No direction?

[Odesseiron]

Hey all.

Before I start this, I'm not having to try this come off as a LJ kind of QQ post. Just trying to get some genuine feedback and see what other people have done in a similar situation. (hell we have posts about bruised dicks)I can't be alone here. I've spoken to a few people about it, and while they aren't experiencing it, they can understand. I'm not depressed or anything like that. Just a little "lost" I suppose. (that's not even the right word) I figure BG is as good a place as any. inb4 trolls, etc.

So a couple things. I don't have any kind of specialty or trade of any sort. I'm fairly good with tech. related things, but nothing I can say I'm really good at. I graduated high school. Went to one semester of college before deciding I wanted nothing to do with it (at the time, was 18 ). I just recently turned 31. I work a boring ass office job. Through my "career" I've worked in various retail stores, numerous positions. Worked as an account manager in the big refi-housing craze 2003-2005. Worked for County gov't. Got laid off and re-hired through a 3rd party doing the same job for much less. I have no bills aside from a car note and have a decent amount of money saved.

Now that I'm getting older I realize I should be doing something more. I could go to school during the nights and weekends, but school never really seemed to agree with me. I know the future is important, but nobody knows what the hell tomorrow is gonna bring, let along from if and when I make it to 85.

Another prospect I've thought about is The Army. Most people will probably call me crazy, but it might at least give me some sort of direction in what I might want to do. I know the pay is pretty low, but I have no kids, no wife, no house, etc. I know there is a helluva lot more to it than just the pay. I have a great deal of respect for people that serve. I realize what it means, and what it means giving up. I've been doing a lot of reading about it lately. I'm very in between it. Half of me likes the idea, while the other half thinks I'm crazy for even thinking about it. I'm coming up short on time as the age limit is be to shipped off to Basic by the time you turn 34. I'm positive people have done that, but not at my age.

I'm currently (and I realize a ton of you are as well) just living day to day working the same job we hate, doing the same things over and over. I'm just reaching that breaking point where I want to do something about it instead of doing it til the day I die. I've seen people say reach out and grab life by the balls, or do you, or whatever phrase they come up with. And yeah at the end of the day, anything is my decision no matter how badly my family might dislike it.

I could also pick up and move somewhere, but with nothing lined up, that is just reckless. Though I suppose I could live as a drifter! Seriously though, any of you been the same boat? And what did you do about it?

[dejet]

Its really simple, if you want to do something you love odds are you will have to go to school for it. No way around it. I am 22(23 end of month) with like 140 credits and to the point I could declare a major and be done with it. Free ride up to this point but I have two more years ahead of me now because of a changed major(Iv picked something that I love... about time)(I have a reason why I have not declared *graduation* lol But I will have two degrees when I do pull the trigger ~_~.

Look into schools and pick something you have always wanted to do(tech I guess might be a good spot to start) Im young so I can dick around a little still, but I have a job in my field and have a focus now, that really is what you need to do if you ever want to love your job. My current job I do not hate(dont love some parts about it but meh) I go to work and enjoy it for the most part. Its also leading me to where I want to head.

If you hate your job id say look into a change, and school is the place to start unless you have a skill already.

edit: I never did understand how people say college never sat well with them. I am sorry if this sounds mean, stop being lazy and do something you do not like to better yourself. It takes work, hard work to get anywhere worth a damn in this world. And if you pick something you like, odds are you wont mind the study time you need to put in.

[Odesseiron]

Nah, doesn't sound mean. Just the truth. I was young at the time and never appreciated school. If I went now I'd take it more seriously. I went to 12 years of it, I didn't want to do any more and wanted to do my own thing. In retrospect I should have just got it over with but C'est la vie.

[Tyche]

Is the reason you haven't declared a major is so you can get 2 degrees paid for by grants (I did the same thing)? If you get a degree, grant money goes bye-bye.

[Tyche]

OP could go to nursing school, do travel nursing, and get paid a fuck ton of money to visit new places. Plus, you're surrounded by hot women.

[Jefe]

When I used to work for a community college, I met quite a lot of people in the same situation. You need to figure out what is it that you want to do, at this stage in life you can't really afford to mess around anymore. You have a bunch of options, from learning a trade (get AS/certificates) to transfer and acquiring your BS. I'd recommend you to register to your local community college even if you haven't chosen a major. Take GE classes, which count towards one's degree and are transferable (varies from college to college so check). That way you'll get two for one: an AS or transfer for a BS. You can get both, actually.

About the army, I don't know man. They prey on the poor and desperate. I've done a few research papers and they only target HS located in the poorest areas of LA. My friends and I kept getting hounded the fuck out several years after graduation. Even after I had told them I was an CE/EE they still asked me if I'd be interested in their engineering programs.

[Silenka]

I'm in the same situation really. I might go to grad school and I might not depending on how much it costs/how much I can get funded but it's looking like whatever I go for might be hard to get a job in anyway. I might be stuck teaching with no other option. I really just want a job that pays money I can live off of but that's not what I went to school for so yeah.

Once I graduate though I can't go straight to school so it's at least 6months to a year of figuring out what else to do in that time. Sorry I can't help, just wanted to bitch about directionlessness.

I wish we still had the master/apprentice system going on like in pastoral Europe. How cool would it be just to decide what looks fun and become an apprentice to someone just like that? So much easier than the school/job market system right now.

[Odesseiron]

When I used to work for a community college, I met quite a lot of people in the same situation. You need to figure out what is it that you want to do, at this stage in life you can't really afford to mess around anymore. You have a bunch of options, from learning a trade (get AS/certificates) to transfer and acquiring your BS. I'd recommend you to register to your local community college even if you haven't chosen a major. Take GE classes, which count towards one's degree and are transferable (varies from college to college so check). That way you'll get two for one: an AS or transfer for a BS. You can get both, actually.

About the army, I don't know man. They prey on the poor and desperate. I've done a few research papers and they only target HS located in the poorest areas of LA. My friends and I kept getting hounded the fuck out several years after graduation. Even after I had told them I was an CE/EE they still asked me if I'd be interested in their engineering programs.

I agree with most of this. I realize I'm at the age where I can't really fuck around. The next thing I do might very well be the thing I end up doing for the rest of my life. One of my main problems is that if I'm in one job too long, things start to stagnate and I just want to get out of there asap. I'm currently in that phase at my job. I don't really care either way what happens there. I do my work, but if I'm not done with it at the end of the day, I'm not crying either.

The Army is known for being super aggressive with people who show even remote interest. I haven't gone to any kind of recruiter or anything. I'm not exactly poor or desperate either. Just kind of "there" I guess. It's just an option that I was thinking of. People think of all sorts of things when they want change. Not rushing to sign up tomorrow or anything. What Tyven said sounds interesting. I want to travel a lot, but not quite sure what I could get doing that.

[SaviorSelf]

Might help you a bit. http://www.dannychoo.com/post/en/260...d+My+Life.html

[Anton]

If you want to travel and stay in a hotel, go to school.

If you want to travel and stay in a war zone, go Army.

If neither of these really appeal to you, be a flight attendant.

[dejet]

Is the reason you haven't declared a major is so you can get 2 degrees paid for by grants (I did the same thing)? If you get a degree, grant money goes bye-bye.

hit the nail on the head lol. I was close to doing so, but the degrees I have course work for do not interest me one bit(anymore)

edit: I will declare both once I have the course work done for accounting.

[dejet]

About the army, I don't know man. They prey on the poor and desperate. I've done a few research papers and they only target HS located in the poorest areas of LA. My friends and I kept getting hounded the fuck out several years after graduation. Even after I had told them I was an CE/EE they still asked me if I'd be interested in their engineering programs.

Eh this is not so true anymore(unless you want to be a front line man) if you are going into the army for say a real job, odds are your not getting in unless you score very well on their test.

If you are doing the army to better yourself take it seriously! study, study, study. you need a HS degree now(GED does not cut it).

[LittleSlurpee]

I am not an advocate for the military at all. I always cringe when I hear about people choosing to get into it just because of all the bullshit they will put you through. But there's ups and downs to everything. I know I felt this way in high school, so I ended up trying all kinds of different things (drama, music, NJROTC, judo, rock climbing, track and field, air riflery, etc.), which is something you should do whether it's through classes or something else.

Anyway, I will say that if you have no drive or direction, that the military can be a great way to learn self respect and discipline. Even if you don't end up sticking to it and serving continually, you can get a great experience from it. They will also help you pay for school if you choose to do both. There's a lot of bonuses for veterans as well, although I'm sure there could be more.

Ah, well. That's my opinion anyway. Hope ya figure it out.

[Nephlite]

The fighting aspect of joining the Army sucks but it's just like going in to trade school and learning technical stuff for the real world. You can be anything (even a latrine sanitary specialist) and get pretty damn good benefits. The pay (unfortunately) sucks though, however, the military will take care of you. Wanna travel? Combat specialist grade. Want to do VIP protection? Military Police. Wanna build a career? OCS and beyond. Best thing I ever did with my life. They helped me build a foundation for my career and was able to get me enough money to go to college. Turned my life around from smoking weed and drinking heavily every day to pretty decent pay and a family.

[Indalecia]

If you want to travel and stay in a hotel, go to school.

If you want to travel and stay in a war zone, go Army.

If neither of these really appeal to you, be a flight attendant.

If you want to travel and stay in air conditioning and visit ports, go Navy.

...then have them pay for college, if you want.

[Celeste]

I dunno about joining the military at the moment. It's big into global intervention at the moment, dissuaded the little bro who wanted to go for GI Bill benefits from joining up because of that.

[altwight]

OP could go to nursing school, do travel nursing, and get paid a fuck ton of money to visit new places. Plus, you're surrounded by hot women.

parents do this and make a buttload not to mention go wherever they want. (they keep going to AK though <_>)

[Clash Perez]

...the military can be a great way to learn self respect and discipline...

Just wanna jump in and say that the military isn't some magical path to self-respect and discipline. It's really up to you to take the wheel and implement what you learn in your own life. Don't expect any magical transformations to occur - it's up to you.

That said, it can be a great way to learn some skills that will apply to post-military life, if you pick the right job. If your intent is to get in, do your time, and get out, don't sign up to be a cook or store-keeper; do something with some real-world application.

The pay starts off pretty low, but once you get a few ranks under your belt and are eligible for Basic Allowance for Housing, it shoots up quite a bit. A large portion of it is tax-free, as well.

If you want to travel and stay in air conditioning and visit ports, go Navy.

Depends entirely on your chosen job in the Navy. Anything "Engineering" or attached to flight wings will likely put you in some pretty uncomfortably-hot areas when deployed! Those fields tend to be the ones with some of the higher pay-offs after service, though.

I dunno about joining the military at the moment. It's big into global intervention at the moment, dissuaded the little bro who wanted to go for GI Bill benefits from joining up because of that.

It really depends on one's personal politics, definitely. One of the reasons I left the military was because I really began to understand the point of view of conscientious objectors. One day while deployed, a high-ranking officer came and spoke to our crew, and told us that whatever we thought our job was, it was really to facilitate the putting of "warheads on foreheads." That has stayed with me since, and was a significant contributing factor for me leaving service once my enlistment was finished.

[Mazmaz]

I love how every time with Americans and threads like this, it always becomes an Army thread.

[Sevilla]

...About the army, I don't know man. They prey on the poor and desperate. I've done a few research papers and they only target HS located in the poorest areas of LA. My friends and I kept getting hounded the fuck out several years after graduation. Even after I had told them I was an CE/EE they still asked me if I'd be interested in their engineering programs.

I mean no disrespect, but please stop spreading this around. I am currently in the service, and I know tons of people from well to do families. DO you know what they do with their pay? They put it fully in TSP (a 401K type retirement) because they simply don't need the money. And I know this is true because they were some of my sodliers and as leaders we do get a basic summary of how much they get paid. This isn't to pry in their business, but to make sure they are getting all the entitlements they deserve.

If you plan on going into the military, expect to ship out sometime between four to six months. Now, I can advise for you to aim for a GT score that is 110 or above. This will give you access to most of the good jobs. In the army, we have this thing called in/out list. Which basically means which MOS (military occupation specialty) they are allowing people go into and to reclass. The ones you should worry about is which ones are allowing people to go in. The MOS I am in 35N is so understrength that it is very easy to pick up SGT in less than 2 years if you make a good impression. If you need more information, I would be glad to give it to you. I can always ask a recruiter to get up-to-date information too.