how the hell do you pick a career??

[tripredacus]

I have mixed feelings about extra schooling due to the work I end up doing. I think very few of the courses in college were worth something to me, the rest is more like social interaction training. Also, for anything technology related, college and university courses are too far behind.

I had originally wanted to do something like graphics arts but ended up switching over to computers. It was the boom industry at the time and I was really into all things computing. Seems to have worked well for me.

[ignition365]

The things I learned in school didn't necessarily directly apply to my field, but I have found situations where I would be clueless without having taken each of those course, even if only for a few minutes.

They never really taught .NET or use of Visual Studio or SQL Server or really any Microsoft technologies, which in retrospect I wish they had.  But all of the Linux/Unix stuff I learned translates really well in a lot of situations.

[Warmsignal]

You could always go into business for yourself. Working for yourself is the American dream. Coming up with a product or service that is unique, or in high demand. But it's tough. A lot of small businesses fail. IMO, because they lack marketing and presence in their communities. You have to reach people, build relationships with your clients and stress the importance of keeping wealth in local communities.

[turom]

The only advice I can give you based on my own experience is you must be curious and not hesitate to go meet people to see what their job looks like. It can seem ankward at first but it's really worth it to make you realize what's the reality of a job, and it can create vocations.

10 years ago I felt I wanst' happy with my job - was working in supermarket's warehouse - so I went to a government service we have here in France that allows you to be a trainee for like 1 week in any company that accepts it, based on a career project. So you can go and see how people work, participate with them if it's possible and get the idea of what you want to do. It's something we usually already do as teenagers as part of the school course but doing it later as an adult it's very different, much more tangible.

So I made some papers for a project oriented on graphical design and IT stuff then went to meet some people directly in offices, without appointment, to explain my case, and a lot of them accepted. I went in a graphic designer studio, in an office that makes technical maps for the government, in a printing house, in a garden designer studio, a web agency, etc. That was really cool and I learnt a lot about jobs I didn't even imagined, or I falsely pictured.

I decided I wanted to work in the web and even if I had never made any code before, my degree that was kinda math oriented would open me the door to technical studies, plus I felt I had what it takes to learn it. So I did a web study, worked very hard and now 10 years later I'm a web ingeneer specialized at front-end development in a big corporation.

So really my advice is be curious, maybe you just don't know what to choose because there are a lot of jobs out there that you don't know or imagine the wrong way!

- If my english is bad i'm sorry, it's not my native language -

[pacpix]

If you really do find IT stuff interesting I would recommend sticking with it.  Sure the job market is not as open as say software engineering, but you are going to be hard pressed to find a better job market than the tech industry.  Also the amount of social interaction you have to deal with ultimately depends on your position.  I am an intern with the network engineers group at my job while I'm going to college for information systems and I hardly ever have to interact with people.  On the other hand the helpdesk guys spend most of their day helping people troubleshoot computer problems.  Most people have to spend a year or two at helpdesk regardless of education level as IT values experience a lot more than education, but after that you can transition into less people-oriented roles.
I also love English (I was a double major for a while, but had to stop due to the cost of extra college time), and my job requires that I put my writing skills to use everyday with technical documentation.  Sure writing six pages on spreadsheet style guide compliance is not as exciting as journalism or literature, but I do enjoy putting those skills to practical use.

If you don't enjoy IT try to find something else, but don't let stuff like social skills be what pushes you away from the industry.  Nearly every career path is going to require social skills of some type.  If you have a degree, industry certifications, and strong writing/documentation skills you will be set for success.

Vocational school. Learn a skill and at least the one I went to had a help wanted board for apprenticeship and other jobs involving different skills

That's something I meant to add.  Go for education that has a job attached to it.  Learn a skill instead of useless shit.  Degrees or certificates with a career field attached to it.  In my opinion; History, English, Sociology, etc. degrees are useless and shouldn't be pursued.

Useless might be a bit harsh.  University wasn't always about preparing for a job and those subjects are still hugely relevant in today's world.  The career path is definitely not as clearly defined, but I think there is merit to studying those subjects.  I think the happy medium is getting a minor in something practical while studying these subjects.

[necrosexual]

thanks for all the posts, guys. i appreciate them. i'll be looking into some of these that i've never heard of too.
(fwiw i make probably about $13/hr doing delivery atm, sometimes a bit less, sometimes more... no longer the $20+ i used to tho)

and i don't just travel abroad due to cash and having a 1-yr lease on an apartment lmao

I went to the army, when I was in a similar situation in 2004 (I'm a European citizen). They provided me with a safe job for over ten years and they do pay for my higher education to support my re-entry into the civil sector. This allows me to qualify in segments I'm most interested in. Like you, I am not a born extrovert but if you are thick-skinned you can even succeed in a team-oriented organisation like the army.

That's not necessarily a recommendation. Just a reminder that you can consider the army as the last resort when everything else doesn't really work out for you.

honestly, if i could go into the military, i'd try to shoot for translation and speed-learn russian through, what i hear, is ridiculous cramming. but i fucking dig languages, too. and that's the problem, isn't it? i like a lot of things and can't settle heh.
and good translators are p important in the military from what i hear.
i tried to tackle programming as a new language and it fell flat tho. a lot of maths. i got the language part, i fucked up the maths part.

[madmax]

You can't really pick a career unless it's extremely specialized, you usually just fall into a career or jump between jobs until you're happy.

The job market isn't the same way it was 10+ years ago, what's happening now is that we are seeing a flood of talent graduate from universities. There are not as many positions as there are graduates, and unfortunately many jobs are getting either automated or outsourced. You mostly need an "in" to get a job easily, and it might not be the job/career you really want.

I think there are a few ways to start a career but it's not as easy as saying "I'm going to be a ____" and then deciding to apply for those jobs.

Education: Schools are a hub for innovation, talent, information, and community. I, and many others, were not fortunate enough to realize the benefits of networking while in school. Putting in a little extra effort while getting education can put you in the spotlight. Many companies go to universities to meet students. Take every opportunity you can to meet new people, seek new opportunities, and network. Volunteer for the school if possible, if you do a good job, the volunteer managers usually can pull strings to help you out.

Recruitment: Recruitment Agencies have a pretty bad rap, but they are not all that bad when approached professionally and their services are used with caution. Sometimes recruitment agencies have contract work which can place you in new companies. This allows you to meet a whole new set of people every time you take a new contract. If your first contract lasts 3 months, you've got an opportunity to meet new people and really shine. If nothing comes of it, the next contract allows you to meet a whole new set of people.

Job Websites: Many job research websites allow you to submit a resume, doing so will allow tons of companies and recruiters to pick your resume up and you may get some calls for all these random opportunities. If one of them is interesting, you can take that and see if you like it. You also get to meet new people. At the same time, you can look at different opportunities on the job search website.

Volunteer: Some volunteer opportunities in communities are very low commitment. Volunteer organizers often have city/government contacts. Do a good job and become friends/familiar with managers, they will be happy to help you out since you are volunteering and essentially helping them out for free.

What all of these have in common is that they put you in front of people. Doing so, not only increases your opportunity for new employment but it also allows you to explore new jobs/topics that you may not have thought of before. Maybe you do an office job at a firm that specializes in telecommunications. After working there for a while and talking to your manager and coworkers, you realize that telecommunications is cool AF. Maybe you hate it, you decide you don't want to ever do it and you bar it off your potential career list.

Don't put stress of deciding a career, instead pursue opportunities that will provide information valuable to deciding a career. It requires effort but I believe that done properly, it will lead to a happier life.



TLDR: If you can't decide on a career, seek more information about different careers. Information is found through education, work experience in different fields, and through other people's experiences which they can share with you. Education, Work, and Communication can help you decide and lead you down different paths.

[necrosexual]

-snip for length-
TLDR: If you can't decide on a career, seek more information about different careers. Information is found through education, work experience in different fields, and through other people's experiences which they can share with you. Education, Work, and Communication can help you decide and lead you down different paths.

yea but how does one even go about DOING that? basically, i guess i'm just lost on how even to do that, without striking lucky and finding random people... and i'm truly awful at that.

[ignition365]

-snip for length-
TLDR: If you can't decide on a career, seek more information about different careers. Information is found through education, work experience in different fields, and through other people's experiences which they can share with you. Education, Work, and Communication can help you decide and lead you down different paths.

yea but how does one even go about DOING that? basically, i guess i'm just lost on how even to do that, without striking lucky and finding random people... and i'm truly awful at that.

What fields are you interested in?  Google could probably help with info on a lot of that.

[bikingjahuty]

I agree that it sucks to be poor, but you don't have to choose between poverty working as a cashier at Walmart or being a Software Engineer or Doctor. The happiness money brings is fairly transitory, and you will find lasting happiness in being in a field you actually like rather than how much it pays.


Honestly the best thing to do is to try new stuff out. It may work, it may not work, but you'll never know unless you try. I used to work in the mental health field and switched because it is was driving me crazy. I now work in computers and enjoy it a lot more. Who knows, maybe some day I'll try another field out. You are not stuck in one path forever, you can move around at any time if you wish.

[sin2beta]

I'd say the trying stuff out and seeing what sticks works the best. In my experience, it is not the job that makes the career but the people and company. Find a place that will let you move and transition into what you are best at. And the thing about that is there is no way to know without trying different things.

My whole path was a lot of not knowing.

2003-2005 - Worked in a toy store. Retail. Damn good at it. Was in high school. Worked my way to management and went to the 2005 toy fair in New York to do purchasing. Quit to go to college.
2005-2009 - Physics research at CU-Boulder and Stanford. Decent at it. Published two papers. But middle of the road for the "smart" kids. Also, had too much student loan debt to defer through grad school. Left Academia.
2009-2009 - Actuary at Milliman. Worst job I've ever had. I was a human calculator stuck in a closet.
2009-2010 - Customer Service at ATT. Damn good at it. Not much to it. However, Went to a special cases department just out of training. I was in a call center and hardly ever took a phone call due to being moved to the other department. I moved on because I thought I should be doing more.
2010 - 2013 - Teaching Math in high school. Liked teaching. Hated everything else. I was mediocre at it.
2013- present - Customer sales in a biotech company. Manage distributor accounts. Love it and good at it. And I make the most money I every have.

All of the above is meant to illustrate that I tried several things. The one thing I was really good at is sales and customer service. I honestly never wanted to be in customer sales and management. But I'm good at it and happier with it. I work 8 hour days and get to come home and forget work. And because I am good at it, I make more than I did as an actuary (which surprises me). Find the thing you are naturally good at. Honestly, money will follow. If you are among the best in a field, there are opportunities for money. Good people are hard to find. You may also have to try a few companies to find one that can see it. You may also have to try a few jobs to see what you are "really" good at. It's easy to fool ourselves.