How did you choose your career (semi-long)

[kiemo]

I discovered early on in life I just generally dislike people and I cant small talk or bullsh1t with almost anyone.

Hence computer programmer was about the only career that fit my personality. I pretty much hate it, but its probably the only white collar career in the world for someone with absolutely no people skills to actually be sorta successful in. I could probably do some trade job that has little people contact and make more money, but I am too much of a fancy boy to do one of them rugged manly jobs.

[Paluka]

A guy I went to college with emailed me and said "Hey, my company loves people who are good at math and games, so why don't you apply". I said okay.

[callydrias]

I was a big computer geek in jr high and high school and got into graphics/game programming back then. I found out I was really good at programming and software design, so that's what I assumed my career would be. I went to college, got a degree in computer science, and started working. I've been working in the "real world" for about 8 years and it's recently dawned on me that I don't really like computers, programming, or office life. I'd never stopped to consider all of the career possibilities for me out there.

I'm not sure it's possible for you to choose a career that you'll like before you actually go out and try something. Maybe it is, but for me, I had to work for a while in a particular environment to find out if I liked it - and it took a while. Remember, what makes a good hobby does not necessarily make a good career.

What's next for me? I'm registering for community college classes this spring to clean up some admission requirements for med school in a year or two. In the meantime, I'm very strongly considering dealing p*ker to get out of the office.

[Sooga]

I hopped into a computer programming job for a big asset-management firm in Santa Monica right after I graduated. Worst. Job. Ever. Perhaps there are people who would like a job where you literally don't have to speak to anyone all day, where you're stuck in a cubicle with no windows, and you just punch away on your keyboard from morning til quitting time. But I'm not one of those people.

Eventually I just quit. Didn't have any job lined up, I just quit; I couldn't handle it anymore. Yea, this probably wasn't a bright move, but in retrospect, it was great because it was the impetus I needed to look for something different. I'd always felt I could be a good teacher back when I was in high school, so I sent out a resume and application to high schools all over the area, and I got hired a few months later, and now I'm pretty sure that's how I'm going to spend the rest of my career.

Yea, the teaching doesn't pay nearly as much as my programming job did. But I only work basically 1000 hours a year at a job I really enjoy, which gives me plenty of free time to do whatever else I want to do. Thinking back, I don't regret anything I did. If you're not sure what you want to do as a job, just try anything you think you'd like, while you still have your youth. You don't want to wake up one morning and be old and/or have commitments, and be stuck humping some job that pays ok, but doesn't make you happy.

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You don't want to wake up one morning and be old and/or have commitments, and be stuck humping some job that pays ok, but doesn't make you happy.

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This is the reason for this post. I think that this is my worst fear in the world.

[WDC]

Short version is that I was working as a manager at a restaurant and not liking my life very much; one day as I got out of may car at the end of another 12 hour day a couple of the neighborhood dogs came up to me and started to lick the meat and grease off of my shoes; i applied to law school that night

life's been pretty good since then

[jb9]

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You don't want to wake up one morning and be old and/or have commitments, and be stuck humping some job that pays ok, but doesn't make you happy.

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This is the reason for this post. I think that this is my worst fear in the world.

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Even worse is when the job doesn't pay OK...

[Sooga]

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You don't want to wake up one morning and be old and/or have commitments, and be stuck humping some job that pays ok, but doesn't make you happy.

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This is the reason for this post. I think that this is my worst fear in the world.

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Even worse is when the job doesn't pay OK...

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Actually if the job doesn't pay OK, that might be better, because then you'd have no reason to stay. I see so many older friends stay in jobs that make them unhappy just because it's a decent paycheck and they don't want to lose that kind of security. If you're old and have a sh*t paying job, then you haven't got much to lose if you decide to get up and try something completely different.

[callydrias]

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Actually if the job doesn't pay OK, that might be better, because then you'd have no reason to stay. I see so many older friends stay in jobs that make them unhappy just because it's a decent paycheck and they don't want to lose that kind of security. If you're old and have a sh*t paying job, then you haven't got much to lose if you decide to get up and try something completely different.

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That's how it is with me. I know I can't make what I'm making now in any other career field right away if I just got up and left today. I feel like I'm stuck because with this crappy job I have benefits, can afford to keep my house, buy nice toys, go out to eat. Without this crappy job...who knows? Luckily I'm not old. (Well, 28 is probably old to most of you guys...)

Got fired from 1 job so dedicated to playing football (HS and college) but needed money while did this...so took a job at a collections agency when I was 17 (sis worked there) and pay was much higher than average...did that PT til "something better" came along...failed out of college (hate school and Blood alcohol higher than GPA)

Went back to collections (waiting for something else)

Realized I was good at it...did that for 4 years

Moved to become a cop ([censored] sucked - no money)

Moved back home..back to collections bounced around couple agencies

Some old associates opened a new agency with 15 employees, Busted ass for 2 years til became one of the highest ranking managers, company head count was up to 400...told them to [censored] off after a dispute and became a collector....re-busted my ass as collector becoming the top collector for a couple months

Back into entry level management--they opened satellite for Vegas office...I offered to run it and they moved me where I am today...In vegas building a satellite office from the ground up..currently at 60people in 6 months!!!