Don't know what to do..

[see.lai]

So I'm currently not in school at the moment, (wait-listed for Electrical Foundation at BCIT), but I'm not quite sure if I actually want to follow that path. Everyday, I keep thinking about my future. ex. How will I like the job? Wage? etc..

So now, I want to change my career path to something else. My friends told me not to be a automotive tech because people don't really teach you (dealership). I also wanted to be a cook, but I heard that the wages aren't even that great, so I'm not quite sure..

What I'm trying to get it is, what should I do? Obviously I care about pay and the type of work I'm doing, but I'm just sort of lost.

People who are willing to share their experience with these careers would benefit me greatly. If you have any other suggestions for different jobs, it would be nice too!

inb4, do what you want to do with your life.

[NLY]

Instead of focusing on how much money is waiting for you on the other side, why don't you pursue something that you enjoy?

Money is important but at the end of the day, work is something that will consume a big chunk of your life so do something that you're passionate about.

When you're passionate about what you do, it doesn't become a job. Instead, it feels like a hobby that you get paid to do.

[Sky_High]

Marry a rich guy, and then become a full-time see-lai

/thread

[see.lai]

Well money is important though, if I decide to live in Vancouver. The thing is, I really don't know what I want to do, haha.

@Sky_High , i hate you man

[NLY]

Originally Posted by see.lai

Well money is important though, if I decide to live in Vancouver. The thing is, I really don't know what I want to do, haha.

@Sky_High , i hate you man

It would be most realistic to figure out short-term goals before thinking about buying a place etc.

You never know what the future has in store so don't count anything out.

[fd3]

I was told do what u really wanna do no matter the wage,
If u like the work u do ull never work another day in ur life
Posted via RS Mobile

[bcrdukes]

I've worked about 10 years in the industry I'm in. I've also had many jobs while growing up. But now that I'm older and wiser, one thing I came to realize is that you have to find something you enjoy doing. I'm just glad I enjoy what I do and my career path within the industry has been quite interesting.

I got to work with all kinds of people from all walks of life, dealing with irate and irrational clients, to building some of the latest and greatest of technological innovation. I got to travel a lot and had the opportunity to meet some stellar people throughout the years. Would I trade anything for it? Hell no! Do I enjoy what I do? Hell yeah.

But do I ask myself "What if?" Fuck no. As much as money is a driving factor, the love of my job is definitely a lot more important. I think I would have slit my wrists many times over if I had stuck at working at McDonald's flipping burgers for $7.15/hour.

Go find something you're good at and something you like. This is only for YOU to decide. Worry about the money later. It will come. Go to school. Give it a chance and see if you like it. There are people out there who get paid $21/hr to sort mail all day but do you really want to do that for 7.5 hours a day, 5 days a week for the rest of your life? Probably not. But again, that's for you to decide. Not your friends. Not your family. And heaven forbid, especially Revscene.

Your afterthought in going into the trades is fueled by your pessimism so think that through before you decide to pursue something else. If it helps, a close friend of mine recently completed a program at BCIT in electrical trades. He's currently working full-time as an electrician earning his hours and will be returning to school. I don't see him very often anymore. Why? Because he's busy busting his balls off, getting electrocuted, working in some bizarre conditions but he loves every minute of it. And nobody can take that away from him. Happiness and success is a definition you define.

[Mr.HappySilp]

I agree money is imporant. At the end of the day you have to decided if you want to work at a lower paying job then you love doing or something like meh but makes more money.

Honestly, not a lot of ppl get to do what they like at work........ a lot of the time is the meh.........

[triplexcel]

Originally Posted by bcrdukes

I've worked about 10 years in the industry I'm in. I've also had many jobs while growing up. But now that I'm older and wiser, one thing I came to realize is that you have to find something you enjoy doing. I'm just glad I enjoy what I do and my career path within the industry has been quite interesting.

I got to work with all kinds of people from all walks of life, dealing with irate and irrational clients, to building some of the latest and greatest of technological innovation. I got to travel a lot and had the opportunity to meet some stellar people throughout the years. Would I trade anything for it? Hell no! Do I enjoy what I do? Hell yeah.

But do I ask myself "What if?" Fuck no. As much as money is a driving factor, the love of my job is definitely a lot more important. I think I would have slit my wrists many times over if I had stuck at working at McDonald's flipping burgers for $7.15/hour.

Go find something you're good at and something you like. This is only for YOU to decide. Worry about the money later. It will come. Go to school. Give it a chance and see if you like it. There are people out there who get paid $21/hr to sort mail all day but do you really want to do that for 7.5 hours a day, 5 days a week for the rest of your life? Probably not. But again, that's for you to decide. Not your friends. Not your family. And heaven forbid, especially Revscene.

Your afterthought in going into the trades is fueled by your pessimism so think that through before you decide to pursue something else. If it helps, a close friend of mine recently completed a program at BCIT in electrical trades. He's currently working full-time as an electrician earning his hours and will be returning to school. I don't see him very often anymore. Why? Because he's busy busting his balls off, getting electrocuted, working in some bizarre conditions but he loves every minute of it. And nobody can take that away from him. Happiness and success is a definition you define.

Couldn't have said it any better. I'm kind of in the same situation as you are. I've been a cook since i graduated from high school. Its definitely a stressful job and the amount of pay you get for what you have to put up is sometimes not worth it..but thats my opinion about it. However, some people love to cook because they found passion in it. Whether it be the environment or just cooking fantastic food, its your call. also, if you ever decide to work in the culinary industry be prepared to work wacky hours and holidays. You will be dealing with all sorts of people as well. Some Chefs are nicer than others and some are "Ramsey" style. lol

Now, 2 months ago i took up some sessions with a career counselor and he helped me with deciding what my next step should be to step out of the kitchen. Not only did he opened my eyes up with the amount of options i have with different careers, he also revealed some of my more personal personalities which took me by surprise.

Imo, if you really are interested in cooking, i suggest you go hit up your favorite restaurant(s) and ask if you can work for FREE (sort of like a work interview) for a day or two just so that you can get a taste of what the kitchen is like. If you like it, then ask for a job there. you may start off with dish washing like all other cooks in the industry. The great thing about cooking is that its one of the few occupations that let you travel all over the world.

Like what other people have mentioned to you, give the job a chance and see if you like it or not. Money will be an issue as you start taking up more responsibility, but don't forget about yourself.

Good luck!

[6793026]

please never ever ever work for money. If you do something you love, it WILL find you.

when you're 20-30, go explore your options. If you hate the job, quit. If you want to teach English at Korea or Japan, go. If you want to tour the world and host or teach on cruise ships, GO. Don't ever sit at a job and be CONTENT.

When you're 30, you BETTER have a decent career in mind or at least KNOW where you want to go. Yes, you can be a snowboarder boarding up at interior BC everyday, work at a hotel cleaning toilets for the rest of your life but sorry man, when you're 30+, you gotta wake yourself up and say, can I do this for the REST of my life. I can say you're happy, but are you enjoying your life. Nothing worse than being a 40 yr old dude making rent working at retail cause you didn't further ur education and get a decent college degree.

When you're 30, you gotta be forward thinking. When you're 20, go do everything, you'll always have friends and family to fall back on. Just remember, don't ever SHIT on anyone because you'll never know who you'll meet when you fall down, and trust me, you'll never be always up.

[Energy]

Do what you want to do, in your case be a cook or a chef, and if you do it well and work hard then the money will come afterwards.

I'm still in school and don't have a career yet but I like to think of the future in those terms.

[Matlock]

In your position, it's harder to say. Waiting lists for BCIT really can be ridiculous.

I was able to get into the Electrical field a lot easier than most, since I started out apprenticing for my father. He told me that it's better to get a trade under your belt, then you can do whatever you want after. Once you have a trade, you can always fall back on it.

I'm not sure if I would do it again if my father wasn't an Electrician, but I do love what I do and look forward to the future.

One thing I would suggest not doing is constantly changing your career decisions. I have friends that still haven't got a clue what they want to do after all of the years of starting a new career or school, then quitting and doing something completely different 4 or 5 times. I know it's important to enjoy what you do, but some people just waste a lot of their time and money trying to find it.

[see.lai]

Thanks for the replies guys; it really helps.

[GLOW]

i partially took my path based on money. part of it was also because it was the best use of the skill set naturally given to me. i.e. if i was good with my hands i would have probably gone in to a trade but that's not the case, i have office hands

i had the unfortunate (or fortunate) experience of having zero opportunities to get in to my field which allowed me to find work doing many other things. that actually helped me find out what i DIDN'T want to do - from shitty min wage jobs physical labour to a boring office job. it helped me focus on what i wanted to do.

you can get in to a college and take some general courses to see what you like or don't like, or talk to some friends actually in the industry and hear their horror stories. if you're not scared away and still interested maybe that's something you wouldn't mind pursuing. that's my 2 cents.

[see.lai]

So now, my heart sunk again.
I was told from admissions at BCIT that I need to be signed up to be an apprentice, and there's no "pre-app" or foundation program for automotive.
I just spent the last few days looking for people that hire 1st year apprentices but no luck.

[ilovebacon]

You should watch the movie "the sercret"