Choosing your career?

Matt414
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952
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St. Petersburg , FL US
Edited Date/Time 1/25/2012 11:53am
Random thought I've had in the back of my head for a few weeks. If you had it all over to do again, no real limitations...... What would you do? What would you go to school for? What would you want to do? If you could start over again, not have to worry about how much college cost, what would you do? If you could pick what you want to be when you grow up, what would it be?
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5/14/2008 10:49pm
If I could do it all over again I would be a forest ranger, game warden, or fishing guide Living in the boonies somewhere making enough to live and fish while living in a little cabin and banging the waitress at the local greasy spoon. I f*cked up thinking money (at least the pursuit of it) = happiness.
rucka356
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1064
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Knoxville, TN US
5/15/2008 5:46am
Contract/Project Manager for the government. Good over paying job, that does not require you to be any good at it. Once your in your in. As long as your good at wasting tax payer dollars you will have a job because your project never gets done
tuz371
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685
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Chalfont, PA US
5/15/2008 5:54am
I think earth moving or maybe carpentry related would have been a good fit for me. My dad and older brother are both Civil Engineers and I, for some reason, thought that would be a good choice for me. The pay is good but man I don't like what I do.

In reality, I am not a motivated individual. I don't like having to supervise others and guess what I get to do? I would rather putz along at my own pace doing something that is not considered a job. I guess that would describe RETIREMENT!! Now I just have to get through the next 30 or so years.......
txmxer
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Weatherford, TX US
5/15/2008 6:03am
ha tuz...how many engineers do I know that feel exactly like that?

They like the technical parts (generally speaking) but hate the business side. Unfortunately, most of what we do is actually on the business side.


If I could do it over??? I don't know. I do like to work with my hands and be closer to the actual project work...sitting at a desk is tough for me. But, that's what I do now.

But, doing actual labor for pay is tough life. And, like anywhere else, to make money, you eventually have to supervise others.

If I had been really wise, I know that I would have scrimped and saved as much as possible and stayed far away from debt early on. A little bit of savings in your 20's means a lot more options in your 30s and 40s.

The Shop

CR250Rider
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Moses Lake, WA US
5/15/2008 6:06am
Passed on being a software developer in '82. DOH!
Trinitite
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Pittsburgh, PA US
5/15/2008 6:08am
I would have went to law school. I chose grad school over law school and I regret it now.
dougie
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Temecula, CA US
5/15/2008 6:11am
If I could do it all over again I would be a forest ranger, game warden, or fishing guide Living in the boonies somewhere making enough...
If I could do it all over again I would be a forest ranger, game warden, or fishing guide Living in the boonies somewhere making enough to live and fish while living in a little cabin and banging the waitress at the local greasy spoon. I f*cked up thinking money (at least the pursuit of it) = happiness.
Good one EMD. That was actually sorta poetic. I like the idea of not too many people in my life, being in the outdoors daily, and bangin' the local waitress sounds good (at least the one in my mind) Wink

Or maybe a White Water rafting guide, or maybe owner of a small charter business (own your own Schooner) and shuttle people around the Carribean or South Pacific.

5/15/2008 6:12am
I'm just getting started in my life and I think after lots of deciding and go arounds the career that I'm getting in to is the one that fits me best, Firefighting.
Larry
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Fayetteville, GA US
5/15/2008 6:14am
I would have become an F-1 driver.
5/15/2008 6:34am
Larry wrote:
I would have become an F-1 driver.
Like Juan Pablo Montoya?
jtomasik
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Golden, CO US
5/15/2008 6:51am
I would've jumped on the opportunity early to work abroad (like Taiwan, China, maybe in Europe). If I was single now, I'd go for employment elsewhere and enjoy our planet and the different cultures.
Tiki
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Corona, CA US
Fantasy
5/15/2008 7:00am
Matt414 wrote:
Random thought I've had in the back of my head for a few weeks. If you had it all over to do again, no real limitations...
Random thought I've had in the back of my head for a few weeks. If you had it all over to do again, no real limitations...... What would you do? What would you go to school for? What would you want to do? If you could start over again, not have to worry about how much college cost, what would you do? If you could pick what you want to be when you grow up, what would it be?
What would I want to do? Fighter Pilot. Its what I wanted to do back when I was a kid. When you wear Coke Bottom Glasses, the Navy say "How'd ya like to work on Jets?"

If I could do it over, I would have gone into the military and become a surgeon. Put in 20 years, and retire to ride MX and Golf my years out.
APLMAN
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439
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East Wenatchee, WA US
5/15/2008 7:05am
I'd have definitely went to medical school. I didn't come from a wealthy family, though, and my parents and I all just assumed that their wasn't really any financial help with stuff like that. I just wasn't confident enough to explore the possibilities that existed back then.
KTM boy 137
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Brittlecreek, IL US
5/15/2008 7:10am Edited Date/Time 4/16/2016 6:58pm
I'd probably become a lawyer, or head straight to grad school for psychology (or double major in law & psychology).

I wanted to be a lawyer from ages 8-18. I decided I didn't want to when I was 18 because of all the school. by the time I was a junior/senior in college I realized it wasn't so bad, and that law would've been a fun venture.

I went with psychology because I could pass all the classes without much effort. The combination of both would've been a great combo.

Gladly though, my wife is urging me back to school (as she's going back to become a sonogram technician) so I guess those options are still open to me, although it'd be much tougher now.

And amidst all this - I still want a career as a professional musician (but with education to fall back on)
5/15/2008 8:17am
An adventure consultant would be an awesome job, I would love to take month long treks through nepal and to the tops of Mt. Everest, while teaching people how to survive and find new ways to look at life
Cygnus
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Hanover, CO US
5/15/2008 8:29am
I own a MX track . I wouldn't change anything.
5/15/2008 8:32am
CR250Rider wrote:
Passed on being a software developer in '82. DOH!
I took that route.
Made more money in years 1999 - 2001.
pay has dropped quite a bit, job security dropped, jobs are being done in India now for a fraction of the cost. Soon as that avenue dries up, we'll go to China for cheap developers.
motogeezer
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Yorba Linda, CA US
5/15/2008 10:23am
I would have tried harder to convince my starving bandmates that we should wait for offers from other companies before signing our publishing rights away to Chrysalis.

That contract pretty much ended my rock and roll career.

Now that I think about it, though...

Had we held out for the rumored offers from Virgin and Geffen, and I had become a full-fledged rock star, my family life would have taken a big hit.

Good news though, we're putting the finishing touches on a recording studio that my brother and I decided to build at our office.

So, if all turns out according to plan, I'll be back in the music biz soon.

Hopefully, I can help some aspiring young musicians to avoid the mistakes I made (and make some money, too.)


tuz371
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Chalfont, PA US
5/15/2008 11:08am Edited Date/Time 4/16/2016 6:58pm
Cygnus wrote:
I own a MX track . I wouldn't change anything.
Why don't you just rub everybody's nose in it?

You should at least give all (or at lesat most of us) Motodrive/VitalMX family members free lifetime passes to your place. You should always take car of family first!!! Cool
TJ
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389
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8/15/2006
Location
Queen Creek, AZ US
5/15/2008 11:34am Edited Date/Time 4/16/2016 6:58pm
I'd have never left the Air Force & would be set to retire at the end of this year. I've made a lot of money, comparatively speaking, in the 10 years that I've been out, but it really doesn't matter. The adventures I had, the life-long friends I made, and the places I've seen cannot be compared to the almighty dollar. Then again, it's hard to compare the times I've had with my kids since then, so maybe I did make the right choice. PS - Tiki, I got an incentive flight in an F-4 Phantom years ago, & it was definitely a highlight of my career. Those guys definitely have a sweet gig. That being said, I still preferred CCT. Nothing like it in the world...//TJ
5/15/2008 11:58am Edited Date/Time 4/16/2016 6:58pm
I would have actually gone to college and then started a career in COMMERCIAL construction instead of RESIDENTIAL construction.

If I had to pick something and it all payed the same, I'd go back to machining or drilling water-wells. I like to work alone. It's just tough to raise a family on $13/hr.
zjbell
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CA, CA US
5/15/2008 12:01pm
bus driver.
Crash82
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MONTGOMERY, AL US
5/15/2008 12:08pm
I would go to AWU....
FreshTopEnd
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Sacramento, CA US
5/15/2008 12:25pm
I have enjoyed my career; I'm not sure I would do anything different in the past. I do wish my health issue hadn't come up, because I could see myself doing some things different going into the future, but I am very much captive to the health benefits I would likely lose and not recover in a new gig.
volcati
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Dam Mam QA
5/15/2008 12:28pm
Become a history professor at a small private college.
kdx man
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1065
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Kearny, NJ US
5/15/2008 1:14pm
I cant say that I regret many of my decisions, but I guess I look back and wonder what if...

-I took college seriously

-never wasted money getting a degree that I dont use. Those are 4 years I'll never get back, that I could have used doing what I do now. Most of the people who do what I do are about 4 years younger.

-I went to lawschool? Could have taken over the family lawfirm.

-Carpentry and construction for years trying to make money and save while in school took a bad tole on my body. I'm only 25 and my right knee is totally fucked, my back is always sore, and a host of other things.


I figure I'm going to give myself a few more years in the music business and if I cant make it into something great then I will find something else that allows a comfortable life for my future family.
5/15/2008 2:23pm
I wouldn't have bothered wasting 4 years right out of high school changing my major twice a year in college. Working full time would have been much better for me, and probably would have given me time to actually think about what kind of career I want. Now I'm older than most college undergrads, have no solid plans and no degree, and pretty much do nothing. Hurray.

I am going back to undergrad in the fall but I still have no idea what kind of career to pursue. Gonna work on a BA in Behavioral Science and maybe eventually a masters in Sexuality and Gender Studies, which a couple schools I know of have a program in. I guess that leads to a career in some kind of counseling, which I really don't want to do, but hey. There's not much I can think of that I _do_ want to do.

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