What do you mean "go back and change"? Im 36 and trying to do that now! lol but I probably would have gone IT or computers or ANYTHING other than psychology.
I’m 45 and like fuck what doI do now?
I’ve done so much and I’m sick of starting over. Made great money to shit money to great to shit to great now back to shit. I’ve been in trades and worked for mom and pops to corporate. No lie I’m sick of it all. I’m a hard ass worker but always seem to be a square peg being shoved in a circle. It’s seriously the worst time to be making shit money now. My hands are up.
Check out a few sunshine lists. For eg, I see that a lot of hospital technicians are making big bucks, some with little more than a college certificate and 1-2 years experience with lab systems and processes. Look for a job where you can transfer some of your skills so you don’t need to start at square one. If you don’t plan to retire for another 15 years, a new career might be worth a shot.
I’m down with a new anything. I’m ADHD so I’m a Jack of all trades and a master of none. It’s a blessing & a curse. But I will take your advice I’m looking for something. I appreciate you taking your time to help out. Much respect to you bro.
Here where I live, psychology is only good if you go to masters level, because only that allows you to then open a self employed psychologist practice. Though in general it seems like a wide field with tons of options.
There are so many people going mentally ill these days that therapists and psychs are in great demand.
Even if you’re not going for a masters, psych isn’t even in the top 10 of degrees with the lowest employment.
You generally find employment out of field. So yeah, if you want to work in something psychology related, it’s a throwaway degree without the masters. But not useless in the slightest.
I've had great success with my undergraduate. I ended up getting into a tech firm (I initially majored cs) and they really liked my psych background as I can get along with all people. I can talk to clients. I ended up leaving that for a HR role as I ended up doing hr stuff at that job a year later and got experience. I took on extra work to gain experience. The degree is just to get your foot in the door then prove yourself.
I don't know about you but the cs people around me were.. not the most social with strangers to say the least. Very smart though.
Absolutely. Psych degrees are super useful and people with them end up in a variety of fields. They look good to employers as it’s essentially a certification that you understand how people think.
Or use it to get into hr like me lol..
I majored cs then dropped it for psych. I ended up getting BSc in psychology because I fricking love psych and it's natural to me. It's not about the field, it's about the degree. Opens doors. I can do many things.
Most #1 important thing for new career success? LOCATION. if you are in Canada and in Toronto, Calgary, Vancouver.. you are fucked. I have no issues in sask. I'm sure states are similar. Get away from the big cities if you can.
In Canada you'd need a ph.d to practice psychology in most places which is 8-12 years of schooling (not counting supervised work & internships).The field is so in demand it has become highly competitive.
When I was contemplating grad school my advisor said with anything below a 3.9 GPA and 2 years of work experience my application wouldn't be competitive compared to the other students coming in.
The pay is good but the grind is incredibly discouraging
You need a Master's to actually make a livable wage. Plus, the job is extremely emotionally stressful. Research is probably the best thing, but going for a PhD is not easy too.
Omg why do you say that ? Isn’t psychology /mental health services booming right now ? Given that the society as a whole is focusing more on mental well-being??
If he only got a bachelors there isn’t a whole lot to do in that field.
If you get a masters and become, say, a LMHC - you will be in incredible demand. Looking at the job listings near me there are just pages of open LMHC positions.
Because without going to grad school your options really stop quickly. You can really only get direct care work and unfortunately that’s not where the real money is.
I would have been perfectly happy with my UAW union job driving fork lifts forever. Easy job, never a dull moment, interesting challenges, great pay and benefits, and excellent life-work balance.
Alas, the idea of leaving the upper midwest for the warmth of the sun and golden shores of southern California took hold, so I moved forward with my life. A 30-year career in I.T. was soul sucking and stressful.
So you traded the job you liked for a better location but ended up miserable?
I’m guessing you’re retired now? Why didn’t you switch out of IT earlier?
Oh, but the money was so lucrative in Information Technology, with endless opportunities in the silicon valley, silicon alleys, and the silicon forest.
Had I stayed in the midwest driving a forklift...I shudder at the thought of how narrow-minded I may have turned out to be.
Anything on the front/pointy end of a business (revenue generating).
I’ve had a business function (i.e.: HR, IT, Finance, et.al.) career that’s been mostly a miserable slog with the occasional bright spot.
Those who make a business earn money are lauded & rewarded well, while those who work daily so a business can actually function well/consistently are treated like a large janitorial staff.
This one is quite appropriate for the thread. Sales is very lucrative, you don't have to be too smart (might even be useful to be a bit dense), and you get some nice perks if you have the right role.
I had a pilots license at 18 years old….never did a thing with it. At 60 now, I know I had the smarts and the ability but had little confidence, and even less in the way of parental and peer support.
I wouldn't necessarily change my career path, I worked in one type of role for 5 years, then another for 10 years, and now another for the past 5 years.
I enjoy what I do now, and the skills learned in my other roles make me better at it;
That said, what I *would* change is having a better understanding of finances, so much money spent on frivolous things, more money than I can count spent on fast food at lunch, or alcohol at the weekend. If I could start over I'd save more and spend less, with the ultimate goal being early retirement of course
If I could go back in time, I would choose the same career I’m in now (accounting) from the beginning rather than choosing it as a second career at 28.
At 35 YOA, I’m a supervisor with 8 YOE making $105k.
If I had done it from the beginning, Id be a senior manager or director with 14 YOE, and making $180k+ probably.
Porn...my anxiety about how people viewed my body would be a great motivator to keep physically fit. I assume my income would have been a cool $200 plus the drugs, trauma and friends I made along the way. For context I'm 41 and my first job out of college was paying me $11 an hour living in a major city.
Horrible industry that breaks people's minds and is abuse of women basically, the pleasure/fun part is probably 10% of the time, the other 90% is PTSD and shame. There is no wonder many porn stars end up killing themselves.
What advice do you have for people in their mid-20s? I'm 26 and I feel like I've been grinding my entire life. I never had the means to not be financially anxious. But only recently I went from making around 20k to 70k. I feel like I want to grind it out and make a big financial safety net for myself, but at the same time I keep seeing people say, "Travel when you're young."
Any jobs can be taxing for the body. Sitting in the office and staring at the computer screen are taxing on a lot of office and corporate workers.
The reasons I choose nurse because #1 job security and stability #2 career advancement
1 Job Security and stability: Afaik, Nurse field has less chance of getting laid off in worse economy time, and even if they do, they will find a job quicker and easier.
2 Career advancement: Nurse can move up to anesthesia nurse assistant ( I heard they can earn $250k+), pediatric nurse, geriatric nurse role for example.
Nursing student here: One of the reasons I chose it is because I could never sit at a desk all day. Bartender/server for 10 years and I needed more stability and benefits but I still need to keep moving.
There's a massive nursing shortage in the US right now and it's only going to get worse so the job security is spot on. The advancement part is a little off though. CRNA (Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists) is a 6-8 yr, very competitive degree. It's independent practice, not assisting. Same with Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, Family Nurse Practitioner, Certified Nurse Midwife, etc. All Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioners (grad degrees) with independent practice rights (ex: diagnose illness and prescribe medicine) in many US states and other countries. Some can even perform surigal procedures in catheterization, DI, dermatology, etc.
You can become a peds, geriatric, oncology, wound care/ostomy/continence, NICU, acute care, diagnostic imaging, catheterization lab, operating room, ER, PACU, cardiology, school, corrections, infusion, dialysis, etc etc Nurse right out of school or with ~1 year experience for more intense specialties. You can also flip flop all over specialties throughout your career and most do exactly that. It isn't so much advancement (you aren't advancing without a grad degree) as flexibility. It's still a huge motivator IF you enjoy healthcare and truly want to be a nurse. If you dont you'll be miserable. You won't even make it through school doing clinicals and taking c. Diff stool samples, performing wound care on infected pressure injuries, wiping vomit off the floor and also wiping more asses than you can possibly ever imagine. Don't do it if your heart isn't in it.
It is both physically and mentally taxing but I have always believe a desk job does more harm to your body than a physical one. Now that I'm a nursing student and have been in clinicals for a full year I can confirm that a large, LARGE majority of my patients in skilled nursing, surgical, and neuro departments we have been sent to have lived a primarily sedentary lifestyle. It's the mentally taxing part that gets to you. Nobody in my cohort has had a nurse as a medical patient, but the PMHNP students have several.
I’m only 23, but if I could go back, I’d definitely switch my college degree from biology to a double major in comp sci and stats. Work for a few years as a data analyst, then get a masters in stats to become a data scientist.
Bioinformatics from what I’ve seen, is mainly computer science and biology, with a focus on some certain omics (genomics, proteomics, etc.). Very little is on data analysts, and if it is, it’s very rudimentary. So generally, someone with a background in bioinformatics would have a difficult time transitioning into a data science or statistician role.
Strange, I’ve interviewed for a bio informatics company, and it was definitely very ML adjacent. Got asked about LSTMS/RNN, def very deep learning focused.
I got a geology degree. One of the guys I was friends with has a parent on the board of BP. I met the parent at a lecture and was offered a job for $200,000 straight out of college. I’d be doing really well for myself but I don’t regret turning it down. I wouldn’t have my life partner now if I had taken it. I make enough, am on track to buy a regular house in a few years, and now am in renewable fuels.
Yeah you should always be happy with what you have instead of not being happy because you think about that you could have had something different.
Not sure if what I wrote make any sense.
Be happy with what you have - it's the key to happiness for me.
I am 66 - spent my career in the software/hardware end of the live sports and entertainment business. A lot of my work has involved negotiating agreements and then ironing out contracts and other legal documents to define the relationship.
Oddly, the legal aspects of my work - everything from contracts to litigation - were amongst my favorite endeavors. I didn't go to college, but if I were to go back and do it all again, I'd take a long look at becoming an attorney. A trial lawyer.
That's super cool you did tech in the entertainment and sports space.
Mind me asking what are typical company names for this? I'm an engineer in both hw/sw, but not a fan of the current role I'm in. I played ball in college, would be awesome to find something related to that.
Okay, so here's a copy of a post I did last month - glad I saved a copy. I think you'll find some things to think about. There's a ton of tech used by many of these organizations at this point. I don't know how many jobs are available right now, but it is not uncommon to see help-wanted blurbs on LinkedIn for software developers for some kind of sports/entertainment biz.
Hope this helps.
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I've spent my whole career working with people who love their jobs. Tons of them. And we all often work much more than 40 hours a week. Regular business hours, but the important stuff mostly happens on weekends. I've worked at the intersection of a number of businesses, and the people I've worked with (both inside the company and external clients) include people who work at:
• Concert promoters, festival producers, etc.
• Booking agencies, artist management companies
• Stadiums, arenas, theaters, convention centers, amphitheaters, clubs, etc.
• ASM Global, Oak View Group, Venuworks, other building management cos.
• Trade shows, Comic-con (and all the other -cons)
• MLB, NBA, NHL, NFL leagues, teams, and venues
• Minor league sports, AAA baseball, associated venues, AFL
• University athletics, performing arts, concerts, etc.
• Ticketmaster, AXS, Seatgeek, Tickets.com, Etix, Paciolan, Accesso, AudienceView, etc.
• Food service companies that work with arenas and stadiums, including suites
• Concession companies that work with pro sports teams and touring acts
• Event production including sound, lights, stagehands, camera crews, etc.
• Fundraising and development people (non-profits, performing arts)
• Misc. software providers for teams, venues, universities, etc.
There are 1,000 companies involved with all of the various aspects of live entertainment including concerts and sports. Tens of thousands of people make this happen in the US alone. We all love what we do because we would have quit if we didn't. I was told when I started in this business that you either quit within six months or stayed with it for life.
All of these entities need marketing people. Social media gurus. Finance and accounting staff. HR people. IT and network systems experts. Scoreboards, broadcasting, in-game entertainment. Ticketing staff in the box office. Account managers handling corporate accounts and season ticket holders. Attorneys. Operations people. Software developers. Systems engineers. Fundraising and development experts. Public relations people. The list goes on and on.
Most of the people who work in these businesses are pretty fun folk. Musicians, actors, theater kids, sports nuts. The links aren't here, but you can easily just Google these:
Live Nation Careers (includes Ticketmaster and other Live Nation companies)
ASM Global Careers
Major League Baseball Careers
Ticketing Industry Careers (INTIX)
Teamwork Online - Jobs in Sports and Entertainment
SeatGeek Jobs
Careers in the NBA
AXS Careers
Paciolan Careers (Collegiate and Arts ticketing systems)
There are just too many to list. You'll find that the types of people they're looking for varies extremely. Many are geographically diverse.
So when I was in school I initially studied Chemical Engineering but it was incredibly difficult and I dropped it for Business Management & Administration since it was an easier degree. For the early years after graduation I kicked myself while I was making at most $15/hr in retail for not finishing my degree.
Today I'm an Account Manager at a FinTech and make roughly 150k, with total comp pushing me even higher. So technically if I went back and finished my Chemical Engineering degree, I'd probably be making less today.
Base is closer to 135k, after bonus it's 150k. Also 10% 401k match and health, life, ins premiums paid for.
Graduated 2016. Worked retail Best Buy and AT&T until 2018 and then I joined Jpm Chase as a Banker. After a few years and a promotion to Private Clients I transitioned to a FinTech in 2021 as a Customer Success Lead at 100k. I've been working my current role since 2022.
Just Account Manager positions that work with enterprise and or global customers, that's when salaries start to cross 200k.
And ofcourse if you pursue leadership like Business Dev/Customer Success Manager or Director is another option.
Do you know of anyone who has switched from engineering (hardware/software) to the business side and is successful at it? I'd be curious if it's possible and what a reasonable time frame would be.
Realizing my personality is not built for staying socially isolated working on individual problems.
Anything is possible, it just needs the right approach and persistence.
That being said, there's a perfect role that marries the business side and technology side. It's named differently depending on the company but "Sales Engineer", "Tech Enabler", or "Solution Architect".
From there you can transition even further to roles that lean more towards Business.
Thanks so much.
I took a position as a technical solutions engineer at my most recent company with the hopes of integrated tech/business. Unfortunately the role barely touches on business and the tech stack is very light. I'll continue browsing around. Thanks!
Mhm that's interesting, the positions I named typically conduct tasks like running technical product/solutions demos and also drafts relevant service proposals and everything in between. They typically aren't direct client facing but do work with clients via partnership with business development colleagues.
I see ok. Thanks for adding some more details.
Our group does create and produce demo applications, although the direction on the applications is poor. I know we have customer data on how platforms are used but it's a major pain to jump through channels to get to it. I honestly don't know how that's a thing but it is.
In any case, sounds like my role is attempting to be what you described but lacking on the execution. Appreciate your insights.
PsyD so I could be a counselor reimbursed by insurance and PhD in Organizational psychology so I could be a high paid consultant to help change work culture for the better.
Astrophysics because I absolutely love it and used to study it for fun. Medicine or psychology because I enjoy understanding how people function and would like to help people. Currently in IT and it’s not fulfilling for me besides my personal gain.
What part makes it miserable? Is it management or the work itself because I’ve been switching back and forth between accounting and nursing (🥲) and decided on accounting because I thought it would be less stressful since comparing the two with people I know who work both careers.
To be fair, I do a very niche line of audit that doesn't work with financial statements at all. Sort of strange, but the same audit principles still apply.
Big 4 public accounting is just very nose to the grindstone with very little guidance. You're just expected to learn things as you go and ask questions. And since covid, there's very little human connection as well in my opinion. Don't get me wrong, hybrid working is great, but it just gets to be a fairly lonely, overworked job at times. Also feels meaningless at times. The management in my practice makes it a little difficult at too I would say.
Overall though, I've heard industry is much more work life balance oriented. I'm actually applying to a new job tonight that i'm pretty hopeful about. Feel free to ping me any questions you might have.
Ah yeah that’s definitely true my brother is an accountant and during Covid he would never leave his room and went through a major depressive state. It does get lonely having to do everything yourself, but to me that definitely beats being lonely and having to take care of everyone AND yourself. Good luck with the new job!! I’m still early in the college process and struggling, but will definitely reach out! Thank you very much and have a great rest of your day :)
I started my March 2020 and then Big 4 January 2021. Finally finished my CPA November 2021. That was probably the most brutal two years of my entire life dealing with those two things, on top of COVID, and on top of loneliness lol. Was extremely depressed for a bit.
And thanks! Hoping for the best for sure. Totally get that though. Biggest recommendation, network as much as you possibly can. It's the only reason I got the job I did. Really a huge thing for any career path in my opinion. Also, if you stay the accounting route, check to see whether your school has a Beta Alpha Psi. It's generally an accounting-only fraternity which, at my school at least, was huge. Big way to network your way into accounting firms.
And thanks, you too! :)
My husband didn't even make it to the big 4 before quitting accounting it was that bad. Worked at a pharmecuetical company for a few years hen went back to bartending for several years (better money on less hours and WAY more schedule flexibility). Now using his accounting degree to legally qualify to work as an Executive Director of Assisted Living.
Oof I’m sorry to hear that..does he enjoy working in healthcare business? If not he might want to apply elsewhere.
I also work in food service at the moment and it’s probably the most fun job I’ll ever have in my lifetime unless I can work in the music industry or somewhere else in art but those places are hard to get into.
I’m taking accounting for the job security, pay, and because I’m pretty good at it. What I’m hoping for is to be an accountant at a company that I’d enjoy.
Thank you for your input and have a great rest of your day!!
He does love it! He's been in about 5 years now and he gets a lot of personal fulfillment in it. The pay and benefits don't hurt either. It's been great for him! I'm on the same path except didn't start out with a degree. Been a bartender/server on nights and weekends for a decade, in home health as a day job for 5 years, and currently a year away from a bachelor's in nursing. He jumped first when we got pregnant, then I started my climb after. Also for the pay, benefits, stability, etc. I don't think I'll ever leave the service industry entirely to be honest. Part of the reason I picked nursing is because there's a lot of crossover. I truly love my job! I look forward to the personal fullfillment of nursing though. I already get a lot of it at clinicals. I enjoy the feeling of making a positive difference in people's live during some of their most difficult times. But I will probably keep a shift or two a week at my restaurant and we will likely try to open a bar as a retiremebt hobby because it really is where the fun is at 😅
The army wanted me to go to West Point but I didn’t want to stay in school after HS. If I had gone that route I probably would’ve done my 20 and retired. I wanted to fly Helicopters.
I’m curious as to what it would’ve been like at times but it’s so far removed from the life I led its difficult to know.
When I was in HS I had no idea what I wanted to do with myself and by the time I was finished I just wanted to be done with it and couldn’t see my self going to school for 4 years with no direction especially knowing the cost.
When I took the ASVAB I had no idea I would score as well as I did and was honestly shocked when talking to the recruiter and him telling me “pick whatever you want…you’re qualified”. I was even more shocked when they wanted me to go to West Point and they made me take a trip up there to check it out. I also got pulled aside in Basic with my Captain pushing me for OCS and even Jump School.
I just knew I wasn’t ready for college, it was a total lack of direction, let alone the stressors that would’ve been West Point. Or even OCS.
I think for something like that you have to really want it and I didn’t at the time so I may not have done it well.
Knowing how I am now, I’ve very mechanically inclined ( I was good at what I did) and being detailed oriented I may have made a good pilot but I’m also very “do it myself” and possibly not a good leader but I could be wrong as that may have had to have been a learned skill.
Looking back as well, that 20 years after graduating (I would’ve finished school in 1989) would have put me through 2 wars with the associated risks and away time from any family. I wasn’t close to my family so that wouldn’t have been an issue but I think it would’ve been tough if I had met someone and I know I wouldn’t have met the woman I’m with now.
Sorry for the long reply but it made me think. You hate to think you missed out on a great opportunity but like I said it only would’ve been great if I wanted it and could’ve done well.
Woah. That’s such a massive commitment to then wish for a new career, but I’ve also met doctors who said the same.
How much does turfgrass management pay?
Why does practicing medicine here suck? I wonder if I’m talking to the same medical doctor I met with a beautiful house, two beautiful sports cars, well put together, yet told me directly the insurance companies were making his life hell and to not be a doctor when I asked what career I should choose.
No idea what it pays. Not doctor pay but you work outside and I have always loved working on the yard. I also love sports and golf. Have always admired the grounds. Hospitalists definitely don’t make that kind of pay. We’re some of the lowest on the totem pole pay wise especially in the hospital setting although better than some medicine subspecialists. I have a comfortable life for sure. Have a nice home and drive a ‘16 Grand Cherokee. The years of mental and physical tole are just so much. It changes you and not always for the better. I would not do it again but I’m happy I did see it through. Wanted to be a doctor since I was 15. Knowing what I know now though if I were to go back to being 18 I think I would have gone on a different path.
After being a nurse 10 years I realize I could have been a surgeon and boy do I wish I would have been a surgeon. Imagine living the life of a high school quarterback your entire life. That’s a surgeons life.
BSN-PL student here: At my catheterization lab ancillary there was a DNP-FNP doing procedures. Dermatology and DI too. He acted like a highschool quarterback/surgeon with a God complex. Might be something to look into 😂
Yes, after 10-15 years of working, which only occurs after 8 years of school + residency studying/working for peanuts, 60 hours per week. Not to mentioned the obscene dedication you had to have through undergrad that likely started with great habits in high school. The path that leads you to retiring after 10-15 years as a surgeon is basically a fantasy for 99.99999% of people, which is one of the reasons they earn $400-700k/year.
I'm not American (but I don't think it makes much of a difference).
1. I would have joined the military as an officer and tried to do a career in that, despite the low pay. Because it is a passion project.
2. There aren't many careers I like in civilian world, mostly because most I feel are the same kind of (sh\*t) desk jobs whether its tech, business, etc. But maybe I'd have studied Law instead of going for a Finance degree. I would have possibly hated LAW too so who knows? But I like to read & analyse & write so I feel might have engaged my core skills. Instead of generic business jobs which I mostly hate and led to my current predicament.
But overall if I could do everything again, military career would have been my thing.
Unfortunately in my country that option is over.
EDIT: Oh and because I'm Athletic and relatively talented, I probably should have tried the Olympics as pro Athlete/Runner. But I always hesitated.
I'm a CPA and my dentist offered me an internship. Said she wished her kids would go the dental route and alluded to the idea that I could take over her practice if I took her up on her offer lol
I'd I could start over again I wouldn't have gotten thrown out of high school I would've graduated and joined the airforce stayed in for 20yrs retired at 38 and come out and been a cop or possibly a pilot
I am a mine geologist which I love but I think if I could go back I would become a mining engineer. It would be easy enough for me to change into it now (2 years part time study while working) but it would involve 8 months of working underground on the machines which doesn’t work in my timeline currently! I do love being a geologist though :)
Software/computers or learned a trade and started a business (with the money I spent on college).
Assuming close to 200k and either WFH or my own boss.
Priorities in hindsight:
1. Work life balance or at least set my own schedule.
2. Money.
3. Not having to live in a HCOL city. My ideal location is in a small town <1 hr from a non-touristy ski mountain that doesn't suck (sorry Poconos).
As someone in my 40s who finished grad school at 23 and works in education - I would’ve majored in business or IT and probably not bothered with grad school. Instead I have a psych degree, a Masters in Education and work in higher Ed making enough but not nearly what I should. Although I do like my job and work fully remote now on the operations side of financial aid at a state college - the money just isn’t worth it.
There’s going to be stress no matter what job you have, I’d rather get paid more lol. We do have good benefits and a lot of time off so that’s worth something, but I’m hoping to transition into more of an analyst role in the next couple years. My advice - college isn’t for everyone and don’t necessarily follow your passion if it doesn’t pay well.
Currently working in urban forestry and it's mind-numbingly boring. If I could do it again, there are a few jobs that have always seemed interesting to me:
Search and Rescue
Pilot
Land surveyor
Traditional forester
Something programming/IT related like geographic information systems or remote sensing
Mechanical engineer, although I doubt I have what it takes to get through an engineering degree
I’m a paramedic who had goals of becoming a nurse. I’m 30 years old and I’ll be honest, I want to go into tech but at the same time I’m concerned about the Kay offs as well. If I could do it over again, I would have went into the military. Airforce or navy.
I joined active duty Marines after HIgh School in 1999. I didn't know there were more options to serve. I didn't know there was ROTC and like so many other programs. So here's what I wish I'd done:
1) Gone ROTC and been pre-med and gone to college right away. Boom... Bachelor's paid for. Then gone to medical school under Army/Navy/Air Force medical sponsorship program that **pays for all of Medical school** plus $2500/month assistance **plus drill pay. They commission you a MAJ/04 or COL/O6 after graduating. Do 6 yrs of active duty and done. Zero debt.
Or
2)Same as above but study mechanical Engineering/Computer engineering/etc. Do 4 yrs boom zero debt.
Or
3) Just gone to College /to get a BA in anything that actually paid well and had rapid career and salary increases and job security(Again 4 types of engineering or Doctor).
I'd have been a retired millionaire by 50.
I went back to school and got into software engineering. Very happy with it so far.
If I could do it again maybe I’d try to get into investment banking. Software is fun but if all you want to do is extract ungodly amounts of money from a system without building or providing anything in return that’s investment banking.
Cloud architecture (AWS, Azure). I imagine with 10 years in corporate slavery, I could be at 160K+
Instead, I got too comfortable at job and now I’m pigeonholed. Trying to escape somehow..
I would have stayed in the military until retirement. My income would have been about a 1/3 of what it is now but I would have a paycheck for the rest of my life, free health care for life and felt much more satisfaction from that career vs the one I ended up in.
I should've went to law school. I didn't want to at the time but I wonder all the time. My debt would be astronomical though lmao. But I'd easily be making at least 150k a year after a few years. I would've probaably went to a family friends' firm after graduating if I went \*sighhhhh\*
I wish I would have started web development five years ago. I'd be making 150k easily by now, currently on the path to do that, just a bit later than I'd hoped.
I’m just at the bottom of data analytics and data engineer in at 32 years old. Successful career change 12 months ago and already earning more than I did after 4 years as a lab tech.
Hotel management and probably 200k a year but zero costs and living in the penthouse next to the Presidential suite with my wife and kids eating room service 24/7.
I think what’s more fascinating is the future of work.
Society is so productive, a large part of our economy is made of stuff people want - don’t need.
I expect as time progress, AI becomes AGI, and we automate even more, our basic needs will be met by society. We will end up doing things for stuff we want, not what we need. That’ll be taken care of.
I’m a quant in social science. On this topic, always split between:
1) Going more quant (stats, comp sci) and earning more.
2) Going more passions (philosophy, lit) and earning less.
This split may indicate I’m in the golden mean.
I was a POC/volunteer firefighter for 10 years and absolutely loved it.
In hindsight, I would have done that as a career instead of a "hobby"
It's been a couple years since I left it, and I miss it everyday.
I’d seriously consider law school. When I was younger it was a pretty reliable path to a good career, and I’d have been established in it long before the sector slumped so badly a few years back.
It’s not something I really thought about until a professional mentor in a Federal agency remarked on how much I seemed to enjoy working with the organization’s lawyers. I’d probably have fit in pretty well as an attorney in the public or academic sectors.
I honestly don’t know much about the salaries in that profession and those sectors. I’m sure they wouldn’t come close to private-sector salaries in the legal field, but would still be decent. And I’m sure I’d have enjoyed it. No regrets, though. I’m about to semi-retire in (not from) a STEM policy field, and have enjoyed that too much to retire completely.
I'd be less risk averse. Degree in geology, didn't want to do academia so went into resource geology and then environmental.
Always played it safe, followed the benefits, take the sure deal. 35 now, felt pretty stifled career-wise but work-life balance is good.
I think I'd have taken a shot at sales or a more performance-based compensation job in sales since I'm a big people person.
Some regrets but then I remember I'm still comfortable and decent enough off.
I’d probably do STEM of some sort. I decided to have fun in college which means you gotta take a job dealing with people later on. I make a good living, but dealing with people is soul sucking.
I’d much rather deal with numbers, and leave work at work.
I became a flight attendant at 24 and spent 10 yrs there. I loved it (up to covid).
I'm now a student pilot. I would've began training earlier while also still being a flight attendant.
Art. Should have stuck with it. Now that I know so many successful full time artists I’m kicking myself for giving that up and just ending up in a desk job and being fully out of practice.
I'm pharmacist. Probably same but would work in most evil pharmaceutical company I could get in for biggest, fattest money I could get. I've spent to much time and health for helping people. Now I just despise humanity...
Easy, interaction with humans. So we have a social healthcare and in ideal conditions it is great, also it is good when person has some serious condition. But people, mostly boomers exploit that, they go for unnecessary procedures, and lot of people do not show on appointments. People behave like all that is free and that all medical workers should be their slaves. So now I just hate people.
I would go back and become a surgeon. I'm in IT, but I think like most of my family I should have gone into health. I feel like I'm smart enough and would have enjoyed really helping people. Right now, sometimes I don't know what the fuck I did all day. My salary would be doubled/trippled I'm sure.
So, I graduated with IT but my urge to be more helpful to people and touch each life every out grows the IT dream, I wanna be a working nurse in UK so badly.
I'd focus more on football and have the military as my next. Meaning I wouldn't get a criminal record followed by better conditioning to hopefully help avoid my knee injury.
I know everybody says they'd have been pro, and it's unlikely, but I was a phenomenal qb back in the day, especially for a kid. I'd have had a chance at least, and if I didn't make it, I could go to the military like I've always wanted. At 16 after just 2 practices, we had tryouts for positions, and I could throw accurately up to 70 yards before it'd drop off and was running a 5.2 40. I kept getting better until I got arrested. Then I started up again when I finally could, and all that time without practice or conditioning led me to hurt my knees, and I couldn't perform the same and gave up on it all.
Military wasn't about money, just passion. Football was both. I wanted to be in the military since I was 5 and was just really good at football, so I saw an opportunity to try for the millions. It'd probably be like 60k - 90k depending on what route I took in the military by the end starting at 20k but I'd have the opportunity to branch off into other careers or just straight into an earlier retirement afterward.
I wish I was honest and simple with my ambitions since 20s. E.g. I wish I admitted that I wanted to succeed, move up, earn more money, then simply sought advice on how to achieve it. Instead I kept putting myself down, finding excuses to stay where I was, and not talking to anyone about anything. I’m 42 now and finally realising all this. Can’t quantify the amount of money but would’ve been more for sure
My general advice is to pick something with a defined role. A dentist is a dentist, you go to dental school and then you become a dentist. The problems come in these generalist degrees and roles.
What do you mean "go back and change"? Im 36 and trying to do that now! lol but I probably would have gone IT or computers or ANYTHING other than psychology.
I’m 45 and like fuck what doI do now? I’ve done so much and I’m sick of starting over. Made great money to shit money to great to shit to great now back to shit. I’ve been in trades and worked for mom and pops to corporate. No lie I’m sick of it all. I’m a hard ass worker but always seem to be a square peg being shoved in a circle. It’s seriously the worst time to be making shit money now. My hands are up.
Check out a few sunshine lists. For eg, I see that a lot of hospital technicians are making big bucks, some with little more than a college certificate and 1-2 years experience with lab systems and processes. Look for a job where you can transfer some of your skills so you don’t need to start at square one. If you don’t plan to retire for another 15 years, a new career might be worth a shot.
I’m down with a new anything. I’m ADHD so I’m a Jack of all trades and a master of none. It’s a blessing & a curse. But I will take your advice I’m looking for something. I appreciate you taking your time to help out. Much respect to you bro.
I feel you on the burnout friend. We all need raises and instead they’re giving us more work load.
Why tech and not psych?
Here where I live, psychology is only good if you go to masters level, because only that allows you to then open a self employed psychologist practice. Though in general it seems like a wide field with tons of options. There are so many people going mentally ill these days that therapists and psychs are in great demand.
Even if you’re not going for a masters, psych isn’t even in the top 10 of degrees with the lowest employment. You generally find employment out of field. So yeah, if you want to work in something psychology related, it’s a throwaway degree without the masters. But not useless in the slightest.
I've had great success with my undergraduate. I ended up getting into a tech firm (I initially majored cs) and they really liked my psych background as I can get along with all people. I can talk to clients. I ended up leaving that for a HR role as I ended up doing hr stuff at that job a year later and got experience. I took on extra work to gain experience. The degree is just to get your foot in the door then prove yourself. I don't know about you but the cs people around me were.. not the most social with strangers to say the least. Very smart though.
Absolutely. Psych degrees are super useful and people with them end up in a variety of fields. They look good to employers as it’s essentially a certification that you understand how people think.
Or use it to get into hr like me lol.. I majored cs then dropped it for psych. I ended up getting BSc in psychology because I fricking love psych and it's natural to me. It's not about the field, it's about the degree. Opens doors. I can do many things. Most #1 important thing for new career success? LOCATION. if you are in Canada and in Toronto, Calgary, Vancouver.. you are fucked. I have no issues in sask. I'm sure states are similar. Get away from the big cities if you can.
In Canada you'd need a ph.d to practice psychology in most places which is 8-12 years of schooling (not counting supervised work & internships).The field is so in demand it has become highly competitive. When I was contemplating grad school my advisor said with anything below a 3.9 GPA and 2 years of work experience my application wouldn't be competitive compared to the other students coming in. The pay is good but the grind is incredibly discouraging
Money
Cause psych is complicated
You need a Master's to actually make a livable wage. Plus, the job is extremely emotionally stressful. Research is probably the best thing, but going for a PhD is not easy too.
We need more healers :( but same.. I’m starting to think my backup plan (nursing) should have been my top plan
Well if you can pay my rent and help me save money every month than yea sure I’ll do it lol
Omg why do you say that ? Isn’t psychology /mental health services booming right now ? Given that the society as a whole is focusing more on mental well-being??
If he only got a bachelors there isn’t a whole lot to do in that field. If you get a masters and become, say, a LMHC - you will be in incredible demand. Looking at the job listings near me there are just pages of open LMHC positions.
Ah I see. Makes sense! Thanks for answering :)
Yea pretty much that. Never went back to grad school and I really don’t think I want to
I second this, but 42! Lol. I would have gone into Marketing
Hi I’m 31F and I’m considering going back to school for psychology.. why did you say that? Really curious
Because without going to grad school your options really stop quickly. You can really only get direct care work and unfortunately that’s not where the real money is.
Dam, I'm exactly the same.
I would have been perfectly happy with my UAW union job driving fork lifts forever. Easy job, never a dull moment, interesting challenges, great pay and benefits, and excellent life-work balance. Alas, the idea of leaving the upper midwest for the warmth of the sun and golden shores of southern California took hold, so I moved forward with my life. A 30-year career in I.T. was soul sucking and stressful.
So you traded the job you liked for a better location but ended up miserable? I’m guessing you’re retired now? Why didn’t you switch out of IT earlier?
Oh, but the money was so lucrative in Information Technology, with endless opportunities in the silicon valley, silicon alleys, and the silicon forest. Had I stayed in the midwest driving a forklift...I shudder at the thought of how narrow-minded I may have turned out to be.
Anything on the front/pointy end of a business (revenue generating). I’ve had a business function (i.e.: HR, IT, Finance, et.al.) career that’s been mostly a miserable slog with the occasional bright spot. Those who make a business earn money are lauded & rewarded well, while those who work daily so a business can actually function well/consistently are treated like a large janitorial staff.
This one is quite appropriate for the thread. Sales is very lucrative, you don't have to be too smart (might even be useful to be a bit dense), and you get some nice perks if you have the right role.
I had a pilots license at 18 years old….never did a thing with it. At 60 now, I know I had the smarts and the ability but had little confidence, and even less in the way of parental and peer support.
Went to school to teach. Wish I had gone into the trades.
I wouldn't necessarily change my career path, I worked in one type of role for 5 years, then another for 10 years, and now another for the past 5 years. I enjoy what I do now, and the skills learned in my other roles make me better at it; That said, what I *would* change is having a better understanding of finances, so much money spent on frivolous things, more money than I can count spent on fast food at lunch, or alcohol at the weekend. If I could start over I'd save more and spend less, with the ultimate goal being early retirement of course
If I could go back in time, I would choose the same career I’m in now (accounting) from the beginning rather than choosing it as a second career at 28. At 35 YOA, I’m a supervisor with 8 YOE making $105k. If I had done it from the beginning, Id be a senior manager or director with 14 YOE, and making $180k+ probably.
What was your first career?
My first degree was Sociology, so my first career was non-existent with minimum wage jobs being the only ones I could ever land.
Porn...my anxiety about how people viewed my body would be a great motivator to keep physically fit. I assume my income would have been a cool $200 plus the drugs, trauma and friends I made along the way. For context I'm 41 and my first job out of college was paying me $11 an hour living in a major city.
Horrible industry that breaks people's minds and is abuse of women basically, the pleasure/fun part is probably 10% of the time, the other 90% is PTSD and shame. There is no wonder many porn stars end up killing themselves.
At first I thought you were describing my retail career lol but yes I've heard terrible things about that industry.
I’m in AI and Ml. I’d go back to school to be an oncologist if I were to do it all over. Tech is fucked. I want some damn job security!
I would have started college after age 25 tbh and focused on being young. Travel, eat, just be in the moment
What advice do you have for people in their mid-20s? I'm 26 and I feel like I've been grinding my entire life. I never had the means to not be financially anxious. But only recently I went from making around 20k to 70k. I feel like I want to grind it out and make a big financial safety net for myself, but at the same time I keep seeing people say, "Travel when you're young."
Get that money, travel later in life. 41 and starting over fyi
Thank you. I appreciate it.
Nurse Police Hvac tech Professional soccer/football player
Why nurse? I've heard that the job is really taxing
Any jobs can be taxing for the body. Sitting in the office and staring at the computer screen are taxing on a lot of office and corporate workers. The reasons I choose nurse because #1 job security and stability #2 career advancement 1 Job Security and stability: Afaik, Nurse field has less chance of getting laid off in worse economy time, and even if they do, they will find a job quicker and easier. 2 Career advancement: Nurse can move up to anesthesia nurse assistant ( I heard they can earn $250k+), pediatric nurse, geriatric nurse role for example.
Nursing student here: One of the reasons I chose it is because I could never sit at a desk all day. Bartender/server for 10 years and I needed more stability and benefits but I still need to keep moving. There's a massive nursing shortage in the US right now and it's only going to get worse so the job security is spot on. The advancement part is a little off though. CRNA (Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists) is a 6-8 yr, very competitive degree. It's independent practice, not assisting. Same with Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, Family Nurse Practitioner, Certified Nurse Midwife, etc. All Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioners (grad degrees) with independent practice rights (ex: diagnose illness and prescribe medicine) in many US states and other countries. Some can even perform surigal procedures in catheterization, DI, dermatology, etc. You can become a peds, geriatric, oncology, wound care/ostomy/continence, NICU, acute care, diagnostic imaging, catheterization lab, operating room, ER, PACU, cardiology, school, corrections, infusion, dialysis, etc etc Nurse right out of school or with ~1 year experience for more intense specialties. You can also flip flop all over specialties throughout your career and most do exactly that. It isn't so much advancement (you aren't advancing without a grad degree) as flexibility. It's still a huge motivator IF you enjoy healthcare and truly want to be a nurse. If you dont you'll be miserable. You won't even make it through school doing clinicals and taking c. Diff stool samples, performing wound care on infected pressure injuries, wiping vomit off the floor and also wiping more asses than you can possibly ever imagine. Don't do it if your heart isn't in it.
It is both physically and mentally taxing but I have always believe a desk job does more harm to your body than a physical one. Now that I'm a nursing student and have been in clinicals for a full year I can confirm that a large, LARGE majority of my patients in skilled nursing, surgical, and neuro departments we have been sent to have lived a primarily sedentary lifestyle. It's the mentally taxing part that gets to you. Nobody in my cohort has had a nurse as a medical patient, but the PMHNP students have several.
Police? Any specific reasons?
I would have gone into sonography
Psychology- my friend makes 400k for 25 hrs of work a week. Meanwhile I’m struggling just to find a design job.
I’m only 23, but if I could go back, I’d definitely switch my college degree from biology to a double major in comp sci and stats. Work for a few years as a data analyst, then get a masters in stats to become a data scientist.
Wb bioinformatics? It’s biology + ds. You work mainly with NLP and graph theory I believe
Bioinformatics from what I’ve seen, is mainly computer science and biology, with a focus on some certain omics (genomics, proteomics, etc.). Very little is on data analysts, and if it is, it’s very rudimentary. So generally, someone with a background in bioinformatics would have a difficult time transitioning into a data science or statistician role.
Strange, I’ve interviewed for a bio informatics company, and it was definitely very ML adjacent. Got asked about LSTMS/RNN, def very deep learning focused.
I got a geology degree. One of the guys I was friends with has a parent on the board of BP. I met the parent at a lecture and was offered a job for $200,000 straight out of college. I’d be doing really well for myself but I don’t regret turning it down. I wouldn’t have my life partner now if I had taken it. I make enough, am on track to buy a regular house in a few years, and now am in renewable fuels.
You turned down a 200k job right out of college? Why????
Yeah you should always be happy with what you have instead of not being happy because you think about that you could have had something different. Not sure if what I wrote make any sense. Be happy with what you have - it's the key to happiness for me.
Ignorant is bliss.
I am 66 - spent my career in the software/hardware end of the live sports and entertainment business. A lot of my work has involved negotiating agreements and then ironing out contracts and other legal documents to define the relationship. Oddly, the legal aspects of my work - everything from contracts to litigation - were amongst my favorite endeavors. I didn't go to college, but if I were to go back and do it all again, I'd take a long look at becoming an attorney. A trial lawyer.
That's super cool you did tech in the entertainment and sports space. Mind me asking what are typical company names for this? I'm an engineer in both hw/sw, but not a fan of the current role I'm in. I played ball in college, would be awesome to find something related to that.
Okay, so here's a copy of a post I did last month - glad I saved a copy. I think you'll find some things to think about. There's a ton of tech used by many of these organizations at this point. I don't know how many jobs are available right now, but it is not uncommon to see help-wanted blurbs on LinkedIn for software developers for some kind of sports/entertainment biz. Hope this helps. \*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\* I've spent my whole career working with people who love their jobs. Tons of them. And we all often work much more than 40 hours a week. Regular business hours, but the important stuff mostly happens on weekends. I've worked at the intersection of a number of businesses, and the people I've worked with (both inside the company and external clients) include people who work at: • Concert promoters, festival producers, etc. • Booking agencies, artist management companies • Stadiums, arenas, theaters, convention centers, amphitheaters, clubs, etc. • ASM Global, Oak View Group, Venuworks, other building management cos. • Trade shows, Comic-con (and all the other -cons) • MLB, NBA, NHL, NFL leagues, teams, and venues • Minor league sports, AAA baseball, associated venues, AFL • University athletics, performing arts, concerts, etc. • Ticketmaster, AXS, Seatgeek, Tickets.com, Etix, Paciolan, Accesso, AudienceView, etc. • Food service companies that work with arenas and stadiums, including suites • Concession companies that work with pro sports teams and touring acts • Event production including sound, lights, stagehands, camera crews, etc. • Fundraising and development people (non-profits, performing arts) • Misc. software providers for teams, venues, universities, etc. There are 1,000 companies involved with all of the various aspects of live entertainment including concerts and sports. Tens of thousands of people make this happen in the US alone. We all love what we do because we would have quit if we didn't. I was told when I started in this business that you either quit within six months or stayed with it for life. All of these entities need marketing people. Social media gurus. Finance and accounting staff. HR people. IT and network systems experts. Scoreboards, broadcasting, in-game entertainment. Ticketing staff in the box office. Account managers handling corporate accounts and season ticket holders. Attorneys. Operations people. Software developers. Systems engineers. Fundraising and development experts. Public relations people. The list goes on and on. Most of the people who work in these businesses are pretty fun folk. Musicians, actors, theater kids, sports nuts. The links aren't here, but you can easily just Google these: Live Nation Careers (includes Ticketmaster and other Live Nation companies) ASM Global Careers Major League Baseball Careers Ticketing Industry Careers (INTIX) Teamwork Online - Jobs in Sports and Entertainment SeatGeek Jobs Careers in the NBA AXS Careers Paciolan Careers (Collegiate and Arts ticketing systems) There are just too many to list. You'll find that the types of people they're looking for varies extremely. Many are geographically diverse.
I'm also so glad you saved it too! I'm going to pick this apart! Thanks so much for sharing I really appreciate it :D
So when I was in school I initially studied Chemical Engineering but it was incredibly difficult and I dropped it for Business Management & Administration since it was an easier degree. For the early years after graduation I kicked myself while I was making at most $15/hr in retail for not finishing my degree. Today I'm an Account Manager at a FinTech and make roughly 150k, with total comp pushing me even higher. So technically if I went back and finished my Chemical Engineering degree, I'd probably be making less today.
That’s great. How many years did it take to make that income? $150,000 per year is your salary before bonus? What roles pay $200k+ in your field?
Base is closer to 135k, after bonus it's 150k. Also 10% 401k match and health, life, ins premiums paid for. Graduated 2016. Worked retail Best Buy and AT&T until 2018 and then I joined Jpm Chase as a Banker. After a few years and a promotion to Private Clients I transitioned to a FinTech in 2021 as a Customer Success Lead at 100k. I've been working my current role since 2022. Just Account Manager positions that work with enterprise and or global customers, that's when salaries start to cross 200k. And ofcourse if you pursue leadership like Business Dev/Customer Success Manager or Director is another option.
Do you know of anyone who has switched from engineering (hardware/software) to the business side and is successful at it? I'd be curious if it's possible and what a reasonable time frame would be. Realizing my personality is not built for staying socially isolated working on individual problems.
Anything is possible, it just needs the right approach and persistence. That being said, there's a perfect role that marries the business side and technology side. It's named differently depending on the company but "Sales Engineer", "Tech Enabler", or "Solution Architect". From there you can transition even further to roles that lean more towards Business.
Thanks so much. I took a position as a technical solutions engineer at my most recent company with the hopes of integrated tech/business. Unfortunately the role barely touches on business and the tech stack is very light. I'll continue browsing around. Thanks!
Mhm that's interesting, the positions I named typically conduct tasks like running technical product/solutions demos and also drafts relevant service proposals and everything in between. They typically aren't direct client facing but do work with clients via partnership with business development colleagues.
I see ok. Thanks for adding some more details. Our group does create and produce demo applications, although the direction on the applications is poor. I know we have customer data on how platforms are used but it's a major pain to jump through channels to get to it. I honestly don't know how that's a thing but it is. In any case, sounds like my role is attempting to be what you described but lacking on the execution. Appreciate your insights.
PsyD so I could be a counselor reimbursed by insurance and PhD in Organizational psychology so I could be a high paid consultant to help change work culture for the better.
Something in medicine or psychology. If I was a better studier, astrophysics.
Why those fields?
Astrophysics because I absolutely love it and used to study it for fun. Medicine or psychology because I enjoy understanding how people function and would like to help people. Currently in IT and it’s not fulfilling for me besides my personal gain.
Stripper
IT 100%
What do you do currently?
X-ray!
Ooooo trade ya! lol
I’ve heard a lot of people say this about IT, good money but not fulfilling life long
Porn.. Someone else said the same thing..
Not accounting
Why not?
Big 4 accountant here, it's miserable lol.
What part makes it miserable? Is it management or the work itself because I’ve been switching back and forth between accounting and nursing (🥲) and decided on accounting because I thought it would be less stressful since comparing the two with people I know who work both careers.
To be fair, I do a very niche line of audit that doesn't work with financial statements at all. Sort of strange, but the same audit principles still apply. Big 4 public accounting is just very nose to the grindstone with very little guidance. You're just expected to learn things as you go and ask questions. And since covid, there's very little human connection as well in my opinion. Don't get me wrong, hybrid working is great, but it just gets to be a fairly lonely, overworked job at times. Also feels meaningless at times. The management in my practice makes it a little difficult at too I would say. Overall though, I've heard industry is much more work life balance oriented. I'm actually applying to a new job tonight that i'm pretty hopeful about. Feel free to ping me any questions you might have.
Ah yeah that’s definitely true my brother is an accountant and during Covid he would never leave his room and went through a major depressive state. It does get lonely having to do everything yourself, but to me that definitely beats being lonely and having to take care of everyone AND yourself. Good luck with the new job!! I’m still early in the college process and struggling, but will definitely reach out! Thank you very much and have a great rest of your day :)
I started my March 2020 and then Big 4 January 2021. Finally finished my CPA November 2021. That was probably the most brutal two years of my entire life dealing with those two things, on top of COVID, and on top of loneliness lol. Was extremely depressed for a bit. And thanks! Hoping for the best for sure. Totally get that though. Biggest recommendation, network as much as you possibly can. It's the only reason I got the job I did. Really a huge thing for any career path in my opinion. Also, if you stay the accounting route, check to see whether your school has a Beta Alpha Psi. It's generally an accounting-only fraternity which, at my school at least, was huge. Big way to network your way into accounting firms. And thanks, you too! :)
Also love your user I play PoGo haha
My husband didn't even make it to the big 4 before quitting accounting it was that bad. Worked at a pharmecuetical company for a few years hen went back to bartending for several years (better money on less hours and WAY more schedule flexibility). Now using his accounting degree to legally qualify to work as an Executive Director of Assisted Living.
Oof I’m sorry to hear that..does he enjoy working in healthcare business? If not he might want to apply elsewhere. I also work in food service at the moment and it’s probably the most fun job I’ll ever have in my lifetime unless I can work in the music industry or somewhere else in art but those places are hard to get into. I’m taking accounting for the job security, pay, and because I’m pretty good at it. What I’m hoping for is to be an accountant at a company that I’d enjoy. Thank you for your input and have a great rest of your day!!
He does love it! He's been in about 5 years now and he gets a lot of personal fulfillment in it. The pay and benefits don't hurt either. It's been great for him! I'm on the same path except didn't start out with a degree. Been a bartender/server on nights and weekends for a decade, in home health as a day job for 5 years, and currently a year away from a bachelor's in nursing. He jumped first when we got pregnant, then I started my climb after. Also for the pay, benefits, stability, etc. I don't think I'll ever leave the service industry entirely to be honest. Part of the reason I picked nursing is because there's a lot of crossover. I truly love my job! I look forward to the personal fullfillment of nursing though. I already get a lot of it at clinicals. I enjoy the feeling of making a positive difference in people's live during some of their most difficult times. But I will probably keep a shift or two a week at my restaurant and we will likely try to open a bar as a retiremebt hobby because it really is where the fun is at 😅
The army wanted me to go to West Point but I didn’t want to stay in school after HS. If I had gone that route I probably would’ve done my 20 and retired. I wanted to fly Helicopters.
What do you do now?
Now…I’m disabled. I was a mechanic for 30 years and severe arthritis got me so I’m essentially retired.
How do you cope with the hindsight?
I’m curious as to what it would’ve been like at times but it’s so far removed from the life I led its difficult to know. When I was in HS I had no idea what I wanted to do with myself and by the time I was finished I just wanted to be done with it and couldn’t see my self going to school for 4 years with no direction especially knowing the cost. When I took the ASVAB I had no idea I would score as well as I did and was honestly shocked when talking to the recruiter and him telling me “pick whatever you want…you’re qualified”. I was even more shocked when they wanted me to go to West Point and they made me take a trip up there to check it out. I also got pulled aside in Basic with my Captain pushing me for OCS and even Jump School. I just knew I wasn’t ready for college, it was a total lack of direction, let alone the stressors that would’ve been West Point. Or even OCS. I think for something like that you have to really want it and I didn’t at the time so I may not have done it well. Knowing how I am now, I’ve very mechanically inclined ( I was good at what I did) and being detailed oriented I may have made a good pilot but I’m also very “do it myself” and possibly not a good leader but I could be wrong as that may have had to have been a learned skill. Looking back as well, that 20 years after graduating (I would’ve finished school in 1989) would have put me through 2 wars with the associated risks and away time from any family. I wasn’t close to my family so that wouldn’t have been an issue but I think it would’ve been tough if I had met someone and I know I wouldn’t have met the woman I’m with now. Sorry for the long reply but it made me think. You hate to think you missed out on a great opportunity but like I said it only would’ve been great if I wanted it and could’ve done well.
38, would have been a nurse. I studied fine arts.
I'm 33 in nursing school now and at least 1/4 of my cohort is in their 30s and 40s. Do it. It's not too late ❤️
I’m an MD. While I love medicine, practicing medicine in the US system sucks. Would loved to have done turf grass management.
Woah. That’s such a massive commitment to then wish for a new career, but I’ve also met doctors who said the same. How much does turfgrass management pay? Why does practicing medicine here suck? I wonder if I’m talking to the same medical doctor I met with a beautiful house, two beautiful sports cars, well put together, yet told me directly the insurance companies were making his life hell and to not be a doctor when I asked what career I should choose.
No idea what it pays. Not doctor pay but you work outside and I have always loved working on the yard. I also love sports and golf. Have always admired the grounds. Hospitalists definitely don’t make that kind of pay. We’re some of the lowest on the totem pole pay wise especially in the hospital setting although better than some medicine subspecialists. I have a comfortable life for sure. Have a nice home and drive a ‘16 Grand Cherokee. The years of mental and physical tole are just so much. It changes you and not always for the better. I would not do it again but I’m happy I did see it through. Wanted to be a doctor since I was 15. Knowing what I know now though if I were to go back to being 18 I think I would have gone on a different path.
After being a nurse 10 years I realize I could have been a surgeon and boy do I wish I would have been a surgeon. Imagine living the life of a high school quarterback your entire life. That’s a surgeons life.
It's not too late to become a sturgeon
What do you mean? Surgeons work awful hours.
Yeah, but the power, praise, and prestige they get is second to none. Plus you can retire or significantly cut back your hours after 10-15 years
Did you have the grades to get in?
I could have, but I was a slacker. School is mostly about effort.
BSN-PL student here: At my catheterization lab ancillary there was a DNP-FNP doing procedures. Dermatology and DI too. He acted like a highschool quarterback/surgeon with a God complex. Might be something to look into 😂
Yes, after 10-15 years of working, which only occurs after 8 years of school + residency studying/working for peanuts, 60 hours per week. Not to mentioned the obscene dedication you had to have through undergrad that likely started with great habits in high school. The path that leads you to retiring after 10-15 years as a surgeon is basically a fantasy for 99.99999% of people, which is one of the reasons they earn $400-700k/year.
Medicine
Paleontology, which is around 60-80k average. I'd be trading down but it sounds cool haha.
I'm not American (but I don't think it makes much of a difference). 1. I would have joined the military as an officer and tried to do a career in that, despite the low pay. Because it is a passion project. 2. There aren't many careers I like in civilian world, mostly because most I feel are the same kind of (sh\*t) desk jobs whether its tech, business, etc. But maybe I'd have studied Law instead of going for a Finance degree. I would have possibly hated LAW too so who knows? But I like to read & analyse & write so I feel might have engaged my core skills. Instead of generic business jobs which I mostly hate and led to my current predicament. But overall if I could do everything again, military career would have been my thing. Unfortunately in my country that option is over. EDIT: Oh and because I'm Athletic and relatively talented, I probably should have tried the Olympics as pro Athlete/Runner. But I always hesitated.
I wanna be a dentist
Amazing $$. So much back pain though!
I'm a CPA and my dentist offered me an internship. Said she wished her kids would go the dental route and alluded to the idea that I could take over her practice if I took her up on her offer lol
Tech and programming
I’d still be a pilot but I would have gone the military route instead of civilian.
I'd I could start over again I wouldn't have gotten thrown out of high school I would've graduated and joined the airforce stayed in for 20yrs retired at 38 and come out and been a cop or possibly a pilot
I am a mine geologist which I love but I think if I could go back I would become a mining engineer. It would be easy enough for me to change into it now (2 years part time study while working) but it would involve 8 months of working underground on the machines which doesn’t work in my timeline currently! I do love being a geologist though :)
Software/computers or learned a trade and started a business (with the money I spent on college). Assuming close to 200k and either WFH or my own boss. Priorities in hindsight: 1. Work life balance or at least set my own schedule. 2. Money. 3. Not having to live in a HCOL city. My ideal location is in a small town <1 hr from a non-touristy ski mountain that doesn't suck (sorry Poconos).
Human Resources. My income would be ~100k
You can still do that! Almost no one goes to school.for that
I’m in school now for it ☺️
As someone in my 40s who finished grad school at 23 and works in education - I would’ve majored in business or IT and probably not bothered with grad school. Instead I have a psych degree, a Masters in Education and work in higher Ed making enough but not nearly what I should. Although I do like my job and work fully remote now on the operations side of financial aid at a state college - the money just isn’t worth it. There’s going to be stress no matter what job you have, I’d rather get paid more lol. We do have good benefits and a lot of time off so that’s worth something, but I’m hoping to transition into more of an analyst role in the next couple years. My advice - college isn’t for everyone and don’t necessarily follow your passion if it doesn’t pay well.
Currently working in urban forestry and it's mind-numbingly boring. If I could do it again, there are a few jobs that have always seemed interesting to me: Search and Rescue Pilot Land surveyor Traditional forester Something programming/IT related like geographic information systems or remote sensing Mechanical engineer, although I doubt I have what it takes to get through an engineering degree
I’m a paramedic who had goals of becoming a nurse. I’m 30 years old and I’ll be honest, I want to go into tech but at the same time I’m concerned about the Kay offs as well. If I could do it over again, I would have went into the military. Airforce or navy.
I'd be a male nurse
We really need more of them 😭
I joined active duty Marines after HIgh School in 1999. I didn't know there were more options to serve. I didn't know there was ROTC and like so many other programs. So here's what I wish I'd done: 1) Gone ROTC and been pre-med and gone to college right away. Boom... Bachelor's paid for. Then gone to medical school under Army/Navy/Air Force medical sponsorship program that **pays for all of Medical school** plus $2500/month assistance **plus drill pay. They commission you a MAJ/04 or COL/O6 after graduating. Do 6 yrs of active duty and done. Zero debt. Or 2)Same as above but study mechanical Engineering/Computer engineering/etc. Do 4 yrs boom zero debt. Or 3) Just gone to College /to get a BA in anything that actually paid well and had rapid career and salary increases and job security(Again 4 types of engineering or Doctor). I'd have been a retired millionaire by 50.
I went back to school and got into software engineering. Very happy with it so far. If I could do it again maybe I’d try to get into investment banking. Software is fun but if all you want to do is extract ungodly amounts of money from a system without building or providing anything in return that’s investment banking.
Only fans.
Cloud architecture (AWS, Azure). I imagine with 10 years in corporate slavery, I could be at 160K+ Instead, I got too comfortable at job and now I’m pigeonholed. Trying to escape somehow..
LIV tour golf player. Salary: $300M
I would have stayed in the military until retirement. My income would have been about a 1/3 of what it is now but I would have a paycheck for the rest of my life, free health care for life and felt much more satisfaction from that career vs the one I ended up in.
I think I would have become a doctor. Salary might have been 50% more than now but it’s fine.
If I could go back to 5 years old, I’d hit baseballs or golf balls all day and become a pro in either of those.
Architecture and prolly about the same but 60-90k a year
I would avoid a major injury (and being forced to play through it) and probably be a multi- millionaire right now.
Firefighting or Corrections. Both pay six figures and have good job security, benefits, and pension where I live.
I woulda started what I do not earlier. Facilities. I would be making closer to 50 an hour I think by now. I make around 30
I'd have bought bitcoin, worked some easy jobs until 2017 and then retired.
Strangely enough, I would have become a priest. Pay is terrible!!!
I should've went to law school. I didn't want to at the time but I wonder all the time. My debt would be astronomical though lmao. But I'd easily be making at least 150k a year after a few years. I would've probaably went to a family friends' firm after graduating if I went \*sighhhhh\*
I wish I would have started web development five years ago. I'd be making 150k easily by now, currently on the path to do that, just a bit later than I'd hoped.
I’m just at the bottom of data analytics and data engineer in at 32 years old. Successful career change 12 months ago and already earning more than I did after 4 years as a lab tech.
World President, 100M per year
I’d be the co-owner of Hotel Hell, and my salary would be $80,000 a year.
I would have gotten my rotary wing commercial license.
Hotel management and probably 200k a year but zero costs and living in the penthouse next to the Presidential suite with my wife and kids eating room service 24/7.
I think what’s more fascinating is the future of work. Society is so productive, a large part of our economy is made of stuff people want - don’t need. I expect as time progress, AI becomes AGI, and we automate even more, our basic needs will be met by society. We will end up doing things for stuff we want, not what we need. That’ll be taken care of.
Ok, but how do we get money?
Sam Altman came out recently saying he thinks compute power is the future currency.
Maybe get my elementary teaching degree.
Photographer now, but I wish I finished my chem degree and stuck to that. I could be making legal cocaine and making bank.
I’m a quant in social science. On this topic, always split between: 1) Going more quant (stats, comp sci) and earning more. 2) Going more passions (philosophy, lit) and earning less. This split may indicate I’m in the golden mean.
I was a POC/volunteer firefighter for 10 years and absolutely loved it. In hindsight, I would have done that as a career instead of a "hobby" It's been a couple years since I left it, and I miss it everyday.
i would have went into Tech maybe not as a SWE or something, but more tech related. maybe could have retired by now
Public policy. I would probably be in worse roles with way less money but it’s what I’m actually really passionate about.
I’d seriously consider law school. When I was younger it was a pretty reliable path to a good career, and I’d have been established in it long before the sector slumped so badly a few years back. It’s not something I really thought about until a professional mentor in a Federal agency remarked on how much I seemed to enjoy working with the organization’s lawyers. I’d probably have fit in pretty well as an attorney in the public or academic sectors. I honestly don’t know much about the salaries in that profession and those sectors. I’m sure they wouldn’t come close to private-sector salaries in the legal field, but would still be decent. And I’m sure I’d have enjoyed it. No regrets, though. I’m about to semi-retire in (not from) a STEM policy field, and have enjoyed that too much to retire completely.
I'd be less risk averse. Degree in geology, didn't want to do academia so went into resource geology and then environmental. Always played it safe, followed the benefits, take the sure deal. 35 now, felt pretty stifled career-wise but work-life balance is good. I think I'd have taken a shot at sales or a more performance-based compensation job in sales since I'm a big people person. Some regrets but then I remember I'm still comfortable and decent enough off.
I’d be a a criminal attorney, it was my dream as a kid.
I’d probably do STEM of some sort. I decided to have fun in college which means you gotta take a job dealing with people later on. I make a good living, but dealing with people is soul sucking. I’d much rather deal with numbers, and leave work at work.
I’m not sure, but I for damn sure wouldn’t work in higher education.
I became a flight attendant at 24 and spent 10 yrs there. I loved it (up to covid). I'm now a student pilot. I would've began training earlier while also still being a flight attendant.
Probably would have gone into: * military, * law (Barrister), or * accounting(insolvency). Actually considering these 3 as options atm.
Art. Should have stuck with it. Now that I know so many successful full time artists I’m kicking myself for giving that up and just ending up in a desk job and being fully out of practice.
Computer science and MBA in finance right after. And then into fintech industry.
This is what you wish you did? How much do people typically make on this path? What about the job security? Especially with AI?
I'm pharmacist. Probably same but would work in most evil pharmaceutical company I could get in for biggest, fattest money I could get. I've spent to much time and health for helping people. Now I just despise humanity...
How did you go from wanting to help humanity to hating it?
Easy, interaction with humans. So we have a social healthcare and in ideal conditions it is great, also it is good when person has some serious condition. But people, mostly boomers exploit that, they go for unnecessary procedures, and lot of people do not show on appointments. People behave like all that is free and that all medical workers should be their slaves. So now I just hate people.
So you saw the worst side of humanity and now you hate all of it. That’s a sweeping generalization, no? How do boomers exploit it?
Pilot
Private credit - probably close to double what I make now.
I would go back and become a surgeon. I'm in IT, but I think like most of my family I should have gone into health. I feel like I'm smart enough and would have enjoyed really helping people. Right now, sometimes I don't know what the fuck I did all day. My salary would be doubled/trippled I'm sure.
So, I graduated with IT but my urge to be more helpful to people and touch each life every out grows the IT dream, I wanna be a working nurse in UK so badly.
I'd focus more on football and have the military as my next. Meaning I wouldn't get a criminal record followed by better conditioning to hopefully help avoid my knee injury. I know everybody says they'd have been pro, and it's unlikely, but I was a phenomenal qb back in the day, especially for a kid. I'd have had a chance at least, and if I didn't make it, I could go to the military like I've always wanted. At 16 after just 2 practices, we had tryouts for positions, and I could throw accurately up to 70 yards before it'd drop off and was running a 5.2 40. I kept getting better until I got arrested. Then I started up again when I finally could, and all that time without practice or conditioning led me to hurt my knees, and I couldn't perform the same and gave up on it all. Military wasn't about money, just passion. Football was both. I wanted to be in the military since I was 5 and was just really good at football, so I saw an opportunity to try for the millions. It'd probably be like 60k - 90k depending on what route I took in the military by the end starting at 20k but I'd have the opportunity to branch off into other careers or just straight into an earlier retirement afterward.
A financial advisor. I’m a money nerd!
I would’ve kept playing guitar after high school and started a band.
I wish I was honest and simple with my ambitions since 20s. E.g. I wish I admitted that I wanted to succeed, move up, earn more money, then simply sought advice on how to achieve it. Instead I kept putting myself down, finding excuses to stay where I was, and not talking to anyone about anything. I’m 42 now and finally realising all this. Can’t quantify the amount of money but would’ve been more for sure
My general advice is to pick something with a defined role. A dentist is a dentist, you go to dental school and then you become a dentist. The problems come in these generalist degrees and roles.
I'm 29 but wish I could leave marketing for law, hate marketing bs
If I had the aptitude, engineering.