What do you do for a living?

sardeanie said:
What do you LIKE to do?

Do what you love and you never work a day in your life. Also, learn to do what you love or learn to love what you do. Both corny phrases but the "successful" people in life will say it rings true.
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I've been working since I was like 12 years old (30 years), and I have no idea how this can be accomplished. I'm tempted to say it can't be done, but maybe you're one of the few people doing it.

I've seen people try to do what they love for a living, and they just end up not liking it anymore.
 
I'm in Product Development for one of the Detroit 3. While I don't have a 4 year degree, I have worked on some incredibly cool projects!!
But I might be the LAST guy doing what I do without a bachelor's degree.

Love cars, don't want to be tied to a desk, and good with computers? Good calibration engineers will be in high demand as we all try to meet the new CAFE standards over the next 10-15 years. Get your BSME and start tuning cars on the side. I met a kid who worked his way through Eastern fixing cars in a falling down garage behind a rented duplex in Ypsi. He had 8 job offers out of school. AND was almost debt-free due to the repair biz.

GOOD LUCK no matter what path you choose!!
 
One thing I will say for sure: if you believe you have what it takes to start a business or create your own job, definitely keep focused on that while you're young. It's much harder to take on that kind of risk if you wait until the wife and kids come along. Take the risk early on when it's not even risky.
 
Fryguy302 said:
I've been working since I was like 12 years old (30 years), and I have no idea how this can be accomplished. I'm tempted to say it can't be done, but maybe you're one of the few people doing it.

I've seen people try to do what they love for a living, and they just end up not liking it anymore.
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Agreed, do anything long enough and you will get sick of it.
 
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At 18, if you are in community college, don't worry about focusing on a given field right now. One thing I learned is that if you take classes for an associates degree, it doesn't really transfer to a 4 year school. You'll have to take the same classes over again. If you don't know what you want to do, you really have 2 more years to make a decision.

Most companies don't even care what your degree is. They just want to see that you were disciplined enough to complete it. Obviously if you get into IT, you need the IT training. But a straight liberal arts degree will get your foot in the door at a lot of places. But again, if you want to specialize, you really don't have to make that decision until year 3. Get all your math reading/english and computer skills type classes done now. See a school counselor and see what they tell you.
 
Swifster said:
At 18, if you are in community college, don't worry about focusing on a given field right now. One thing I learned is that if you take classes for an associates degree, it doesn't really transfer to a 4 year school. You'll have to take the same classes over again. If you don't know what you want to do, you really have 2 more years to make a decision.

Most companies don't even care what your degree is. They just want to see that you were disciplined enough to complete it. Obviously if you get into IT, you need the IT training. But a straight liberal arts degree will get your foot in the door at a lot of places. But again, if you want to specialize, you really don't have to make that decision until year 3. Get all your math reading/english and computer skills type classes done now. See a school counselor and see what they tell you.
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This is pretty bad advice. Almost every internship/job I have been looking at is looking for very specific degree(s). Make sure you take math every semester, take as much as you can. As long as you are in higher level math they will always transfer and will always be useful.
 
webleedorange619 said:
This is pretty bad advice. Almost every internship/job I have been looking at is looking for very specific degree(s). Make sure you take math every semester, take as much as you can. As long as you are in higher level math they will always transfer and will always be useful.
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I apologize. Coming from an insurance background, it is true. You are correct that many jobs require specific degrees. Obviously you won't get an accounting job without an accounting degree. A general business degree will still get you in a lot of places. My marketing degree really didn't make a difference in getting a job. By that time I had a couple years experience which has been more important. I probably use that more on my own than I did working at an insurance company.
 
derbydad276 said:
ooooo nooooo 68 or 69 ???
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Swifster said:
1969 gtx
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just thought i'd mention that it's got the '68 round side light. '69 used a rectangular light. just saying.......;)


as for my career, 35+ years in the dealership world. started as the usual lot rat., lubie, b/s helper.... worked in every dept., including sales,(except the office). settled in parts dept., and worked my way into a management position. in this business, if you're not working, nobody else is either. like it or not, the automotive industry drives our economy.
 
hangemhigh said:
just thought i'd mention that it's got the '68 round side light. '69 used a rectangular light. just saying.......;)
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You're right Jim. I looked at that car in 2008. If that sidemarker doesn't seal the deal, this will....

IMG_0418.jpg


I need some more sleep today...
 
I charge people anywhere from $150-$250 per hour.

College is OVERRATED! It used to be that you would go to college, get out and be able to find a nice career, those days (just like working for the big 3) are LONG GONE. (take it from someone with 4 degrees)

The New growing business is entrepreneurs. Young adults starting their own business.

I think in a couple years I am going to open a few self-serve car washes.
 
I do business development (Sales) for a technology company. It's a challenging job, as Trunk stated, but the difference between what he and I do, is the customer.

I do not deal with selling 1 item at a time, I sell our technology to an OEM, and it gets put on hundred's of thousands of cars.

The business guy's definitely make the money, and the engineers take the heat.
 
derbydad276 said:
acounting or business administration degree will take you far (main reason my wife is still working)
my neighbors are both CPA's (never out of work)

I worked my way up from the ground to management in construction building new homes (not too much of that going on )

stay in school

get at least a B.A. or a B.S. assoc degree wont help you
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Be carefull with the doing what seems like a good career because it seems like a safe way to keep a job. I have a associates in accounting and BA and MSA in Business and I have worked in financial or accounting area for 20 years and you know what I hate it. I love cars, bikes, trucks, racing and things like that. I went into the field because I thought it was the safe thing to do but now I hate what I do. Wish I would have choose something that was what I loved to do, something I would be doing if it was for free. Example anything with cars, LOL
 
I am a CMM operator, work with mostly automotive stuff but on occasion we do aerospace as well. I would say I do alright especially for being younger, (25) in the future I plan to own my own business as well. Right now the job is at a very high demand but like most in the field there are always ups and down in workload. I would say I really enjoy what I do its very very rare I wake up in the morning dreading going to work.
 
OldbutNew said:
I'm in Product Development for one of the Detroit 3. While I don't have a 4 year degree, I have worked on some incredibly cool projects!!
But I might be the LAST guy doing what I do without a bachelor's degree.

Love cars, don't want to be tied to a desk, and good with computers? Good calibration engineers will be in high demand as we all try to meet the new CAFE standards over the next 10-15 years. Get your BSME and start tuning cars on the side. I met a kid who worked his way through Eastern fixing cars in a falling down garage behind a rented duplex in Ypsi. He had 8 job offers out of school. AND was almost debt-free due to the repair biz.

GOOD LUCK no matter what path you choose!!
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I'm in the same boat... No degree working in Product Devolpment.. Not a lot of us left with life experience and I don't see the new people coming in without a degree.. I've been working on cars since I was 14 so at the ripe age of 45 I think I have the experience thing more than covered:smoke:
 
Swifster said:
One thing I learned is that if you take classes for an associates degree, it doesn't really transfer to a 4 year school. You'll have to take the same classes over again.
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While this may be true sometimes, at the particular school he's at they offer many direct transfer programs into the 4-year universities in the area including UofM (or at least they did when I went there).

Also, and this is just my opinion, but if you're even considering going into something technical, get the technical degree and not the business degree. It's a lot easier to learn to run a business with an engineering degree than it is to learn to be an engineer with a business degree. Get an MBA afterward if you feel the need for an education in business.
 
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Join the military. Preferable the airforce or navy on a boat because you get to see the world or stay in the USA, screw that desert shit. Stay in for 20yrs and take advantage of the educational opportunities and get a degree. After 20yrs retire from the military collect your pension from them and get another job in the civilian world doing what you did in the military (IT,Engineering,ect).

I know I would if I could go back.
 
And screw a liberal arts degree. That is nothing but a glorified diploma/GED! Look it up every job requires 2 more years of college when you have that degree. That's what all those occupy wall street people have!

Or you could take the boiled operators class a Henry ford I belive and become a boiler operator at Edison and start out at 62,000 then 3-4 yes later be at 68 on straight time. It's a ok job kinda the same thing everyday but hey it's safe, people will always need power. Plus they off a crap load of overtime (enough to make well over a 100k) and you can move to a different dept if you qualify. I was going to get in ad a welder there but destroyed my arm now I'm looking to go back to school for a engineer.
 
Birdie2000 said:
While this may be true sometimes, at the particular school he's at they offer many direct transfer programs into the 4-year universities in the area including UofM (or at least they did when I went there).

Also, and this is just my opinion, but if you're even considering going into something technical, get the technical degree and not the business degree. It's a lot easier to learn to run a business with an engineering degree than it is the learn to be an engineer with a business degree. Get an MBA afterward if you feel the need for an education in business.
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x1000
 
Go to (and finish) school NOW. It's a hundred times harder when you have a wife, kids, mortgage, life, day job....
 
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