This is certainly not an easy task! Hell, I am 46 years old and still figuring out life. 🤣 In all seriousness though, you will probably change careers 2-3x in your life or more. Maybe just figure out something that you could see yourself doing for the next 5-10 years and have a go at it? That would be my recommendation. Choose a career that will at least pay you enough so that you can live with a bit of comfort.
Yeah that’s probably the mindset I’m gonna have. A lot of people throughout the internet have been saying that you usually end up switching career paths a few times so I’ll probably try to look for something I can see myself doing for the next 5-10 years. Still gotta find that thing though!
It’s quite a challenge. Start with something that you think might interest you, look it up on the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) website. See what kind of education it requires and what the typical career progression is. Normally I don’t trust government websites but this is considered reliable and politically neutral.
When you start a career, you begin at what they call entry level. Then as you gain experience, you get promoted or you seek other opportunities in the same field that pay more money. Career progression is basically how you are advancing in the field.
Are you in Quebec? The CEGEP system there is specifically a great and cheap way to try out multiple career paths. It’s like a mix of trade school and the freshman year of every university faculty.
It’s still a system that sort of pushes you into university without any experience of what doing a real job is like, but it’s at least a good way to explore the academic side of a wide variety of subjects.
Artists: Blockhead, Wax Tailor, RJD2, Abilities, Mos Def, Gift of Gab, Sage Francis, Wu-Tang Clan, Eyedea, Aesop Rock, MF Doom, Run the Jewels, Tonedeff, A Tribe Called Quest, Cunninlynguists, Nas, Substantial, The Roots, Dead Prez, Black Star, Digable Planets, PackFM, Talib Kweli, Smif-n-Wessun, The Notorious B.I.G., Warren G, Immortal Technique, Big Pun, Murs, Hieroglyphics
Post-Electronic Pop/Rock type shit? Dream Pop? Indie Pop? I have no idea.
Artists: Elder Island, Haelos, Alex Winston, London Grammar, Maribou State, MS MR, Warpaint, RY X, Rhye, Parra for Cuva, Bleachers, Zero 7, Aurora, Phox, Lucius, Alt-J
Folk, Folk Rock, Americana
Artists: James Taylor, Bon Iver, Simon & Garfunkel, Cat Stevens, Emmylou Harris, Joni Mitchell, Brandi Carlile, Patty Griffin, Peter, Paul and Mary, Willie Nelson, The Lumineers, Of Monsters and Men, Lord Huron, Hozier, Shakey Graves, Nanci Griffith, Ray Lynch, Neil Young, Daughter, The Milk Carton Kids, I’m with Her, Nickel Creek, Punch Brothers
Progressive Rock (Maybe kinda, sorta Metal?)
Artists: Porcupine Tree, The Pineapple Thief, Gazpacho, The Flower Kings, Kolm, Steven Wilson, Airbag, Lunatic Soul, Riverside, Soen, Haken, Blackfield, King Crimson, Leprous, Pink Floyd, Rishloo, Katatonia, Dredg, Rush, Opeth, Rpwl, Jethro Tull, Chroma Key, Karnivool
I’d like to see people give less of a shit what other men wear.
Fashion might be the most consumerist addiction we have in the world and fast fashion is wreaking terrible damage. Any creativity is lost to brand addiction and trend chasing. Don’t even get me started on advertising!
Clothes serve a utility, but fashion is the capitalisation of envy and materisalism. Wear monochrome if you want. Wear pink if you want. Just don’t kill the planet in the name of “fashion”.
I heard somewhere that people on average will make 3 career changes during their lifetime. Which is not a hard fast rule of course but the point is to expect that your goals may change over time as you yourself will also likely change over time.
So in the meantime, I suggest pursuing stable work that gives you a comfortable standard living and maximizing the use of your free time to pursue enrichment in your life and not worrying too hard about trying to get satisfaction from your work.
Exactly! Who wants to do the same thing forever until they die? I'm not old but I'm getting there, and I've switched quite a few times. I started out in engineering, switched to PM, then banking, real estate, helped my wife with international trading, and in a couple years I'll probably drop that and buy a campground or something and run that until retirement. Don't overthink it, focus on yourself, your family, and your friends, and just do what seems fun at the time
I went to college for engineering, ended up switching to a math degree.
Figured out I liked computer science while taking CS classes for my math degree, minored in that and planned to be a software engineer.
Realized I don't want to code all day, got offered a sys engineer position.
Figured out DevOps existed a few years into working and now I do that
Most people don't know what they want to do and figure it out as they go. There are a lot of people that picked X for the money and stuck with it and hate their job.
Try stuff out! I ended up in a career very different than my major because I volunteered at an organization and ended up really enjoying what I did there.
I think community college is actually great for this because changing your major/exploring new coursework or opportunities is much cheaper than doing so at a regular college/University.
German quote from an old podcast: Konsequenz heißt auch Holzwege zuende gehen.
Rough translation: Being consequent means also following the wrong path to the end.
It’s used for people or organisations that tend to stick to a decision to the end, even if that decision was obviously flawed. E.g. sticking to extremely stick to a regulation even if it’s outdated/was dumb from the beginning. Corporate password policies are a good example.
While Mike Rowe is kind of a piece of shit, he did say one right thing: “Stop looking for the “right” career, and start looking for a job. Any job. Forget about what you like. Focus on what’s available. Get yourself hired. Show up early. Stay late. Volunteer for the scut work. Become indispensable. You can always quit later, and be no worse off than you are today. But don’t waste another year looking for a career that doesn’t exist.”
There is no perfect job. There are jobs you make perfect for you. If the job you are in prevents that, you move on. Never wait too long for a promotion, as you can promote yourself by having the strength and will to find that promotion at a different company.
asklemmy
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