you dont need 3) Finally , by  being in a class that you dont need keeps another student from participating in that class who actually needs it.
One thing to keep in mind , My dad once told  me " Son , if you ever wake up and say Oh $hit I have to go to work is the day that you need to look for another job"

Hope some of this helps

[hemihead]

Army,Navy,Air Force,Marines...

[ChargerBill]

This is about the BEST resource I've found for listing majors & various careers...I've spent about 5 hrs on this site. It explains what you will be concentrating on in the major course of study you choose and also describes the basic ins and outs of a a particular career, how in demand it will be and the average income you can expect to make. I really wish something like this existed when i was heading off to college.

Suggestion: Look at careers FIRST to figure out what you might be interested in and then find the major course of study needed to get into that field.

CollegeBoard.com
http://www.collegeboard.com/csearch/majors_careers/profiles/

[dkn1997]

be a pimp.  bitches, bentleys, and benjamins....

[Lowprofile]

a lucky man is a man that is happy when he gets up to go to work. try to do something that makes you happy. Rene

Well said, Rene.  I have been a Truck Driver/ Owner-Operator for over twenty years. For me, there's probably nothing else I'd like to do. I don't think I could ever "punch the clock" again. My advice, like Rene's........find something that you love to do.   Good Luck!

[hemi68charger]

After high school, I joined the Air Force active duty, got out after Desert Storm and went to school to become a geophysicist... That's what I do and am.. A geophysicist working in the oil/gas service world...

I'm also a Air National Guardsmen,,,,, couldn't get the military out of me when I separated from active duty.. Been able to take advantage of trips to Spain, Hawaii, Denmark and more recently, Iraq.. 

Definitely take an assessment test or at the very least, talk with your college counselor...

Good luck...
Troy

[HAZZARDJOHN]

 I work at Kentucky Fried Chicken, I sell biscuits and gravy all over the Southland. 

[472 R/T SE]

I, too, agree with bull.  I thought I was burned out from school and turned down a free ride thru school drafting, architectural. 
At least try and go one year after high school to help make a better decision if you have any doubt.

My choice wasn't too bad for not heeding my peers advice.   I started moving heavy equipment in the oilfield out of high school.   Before I retired, the last ten years I worked as an Operating Engineer, fancy name for a crane operator/oiler.  I most definitely would have retired at retirement age if I had a choice. Something different everyday which is a plus for me.  I get bored quickly.  Plus,I got to drive a new 2 million dollar crane around.  I think I enjoyed the physical aspects of building the cranes and dismantling them the most.
The pay wasn't too bad either,  .