How did you decide which career to pursue?

"Frank Grimes" (FrankGrimes)
04/08/2014 at 23:03 • Filed to: None

I have taken all the career tests and career exploration courses and cannot find anything that interests me. I am at like 130 credits at my university and am lost and going to school without a plan sucks.

DISCUSSION (27)

Jagvar > Frank Grimes
04/08/2014 at 23:05

My two greatest passions are cars and writing. So for me, that meant automotive PR/marketing. If you're good at something, there's often a way to apply it to the car industry.

Logansteno: Bought a VW? > Frank Grimes
04/08/2014 at 23:08

I'm going to be going tech school and high school at the same time for Automotive Diagnostics. I like learning how things work, and cars. So this would be putting those together and making a career out of it.

Zibodiz > Frank Grimes
04/08/2014 at 23:09

What are your interests? Do you enjoy working on a team, or are you more of a 'lone ranger'?

48 Spoons > Frank Grimes
04/08/2014 at 23:12

I was lucky an knew what I wanted to do before going to college. Had always been interested in computers and building stuff. Also got a taste of programming in HS which showed me that was what I wanted to do. From there I just got whatever job I could and went from there figuring out what I liked and didn't so I could focus my career since you can do like a million things with a CS degree.

Other advice I've heard is see what careers are in demand and see if you can see yourself doing it. Help to narrow things and if you like what you find you should be able to get a job with less problems than less in demand stuff.

Sorry for the rambling nature of this post.

Nick, Drives a Cobalt LT > Logansteno: Bought a VW?
04/08/2014 at 23:13

Look towards Diesel.....More money in Diesel, more job opportunity.

Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire > Frank Grimes
04/08/2014 at 23:15

I have always loved cars and making things, so I thought about becoming a mechanic, but my first advisor asked me a question. "So, 40 years from now would you rather have back aches from being constantly hunched over working on cars, or would you rather make them." So, that's how I chose mechanical engineering.

Logansteno: Bought a VW? > Nick, Drives a Cobalt LT
04/08/2014 at 23:16

I thought long and hard about Diesel vs Gas powered cars, because both programs are offered (at my school's expense) but it came down to, right now more companies are selling more gas powered cars than diesel. I might be able to do both programs if they're only a year long.

Nick, Drives a Cobalt LT > Logansteno: Bought a VW?
04/08/2014 at 23:19

Here is my argument for diesel.

The aberage age for a diesel tech is near retirement.

No diesel shops are flat rate.

You have so many choices to go with on diesel, from auto, to commercial, to trains, to whatever you want.

I'm in commercial diesel now, after a few years of the dealerships with Toyota, Subaru, Ford, and some small shops as well. Diesel is more fun I think

AthomSfere > Frank Grimes
04/08/2014 at 23:22

It chose me. I was always getting sucked into fixing computers and helping with bits of code and scripts. I didn't enjoy it as much as I was good at it. It came naturally to me. It slowly turned into a hobby and when I was a general manager for a fine dining restaurant I kept being converted to out in house national tech support guy, and simultaneously I won the Microsoft Most Valuable Professional award for a few years. So said screw 80 hour weeks, I am going to do what I have learned to love and what everyone has been telling me to do for years.

Logansteno: Bought a VW? > Nick, Drives a Cobalt LT
04/08/2014 at 23:23

I might have to ask about it. I could always take one course in high school and pay for the other one myself. You got me conflicted man!

Montalvo > Frank Grimes
04/08/2014 at 23:24

I am headed down the Mechanical Engineer route. I knew during middle school that is what I wanted to do and now almost into senior year in college I still feel just as strongly about it. A good way to go about it is to find something you really love and then find a major or occupation that is similar to it. Make a list of things that you would like a job to have and then compare that to what is out there. Start crossing off things that don't fit and eventually you will have a focused selection. If you are interested in a certain occupation you could also look at possible internships to get a feel for what each job would actually entail.

YSI-what can brown do for you > Frank Grimes
04/08/2014 at 23:29

I like cars, I am good at math, and I like learning about engines for some reason. So Mechanical engineering it was.

Although, I went into pharmacy at first. BAD CHOICE!! I hated it and ended up deciding to do ME. Should have decided from the start.

Frank Grimes > Frank Grimes
04/08/2014 at 23:34

I should add I suck at math amd good at art. I wish I ould just go with something like mech engineering but like I said I suck at math.

Leadbull > Frank Grimes
04/08/2014 at 23:34

I'm studying Geography because it's sweet. I like it, I'm good at it, and there are plenty of career opportunities that excite me (heavy breathing).

Don't worry about not knowing what to do. Just try different things and take whatever opportunities you get. I'm in my second year of college, and so far, I've attended two schools (will be three when I transfer in the fall). I tried to study Biomedical Pre-med crap for a while, then joined and quit AFROTC. Even though they didn't work out, I wouldn't trade those experiences for anything.

TheJWT > Frank Grimes
04/08/2014 at 23:37

My advice is to thoroughly think through what interests you, and what you would be happy doing for the rest of your life. I thought Architecture was for me but I didn't give it a lot of thought. Now I'm stuck doing something I really don't even enjoy.

D > Leadbull
04/08/2014 at 23:46

Damn, tell me about those transferring experiences. I'm seriously considering transferring to a school that offers ME after one more year here.

Leadbull > D
04/08/2014 at 23:58

Not too bad. Watch out for community college counselors, though. The ones here kind of suck... Transferring to this place from a university was a piece of cake, but transferring from it to another university has been a pain in the butt. They often don't take into account the fact that it's a two year college and people generally leave for other schools when they plan your classes. But it helps that all of this was in-state (Illinois). I'm sure your counselors will have transfer guides for specific schools, so ask them about that now, and not at the last minute like I did.

If you're not going to a community college, you can probably disregard all of that...

D > Leadbull
04/09/2014 at 00:04

Oh I'd be going from a UC to another UC or a CSU, no reason to leave the state. From what I hear, transfers from community colleges get priority over UC-to-UC transfers.

I mean the only thing I'm worried about is that I'll have completed zero ME-specific undergrad course by time I can transfer—math, physcis, chem, GE's: sure, but no major classes.

Leadbull > D
04/09/2014 at 00:08

What year are you? Unless you're an upperclassman, it shouldn't be too much of an issue. You might have to take a class or two over the summer, though. That's what I had to do when I switched from a science program to liberal arts.

D > Leadbull
04/09/2014 at 00:13

I'm in my last quarter of freshman year right now. I've been doing all the math I need, did gen chem (only part A of A,B,C—I might need to do more), and next year I'm gonna get my physics going.

I wonder if I can take some of the ME I missed at the local CC over summer (I know they have the program).. I have to see if it would transfer over to wherever I want to go.

Leadbull > D
04/09/2014 at 00:18

I don't see why it shouldn't. Unless you're wanting to take some obscure 400 level class your freshman year, the local college should have what you need.

Stef Schrader > Frank Grimes
04/09/2014 at 00:26

I'm not much help. I got bored of college, so I kind of stunk at it. I liked playing with cameras and herding people around student productions, so I sorta/kinda fell into marketing/project management after college. Film paid too little and was too reliant on freelance gigs to stick with, so I took my eye for "hey, this looks good" and "yeah, that'd get my attention" to more profitable fields.

Also, I like to hoon things, hence the writing shenanigans on the side. I really wish I could do that full-time and make enough to fund racecar funtime, but yeah. I need more racecar time, too, hence multiple jobs at once.

...

WHY CAN'T I BE PAID TO HOON PORSCHES?! Life sucks. /wrists.

f86sabre > Frank Grimes
04/09/2014 at 02:37

I've had a love of aviation since I was maybe 3 or 4. It's just always been there. I wanted to know how planes and spacecraft work, how they were built and how to fly them. After 4 years of college, and a suprising number of bad grades, I ended up with an aerospace engineering degree, a pilots license and a job that I am pretty good at where I get to do all kinds of amazing things with some of the best airliners out there.

TLDR: knew what I wanted, worked butt off to get it, got it and love it

Kinja'd!!!

sebdel > Frank Grimes
04/09/2014 at 02:39

I didn't know what to do either, so to me was a matter of "what am i good for?". I'm a graphic designer, I'm not really into graphic design that much, I don't like it all that much (wich sucks) but I know I'm good at it, so there's that. Is not the best way to go, but if you feel no passion for a career you might as well stop looking for something you like and look for something you are good at.

kanadanmajava > Frank Grimes
04/09/2014 at 05:49

I liked cars really early and decided to have a career related to automotive engineering. I knew that local industry doesn't have much possible jobs but I still wanted to try. My university studies were really long but after I graduated I managed to get hired into a research institute to do research on cars and trucks.

I didn't even have to move as my workplace is located 15 minutes from my home with a bicycle. I was really lucky to get this job.

My advice is that you should either get a profession that you really like or get a profession that pays so well that you can have fun in your free time.

samssun > Frank Grimes
04/09/2014 at 06:31

Truth is, you don't get to suck at math. Life requires it, and getting around that usually means making no money, or lucking out in a winner-take-all field like entertainment*.

Engineering, finance/economics/business, physics, and math all put you ahead of people with fake majors, even if you're not going into those fields. If you can tough out the math in college, you probably won't need it in your day to day job, so think of a B.S. as a general degree that opens more doors than a B.A.

(*There aren't any moderately-well paid artists, actors, musicians, or athletes because there's no market for anyone but the one-in-a-million, so even if you're one in a thousand you'll be a waiter for life.)

Mattbob > Frank Grimes
04/09/2014 at 08:03

I suck at math, and am now an electrical engineer. Hard work, there is no substitute.