Advice on Business, Career, Life - Where Are People Getting It?

[JohnnyHumongous]

I find myself at a point in my life where I can make several decisions that would drastically affect my life in different ways. These involve where I should be living and working, whether I should start a business on the side (or as a full-time endeavor), if, how and when to go back to school for more education... Important decisions that could be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars one way or the other.

I find that I have few to no options in terms of places to go for quality advice. My dad is generally a great source of advice, but he is not completely knowledged about all the things I am considering, and furthermore he is definitely biased to the "don't rock the boat, stay on the track you're on now" answer in most situations. People at work are of course biased too, and asking certain questions might affect my immediate career. I know that many people have "mentors" but I find that for whatever reason there isn't really anyone in my life who I know well enough who can help me work all these options out who can fill that role. Is there a place I can go for this kind of advice? Even some sort of professional / life counseling service where I could pay for it? Any thoughts?

[mosquito]

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I find myself at a point in my life where I can make several decisions that would drastically affect my life in different ways. These involve where I should be living and working, whether I should start a business on the side (or as a full-time endeavor), if, how and when to go back to school for more education... Important decisions that could be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars one way or the other.

I find that I have few to no options in terms of places to go for quality advice. My dad is generally a great source of advice, but he is not completely knowledged about all the things I am considering, and furthermore he is definitely biased to the "don't rock the boat, stay on the track you're on now" answer in most situations. People at work are of course biased too, and asking certain questions might affect my immediate career. I know that many people have "mentors" but I find that for whatever reason there isn't really anyone in my life who I know well enough who can help me work all these options out who can fill that role. Is there a place I can go for this kind of advice? Even some sort of professional / life counseling service where I could pay for it? Any thoughts?

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Guidance involves making you aware of the consequences of your actions, that you may not have considered or given appropriate weight too. In the end the decision will of course be yours.

I would not rule out any sources of information, including the internet and discussion forums such as this. Your problem is to sort out the information for quality, and give it the appropriate weight.

Good luck.

The best mentors I've ever had came as a result of my asking for help. I'd look around and find a person I had respect for. Someone who I wasn't close to because they weren't in my "pay grade." A guy who I'd observed making, or who was credited with making, good/smart decisions.

I went to these people with honest questions. I only talked about real situations. I admitted where/when I felt I was wrong and if I thought I had been wronged I told them that. I asked for guidance and confidentiality.

In every case they gladly helped. And every one of them invited me to come to them any time I felt the need. There are a lot of good guys around. They can be tough to find, but they're out there.

g/l

[lstream]

I am a huge fan of Steve Jobs - ever see his commencement speech at the 2005 Stanford graduation? You don't give many details of your situation such as age, current level of education, etc. However, I can't agree more with what Jobs says. If you are young and have the freedom, figure out a way to take a shot at doing something extraordinary while you can.

I know too many people who stay the course, wake up when they are 50 and regret not pursuing a dream. By then they think they are too old, which I think is nonsense, but nevertheless it stops most people in their tracks, and they just ride out the years. Many people are fine with this though and they think I am nuts for thinking the way I do. Good luck with whatever you do.

[vexvelour]

There are people called "counselors" that adults can go to for a nominal fee. They're not therapists or psychologists. Rather, they help people like you (and me, for that matter) that are having trouble figuring out a wide array of problems that occur in everyday life. Many make a point of not telling you what you should do, but rather helping you to realize what would be the best path for you. Also, a life coach sounds like it would help you, but they are not accredited by anyone and therefore there are many kooks calling themselves life coaches.

[onegymrat]

No sure if there is "professional" advice on this that can be truly effective. Sure, there's counseling but I think it's still someone telling you what they THINK you should do. The only person who knows is you, and you alone.

The reason I know is because I too am in the same boat, but the concern is more focused on career. I have been in the same line of work for a while now, but it does not give me much stimulation in life, and I'm sure I do not want to do this until I retire. That is probably why I am on this forum in the middle of the day!

One thing that has changed my mind in the last ten years is my view and opinions on senior citizens, especially the successful ones. In my youth, they were just grumpy annoying people, but as I matured, I realized that they have a world of knowledge, and many are kind enough to share their thoughts and experiences on life. So my only advice is to seek older folk and get opinions from them. After all, they've been there.

In the spirit of lstream's link to Steve Job's speech, here is Conan O'Brien's. It won't help your problem, but I promise you'll forget all about it for about fifteen minutes. Good luck to you.