Careers-Who knew right away?

The Coffee Shop
1

So anyone here found what they wanted to do as a career right away? Or did you end up switching majors multiple times(if so how many times), or graduating with a bachelor’s you never use? I’ve pretty much changed my mind too many times and it’s getting old. When I was young, I wanted to be a pilot(got my PPL at 16 and found out it wasn’t as fun as I thought- I’m sure Raptors and Warrior Pipers are two different animals though) and at 18 I served as a firefighter/urban search and rescue k9 handler(learnt alot but wanted to do more), then thought about “doing something I love” as a chef(but knew it was not something I wanted to do), then majored in Kinesiology for a year(before figuring out I hate working with obnoxious pro athletes nor the environment) and currently doing pre-veterinary. During all of the different phases, I’ve spent time in the industry to see if that’s the environment I want to work in. So far the veterinary field has really appealed to me(especially large animal vets that are not confined to an office and travel to different farms). However, the reality of it is, I’ll be over 100k in debt from school and make sub par income compared to other “Doctors”. A few freshly graduated vets I spoke to are over 100 grand in debt and they’re regular practitioners who are just associates(read sub 50k pay). How the frigging hell do these guys pay their student loans, house mortgage and living expenses?!(I didn’t ask cause I didn’t want to pry into their personal income). Obviously the smartest move would be to specialize and become board certified(which is about 2-6 years more depending) and get paid more. Yes yes, do what you want to do and don’t sweat over the dollars, but the truth is, you have to sweat over the dollars these days!

Then about a month or so ago, as I was passing this whole conundrum to the owner of the hospital I work at(he cycles with me), he mentioned how purchasing practices might also be an option. You don’t really need any education to get into a practice(some states require at least one owner to be a DVM) so you get to stay within the field but not be up to your neck in debt. Yes, you cannot personally treat animals but you’re still able to help them. Obviously the initial investment would put you into debt but the money goes into something tangible(an actual asset) and the risk of a practice going under is quite minimal(it’s not as volatile as other fields at least) as long as you’re smart about it(the owner I spoke to placed the caveat that you need experience in the field to learn the workings of a practice)

So now I’m at another crossroad. Keep pursuing my DVM or be content as a CVT(certified vet tech- the RN of the the vet world but paid alot less) or look at purchasing a practice, or…? Either way I need to finish a degree since I’m 3/4 done. I just don’t feel like a degree in Bio Sci(prevet/premed) offers anything unless you’re going to vet/med school. I could also switch majors now to business, or finish the Bio Sci and apply for an MBA(along the lines of business training to manage a practice-although the manager at this hospital has an MBA and does not use it EVER, except for the initial business model). Argh! I’m confused! And the career advisors at school didn’t really help.

2

I applied to universities that had architecture programs, and went to one that had a five year program (although I wasn’t in the program). Once I saw what the architorture school students went through, I needed a plan B. I started taking computer science courses as part of my math major, and graduated meeting both math and CS requirements (with a BA).

Almost 29 years later, I’m still writing software for a living. And…loving it.

3

I can sympathize with you. When I graduated from four years of chiropractic college in the early 80’s with also previously completed a bachelor’s degree my student debt was $17,000. I thought that was a horrendous amount at the time but still started to work on a part time master’s. I could actually (barely) afford it. Now some kids are graduating from chiro colleges $100,000 - 200,000. in debt and then they have to think about the high costs of setting up a practise. I don’t know how they do it and honestly don’t think it’s worth it. The cost of education has rose well above the inflation rate over the past twenty years.

4

I knew I wanted to be an engineer when I was 18. I switched to education after 3 years of college because I knew I wanted to teach and wanted nothing to do with engineering. After hating teaching I went into computers…had the saturated market colapse, worked awful shifts, went back into teaching…blah blah blah…

At 32 I said fuck it, I’m going to get a stable and marketable degree. I had 25 credits left toward my engineering degree so I went back to school and got it. My job is boring and the rest of my life will probably pan out like the movie Office Space, but I make good money and can fund my hobbies, and there’s no real stress…so there you go.

BTW, I was really close to persuing a masters in ex. phys, but figured that the work wouldn’t be as interesting or lucrative, so I ditched that plan.

5

Got a BS in History and Political Science that I have never used in a job. I loved the topics which is why I studied them. Ended up going back to school and getting a Masters in Mngt. and Technology which I have used for almost 25 years now. However, I have yet to find what I want to do as a career. At this point doubt I ever will.

6

I wanted to be a psychologist since I was 12.

7

Argh! I’m confused! And the career advisors at school didn’t really help.

Based on what you wrote, it sounds like you discarded all the previous careers after trying them out for awhile… but you haven’t yet tried this one out. Most likely the conclusion will be the same if you do.

I discovered that for me, there was nearly zero chance of finding a career that was so exciting and stimulating that I’d want to devote most of my energy to it… for the rest of my life. So I opted to do something on my own that is not too annoying and affords me a lot of freedom in what I do day to day… including a very flexible schedule and free time. Unfortunately I don’t make very much money (about 1/5th as much as when I had a career), but I’m cool with that.

So… maybe you should keep trying things out for awhile before you get heavily invested. Maybe you will find the perfect career and that would be great. Or maybe you will figure out how to use your talents to make a decent living without it being all-consuming… which would give you the freedom to pursue many interests.

8

You may never figure it out 100%- could be you’re one of those folks who likes a new endeavor from time to time. At 32, I’m finally happy, but will likely push on at some point. Things get stale if life is too easy and predictable.

9

I’m with Barry - I knew I wanted to be an engineer from about 7th grade. Now, almost done with my sophomore year, I’m regretting that “knowledge” but I’m this far into it now, so why give up.

10

I wanted to do software development ever since I wrote my first program at the age of 11, and have never regretted the decision in the almost 40 years since then. I consider myself extraordinarily lucky to have discovered this so young, and that it pays well and I’m good at it.

I thought I might have a use for an MBA but during the course of getting it I discovered business bored me to tears, and life’s too short to spend 8 hours a day being bored; getting my Ph.D. (C.S.) was a much better choice.

11

When I was a kid I wanted to be a vet. When I got to 8th grade my English teacher said I should be a writer. My parents encouraged that and I went to college and got a Journalism degree. By my senior year I knew I didn’t want to do that for a living but at that point I figured I’d finish up since I was on my parents’ dime. I didn’t do anything related to it. Decided what I really liked was creative writing and went back to school for a degree in that with a poetry emphasis. I knew the only way to make a day to day living was as a Prof and was headed down that path when I hit burnout. I haven’t writting much since, and that was 14 years and $20,000 ago.

I somehow landed in web development back when no one knew HTML. From there I ended up on software marketing. Been doing that for 7 years. I can’t complain. Pretty easy work, can be stressful, but I get paid very well when I have a job.

My dream still remains to work with animals. I’ll work as a corporate cog for a couple more years then drop out and go back to school to be a vet tech. I need to get some pre-reqs done which I’ll do and pay off my car, etc so I can drastically reduce my cost of living. I’ll be taking a 75% paycut but I’ll be doing what I knew all along I should be. I knew it 33 years ago and let too many people distract me. I remember my parents actually saying being a vet was very expensive, took alot of school and maybe I should look at being a journalist. Stupid me. So now, at 45, I’ll finally be doing what I want to do.

It sounds like you need to take a year off. School will always be there. Take some time to do the job shadowning, internships, travel, talk to others. Explore the world a bit and really find out what you are good at and what brings you joy. Listen to your gut.

I know you don’t want to hear it but money really doesn’t matter. You can set up your life to live simply. I fell into the trap of toys and shiney things and am moving back to simplicity. Don’t wait until you are 40 to be bonked over the head with the obvious, do what you love.

12

i knew right away I wanted to be a trust fund baby

that hasn’t happened yet though
.

13

Or big cat hunter?

14

No, big cats are majestic animals that should not be killed for sport, unless you do it with a knife and really earn it.

My 2nd career choice was F1 driver

Or big cat hunter?

15

I was lucky. When I was in high school I figured out I would have to work for a living. So I thought about what jobs might appeal to me (and pay well). I decided then that I would become a lawyer. Been one since 1975. Law school is hard and the practice of law can be demanding but it was a good choice for me.

What I like about my career choice is that I could pretty much see the whole path ahead of me unlike “softer” majors such as political science, marketing, history, etc. where the post-graduation yellow brick road is shrouded in fog. Best of luck.

16

Since high school I wanted to have a career in accounting. 15 years after college I’m still with the firm I started with.

17

Piece of advice, do everything you can to finish that degree. It is one of the best bachelor degrees you can have and will look really good on a resume no matter what you decide to do for a living.

18

If you ask my Mom, she’ll tell you that I have wanted to be a firefighter all of my life. I wasn’t aware of that. In high school I agonized about going into engineering (like my Dad) or going into music. I chose to study music in the hopes of writing music and teaching. I was talented enough, but once I got into being in the music school 10-12 hours a day I began hating what I was doing and it didn’t “feel” right anymore.

I had a diversion into business school, which also didn’t work out.

So I dropped out of college and became a firefighter/paramedic. This was 17 years ago. Most days I love what I am doing. But I realized about 5 years ago that this was not the end of my career journey. I returned to school (at 35) and am pursuing a degree in psychology. I haven’t completely narrowed down what I want to ultimately do with it yet, but I have 9 years to figure that out.

My advice to you is that if you truly have a “calling” to be a vetrinarian, than do that. You will enjoy your life, your education, and your job so much more by doing what you were born to do. When you make those sorts of decisions you will find that often the finances work themselves out. Other people have been exactly where you are right now and they make it.

Bernie

19

majored in poli sci, outside of pissing off some lefties around here, the major itself hasn’t really applied to anything i’ve done.

however, i think a degree is valuable. it is hard to get a decent paying job without a degree.

with that said (and the next part comes from 10 years of executive recruiting experience), my opinion is to get a degree period, regardless of the major.

granted, if you want to become a vet, obviously you have to specialize in your studies. ask yourself, do you want to go into debt for that career? this is something you have to decide.

if you decide no, my thought is that one solid option is to just stay on course and get the degree. often times people do not know, or figure out a job, until they are out of school and into the work force. there are all kinds of jobs out there, ones you’ve never heard of or even imagined. IMO the degree is not your key to unlocking your future, it is just a stepping stone that opens doors.

so, IMO, make a decision either way towards being a vet. if no, you could solidify the degree without changing direction too much (because it will just cost you more time and money), and then get out there and get a job.

lastly, if you want to buy a vet practice, i would heavily research that because at the end of the day patients aren’t going to want to see you if you cannot treat their animals. and it is expensive to buy a practice. if you could not treat my animals, i would not pay to see you. and if you wanted to interject in my animal’s treatment, i wouldn’t be very happy about it because the qualifications are not there (and generally i’m short on time and very worried when i’m at the vet).

another completely different thought is that if you like dogs and animals that much, start up a grooming business. if you don’t want to be stuck in a location, make it mobile.
no education required and who cares if you finish the degree or not. in fact, the funds you’d spend on finishing your degree could go towards the business. you could hire people at a fraction of the cost (compared to hiring Vets in a practice), and argualby some of the responsiblities you’d want to do if you owned a practice would be the same, just in a more lighthearted context (animals aren’t sick, they’re just there to get cleaned, buffed and pampered). frankly. if you were my kiddo, that is what i would suggest.

20

here is my last comment.

i spent 10 years listening to people tell me all about their careers. literally thousands of stories, yet all are the same.
here is a sweeping summary from that experience as things relate to career:

~when you think you have your career figured out, that’s when you don’t.
~work is a 4 letter word; look outside of career for gratification and you will be much happier for it.
~people who have their identity wrapped up in career are either miserable, or about to become miserable.
~regardless of age, nobody knows what they want to be when they grow up. at some point, everybody has what i call a “career crisis” and wants to make a change, but yet most people do not know how to go about making a change, or even what to “do next”. some people stay stuck in a state of unhappiness, thinking about making a change until they retire. but those who try new things, and come to grips with the fact that a career is just a way to make a living, are much happier for it.

so i’m mentioning this to tell you that you are not alone. in fact, most people are going through the same thing you are, just at a different level or with different details. you will find your way, be patient.