NEED ADVICE

[skydiver88 0]

>so today at the dropzone i was talking to some friends
most older and either have careers or retired<

well im in college and im lost
i have no forward direction im just at some lame stand still with life
i dont know what i wanna major in (i was going for pysch. then law school) but after today and pretty much the past week ive kinda lost all ambition
i want a job where i enjoy everyday of it and learn and help people
something outdoors and that pays well
i dont need that million dollar bank account anymore
so if any of you guys have been where i am or are where i am
help me out please
just some simple advice would even help
thanks

[iluvtofly 0]

I was once exactly where you are now. When in college I didn't have a clue what I wanted to do with my life. So I just picked one of the easiest majors at my college...business management. I breezed through that. After I graduated though I still didn't know what I wanted to do. I tried a couple jobs within my degree but quickly learned that I hated the idea of sitting in a little cubicle 40 hours a week. So for a while I just went back to my crummy job at the coffee shop on campus. For a while I thought about just working at the DZ as a packer and whatnot. Unfortunatly in western PA it's hard to make a living doing that cause the weather around here is very unpredictable. I eventually ended up working for the local ambulance service as a wheel chair van driver (taking elderly to dr's appointments and such) and now also as a dispatcher. I've always wanted to help people. I am currently taking an EMT class. I absolutly love my job and I can't wait until I become an EMT and start doing that as well. The pay sucks ass but it's the first time in my life that I actually enjoy waking up in the morning (or evening if I'm on night shift) and going to my job. That makes up for the crappy pay.

I guess what I'm trying to say is take your time figuring out what you want to do. You may have to go through several different jobs before you finally figure it out. Just be patient. You'll know right away if your new job is what you want to do or not.

[AggieDave 6]

Sounds like you are thinking about a public service type of job. Most pay ok, have good benefits and are highly under appreciated by the general public.

Atleast you do get to help people, even if its indirectly by getting a drug dealer off the street or helping someone after they've been in an accident. You do get to spend time outside and is a very challenging job.

Go do ride alongs with your local FD and PD, you might find something there you like.

Personally I reached a pretty hard corner in my life a few years ago while I was in college. I had my perfectly planned future disappear due to a serious knee injury and lost most of my ambition. So I bummed around and worked at the local DZ full time. Then I finally figured out what I wanted to do and it was similar to what you have stated. After that things have definitely been looking up and life has been very good to me over the past few years.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[davedlg 0]

Keep going on your undergrad...even if you don't know exactly what you want to do with it, the momentum you have now will help when you do decide. Find a job doing something you really like - It doesnt have to be in the career you will always be in, but it will buy you some time to assess your life and your goals and get stuff figured out. I worked for a few years as a whitewater raft guide and professional ski bum right out of college and they were some of the best years of my life. They really helped me figure out who I was and where I wanted to go in life. Once I figured that out, it was pretty easy from there because I had my undergrad degree in place and I went from there...

Good luck...

[ladydyver 0]

You know, you may want to take the ASVAB test....it kind of gives you direction job wise. It said I would be a good nurse.....and you know what, I loved being an RN and it was a great profession for me. There was no one in my family that was in health care and there is no way I would have gone that direction had I not taken the test. Just a thought anyway.

DPH # 2
"I am not sure what you are suppose to do with that, but I don't think it is suppose to flop around like that." ~Skootz~
I have a strong regard for the rules.......doc!

[kbordson 8]

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You know, you may want to take the ASVAB test....it kind of gives you direction job wise. It said I would be a good nurse.....and you know what, I loved being an RN and it was a great profession for me. There was no one in my family that was in health care and there is no way I would have gone that direction had I not taken the test. Just a thought anyway.

Just use that as a guide. The military thought I would make a good nuke engineer.... did one year of studies (luckily mostly basic science stuffs and just some intro classes) and decided that I wanted the medical field. Don't let them dictate.

[wmw999 2,149]

The number of people who know what they want to do when they start college, and then graduate in 4 years and actually do it, is vanishingly small.

Pick a direction; any direction, and follow it for awhile. You can change directions, careers, and educational paths. But if you're not going in any direction, then you'll have lost some time. Finding a wrong answer is better than not even looking.

If you can figure out how to pay for your own college you can take longer than 4 years to graduate; work while you're in school.

And older people loser their ambition periodically, too.

Good luck.

Wendy W.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

[wojoe 0]

Will,
A brief history of myself. When I graduated high school I wanted to go to college but didn't know what to major in so I joined the Army. My plan was to do my four years get out and go to school. While I was enlisted I took college courses and dabbled in things that were out of my job description. During various times of upcoming ETS's (Expiration of Term of Service) I found that I still didn't know "what I want to be when I grew up" but I still knocked out college courses and moved forward educationally. I didn't find out what I wanted to do but I DEFINITELY found lots of things that I didn't want to do as a career. I am now almost done with a military career and well on my way to finishing a degree in Biology to move on to something else when I retire.
Bottom line, Continue with the school but if you want to experience the world and try some jobs or whatnot that is OK too. The Army worked for me as a way of giving back to my country and providing a service to others. I enjoyed the travel and all of the people I have met over the last 17 years. I am not trying to sell the military or 'enlist' you but I am saying that it is a good place to at least find out what you don't want to do if anything.
Good luck in your decision and I hope this little rant helped

[CSpenceFLY 1]

I'm not sure there is a simple answer to what you are asking about. Well maybe there is and it's just too simple for most to find.

Find something that you like to do and do it. I think too many people start out adult life doing what other expect of them. If you find something you like you can more then likely become good at it.

Don't expect your interests to stay the same the rest of your life, don't be afraid to change with them.


Now the other side of the fence would say get a good stable job, put in your 25-30 years, retire and then do what you want. Both sides of the fence have their pros and cons. It's up to you to decide which side works for you.

When I was 23 and had had enough of the town I grew up in I moved to Macon to finish my pilot ratings. I lived aviation for 10 yrs and had a job flying. During that time I also helped take care of some properties for the guy I flew for and discovered I liked working outside and really disliked the lifestyle of a corporate pilot.

About 9 yrs ago I started a lawn service business and about the same time made my first jump( I had been wanting to do that for a long time). I grew the business(I should have sold it) till it was a pain in the ass and spent the last few years shrinking it back down and now I work by myself again. I hated have employees and all of the headaches that came with it.

During that time I jumped every weekend, started doing tandem video at the DZ, wracked up a bunch of jumps,did video for some 4- way teams, went to nationals,built a kick ass boogie and had it all go to hell this year, jumped off a bridge. During all of this I discovered I liked camping/ RVing, Geocaching, hiking(when it's cool outside), organizing events and meeting people.

I guess my point,if I have one, is this. I am 40 yrs old now and I'm looking for the next fork in the road. Life is what happens when you're making all of the grand plans. Don't miss it because you're stuck staring at the details.

[turtlespeed 212]

http://www.livescience.com/health/070417_job_satisfaction.html

http://www.righteducation.org/

http://www.nowpublic.com/the_most_satisfying_jobs_in_the_world

I didn't go through and read all the stuff on the sites - I just picked a few that looked relevant.

I'm not usually into the whole 3-way thing, but you got me a little excited with that. - Skymama
BTR #1 / OTB^5 Official #2 / Hellfish #408 / VSCR #108/Tortuga/Orfun

[Nightingale 0]

If you would like something outdoors, major in biology. That will open up tons of doors to you, like being a park ranger... If you would like something outdoors that involves digging in dirt, there's always archaeology. If you like outdoors and people, anthropology.

Don't worry about it too much. Just pick a major you like and go with it. Unless you want a science-specific career, most employers don't care what you major in, just that you have a degree.

[skydiver88 0]

thanks everyone
ive been looking into a lot more career options
you guys have really helped

[airtwardo 6]

Then I finally figured out what I wanted to do and it was similar to what you have stated. After that things have definitely been looking up and life has been very good to me over the past few years.

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Farm animal porn?

~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

[mccallj 0]

I'm in college too and I didn't know for a while what the hell I wanted to do, so I enjoyed school and went after opportunities as they presented themselves and eventually found what I loved to do and was really good at. I now have 2 great job opportunities for when I graduate. Stick with it, some people go their entire lives without knowing what they want to do.

“Last week I helped my friend stay put. It's a lot easier than helping someone move. I just went over to his house and made sure that he did not start to load his shit into a truck.”

[AggieDave 6]

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Farm animal porn?

Naw, everyone does that I like living on the wild side. I take a Steve Irwin approach...

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[airtwardo 6]

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Farm animal porn?

Naw, everyone does that I like living on the wild side. I take a Steve Irwin approach...

Aggie Dave~Crackhead Hunter!

~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~