I've read some pretty sound advice; the nursing, it/web development, engineering, etc. all are good careers. Having done both manual labor and office work, as well as started my own company and worked for really big employers, I have found that jobs with flexible work schedules are paramount (for me anyway). It's definitely good to find something you like, and you find rewarding. I guess it all comes down to your attitude...do you work to live, or live to work. Not to be cliche, but I had to ask myself that a while ago. I figured out that doing something I can stand and making decent money enabled me to afford to do the things I wanted in my time off. If i had it my way, I would be independently wealthy, and just surf all the time. But I'm not, so I found jobs that had a reasonably flexible schedule, so I could surf sometimes when I would normally be working (and other times I've had to bite the bullet and miss swells). I guess what I am trying to say is find something that you find interesting and has potential to be a career; something you are ok with doing a lot (cause you will, especially as you get older), and has reasonable (and hopefully flexible) work hours/conditions. Then use your free time to do the things you love.
AV industry. The audio video industry has served me well and is in huge demand with not nearly enough good people to go around. Its not a corporate mentality. I go to work in jeans/shorts and t-shirts (sometimes a polo if its a stuffy location im working at...) The company I work for is actually offering $5K-$10K referral fees if we can bring in talent. If you can demonstrate skill and intelligence the rise in stature is extremely quick. You don't need college (its a plus, but I didn't go and do damn good) since most of what you do is picked up through experience and sponsored mfg training and certifications. Other plusses: *No piss tests -there wouldn't be an industry. even my bosses/owners puff *Recession-proof *super flexible schedule once you earn your stripes. (If there are lumps in the water Im going in late and/or getting home early or "working from home ;o) that day. Most of the time...) *tight knit industry where you can earn a rep and make a career out of it. *it kind of like playing with toys all day. expensive big boy toys. *Always in a high-end clean working environment for the most part. I have a buddy who specialized in AV systems on yachts and he travels the globe installing and servicing them in port. They pay all expenses... Be the geek... Feel free to hit me up on PM for more...
to the OP, you will figure it out. Soon as I graduated, I moved to the west coast. Took a job with one of the larger investment firms in the country. Ended up missing waves all winter. Hours got longer and longer as the bonuses got bigger and bigger. I think I ended up working about 7-8 months and took another job working mostly nights. Flexibility. Got into the service industry, which I had done through college. Was clocking 2-300 hundred in cash every day. Surfing all day every day. When the money was good and the bills were paid, got my shifts covered for weeks at a time and went down to Mexico, drove up the coast. Some of the best years of my life. And I had a bunch of cash on hand back then. Always buying new boards. Big bar tabs. New gear all the time. Not rich, but more than happy. Couple years later, ended up getting more serious, needed health insurance and all that. Started managing for the company I was working for. They took great care of all their managers. Worked my way up through the ranking to GM status. Was getting paid pretty ridiculous money for what I was doing. Getting almost up to the six figures mark and surfing every day of my life. Pretty sweet. That tought me what I needed to know to go out, get investors and start my own businesses. It's not something I would recommend to everyone, but you will figure it out. Some people live by the code of: Work hard now. Make money now. Build careen. Put in 20-25 years solid, then spend all the time you want in the water in your mid 40s and 50s. The President of my branch at the investment firm was always taking trips to Costa and Hawaii and Indo. But he was 50 years old. Never surfed locally cause he was always in the office. Winters were toast cause the market opened up before the sun came up on the west coast. So after spending time with guys like that, I just figured, you know what, I don't want to spend the next 30 years as a slave basically in the hopes that one day, I will have stacked enough money to do what I want to do... Then you think, well, life if no guarantee on any level. Who knows if any of us will even make it that far. If you are always living life for the future, or for tomorrow, then you may not enjoy today. And in this jacked up world we live in, with all the variables of life that we all deal with, NOTHING is guaranteed. So find that balance, of living, thriving, making enough money to be happy and the rest will work itself out. I just had to unsubscribe from that broken dream that generations before us tried to sell. Work work work. Get married. But a house. Start a family. Then by the time your back is bad, your knees are toast, you are over weight and out of passion, then you can enjoy life... I just can't buy into that. We could all "make more money". We could all make less money. But if you can't go to sleep at night content, your doing something wrong.
If I could go back I would have taken a few years off after high school and traveled, worked weird odd jobs, saved money, really figure out what I liked and didn't like before jumping into a degree. Instead I went straight into a combined 5 year BS in Accounting/MBA program. However, after working for KPMG in Manhattan my last year of school it finally sank in how much I hated working for large corporations. I was fortunate enough to switch things up and have been working in Higher Education Administration for the past 5 years at a couple of large state universities. I pretty much get paid to talk to college students all day and get salary, free rent, state benefits, and a super flexible schedule that allows me to get out on most swells. The downside is that I have a **** ton of student loan debt but should get most of it forgiven in 5 more years because I work in not-for-profit. I don't always love what I do but I like it well enough and I'm good at it. I don't know anybody who loves every moment of their job so focus on finding something that you like enough to do well and put the time into while still allowing you to have the resources to pursue other passions.
agree on a lot above: working hard now and then spending time in the water in your 40/50's is a mediocre move, by the time you are in your mid 40's you are past your prime 3rd person had solid advice if you are inclined to that kind of work, that is the best move it seems any human health field will pay the bills with a reasonable schedule. being a teacher is ok if you like being poor and dealing with sh1theads who have no clue and who's parents are equally clueless dont get a a general lib arts degree specialize in something needed: engineering, human health, or like 3rdey said working in the surf industry is for unimaginative kooks, ever hear the convos at trade shows??
HAHA. I was surfing in Mission Beach this morning. Saw a 25 foot panga boat sitting on the shore line with 2 black SUVs watching over it. Seriously good money in that. That captain was crazy though. It was solid 4-5 and they came in at low tide
Find a trade where you go to peoples houses. it could be therapy or home improvement. you can make your appointments around getting in the water every day. But if you're looking for a way to get into water more it really doesn't matter what you do for work as long as you live close to the ocean.
In 2011, a boat with 350LBS of pot was found tangled up in the pilings at the OB pier. They recovered all the product. They think they guys went over board or something. No one was around the vessel. And no one was there waiting on the shipment.
My old landlord was a teacher...every summer he'd take his 30'+ sail boat out for a MONTH, and cruise up north to Maine...every summer....He retireed at like 52 with a full pension, and went to work at another school system in MA...collected a pay check and pension check...with every summer off...what a life...oh, btw, home by 330pm. <br /><br />Like the old saying...how many people on their death bed say they'd wished they'd worked more.<br /><br />Most public school teachers up here make about 80k per yr....what a joke...and you can't get fired cause the union is still very strong...and you have the summer off. <br /><br />Oh, yeah, don't overlook driving a school bus as a part time gig...make your AM run...surf...then do your PM run.
One thing to consider about starting your own business is that successful businesses are all about their customers. You give the customer what they want, where they want it and when they want it, at a price they're willing to live with. A lot of people seem to think they should start a business doing what they want, when they want, where they want and people will just naturally want to come spend money with them. That's not how it works. Those businesses almost always fail. Several of these folks have hit the nail on the head. Find a career that you're ok with that pays your bills both today and when you need to retire while providing the flexibility to do the things you love the whole way through. Everyone makes sacrifices. You're going to miss a few swells. You need to be honest with yourself about the sacrifices you're willing to make both today and when you're 70 and make the best choice at each fork in the road.
"....If i had it my way, I would be independently wealthy, and just surf all the time....." -MATTINVB AMEN!
Not to hijack this tread but I'm pretty sure I will be going into architecture, with a minor in structural engineering. Any body here have any experience in this type of job and would like to offer some input on quality of life?
People always write off being a teacher because of the pay, but the above are all very good points. And the pay varies alot by district/region. It's worth a look. My friend is a teacher. 18th year in the same district, They paid the majority of their additional schooling (masters degree +60 credits) which puts them at the next to top row on the teacher payscale (doctorate is the final step). Home by 3:30, off all summer, great pension and health benefits etc etc.. Will never get rich from it, but makes very decent coin, and it's an extremely rewarding career. Throw in a couple positions that carry a stipen, like coaching positions, and the pay gets even better. Not for everyone, but worth a look for sure.
I never knew any of the architects in school...they were all so swamped with projects they pretty much set up camp and slept in the architecture building. But, rich people are always building stuff no matter what the economy is doing so I think the prospects are good. Throw in a concentration of ocean related structural engineering and you should be set.
Teaching can be a ****ing nightmare. I speak from experience. And expectations are only going up while overall intelligence levels and attention span is going down. Teachers will be expected to perform miracles and will always take the blame depsite societal/parental/institutional failures. Also, that summer's off thing, summer goes by quick, the work always follows you, and yoy have to get serious in the fall. Being there for the kids is great, and you better have wonderful time management skills. Just my centavos on dat.
Think about it...kids can't fight the impulse to not look at their phones every 5 minutes, this is only getting worse and I think will have far reaching impacts on the human brain. Better off being the school custodian, they make just as much if not more.
