Hey. I'm a 20 year old Male trying to decide his future career. I want to do something that will earn me a comfortable life (no need for luxuries), and that i'll be useful no matter the place and time. I've been thinking about being a Doctor, since i also like the career. However, it's a very disputed career choice in here, and enrolling in a medschool is a known very hard (yet highly coveted) task, so i want to know my options before venturing in that sort of journey. I also thought about Engineering, but i'm shit at math.
I want careers that will earn me a living even if i, for example, work i a tent at the corner of the street. Jobs that aren't too situational, that could work anywhere in the world, since i don't intend to live where i live forever.
I also want advice on how to shine in highly competitive markets, like Medicine itself, since a new big batch of medics are graduating every year. I'm trying to grasp what separates an unique, soon-to-be-known professional than just one dime-a-dozen of the ones that leave the university with a diploma. Thanks in advice.
I'd do Nursing or Pharmacy. Less competitive, almost as lucrative, and less bullshit. For Nursing, though, you'll want to specialize and get into the advanced career paths.
Landon Hall
I've thought about those too. The thing that doesn't entice me is that they don't take a ''leading role'' in treatments, nor have as much research potential as a Medic itself can.
Any other careers you know, medical-related or not, that can be useful anywhere and relatively lucrative?
Elijah Richardson
>I also thought about Engineering, but i'm shit at math. Sucking at math isn't genetics, it's just that you haven't studied enough to get it. If engineering interests you otherwise, it's not too late to open your math books and get back on that track.
Adam Ramirez
But it is worth, in the parameters i said? Are engineers as useful everywhere in the world? Besides, isn't it an overcrowded market like Lawyers?
Xavier Morales
Definitely yeah. Maybe a bit less in more exotic specializations, but in any case if you do well you're pretty much guaranteed a good job anywhere.
There's way more demand than offer in most fields. Heck, I was at the thesis defense of a trainee this morning who'd have failed if it was up to me, and he's been pressured to sign a contract for a pretty well paying consulting job for 2 months without even searching for it. Gives you an idea of how it can get if you're any good.
Matthew Reyes
That's good to know. Do you know any cases of people that were shit at math and managed to be Engineers? I'm really, really shit at math. But i don't know, maybe i just never tried hard enough. What kind of Engineer are you, also?
Jeremiah King
My brother in law makes more than me doing electrical work than I do with a 4 year degree and skilled trades are hurting so bad for skilled people that competition to get in is almost non existent right now (from what I read) Food for thought.
Kayden Harris
I've been thinking about Electrician and Plumbing, too. Even Cook. But those usually don't allow for growth in the field. What you earn is basically the same throughout your life, or so I've heard.
Caleb Ortiz
I'm not sure about that. I think you work through apprenticeship to journeyman to working supervisor then project manager. A lot of it is union so I can't imagine it staying stagnant like that but I'm not the most knowledgeable about this.
Charles Long
There are plenty of success stories, honestly high school math level is low enough that you could get through the whole stuff from scratch in a few months if you really put yourself to it.
I'd say the best thing to know if you're made for it is to ask yourself: Do you like to take something apart to know how it work? Is the first thing you do when you open software to look for the options menu? When you're facing a big problem, do you get overwhelmed or do you try to slice it up to manageable chunks?
I'm a computer engineer, but in my field I usually deal with electronics engineers.
Don't discount this either. I think the worst you can do is aim for the middle. Either go for a high degree, or go for something practical. If a company wants someone who's "just good enough", they're just cheaper in India.
Angel Watson
Thank you for the advice. Specially, > If a company wants someone who's "just good enough", they're just cheaper in India.
How do you advice people to bloom in their careers? Only thing i can think of right away is good grades and joining programs to help other students.
Eli Perez
I see. Never thought about a project manager. Where does one go to become something like that? I don't think there's an ''Union'' around here. Are you invited by the business yourself, or is your name on a list somewhere, or...? How does the ladder work for trade jobs?
Aiden Taylor
The best project managers have experience working on projects as something other than a manager. It's a later-career type of move.
Liam Nguyen
That's about as far as my knowledge goes user. I'd just be talking out of my ass if I said I knew anything more.
Benjamin Flores
Very well. I see. How does one puts himself out there as a project manager, though?? Are there specialization-courses for such? Where does a business hire a project manager?
Cameron Jones
You could be an electrician. They can work anywhere in the world and are always needed. If you're smart enough to be a doctor you are smart enough to be the owner of your own electrical company in the same amount of time as it would have taken you to do medschool but you won't have any debt. While being a doctor might gurantee you 300'000$/year. Owning a electrician business doesn't have a salary cap. If you have 5 guys working for you you might make 120'000$/year but if you have 40 guys you could make a million.
Also being a certified electrician is an immigration shortcut to a lot of countries. NZ and Australia will pretty will immediately give you a work visa if you have an electrician certificate from a first world country.
Tyler Thompson
Not that user, but since you're in the computer engineering field, do you know programmers who have made it through self studying? Just curious, I have a friend who's trying to break into the field with a completely unrelated degree.
Colton Anderson
>i'm shit at math that kind of attitude will hold you back in life. If you're "shit at math", you'll be too lazy to ever become a doctor, either. Anyone with a decent IQ can be fantastic at math if they put in the time.
Kevin Taylor
At least in my org (large engineering contractor) it's something along the lines of: Person starts as engineer, works successfully on projects. After a few years of experience, management starts prodding engineer to take on mentorship roles or subsystem lead along with related classes/training. Engineer moves up to project lead. Engineer becomes manager.
Obviously not everybody makes it all the way through this process. I even knew a guy who made it to management but got a demotion back to engineer because he hated it.
Jose Lee
If you're in America, pick up a trade. Plumber, electritian, welder, boilermaker, carpenter, ect. There are so many and you can make bank if you make yourself stand out. So much demand for people in the trades; it's not a meme.
Joseph Smith
For know just work your ass off to get good grades, and for engineering more specifically do side-projects, they matter a huge lot on a CV and are a lot of fun. Internships are good too.
More long term it really depends on what you want in life. Do you want something stable? Do you want to be the best at what you're doing? Do you want to make money and have people under you? In my experience these paths are more or less mutually exclusive, but they're all good.
Zachary Stewart
Sadly not really, but I've only worked in large, traditional big companies (space/defence). Plus I'm more on the electronics side which is a bit less accessible.
The paper matters a lot in big companies, especially for HR. Even if he makes it in, he'll never earn as much as someone who has the paper, even if he's much better. I'd say his best bet is to aim for small companies/startups.
Noah Evans
What do you folks think about culinary careers, like cooks or bakers?
Like the other user said, maybe i can do it. It's just that people at /sci/ bash others that try to go into fields they're not good at from the get go, so i was/am kinda doubtful. But maybe i just didn't try hard enough. I see. Those mentorship roles are in big projects or universities? Not in America, but i do think about trades as well. Unfortunately they aren't seen as good in here, albeit they're very noble professions.
Carson Carter
>big projects or universities Projects.
Other user is right, most people talk themselves out of the ability to do math. If you put your mind to it you can totally do it. I spent a ton of time in the college tutoring center but got all As and now have a successful engineering career.
Matthew Butler
Bumping.
Thank you for the motivation, user.
Wyatt Price
One more bump.
Mason Richardson
I went to college to be a high school teacher because I thought it would be chill (lol i know), and then I just kept doing well in college and I knew I could do better so I switched to biology, then medical technology, and then just full on pre-med to become a physician.
When it comes to choosing the medicine route, I would say to be realistic with it. Don't shoot for it if you know you can't do it. But with that said, I don't think you shouldn't try. I wouldn't have known this is what I'm capable of (i did terrible in high school) if I didnt, besides its such an awesome job. You get so much fulfillment from being a doctor. Its just sad to see people shoot for it with 3.2 science GPAs yknow?
Nolan Myers
I see. Thanks for the insight. Hope it turns out well for you. Such a shame so many people pick the career only out of greed here, rather than passion.
Isaac Perez
>med school Unless you are willing to work in a miserable environment (sick people are miserable), i would not recommend. Medicine as a whole is still a prototypic career (meaning not much has been settled or done scientifically); so unless you wanna guess patient 103 has a cold also all day, don't bother.
Career-wise here are the best advice: 1. Do the Myers-Briggs personality test and check what you would be most compatible in for success - this way, instead of being miserable or mediocre, you will do well. 16personalities.com/free-personality-test ^ This is a free test to at least situate yourself.
2. Only go for careers where employment is not competitive. I.e.: go for careers where you have or will have contacts. There are 2 ways to get a job: an interview and a contact. You will always have a super high success rate if you have contacts vs cold-applications. There is a reason some families have people working in the same field: employment is not an issue.
3. Only go for what you are good at and don't suffer.
4. If money is your main objective, go into business and administration. Administrators have become the primary looters of enterprise. Get yourself a middle management position and get yourself all the bonuses until fired. Rinse and repeat.
5. If success and power are your main objectives, you have to gamble with emerging technologies and become a giant in it.
