Where do you work and how much do you get paid?

Fire_Thief

Fire_Thief

Banned
I'm 18, and next week is my last week of school. I'm graduating, guys. But I don't know what to do with my life. All I want is to make a good living.

Post what you do, what college degree you needed for that job, and if you think it was worth it or not.
 
Just focus on things you enjoy doing that you could make a living at. First thing is do you plan to go to college/university or trade school? Based on how life is right now you will probably have several careers you end up with.
 
I suggest you tell us what kinds of things you are good at and enjoy doing. For example, I'm a hydraulic engineer and I love it, but you may hate math.

Most universities/colleges will have you taking introductory courses in a lot of fields as part of your general credits. That's really the best place to get some ideas, IMO.
 
Well, I do want further education, only because I want to make more money. Its all about money to me. I'm not good at math, but I want to make money. I want to work in a casual work environment, as in not wear a suit to work. I want t shirt and jeans, with visible tattoos and maybe piercings showing also. I love electronic devices, like iPod touches. Computers are also cool to me. I wouldn't mind doing anything in a field like that.
 
Well, you need to be decent in math to deal with computers because you will get into Calculus and some other advance math to deal with them on a high level.

If you can I would start off small by going to a community college to get some course in at a lower cost to get a feel for what I might want to do. Then, once you see what is offered degree wise you need to focus on courses that can transfer to a college/university or trade school to help you out because you should save on costs by going to community college.

Your focus should be more than about making money because there is more to life than just making money. You can make money by working at a fast food joint or anywhere but it isn't as good as having a decent job/career.
 
Happiness > money.

You can be rich as fuck, but if you're a slave to a job that you can't stand, you'll never enjoy it.
 
"Find a job you love, and you'll never work a day in your life".

That said, don't expect to get The Job of All Jobs that pays 300k/year that you love the day after graduation.

Sounds like you should invent an operating system or handheld music player device.

I work in the call center/tech support/training campus for a medical equipment servicing company; I run numbers on service and process performance and perform internal audits and improvements of processes. I initially got in with the company as a temp-hired CSR. I make more than I used to, but not as much as I'd like.
 
Hi, my name is Joe. I have a wife and three kids and I work in a button factory.

I work 12 hour shifts and make 3.25 an hour. My life is a sham, the only escape being the loving embrace of a bottle of whatever is cheapest and a pack of smokes. My bitch of a wife and failure of a son expect me to provide for them with this godawful job. Well I have news for you Betty, maybe if you weren't such a goddamned whore I'd be more willing to make sacrifices for you and the boy. 3.25 an hour can't buy shit.

One day my boss came to me and said, "Joe, are you busy?"

I said no.
 
Well i have been in the Army for a lil over 5 years now & i love it!! My MOS ( or job) is a 21B - combat engineer , in a nutshell we blow stuff up & its awesome!!! But there is the thing of deploying , I recently got back from a 15 month deployment (which is my 2nd tour) our task was route clearance. We cleared the routes in Northern Iraq for coalition forces , so we were basically driving about 5-10 km an hour looking for IED's . . . not fun but with an Ipod or a Zune then a 18 hour mission isnt so bad. But that wasnt the only type of mission we received. I love the army cuz your never doing the same thing day to day , plus there is a wide range of MOS's to choose from. Also if your just looking for a job with the most amount of money . . . . thats just not the answer:roll:
 
[quote name='JJSP']Happiness > money.

You can be rich as fuck, but if you're a slave to a job that you can't stand, you'll never enjoy it.[/QUOTE]

I always thought the formula was "Happiness is greater than or equal to money."
 
If you want to make a good living I have one bit of advice...

Stay away from as much debt as possible. When you have debt, it makes it difficult to just up and change jobs if you don't like what you are doing. There are only a few things worth going into debt for...college, transportation and a place to live.

Also, you need to network as much as possible. That will help you get your foot in the door. It sucks that you have to that, but that is how the game is played.

I make a decent living for where I live for a single guy. However, I am miserable and wouldn't work this job if I didn't have to. Unfortunately for me, I like to pay my bills and my credit rating means something to me, and the area I live in sucks absolute ass in regards to job opportunities.
 
The best type of job is to do something you enjoy so much, that you are surprised and doubtful that you actually get paid to do the job.

Speaking on these terms, I had such an interview last week and another next week in my field. (Computer Science)
 
I second, third and fourth the comment about debt. Assets such as home or vehicles, or investments such as education or possible small business loan (if you have a marketable idea), are about the only "good"/worthwhile kinds of debt. Debt can f*ck up your life for decades, and it's a very difficult hole to dig your way out of. Screw sex ed (pun not intended), I think financial management should be taught beginning at first grade.

Don't be afraid to take 'placeholder' jobs. I took a job as third shift at a C-store right after college, and within four months I was a certified manager. Pay sucked, and when I moved I transferred to a totally crappy store, but I learned a lot from that experience. You never know where you will end up....I got on with my current company, as mentioned earlier, as a temp CSR making nine bucks an hour....I'm now 12 years in and have been promoted three times and really had no concept back then that my current job even existed. I'm also getting my name out there in a positive way which always helps.
 
I remember when I was 18 and my outlook on life was positive...

Anyways, right now I'm working part time at the Watch Repair Shop in Sears while going to college full time. I love my job because it gets so slow that I get to do all of my school work while at work. The pay sucks ($0.50 above minimum wage) but the fact that I have a place to study and that I'm getting paid for it makes it all worthwhile. Also, when I do have customers, it's easy as cake.
 
I'm not looking for a slave job where I just make the most money. I just want to have a good job thats enjoyable. Everyone says they are in college, but what are you going for?

I really suck at math, so I might not be able to get a computer degree. This sucks. =/
 
[quote name='Fire_Thief']I'm not looking for a slave job where I just make the most money. I just want to have a good job thats enjoyable. Everyone says they are in college, but what are you going for?

I really suck at math, so I might not be able to get a computer degree. This sucks. =/[/QUOTE]

Depends on the type of degree. Expect to at least try to get through Calculus. High-end programming/advanced courses may take you into different and/or harder math. Depends on the curriculum. In my experience, Computer Science would lead that path. Computer Information Systems may be a little more general with different specialties.

Lots and lots of ways it could go. Database Admins were doing OK recently, along with Security experts from what I remember.

But really OP? Find something you love. Seriously. You have to find something YOU LOVE. Otherwise it will eat at you.

Good luck and godspeed my friend.
 
If your school of choice offers it, they probably have a Computer Science - IT division. If you enter into that one you can do light programming work (Web Design, etc.) as well as learn about mainly hardware and networking. It's very low in math requirements as well. (Some not even Calc I.)
 
[quote name='xcopy']Technical Support & Quality Assurance Manager 105K a year.[/QUOTE]

Damn.

Just curious, what degree do you have? (If any)
 
[quote name='ohboy10451']20yr old unemployed full-time student at a Community College. I get paid with occassional hand jobs[/QUOTE]


No one caught this? I luled
 
[quote name='darthbudge']Damn.

Just curious, what degree do you have? (If any)[/QUOTE]

AA, EE, I actually got demoted, from R&D to those positions and it came with a temporary 20% salary cut from the 105k a year.

Sales aren't up where I work. =\ The economy is fucked up right now.

And living in California, that isn't much.
 
there are three reasons to go to university:

(1) You're good at math & are gonna major in engineering / computer science (not IT or CIS bullshit) / accounting.

(2) You're poised to get into a top school and are gonna major in a business (finance / management / marketting / etc) -- only worth it at good schools.

(3) You wanna learn / want the college experience and don't care whether it's a good financial decision or not -- major in history or whatever and enjoy your time, but realize college is gonna cost more than you'll get from it financially.


Sounds like none of the above three apply to you. Go to a trade school. Be a mason, plumber, mechanic, electrician, telephone lineman, locksmith, etc. Not glorious, no, but it's a short path to good pay. You'll be making more than most college graduates (excluding those who fall into 1 or 2 above, and those who go on to get advanced or professional degrees).
 
[quote name='Fire_Thief']Well, I do want further education, only because I want to make more money. Its all about money to me. I'm not good at math, but I want to make money. I want to work in a casual work environment, as in not wear a suit to work. I want t shirt and jeans, with visible tattoos and maybe piercings showing also. I love electronic devices, like iPod touches. Computers are also cool to me. I wouldn't mind doing anything in a field like that.[/QUOTE]

Pick one, do you want money, or to sell iPods while wearing t-shirts.
 
[quote name='ohboy10451']20yr old unemployed full-time student at a Community College. I get paid with occassional hand jobs[/QUOTE]

Same here.
 
From your description it sounds like you should work at gamestop, and since you suck at math so you won't realize your poor.
 
[quote name='cdeener']Well, you need to be decent in math to deal with computers because you will get into Calculus and some other advance math to deal with them on a high level.

If you can I would start off small by going to a community college to get some course in at a lower cost to get a feel for what I might want to do. Then, once you see what is offered degree wise you need to focus on courses that can transfer to a college/university or trade school to help you out because you should save on costs by going to community college.

Your focus should be more than about making money because there is more to life than just making money. You can make money by working at a fast food joint or anywhere but it isn't as good as having a decent job/career.[/QUOTE]
Eh, that's kind of a misnomer, depending on what you do in IT, the amount and type of math varies. Considering there are plenty of people in the field who never went to college, not everyone has a high understanding of math. Since my degree was technically a business degree, i had to take statistics. I'd be lost doing calculus.

edit-fuck you Koggit.
 
High School Teacher. I work 7 hours a day and I'm off by 2:30 most of the time. I get every weekend off, all holidays off, 2 months off in the summer and a 2 week break every 9 weeks during the school year. I currently earn $52K yearly, which is is split into 12 payments so I get paid during the break time. I'll max out on the pay scale in 12 more years at $72K. If I sub during the breaks, I earn $100 per day on top of my existing pay. It's a great job if you can handle working with teenagers.
 
work delivery papers.. I make 1,074 bucks every 2 weeks.. working 4 hours per day.

Cousin also does the paper and they have 2 2 year college degrees and make more cash doing paper then any job they can get... They make close to 4800 a month working less then 8 hours per day

Myself

Earnings 1074
Gas 2 weeks around 200 bucks (maybe 150)
brakes on car say 40 per month

so that is clear little under 900 bucks (pay little to no tax since the millage takes my income to 0)

12 days working in 2 weeks / 900 = 75 bucks per day or 18.,75 per hour doing a ass easy job

if you can get your hands on a major paper route , that is almost the best way to go .

same days i hate the job but where else can you have a job where you almost have no boss watching over your shoulder.

also its cheaper then going to college as well, since i can say i have 12 years of book keeping since i been doing my own books on the job for the last 12 years
 
[quote name='slidecage']if you can get your hands on a major paper route , that is almost the best way to go .

also its cheaper then going to college as well, since i can say i have 12 years of book keeping since i been doing my own books on the job for the last 12 years[/QUOTE]

You've convinced me, slidecage. I'm dropping out and I'm going to deliver papers for a living.
 
[quote name='pacifickarma']High School Teacher. I work 7 hours a day and I'm off by 2:30 most of the time. I get every weekend off, all holidays off, 2 months off in the summer and a 2 week break every 9 weeks during the school year. I currently earn $52K yearly, which is is split into 12 payments so I get paid during the break time. I'll max out on the pay scale in 12 more years at $72K. If I sub during the breaks, I earn $100 per day on top of my existing pay. It's a great job if you can handle working with teenagers.[/QUOTE]

My sister does special ed and speech at a school and makes what I consider an insane amount of money with tons of time off. She is really trying to convince me to drop the whole engineering gig I do and just teach and take the summers off, and she really sells it pretty well. The only thing is I would want to get a higher degree first to get into a higher pay bracket, etc.
 
[quote name='pacifickarma']High School Teacher. I work 7 hours a day and I'm off by 2:30 most of the time. I get every weekend off, all holidays off, 2 months off in the summer and a 2 week break every 9 weeks during the school year. I currently earn $52K yearly, which is is split into 12 payments so I get paid during the break time. I'll max out on the pay scale in 12 more years at $72K. If I sub during the breaks, I earn $100 per day on top of my existing pay. It's a great job if you can handle working with teenagers.[/QUOTE]


What kind of classes do you teach?
 
[quote name='JolietJake']Eh, that's kind of a misnomer, depending on what you do in IT, the amount and type of math varies. Considering there are plenty of people in the field who never went to college, not everyone has a high understanding of math. Since my degree was technically a business degree, i had to take statistics. I'd be lost doing calculus.

edit-fuck you Koggit.[/QUOTE]
That is true. If you go toward Computer Engineering that is where you would go higher in math. Calculus isn't hard if you can deal with geometry, trig, and algebra but a lot people don't like advanced math.
 
I work as an associate manager at a Movie theater. It doesn't pay shit ($9/hr), but I get free movie tickets and the work's not terrible (the GM's a enormous dick though). Not a bad place holder until I finish Community College and then move onto a real one.

My advice to you is to figure out something fast.
 
I work in I.T. for a living for a Central WA Health Clinic/Organization. Great benefts, paid holidays, they pay for my cell, and at least 2-6 hrs of OT a week.
 
Finanacial Analyst >$50k per year

Easy as pie when you get the hang of what your company wants to see. I spend all day tweaking data on spreadsheets. May sound boring to some but it's actually a hell of a lot of fun for me.
 
My primary job is digital anti-piracy. We have clients in film, video games music & comic book industries. $25/hr - I think just having a college degree was what was most important to my manager. My background in video game journalism was a plus to him too.

That said, I also continue freelance game journalism from anywhere to $250 per review to free (depending if I'm doing a friend/editor a favor)

My college degree is in video production, so I do the occasionally promotional/market/sales/viral video for game companies.

I'm based in the S.F. Bay Area
 
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