What is YOUR Career?

[Chef Matt]

Re: What is YOUR Career?

I didn't go to college. I'm an Executive Chef, I had no intentions of going to college or being a Chef for that matter. I joined the Marines when I was 17 (with my parents consent and my HS diploma), got medically discharged 2 years later and started washing dishes when I was 19 becasue I needed a job.

I worked my way up the ladder in the kitchen as the years passed, going from the part time dishwasher, to the full time dish washer, to the prep cook, to the line cook, to a banquet chef, to the sous chef, and now the Executive Chef.

I trained under 12 executive chefs over the years including 2 full term apprenticeships under 2 different Certified Executive Chefs in my early 20's.

I've worked in hotels, country clubs, bistros, steakhouses, etc..

I've been featured in two local newspapers, 1 national trade periodical, and did 3 local commercials for various local culinary services.

I now have a nice job in a rural hospital where I have a team of 5 chefs and 45 support staff that work for me.

I know it has nothing to do with college what-so-ever, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express. So... yeah....

[ehh]

Re: What is YOUR Career?

My advice from college and my younger days...

I never had any clue what I wanted to do for a career. I was positive I'd be playing basketball professional overseas until my late 20's/early 30's so I never bothered to give school much thought. I majored in Communications in college because the courses were easy as hell and pretty repetitive. I wound up with a serious back injury in my late teens, a prematurely killed basketball career and a practically meaningless degree. I graduated from college with no f'n clue what I was going to do with myself. I decided to pursue the IT field, got some experience, some certs and everything has worked out great. I love my job and am very excited about my career potential going forward.

1. The earlier you know what you want to do, the better. It's not mandatory to know what you want to do while your in HS but it gives you a pretty nice advantage. It's kind of like investing, if you start investing your time at a young age towards your career you will reap the benefits down the line.

When I was in HS there was a lot of "don't worry about your major, barely anyone knows what they want to do when they're 18!". That's garbage, do your best to try to identify what you have a passion for and pursue it. Be aggressive. Take classes that pertain to it, try a HS internship or at least "shadow day", talk to your parents' friends that are in that field, ask a guidance councilor if they can find someone in the field you can talk to. Experience is so key in life, even if it's minor experience the earlier you can get it the better. Ask people in the field about all aspects of the job - the pros and cons in as much detail as possible.

2. If you decide to major in Education, don't go to a $40k+/year school unless your parents are loaded and can pay for it. I saw so many Education majors at my college (which a decade ago was $44k a year, no clue what it is now) and couldn't for the life of me figure out why these people were at my college spending all that money on a degree in Education (no knock on the profession).

3. Find a major that will give you a career in a recession-proof industry. Services-industries, health care (you said you want to help people), etc. Who knows where this country is heading in the next 25 years, stability shouldn't be overlooked.

4. Choose a career that will give you nice earning power. Money isn't everything and won't make you happy but it can make your life a lot easier. When you get into the real world it hits you pretty quickly that money matters, a lot. My first five years out of college I worked for a struggling startup and is was miserable. Getting paid late, poor benefits, working hard and long hours without getting raises, etc. I guess this varies for everyone based on their personality, ambition and goals. IMO, choose something where you have a chance at making six-figures.

4. Don't major in Communications.

[Blitz1942]

Re: What is YOUR Career?

I'm currently a Game Design & Development major with a Computer Science focus. It's been a lot of fun so far, and I'm actually pretty good at coding (despite really not knowing much of any coding going into college last year), but all the math needed is terrible.

[fistofrage]

Re: What is YOUR Career?

I go a BS and a Master's in Computer Science and now work for a very large software company.

Regarding what you should do, in my opinion.
1) Since you still have some time before you go to college, brainstorm a few subjects/areas that interest you. See if you can take a few related classes from a local community college and get HS credit for it. It's often something you're allowed to do, and this will give you a better idea of if you'll really actually like Computer Science, Economics, etc.

2) Choose a major that provides you 2 things: Enjoyment/interest and a chance at a career. For instance, if you love psychology, unless you plan on going to grad school, your best plan is to maybe be a business major with psych minor and go into Marketing or HR, because that gives you a much better chance at getting a job than a straight psych major. (This is my wife's situation).

3) College IS NOT about getting the degree. It's what happens when you take all your classes and finish up, but college is really about preparing yourself for your career and the world. Courses are a part of that, but a big chunk is finding jobs related to your prospective field (early, by like sophomore year), getting internships (by junior year), and fine-tuning the "soft skills" that can make you great in your field. Join student orgs, go on volunteer trips (alternative spring breaks are awesome), talk to your professors regularly. Doing all these things gives you a leg up, and you can learn things in college that would normally take you time on the job or training to learn.

#3 is so huge. So many people just get a degree then whine "I don't have a job". Well...did you ever quit working at the food court in college? No? Well, then you have no real world experience for your area. You screwed up. In college, you can get so many opportunities by just getting to know the faculty, staff, and student orgs at your school, and you never know what will open up to you.

This is something I'm opinionated and passionate about, so feel free to send me a PM if you feel inspired to do so

What he said, especially #3. I have a BS in Economics, And a double BSBA in Accounting & Business Admin and a Masters in Finance.

Don't just get the paper, learn and be able to speak about your degree, how it applies to the job you want to interview for and give examples how you can add value to the company you are interviewing at.

I manage a staff of accountants and I can't tell you how many people are graduating from college with a piece of paper but haven't gained any knowledge or experience in the process. I actually have to interview about 10 to 15 candidates before I actually find one that would appear to be worth hiring.

[Nathan_OS]

I was looking at physical therapy.

Youre helping people and the pay is good.

It's a lot of study tho

[eF 5ive]

Re: What is YOUR Career?

I served 3 1/2 years in the infantry (US Army) then went to school for occupational therapy. The pay is great. It's basically the same as physical therapy but from the hips up.

I describe it as helping individuals return to their previous level of function before ailment or injury by engaging in therapeutic activities. :O

I PRN right now since we're moving soon but my other does OT also. Pretty cool that we're both in the same profession.

[Rich1977]

Re: What is YOUR Career?

Seems like everyone has it pretty good around here, try being an assistant manager at a pizza place...bad life decisions. Haha

[cardswin2006]

Re: What is YOUR Career?

I work as a staffing recruiter. I help people everyday to find a job, and more importantly for employers to find the right candidate (they're the ones that pay ). I double majored in Marketing and Sport Management....soooo...yeah...my degrees mean nothing now

That's okay though. In the business world having a college degree (or two of them, in my case) is like having a certificate that reads: "I lived on my own for 4 years and didn't kill myself or anyone else. You can trust me."

[jct32]

Re: What is YOUR Career?

Nuclear power, it's my job in the Navy and will probably be my job outside of the Navy also.

My wife likes to make fun of my because how much I like my job. I'm pretty much a big nerd about nuclear power.

[Fresh Tendrils]

Re: What is YOUR Career?

Accounting, which means I'm eating and sleeping taxes for 3 months out of year.

[1Rose]

Re: What is YOUR Career?

My best friend is an auditor. Says its like a slave ship during tax season, and almost as bad the rest of the year.

I graduated with a degree in Communications and I'm currently working at an HR/Payroll managment firm as a Client Rep for companies that have enlisted in our service.

Pretty mind numbing work. -___-

[jeremym480]

Re: What is YOUR Career?

I work in the corporate office for a worldwide Electrical & Instrumentation company. My job is to manage the accounting for our Power Generation companies in Arizona and California. Fun stuff.

[Husker_OS]

Re: What is YOUR Career?

I'm a producer mainly producing sports shows and sports events.

While I still do this, I'm a fill-in host for one of the sports shows I produce and may get my own sports talk show in August.

[Dog]

Re: What is YOUR Career?

I'm a video game player/dog

[DickDalewood]

Re: What is YOUR Career?

National Account Manager for Echo Global Logistics.