Hope ya'll don't mind if I reply to people all at once. I'll try to make it neat.
Vic, The answer lies within.
Seriously though you need to do some soul searching and think about what kind of work you want to do. Sounds like you are smart enough that money won't be a problem regardless of what you end up doing. The bigger question is job satisfaction.
Time is on your side at only 25 you are a time millionaire. What are you interested in or what turns your crank?
Hey Perry thanks for the kind words! I do humbly believe that I'm smart enough to succeed at anything I really want to, so it's just a matter of choosing something that I want to do haha.
My issue is, I've always been interested in new things. There's never been one concrete thing to point to that I can say, this is the one thing I'll do to make it. I've tried to narrow down at least some vague themes, such as I like math, I'm good at problem solving, I like to build things/think of new ideas (whether they be good ideas or really bad ones). I'll throw out some childhood anecdotes:
- Had a book of very unrealistic inventions I had mocked up through elementary
- Played music at a basically professional level from 6th grade through high school, but then quit the second I graduated and got bored
- Changed my major several times through college, even as the number 1 econ student in my school because I just couldnt foresee myself working at a bank for 40 years (no offense to anyone who does this, I admire your ability to stick to one thing)
- From a viewer standpoint, I love emerging technology like electric cars, robotics, trying to build hydroplanes, etc. But I never grew up with the experience of trying to build any of these things (yet I also didn't grow up in an environment that was very catering to these things anyways)
HOpefully that helps provide some context. I appreciate the advice
A really helpful job/career track framework that I have heard and used:
If I want to be [insert job/industry] in the future, what will need to be true THEN, that ISN'T true now? i.e. identify the knowledge/skills/experiences/professional network that you don't have right now, then develop a plan to start addressing everything on the list systematically, and revise the list as you learn more.
Get super detailed on what your vision for "start your own thing" means in practical terms. Have the courage to fail in the right direction. Then, start working your plan.
I personally love to help people, especially younger people, in my industry (sports marketing/PR/digital/social/communications/strategy) to pay forward what others have done for me. If you think those are interesting or helpful areas to learn more about, send me a PM and I'd be happy to talk more!
I think this is really great! Honestly I think my number one thing is, I can't point to many "jobs" that I really want in the future. And I don't mean that in a negative way, I mean that in the way that if I had any goal it would be to start my own company or try to launch a startup. Granted, that seems like what everyone wants to do these days so its not like I'm unique. As for jobs/industries, some of the jobs that I really could see myself doing are sort of extreme and even very different from each other. I would like to be an astronaut, or design airplanes, or make robots that can run entire factories on their own, but I would even love to be something like an archaeologist and look for things from ancient history, be a design director and sort of just idea generator for a company and prototype things, or work at a hedge fund and try to find patterns in the market, the list goes on lol. Thing is, I think I like all of these things but like I said I've never tried them to really know.
I'll definitely PM you as I'm curious to learn more about your industry specifically!
Victor, you are young enough to figure out what you may like to do, if you have dreams, follow them now. In general, work sucks, so try to find something you think you will like and in which you can grow. Don’t think exclusively of money, because your life will change and the whole work/life balance thing makes a huge difference when you get older.
Mechanical engineering is an excellent major with great job potential, but I can almost guarantee that you will be bored to death. If you are entrepreneurial, you could take your degree and work towards owning a business. You probably have a great idea of marketing already, you could stay in that field or use your marketing skills elsewhere.
The bottom line is, work is hard. We spend most of our lives working, especially in Northeastern USA. It’s worthwhile to look around and try new things when you’re young. Feel free to hit me up on PM if you have any ideas, I’ve been around for a while.
Hey
@joepro ! Thanks for the advice
Yeah you see, I had that fear of mechanical engineering being boring, but I just wasn't sure. I mean maybe it depends on where you work? I've met a ton of engineers on here whom I've heard work on super cool things that sounded interesting to me. But I'm sure there are plenty of mech e. jobs that are just like mine. I've always been huge on autonomy and thinking of new ideas so I want to say I'm entrepreneurial, but I've never launched a business or even sold lemonade or anything like that as a kid hahaha.
I'll shoot you a PM when I think of some things
Just remember whatever work you do in life you will eventually become bored of it. 10 years is a realistic metric. But this is not to say there’s anything wrong with you or your job. It’s more important to realize and accept this and then develop hobbies, side hustles, whatever, to achieve happiness in your life.
If you expect your work to be the primary source of happiness in life you will be disillusioned soon enough. I’ve been very public about the fact that I’m here on PCF to ward off depression.
On a more practical note the job market isn’t as robust as it used to be. Any change can certainly leave you worse off.
Gotta start my next flight.
I hear you. I have a few really good hobbies outside of work right now that do make me super happy, but just trying to figure out what sort of purpose I have is really been holding me back. I feel super capable but don't know what to do with it. I'll keep your feedback in mind, gracias!
Do you have any IT or electronics/electromechanical experience? My company is always hiring for field service engineers. Great pay, great benefits, and a great industry servicing medical equipment.
Unfortunately I have no experience in any format of engineering. But I'm happy to PM you and chat about it if you want
Vic, I know we’ve talked about this before and I’m the same way. I fix the problems I am interested in fixing within the first 3 years and then get bored - lol.
I’ve landed with bigger companies that offer the opportunity to move to different roles (up or lateral) which helps scratch the 3 to 5 year itch and build internal networks. Moving around a lot early in my career has been a benefit and found it afforded me a much broader perspective. This, plus the broader network has helped my career tremendously.
Have you ever explored “Design Thinking”. You might really like that field. Always work on something new with new challenges to solve..
Hey Mike! I owe you a text message or a phone call, but "Design Thinking" does sound pretty interesting at the sound of it. Do you have any material on it or any suggestions on where I could go to learn more? I'll do some googling and shoot you a text. Appreciate the advice
Not sure your exposure in the (tech) start up scene. Could be something refreshing (or the opposite: less structures and maybe even less professionalism in place), but worth a try IMHO... You might learn a thing or two that will be useful when you are starting something for yourself!
GL!
Not much exposure from a professional stance but obviously a ton from personal research and just as a consumer. Would love to try to work at one if the opportunity presented itself! I've been looking
Get a job at a company that will pay for more schooling and get an MBA
This could be a really good idea as well. So I'm assuming at a larger public company?
