Posts
13
Joined
2/26/2013
Location
IE
Edited Date/Time
2/27/2013 4:55pm
Hi everyone,
I'm 13 and i know I've got a lot of time to think about my job when I'm older but I don't really want to spend much time in school and when I'm about 17 or 18 i want to move out to America (SoCal to be precise) but I'm not sure about what job i want.
I love working on my bike and in Ireland every time you ride your bike gets VERY muddy and dirty... I obviously spend a lot of time working on cleaning my bike/gear and keeping them well maintained. So i don't mind getting my hands dirty but I know that engineers/technicians don't make a lot of money in the Moto industry. I was also thinking about becoming a graphics designer or something because according to my reports I'm quite good at that!
I'm 13 and i know I've got a lot of time to think about my job when I'm older but I don't really want to spend much time in school and when I'm about 17 or 18 i want to move out to America (SoCal to be precise) but I'm not sure about what job i want.
I love working on my bike and in Ireland every time you ride your bike gets VERY muddy and dirty... I obviously spend a lot of time working on cleaning my bike/gear and keeping them well maintained. So i don't mind getting my hands dirty but I know that engineers/technicians don't make a lot of money in the Moto industry. I was also thinking about becoming a graphics designer or something because according to my reports I'm quite good at that!
Just breaking in to the moto industry is next to impossible, at least in the US. You'll be hearing much of the same from many others in here I guarantee you.
Yea i wouldn't mind staying in school its just I'm afraid of going to college and then missing out on a load of my riding!
I don't no what do do!!!
Ok seriously tho, I tried to get into this industry for years and I finally got into it lastyear, Thought I had found the job for me and Id never ever leave the industry. That was Feb. 2012 right before Dallas SX last year. Im no longer in the industry and I feel like ive lost alot of my passion and love for the sport. If you love moto and dont want to be burned out on it, keep you hobby and your career seperate. Just my .02 cents.
Alot of what we see on TV is FAR FAR different from what the riders, tracks, and environment are truely like in real life.
I am very thankful for all the cool things I got to experience but most of the time I wish I had never got into the industry because it tainted my love for the sport just a tad.
Good luck in your quest my friend. This was just my experience, im sure not everyone would agree
The Shop
I think i've made my mind up now thanks to you guys, stay in school and go to college and when i come back get a good job and start fresh in motocross and work hard to keep getting better.
I'm glad that everyones so helpful in the moto industry, thanks everyone!
My son is pursuing his dream in audio engineering and because he loves what he's doing he is in the top 5% of his class in a very prestigious school, known world wide for developing top notch engineers. The top students are scoped out by the top industry executives and he's pretty much ensured the job of his dreams. He went in thinking he'll not make big money, but will love his job, but now it appears the money will be there as well, all because he loves what he's doing.
Very Cool to hear
And most importantly, if you want to enjoy riding your entire life, warning, do not work in the industry, you will lose the fun factor. Going racing will mean your going to work, not play. Going to supercross means you will be working and not a fan enjoying the race. Working and playing in the same sectors does not work. I'm speaking for almost everyone on here..
there like a cat in a hole!! I would do what ever you can yo try as many
diff jobs while you are young, even if its cleaning chicken poop.!!
The responsibilty and respect you will build for yourself will last your
life time, you will be way ahead of the curve in terms of understanding hard
work and simple life style. When you go to college, you will by that time be
closer to figuring out who you are in life, and a career will find you, not the
other way. Dont be afraid to ask questions, and admit when you are wrong
Respect goes along way in life..
I never really thought about it that way, i'm going to go to college and try to get some seat time in on the bike to
Thanks everyone for your support!
Perfect age for asking.
1. As a first step, take school as a job, as if you prepare to be a MX champ'. Lots of dedication & sacrifices. You only have 1 shot, it is serious stuff, you may not become the most popular teenager but at least you should have a good life after school, with multiple choices. Important: do not push too much at your age (max: 55h a week) and keep the most (65-85h a week) for when you are starting the uni then starting your job; it is like SX, the start is critical, the holeshot & you take it all. To be able to do that, follow a schedule including nutrition, regular sport, and take your sleeping time as a great invest (memory).
2. Once you are in the top 5 at school (first or 2.1.), now or from 14, collect professional information: dedicate 2 to 4 hours a week to read student magazines/websites, follow the high school & university rankings, job descriptions, job market needs, etc. This will give you more information, to become a mechanic (technical A level + apprenticeship), an engineer (Bachelor then Master), a graphic designer (Bachelor then Master), or other, there are so many excellent specialized jobs out there. Unless your city is a good bargain in term of real estate, so you can get a good life with a technical A level degree, I would recommend to do studies, the salary is different (but the real estate can be too if you go to big cities). I was saying "take school as a job" but the return on investment can be interesting, just dedicating 3 years (Bachelor) to get double money, 2 more years (Master) to get double again, 3 years (Ph.D) then x1.5 again. That is normally a big difference in term of girls, housing, cars, holidays etc.
3. Summer holidays to make the difference: at your age, try to exchange with foreign teenagers. Go 1 month there, bring him 1 month, improve your foreign languages & open your mind. Once you can work, from 15-16, if you are not in apprenticeship with a technical A level, continue this exchange for shorter holidays & make your CV every 6 months. You will see it is empty at the beginning
5. All that will open you doors, so at that time you will be able to make a good choice. Many can tell you that MX is not a good field for jobs, I do not disagree, especially if you want to have good money. However, here it is a personal info, not an advice, but if I could do it again, I would follow my passion. The best salaries are in Banking/Finance, Medical/Surgery, and Business Law, overall it is even better than football players, TV/movie producers & Politics, but I must also say that these jobs are often boring, as well as extremely demanding in term of hours & pressure, it is not for everybody. To be happy, it is sometimes better to have less ambition. If you choose to go to Uni, I would recommend to go to the University of Dublin for the bachelor degree, to have a better credibility internationally, then find a good experience or a leadership program/graduate program/graduate scheme for 2-3 years, then try to do Master degree in a really good uni (i.e. MIT). It is currently an inflation time of good degrees, so do not hesitate to pass 1 or 2 Master degrees to make sure you will work wherever you want. For the Ph.D., I recommend to pass it within 5-10 years after your Master degree, it will give you a great job safety.
Good luck
Louis
Try to have fun doing your way, enjoy life too.
Do not "Bam Bam" too much (do not kill to make passes), I did it & sometimes you can carry a reputation a long time
All the info i needed thanks
I'm thinking you should become a design engineer for one of the motorcycle companies. Tell them of your riding passion, and tell them how you repaired, and maintained your own bikes. I have always thought that a smart mechanic would make the best engineer. I mean you have had your hand on it, you know what makes it tick. Use your education to fuel your passion.
Good luck, study hard, apply yourself..
I have said on here a few times, the fastest way to ruin something you love is make it your job. Don't get me wrong, I love what I do, but I am my own boss and do not have to go to every race and I don't. Even when I will do a couple week stretch (like this time of year), it's fly, hotel, track, fly, home, wash clothes, rinse, repeat. It's not glamorous. It's a lot of drudge work that no one sees..setting up the pit, the canopy, cleaning not just the bike, but everything including toolboxes, then the race day routine becomes this vapid routine, that at the end of the night, you likely only know who won, but didn't see any racing, because you were concentrating on your rider, team or job.
Living out of a suitcase and barely seeing any racing is not as rockstar as it looks.
Oh, and some of the behind the scenes stuff make those "Housewives of Beverly Orange Jersey" seem tame by comparison.
Pit Row
Max number of students per year is 60. Fair warning, the curriculum is GRUELING to say the least. Average of 6 days per week of classes for 11 months straight. (condensed course) You will graduate after one year as a licensed audio engineer.
Tuition is a whopping $32,700 Canadian dollars for the year, but like I said, it's a one year program and worth every penny according to my son.
http://www.oiart.org/
Fun: I made my way myself mostly without all these tricks and without being pushed by my parents, I did my way only for the challenge and it was really fun (not everyday) to see how high I could go, just like a sport. I have actually never put my bank account as a priority, for instance investing most of my funds in getting higher & better (as riders buy MX compounds), often refusing to settle down with a decent living (to get all the factory parts
Trust me.
...and yes, stay out of the industry unless you want to eventually not love the sport anymore. I never rode so little and sacrificed so much as when I was a part of it and I was not in it to make money, which even made all that worse.
Now I love Moto again as a super fan.
Yes learn a trade, if you are entrepreneurial and can sell, learn a trade and it will be more valuable than any degree these days. I have a degree and can say that my GC license is worth 100X my college degree.
The last biggie: stay out of trouble, don't have kids too early and write down your 1 year, 5 year and 10 year goals where you can see them daily and dont be shocked when you erase and change them every few months thats ok too.
Good luck!
Much respect J-Mac! Dream big, and chase them, dont let anyone get in your way.
I am very impressed with the replies in this thread! Well done dudes
...if only i could become 13 again.
Sorry to highjack thread but got carried away....
Now J_Mac, As a child I allways was a good student, just lazy, and because I didn't have very clear what I wanted to be in life, in high school I started to become an average student, anyways I finished high school and went to collego to study mechanical engenieer.... I only lasted three months there, I was not sure this is what I wanted to be, and I wanted to earn money, buy a bike and ride MX, I thought this way I would be a happy man.... not really, after two years I realized that I was able to do more with mi life, and I found what I really wanted to be, an architect. I went back to school... and I tell you what? my college years were the best years in my life, studiying doesnt have to be boring, you just have to find what you really enjoy doing. I become again a great student, getting deccent grades and the best part, it didn't feel like a job because I enjoyed doing this, and there is much more in the college life than studying, actually it is a pretty funny life ( just remember that the main reason you are there is to study, not to party...) there is time for everything. And here I am now in Spain, with a big crissis, having a good degree didn't guarantee me a great job (working as a freelancer with so little work that I almost pay more taxes than what I earn) but times will change and the situation will get better..... and if it doesn't..... I DONT REGREET AT ALL GOING TO COLLEGE!!! I knew lot of awsome and intelligent people, not only from Spain but from other countries, people that will be friends for life, I had lots of fun and memories that will never forget, I become a much better person, I got knowledge that I wouldnt have gotten working in construction where I worked before college.
So what I tell you is have fun in life, money is not everything but is important. Going to college does not have to be boring or hard if you enjoy what you are studiying. And even if you what studied does not give you a great job, it sure give you a better knowledge and understanding of a lot of other things than those related to your bachelor.
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