What do you do for a living?

[73tiiDavidPA]

Graduated college with a degree in Philosophy - not qualified for anything, but qualified everything.

Took a Quality Control job at a confectionery manufacturer and worked there for 8 years - Quality, Manufacturing, Marketing, IT. Then made the jump to IT Management Consulting with PricewaterhouseCoopers.

I'm currently an independent contractor for the US Navy doing to largest installation of SAP software in the world. With any luck we'll get our funding extended to 2018 if Congress see fit.

My advice is to study what you want, what you enjoy. Don't care about whether there is a job or career at the end of the degree. College is to learn how to think, life is to learn how to do (Graduate school can also be a learn how to do). Yes, this is a huge liberal arts education advertisement, but its what I believe.

[sknyski]

CFO for a tech startup in San Jose. Studied math in college and then migrated to business (via MBA school) because it's hard to find a job factoring polynominals.

Ditto to what others say about it being a long and unpredictable road. I always found that jobs taught me more about what I didn't want to do than what I did.

[stultis]

I schlep cookies for a living.

I work for Kraft-Nabisco and have been doing it for 16 years, and love every minute of it. I have had the same employer since I graduated from high school. I currently have a AA degree and that works for me.

From 2005 through 2009 I was one of the hiring managers and saw thousands of resumes from different schools and many different majors. The first question I would ask people was, " Why not look for something in your field that you majored in?" Almost 100% of the time their answer would be, " I am not really interested in doing that anymore."

As for what to major in, it does not matter. As long as you have fun and APPLY yourself.

Also, just remember to get the best Return on Investment that you can with your education. Don't spend 50K on an education to not use it. The internet and a library card would have been a better choice.

This is just MY OPINION.

[EricB]

I'm an oncologist. My goals in high school were to get a job that I could that wear flip flops to work and never go to school after college. Failed miserably at both. I started out in mechanical engineering and then switched to be a biology major. Worked as a nursing assistant for a year figuring that if I like taking care of people and washing their butts I would like being a doctor because it would have to be more interesting. Then I got a medical degree and a master's in public health. Now I take care of people with cancer and it is a great job, but very difficult to maintain much of a balance. Lots of work and not the kind of thing that you can cut corners or decide to deal with people later because it does not fit into your schedule. Same politics and BS as any other job are tiresome, but has its advantages. It is satisfying taking care of sick people and curing some of them. Families and patients are very appreciative of the work that we do.

[vlados2002]

Graduated from Maritime Academy, sailed as a Third and Second officer for 5 years aboard a cargo ship, travelled all around the world. Than I got married and settled in Massachusetts working for a ferry company. I am put on a seasonal lay-off every year for 4-5 months but I am not complaining because it gives me alot of time to play with my 02 and several motorcycles.

My advice: DO WHAT YOU LIKE, something that you have natural interest in! I know it is hard to have it both ways, get paid good and do what you like. However, I think it is more important to do what you are interested in even if you get paid less. The worst thing is to have a job where you are constantly looking at the clock waiting for that 5 o'clock to come....

[Mike_R]

Graduated university of Florida BS/BA in Economics, was a chef/cook for around 17 years got sick of working all the time in kitchens so I went to grad school at night and I got two masters one economics and then one in public administration. Now I have been an urban / school planner for 11 years.

by the way calculus how economics is written.

[BarryA]

After escaping more or less intact from 4 years in the military, had no clear idea where I was headed or what to do with college majors, that's for sure......

Back then (late 60's), it was a toss up between journalism and oceanography - after finishing college with BA's in journalism and geography in 1975, it was urban and land use planning.

After several years of unemployment, cutthroat competition for government jobs that never quite materialized, and marginal employment installing solar heating systems and working on swimming pool equipment, a friend in the Porsche club arranged an interview for me in 1982 with a friend of his who owned a software company, and I've been selling software ever since.

If you don't have a burning desire to follow some specific educational path, dive in, get your lower division requirements out of the way, and fill in with elective classes in subjects that interest you - odds are, you'll find something that fires your interest, and even if you don't, you'll still be progressing along toward getting a degree.

 

Update - retired as of 9.1.14, thanks to the above referenced 20+ years in the technology world (and reluctantly "paying myself first" via consistent, though sometimes painful, 401k contributions when it would have been much more fun to spend every spare nickle on car projects).  With a bit of luck, the proceeds plus Social Security will keep us from starving if we don't live too long......

Edited June 22, 2015 by BarryA

[Arky2002]

I'm currently semi-retired - trying to build a practice as a massage therapist (tough to do when you have to compete with all the pretty young ladies). Before that I was a biologist and did environmental compliance work for the US Army Corps of Engineers for 32 years.

My advice to you is to take some of those aptitude tests (people person or not, social or loner, technical or not, etc.) to give you an indication about what you are naturally inclined to do. Then make a list of what you like/want and another of what you don't like/want in a job/career. See how each possibility matches up to your list and aptitude - and go for it. If you are lucky, you will find a career that you really enjoy - but there will always be aspects that you do not like with any job/career. put up with them and work around them.

[EXPAT]

I make beer for a living... I never get enough time to fix up my 1970 02 but I like to take it out now and then as it stands!

[Happy Face]

geophysicist for a super big oil firm, working in R&D for the past few years.

have undergraduate and graduate degrees in geology from Univ.Houston. Didn't finish my education until I was 30, married the same year. Two life lessons, 1) never give up 2) in order to win, you have to play

[qdessa]

Operational Effectiveness Analyst - basically an IT guy making stuff work better at a major pharma company.

Some one else said it about a liberal arts education. The main thing it taught me was that you can learn to do anything.

[ahlem]

I manage a wood furniture manufacturing company in West Michigan. Yes there is still some furniture made in the USA. We have some really cool machines that could possibly make prototype car body parts. I have a BA in Art and Economics, an MBA and have taken a couple false starts early on with a surfing shorts company and a woodworking company of my own. Be sure you get to be creative in your choice and remember it's all about how well you get along with other people. Attitude and showing up are two essential skills that will help ensure success. And I have too many cars and my 2002 keeps getting pushed to the back of the line of projects behind a fleet of e30's and one e34.

[TTyMiller]

I'd tell ya but I would have to kill you.........I just know somebody pulled that one!

But seriously; IT software engineering manager for a government agency.

[jgerock]

largest installation of SAP software in the world.

LOL - my company just changed to SAP last July. Two week implementation! We are still learning the ropes. My wife (ex IT) knows SAP and I told her to stay away..

[rey949]

Im the Milkman...lock your back door.....