What carreer would you heartily reccomend?

[mahina]

Our grandparents didn't choose their jobs for personal fulfillment, but to provide for their families. I realize this is a generalization but whose grandpa became whatever he was during and after the great depression to fulfill the higher planes of Maslow's hierarchy of needs, I wonder.

So I'm wondering today, DU, what line of work have you been in that you found rewarded you materially?

Not those things that might be illegal or cause harm, but other lines of work that you would recommend to a young person interested in supporting a family?

Thank you!

PS, this is a person with calculus, chemistry, and physics in college for a couple of years.

[elleng]

1. Law.

Calculus etc not necessary, but my first boss, before I went into law, majored in physics as undergraduate, went on to law and excelled.

Many in my family did it, including me. Grandpa ran a deli in what is now Harlem. 3 of his 4 sons became attorneys, provided for their families, and had children who've done the same.

[CTyankee]

4. Hey, ellen! Here we are again in the middle of the night...

my answer is college professor in a field where there is demand. If you are successful, you get tenure and sabbaticals allowing you to publish. If you are smart, you can write your novel, maybe sell it and make some money. But at any rate, academia CAN be a nice place to land...

I was thinking of the story of Frances Mayes, a former obscure creative writing professor out in CA who wrote "Under the Tuscan Sun." She quit teaching after she made a pile of $$ off that book and her sale of the movie rights, and lives half of her year in her villa in Italy. She stills writes about her travels around the Italian countryside with her husband, sampling the local food and wine and looking for interesting stuff to buy...must be a tough life (why HER and not me! sniff...).

[elleng]

11. Hi, Yank! Good example!

Sister in law and her sister (Demi) in town from Iowa; joining them tomorrow (later today!) for lunch, museum visit, and dinner.
As to your suggestion, Demi majored in Chinese History, taught at college level, but didn't get tenure. Bummed us all out.
I understand the tenure business, at colleges, as cutthroat as ANY.

Gotta hit the sack.

Hope you and John are well.

[CTyankee]

33. oh, I know about those tenure battles, but people do survive.

Perhaps Frances Mayes knew she wasn't going to get tenure and that spurred her to write her book. Ya never know what can happen. I sure have known profs who don't get tenure but still teach in some great places.

[mahina]

8. hey sister

thanks for the suggestion, I appreciate it!

[elleng]

13. You're welcome!

[Cali_Democrat]

29. So you're an attorney, eh?

My sis is an attorney. She's smart as a whip..went to Princeton and then USC law. She loves to argue. I love her to death

What kind of law do you practice?

[elleng]

41. Yes, Cali, I'm a RETIRED attorney,

practiced regulatory law, Interstate Commerce Commission for 20+ years, mostly railroad mergers. Went to law school after being secretary at legal services project at Cook County Jail, so had NO intention to do railroads, but its in the family; Dad did it (buses,) cousin does it (rail customers/shippers + small railroads.) Brother does it (for students and university)
The Law is VERY varied, which is why I suggested it here. What in particular does your obviously smart sister do? (I don't mind arguing, but prefer to see the several sides to an issue and find a resolution. Not always the easiest thing to do!)

[seeviewonder]

2. I recommend the sciences, particularly the natural type.

I am a chemist and I love my career. If nothing else, it is nice to know that one in the sciences is at the forefront of technology. Pay and benefits could be better but all in all I am happy.

[mahina]

9. Good to know, thank you!

[TreasonousBastard]

3. Auto mechanics...

Lawyers are a dime a dozen and I know too many trying to get out.

Scientists are depending on grants and jobs are iffy. Same with engineers.

But, if you want to keep working-- people will always need brake jobs.

[Populist_Prole]

7. True but it irks me that so many are condescending toward them

An odd situation where even the fat cats know they're needed and thus in demand, YET, seem to have an inveterate belief that they should not command the respect and monetary compensation that they would ordinarily deserve if they were "professional" ( paper pushing MBA ) types. It's like the whole supply vs demand thing meme went out the window. Heard the same types whining in the WSJ about how much they need over the road truck drivers and how short they were of them, but paying them more to attract more them was absolutely out of the question due the bottom line. Fucking elitist assholes.

[lumberjack_jeff]

70. So long as their checks clear, I love the paper-pushing MBA asshole types.

So long as they're raised to believe that fixing things is beneath them, intelligent people will always eat.

[mahina]

10. Thanks for that info, hadn't thought of that.

I do love my mechanic!

[bhikkhu]

15. Same here - I've worked all over the country

and there were a few years where more or less every time I had a couple of thousand in the bank I'd pack up and move somewhere else on the map. With a few ASE certifications and a good set of tools (and a clean record) getting a decent job was never a worry.

Being a mechanic didn't always fit in with my idea of what I "should" be doing, but the more time goes by the more I appreciate that it is steady work and monetarily rewarding precisely because a good mechanic is so useful to people. Its good to be useful.

[fujiyama]

21. I agree for the most part

though I'm not sure I agree that engineering jobs are iffy. It really depends on the field.

It also depends on how much time and money someone wants to invest in education. The auto mechanic can do a hell of a lot, but engineering is what teaches theoretical principles allowing a person to design the next generation brake pad. Of course, the auto mechanic will be earning decent money with just a year or two of training, but the entry level engineer should be doing very well just out of school with a four year degree. The important thing is for society to realize that some people are simply better suited not sitting around in a lecture hall and that that working with your hands is a great way to earn a living! We need to shed this stigma around the skilled trades. It can be lucrative but it takes hard work, dedication, and time. But that's the case with excelling at anything...

Ultimately nothing beats hands on experience. The best engineers I've worked with are those that have the hands on skills as well as theoretical knowledge.

[mahina]

22. Any thoughts on civil engineering?

Thank you!

[izquierdista]

35. One big downside

You have to rely on politicians to come up with the funding. When there is a political will to improve the roads, bridges, dams and infrastructure, you can't beat the accomplishment that comes with it. At times like now, when Repubs everywhere are betting on failure, it can be tough slogging.

[bhikkhu]

48. I have read (and I don't know how true it may be) -

that engineering is in for a big shake-up in the next few years as computers are able to perform increasingly complex engineering work. Such that one could draw up a rough project, have a program do all the engineering work, insert the details and draw it all to code, and then have that engineering work checked and permitted at the other end by another computer.

Perhaps that's not what we'll wind up with, but we'll see. A parallel might be the offices full of accountants who were largely replaced by computers. Not completely replaced, but the field is very much smaller than it used to be.

[Throd]

86. I'm not so sure about that...

I do designs for large (80'-0"+) freestanding structures. Each project has unique physical conditions and design parameters that rely heavily on human experience to be successful and can't be replicated by a program that does math.

Computer modeling is an awesome tool, but it is just that, another tool.

[fujiyama]

61. I'm not as familiar with civil engineering myself

I agree with many points of the other poster - that relying on funding dependent on politicians is inherently unstable. That same point goes with aerospace/defense related jobs as well. I know people that have made great money contracting for these industries when the project is on, but if that particular program is cut, well you may have to start looking again.

As a degree itself, civil engineering teaches a lot of the same fundamental skills as mechanical and electrical. I see pretty high paying job listings for civil engineers with a PE (Professional Engineer) and AP LEED certified (all tying in with building energy efficient buildings). If the person is interested in environmental engineering, I'd probably recommend considering civil as an option, since it's broader, but many people with a civil engineering background work in similar fields as environmental engineers.

[fujiyama]

5. I would recommend something science and technology related

Engineering careers are most lucrative and are the most directly applicable for someone that is skilled and capable in science and math.

But if the person is more interested in research and development, I would look at physics and chemistry as well. Both fields are incredibly broad though. Be warned however, it's tough finding work with just an undergraduate degree in the hard sciences. To make it in research, often even a Master's degree isn't sufficient. Usually it takes a Ph.D. and a post doc or two. And I'm talking about those coming out of the very best universities.

I majored in electrical engineering. It was not always fun and most often was anything but easy, but it has paid off many times over financially. The other great thing is I met great friends during my time in college which has not necessarily been the case with friends that majored in liberal arts. I think it's because engineering is so collaborative and made us form close knit groups. Obviously that's just anecdotal.

Areas to look at are computer science (security and mobile application programming are hot), electrical/computer engineering (plenty of opportunities for control systems people and embedded systems programming). Another thing to keep in mind is the potential impact these fields will have for decades to come in how we live our lives. Especially when looking at clean energy, it's all about engineering. Mechanical engineering is also great because it's broad and covers all the basic fundamentals. Industrial has opportunities though is more business related. Chemical is very challenging and a bit more limited but lucrative. It may however have work in industries that aren't particularly rewarding on a more personal level (oil and gas sector work for example).

Another area in engineering to look at: bioengineering/biomedical engineering: Lots of very exciting things going on here. It's a broad area and people can usually major in EE or ME or something else and get master's degree in BME. But it deals with the interaction of engineering and medical sciences. This involves anything from sensors to medical diagnostic equipment to prosthetics to artificial organs to medical devices. The possibilities are endless and the stuff going on this field is really cool!

But if the person is interested in engineering what I recommend most is getting HANDS ON SKILLS. Learn how things work. Tear things apart. Put them back together. Think practically. Think realistically. Work with electricians or even AS an electrician. Or otherwise, work around the house. Learn about plumbing. Figure out what's making that noise in the car. Those sorts of things are very valued and are seemingly in short supply nowadays.

[mahina]

12. Thank you for that very helpful answer.

I couldn't agree more!

[fujiyama]

17. I added another area in my post

Biomedical engineering. Lots of exciting things going on there. Seriously worth taking a look at especially if the person has interdisciplinary interests. And the work is usually very rewarding.

And yes, it usually pays pretty well.

[B Calm]

6. Truck Driving

A lot of my friends are making 80 thousand plus a year. I'll make over 60 thousand this year, but I'm home every night.

[mahina]

14. That would be a tough one here

but there's always the mainland! Thank you.

[DiverDave]

28. There are driving jobs there

Hauling containers from the port,
Last I heard it was all union jobs.

[B Calm]

31. Look at the job ads in the newspaper

and I bet there are truck driving jobs posted. Once you have your CDL you'll never ever be without a job.

[FrodosPet]

66. Unless you get screwed by your first employer

Then you get to drive ice cream trucks and taxis for 12 to 14 hours a day at about $4-$5 an hour.

[B Calm]

81. Actually I been screwed over by employers

and within days (or in hours) I had a new and sometimes better driving job.

Experienced CDL Class A drivers is in very high demand everywhere in the country.

[bhikkhu]

16. If I were young I'd look at being an airline pilot

...word is, there's a 20 year shortage just beginning, over which about 2 million new pilots will be needed.

I'd be a bit skeptical, as oil supplies are not increasing, but even if you cut the estimate in half it looks like a rare field which may need an ongoing supply of labor, rather than shedding people.

[bhikkhu]

43. True, but the long-term looks very good

The low pay is a part of the shortage, so it is very likely to change.

[bhikkhu]

47. 2008 was probably a good model for what is to come

...which is a general slow ratcheting down of production, punctuated by price spikes. A three to 4 year cycle between spikes is a possibility.

In any case, as the process is underway, I thing that the main "shock" was at the inflexion point - 2008 - after which things get progressively less surprising and easier to adapt to. The airline industry adapted pretty well to the worst of it, and as the decline of oil production may play out over a century or so, if one was to choose a career that would provide over a lifetime, "airline pilot" remains one of the better choices. Essentially it is choosing to be very skilled labor, in a field where skilled labor is predicted to be in high demand.

I know it seems counter-intuitive, but another example is more direct - "petroleum engineer" is another career that is likely to be in high demand throughout the next few decades. In that case its not so much in spite of oil production declines, but because of them.

[mahina]

88. My brother is a pilot.

He's had several years flying all over the world. He loved flying since he was too little to speak.

After years of flying to Japan, Korea, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, etc, the other day he said, "Can't everybody just decide where they want to be, and just stay there"?

lols

[cherokeeprogressive]

18. Health Care Administration n/t

[Selatius]

19. Become a machinist. Their skill set is immensely valuable in any economy.

I know a friend who is a machinist. He operates machining equipment that can make parts for your car or truck or anything with an engine. He can even build you a whole engine block if you give him enough metal and the blue prints for the engine. Sure, he parties much and spends huge wads of cash on alcohol, but the amount of money he makes can pay mortgages off easily.

[mahina]

23. Interesting!

The only machinists I knew here made equipment for the sugar mills. They are out of work, but on the mainland I'm sure things are different. It would sure be a useful skill!

[Luminous Animal]

20. Start your own business.

Figure it out using your talents.

[R.Blue]

24. Engineer or Programmer

I deeply respect engineers and programmers for their incredible skills. Both professions are also very rewarding so it's a no-brainer for me to recommend these lines of career.

[LiberalEsto]

50. Programming jobs are hard to find

Some of the work is outsourced to other countries, and much is being done by foreigners who come here with H1-B visas. This has also driven salaries downward.

[kentauros]

25. Drafting/Design

In my particular specialty (mapping) it's not always the steadiest of them, but it satisfies for now. With that background, this person could go for an engineering technology certification. I've known survey technicians with similar backgrounds, and they spent all of their time indoors, if trekking around people's property is a problem...

However, I also expect to be able to pay the bills once I'm writing full-time and self-publishing, like this guy, Joe Konrath. No special background necessary

[MADem]

26. What do you LOVE to do? What do you WANT to do?

Start there.

You don't want to die thinking "I should have followed my dream."

[Cali_Democrat]

27. Information Technology

I work in information technology and I love it. But then again, I'm a nerd

It pays well too. There are many IT jobs that cant be outsourced. If you have a college degree, you can get in.

[LiberalEsto]

53. I beg to differ somewhat

My husband is a DBA, and he's being worked half to death with long hours, many weekends, and crazy deadlines. His brother is a programmer who hasn't been able to find work in his field for years.

Too much work is being outsourced or being done by H1-B visa people from out of the country. This also drives down wages.

[Scuba]

30. Hedge fund manager or oil company president. Those two do very well.

[phylny]

32. Personally, I'm a speech-language pathologist.

Since I work in pediatrics, the money isn't top shelf, but I get job offers weekly.

I recommend a few things:

Speech, occupational, or physical therapy (especially PT) are good careers because the demand is high. If you work in a skilled nursing facility, the pay is good.

With an interest in chemistry, you cannot go wrong in becoming a pharmacist. The demand is high, and the pay is very high as well.

One last thought: Mr. phylny works for an oil company. He has been employed for over 30 years with them and not only does he make a good salary, but the benefits are top notch. He will retire in a few years with a pension, 401K, and medical/dental benefits. They are always looking for chemists.

I would steer away from engineering. While we always hear that there is a shortage of engineers, the only engineers I know are getting hired are the ones in IT.

[masmdu]

34. Out of the perverbial box choice...Futures Trading from home

This isn't a career in the sense of many of the other options available.

I'm not talking about working for a finacial firm but rather trading exclusively for your own benifit.

Here you don't land a job or establish a career nor is any specific degree required. However, if done right it provides all the financial benifits of steady employment and then some. Caution is required in creating the proper approach to doing this otherwise it could be financially devistating. That said, with the right mindset it can be
done.

There are many aspects that I personally consider positives but others my consider negatives. No coworkers, Solitude, No boss.

Also, your schedule is completely flexible and it can be done from any location with broadband connectivity.

[HopeHoops]

36. Fire washer.

[NNN0LHI]

37. Nursing

Good pay and benefits and always in demand but a lot of hours and hard work so it isn't for everyone.

That is where I would probably go if I were starting out all over again.

Don

[dana_b]

45. as a nurse, I concur

and with the education that the OP lists, it should be a good fit.

[Sparkly]

98. I was gonna say that, too.

Occupational Therapy seems like an interesting field, too.

[FSogol]

38. Mechanical Engineering

I'm a mechanical engineer at an architectural firm. That means aside from being a project manager, I design heating, a/c, plumbing, and fire protection systems. We do a lot of medical and transportation projects, so there are a slew of special systems. I design such things as BSL-3 labs, fuel islands, underground storage tanks, laboratory wastes systems. rainwater harvesting systems, etc. We spend a lot of time making buildings more energy efficient.

We do about 50/50 renovations and new work. I love my job. I get to create and destroy stuff. Every project is different and I seldom get bored. Spend half my time on the computer, half my time in the field solving puzzles. It pays well. Not well enough to make me the 1%, but well enough to have a good life.

[sorefeet]

39. one man barber shop

My barber in Billings said she usually cuts 40 head a day 5 days a week eguals about 2 grand. Your in your own climate controled enviroment for 8 hours a day making pretty good money.
Or a machine shop. Big bucks and a very interesting job.
Whatever I would never go thru the work I did for 30 years. The hard physical jobs are not worth the money or the body damage.

[JSnuffy]

42. Military...

Last edited Sat Feb 25, 2012, 07:42 PM - Edit history (1)

Go be an engineer and have fun blowing stuff up or any other branch.

Great opportunity for smart folks...

[dmr]

46. Pharmacy school

School is tough, but it can be a rewarding career. Depending on what you like or what fulfills you, I suggest clinical hospital pharmacy over retail pharmacy.

I've known pharmacists to go on further to law or medical school.

[BOHICA12]

49. CNC Programmer - Metal Cutting Industry

The Skill is way under represented and the demand is great.

[TheCentepedeShoes]

51. Plumbling n/t

[mahina]

52. spell checker, lols...career, I meant, really.

Thanks again all DUers.

I hope he follows some of this sage crowd-sourced wisdom, and also finds fulfillment in life. One can volunteer, have hobbies, etc...we are not all lucky enough to earn a living doing the work that feeds our souls and higher being, but that would surely be plan A.

aloha all!

[DCBob]

54. Accounting or Engineering.

Health care too but that obvious.

[FarCenter]

56. Engineering of security devices and systems

Both physical and information security will be growing fields.

[11 Bravo]

57. A linguist (specializing in Chinese and/or Arabic).

[Prometheus Bound]

58. Start your own business.

[Nye Bevan]

59. One word. Just one word. Plastics. (nt)

[BigDemVoter]

60. Healthcare!

Get your RN, and then your CRNA (nurse anesthetist); you can't go wrong.

[DefenseLawyer]

62. Try to do something you enjoy

I know that sounds cliched and is easier said than done, but it's one of the biggest components in measuring your overall quality of life.

[RebelOne]

79. That is true.

I had a job doing something I loved: reading. I was a copy editor for outdoors magazines across the U.S. Unfortunately, I was laid off in 2010. That was the only job I ever had that I found satisfying. I was already past retirement age and was collecting social security, so I deided it was time to retire.

[guitar man]

63. Play guitar!

Being an electric guitar playing rock and roll animal has made me what I am today.

[pennyfor]

64. good job but it is not related to the person's subjects

I know that working in an IT sphere is quite profitable.

[pinboy3niner]

65. Editor

There's always somebody who's gonna try to spell 'recommend' with two 'c's.

[BlueIris]

67. Educational administrator.

Decent to excellent pay, absent of the grueling hours or workload classroom teachers face, and little to no blame for the current state of education today. Sweet deal.

[badtoworse]

68. Fail at sports or entertainment first

Then get an engineering degree

[mick063]

69. I'm a nuclear chemical operator

The pay and benefits are outstanding.

I wear a protective suit and breathe through an air line. Every month, I get a bioassay to determine if I have received any internal depositions. I wear four different types of dosimetry and receive an annual tracking report of radiological exposure. I am under constant oversight to ensure I am in compliance with endless pages of reguatory documents. I periodically participate in emergency response drills that abide by Incident Command protocol. I am the initial line of defense for events that fall under "general emergency" otherwise known as events that can directly impact the public or environment.

The work is stressfull, detail oriented, and hot.

Rick Perry and Ron Paul want to eliminate the Department of Energy.

Are they effing crazy? The last thing you want to do is completely "privatize" the oversight of my work. Trust me on this.

[lumberjack_jeff]

71. Hydraulic mechanic/machinist/welder.

Hydraulic machine shops are everywhere and the pay is good, although sometimes you have to work in the cold/rain.

[AngryAmish]

72. Get a government job

Cling to that iron rice bowl with both hands.

[Skidmore]

82. What the hell does that mean?

[AngryAmish]

90. That government jobs pay well, have lots of days off and many have great pensions

Iron rice bowl is a chinese expression for a government job.

I should have become a firefighter when I was a young man. I went to law school instead. I've done well but if I became a firefighter I could still practice law and have a pension when I am fifty three.

[LanternWaste]

84. That didn't work out too well for many TX State employees over the past fifteen years..

That didn't work out too well for many TX State employees over the past fifteen years...

No iron, no rice, no bowls, very few hands.

[IDemo]

73. One I recommend against - electronics tech

Where once this was a great field for someone who wanted a hands-on job but might not have been quite up to pursuing a EE degree, the jobs are vanishing. High tech manufacturing has fled the country and R&D, once considered the sole domain of the US tech industry, is rapidly following. Not saying positions don't still exist in certain sectors, but it's nowhere close to the level it was a few years back.

[magical thyme]

74. if they are top notch in the sciences, I would think clean energy

as long as we have our current structure of society, there will be demand for energy. I would aim for the R&D side of things.

I don't work in energy, but did once love the sciences before I went clinical and learned to hate them.

[magical thyme]

75. btw, if you are the young person forget editing

career has 2 "r"s, not 3.

[mahina]

85. No joke!

I blame the nuns
Two spelling mistakes in one headline, and I'm the college graduate. Yikes.

[Ikonoklast]

76. Pirate.

Aaaaaarhh!

[EmeraldCityGrl]

77. As shallow as this sounds, develop a line

of anti-aging skincare products and market them thru
a successful firm. While a competitive industry, it is
booming. Seems baby boomers want to live forever
and look good while they're doing it.

We know a couple that did just this. Their products are
now being sold worldwide, they've had multi-million $$
buyout offers and are on target to retire at 35. The line
was developed by the MIL a chemist at a local university.

This was one of the industries that did well during the Great
Depression.

After you retire, take the money, go out into the world and
do something truly worthwhile for the good of humanity.

[WhaTHellsgoingonhere]

78. I'm reading a lot of posts from folks who've ...

Last edited Mon Feb 27, 2012, 05:38 PM - Edit history (1)

...been there, done that. Also, I get the impression that many of you are at least my age and finished your education in the '80 or before.

I just want to note that times have changed. Tuition at my college was $8500 when I graduated and the job market was good. The tuition for that same school today is $37,000, that's per year, and the job market awful. Kids are graduating today indentured servants to banks.

I'm recommending a trade for my nephews, HVAC. Like health care, it is projected to be a growth industry. Additionally, 18 is awfully young to be thinking in terms of life long pursuits. I received my degree in economics but after working in corporate finance, I grew completely disenchanted. Today, I'm a low paid mental health worker. I really enjoy my job. Had I known how much I enjoyed psychology when I was in college, I would have gone for an LCSW or PsyD. Go back today? Wouldn't think of it. There's no better feeling in life than being debt free. Sad, but almost the truth.

I'm telling my nephews to get some worldly experience first and find out who they are before thinking long-term. And maybe by the time they go back to school there will be jobs.

[jtuck004]

80. Investment banker, if they are going to stay in the U.S.

Because that gives them enough money to insure all the levels of Maslow's pyramid are covered, not to mention a job when the dirt covers the last of all the other jobs. I'm not sure telling them anything else would be anything but malpractice.

Outside of the U.S., however, there exists a world of possibilities.

[LanternWaste]

83. I'd have gotten apprenticed in as an electrician, a plumber, or an HVAC tech.

If I could go back with a re-do, I'd have gotten apprenticed in as an electrician (as did my dad), a plumber, or an HVAC tech.

Seems everything else is far too cyclical to maintain any real expectations of job stability.

[Throd]

87. Listen to Throd. Playing guitar for hardcore punk bands in not a stable ticket.

[lonestarnot]

89. Career.

[mahina]

95. Noted! Two spelling mistakes in one headline,

yikes. Thanks.

[lonestarnot]

100. It's all good my friend.

[lunatica]

91. Seriously? I would recommend looking into being a Statistician

Analyzing statistical data is lucrative in just about any field you want to go into. Every time we hear any numbers bandied around that's statisticians putting numbers together. Example: 30% of the Republican electorate are pro Romney. Someone put those numbers together based on available data. 3 out of 5 children are below the poverty level. The percentage of Latino youth has outpaced the percentage of white youth in California for the first time ever. If this trend continues every 10 years the next oldest demographic will be mostly Latinos. One out of every three stores in poor communities is a liquor store as opposed to one out of every 100 in affluent neighborhoods.

And there's all that Census data which is the basis for a lot of very important things for demographic groups, such as how much government money is needed for minority groups, etc.

Statistics. It's a win win career.

I work in administration of the Department of Statistics in UC Berkeley. Our graduates get jobs.

[WCGreen]

92. Honey Dipper.....

[Larry Ogg]

101. Isn't that what they call a porta potty technician? n/t

[WCGreen]

102. Yep.....

Only not porta potties but outhouses....

[Yo_Mama]

93. What satisfies another person won't work for you

Your chosen profession should incorporate some things that you LOVE to do - that you would do as a hobby if you had a completely different profession.

Also don't lock in your thinking to college/professional careers. If you love to tinker with cars, you may make far more money over a lifetime as a mechanic than in anything else.

First figure out what you really like. Then figure out what types of jobs/careers use those skills. Then figure out how to get started in one of those jobs. Your net return over your lifetime doesn't necessarily equate to the starting salary, so look at flexibility and longevity and always pick the broadest possible range of applicability.

[snooper2]

94. Telecomunications or Robotics

[meaculpa2011]

96. I've been a freelance...

speechwriter for more than thirty years. Stumbled into it by accident and I've loved every minute.

No two projects are ever the same, I learn something new every day and the best part is--as long as I keep my marbles--I never have to retire.

Oh yeah... the money has been good, too.

Supported a family, a very comfortable home and an active lifestyle with plenty of travel.

If you can tolerate the pressure and the insecurity, I recommend freelancing. I'm a bit of an adrenaline addict, so the deadlines and economic uncertainty are actually benefits.

[tabbycat31]

97. politics

I am dead serious. Yes it is seasonal in nature and unstable, but it's more of a calling to me than a job. It is definitely not easy-- you are on the road for months at a time in states you have never been to, and sleep on a stranger's couch or spare bedroom.

But you go into communities to make a difference and to elect the right people to office.

I only wish I had started as a political campaign staffer at 20 instead of 30.

[deaniac21]

99. Anesthesiology

One big step up from bartender.

[mahina]

103. Thank you and thanks all who answered.

It was fascinating! I'm grateful and hope to continue the convo.

Mahalo!

[me b zola]

104. Revolutionary

If u care about your family, step out of the matrix and fight for our survival. Just my opinion.

[got root]

105. Web UI/UX Developer - good pay, I get lots of calls, and I love it :)

Everything is moving to the web, tv's next, and folks with those skills, especially front-end skills are in demand and hard to outsource overseas as a lot of the work requires a lot of interaction between the developers, designers, and business owners.

I love making things work, that are easy to use, and beautiful to look at.

I've been very successful in this field without any formal training or even a college degree, so it is really open to anyone who puts in the time to learn it.

Of course you need to love what you do to be really good at it, and to put in the long hours it takes to get there.

GL


http://zenpencils.com/comic/confucius-find-a-job-you-love/