What happened to Growing Up?

[Janx]

So for you guys who are "stuck", is there some path or choice you wish you had taken that you feel would have prevented your current situation?

It's too easy for folks like me to say "you should have done X" when in truth, I don't know if X was available or viable for somebody else.

Personally, I got lucky and chose the right path. I grew up on welfare. I discovered computers in the town library, taught myself how to program and never looked back. I used student loans to go to a cheaper, smaller college. I was a B average student in school, and still got picked up by a tech company.

I can appreciate people being stuck, as the rest of my family pretty much was. But I can also see that in some cases, it ain't that hard to get out if you choose the right path that naturally leads to success and survivability.

For me, my natural aptitude (programming) got me on the right path at the right time, so until the Outsourcing takes over, I'm pretty solid career wise.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

So for you guys who are "stuck", is there some path or choice you wish you had taken that you feel would have prevented your current situation?

I'm a nice guy and beloved of many, but I think I would have been better off today had I more discipline in life.

It's like this: I'm a genius. Just barely- I'm smart enough that I sailed through most of my academics (except the stuff that bored me), but not so much that I could to do the "Doogie Howser" thing and attend college at age 11. And as extracurriculars go, I was allowed to quit when things got tough, almost without consequence. Result- I'm not as disciplined as I could/should be. I have followed the path of water, always taking the easiest route to my destinations, and never really pushing myself to reach my full potential.

So, had my parents forced me to stick with the BSA when we moved to Colorado and the troop was planning on getting their clear "Sub-Zero" camping bead; had I not been allowed to slack off over the tail end of the summer before my senior year of HS so I made the football team again instead of being cut; etc., I'd be a better person, I think. More focused and less chaotic, at the very least.

 

[Zombie_Babies]

I think a lot of it still, fortunately, depends upon talent and work ethic. Simply keep looking to do more and then do your best at it. My brother and myself, for example, have achieved a fair level of professional success and have done so without degrees. I'd never suggest to some kid today to skip college or whatever but it somehow worked for me.

My brother is in management and is being groomed for an executive position. He fell into his career. He drove truck for a company - not even CDL level driving - and eventually worked his way into managing the shipping floor. He parlayed that into successively higher positions at different companies. Again, no degree.

I'm in the tech field and I fell into my career as well. I needed to get out of factory work (glad I did - two years after I quit a 21 year old kid died on the shop floor where I used to work) and my mother worked for a phone company. She suggested I apply for the mailroom and I did ... but I never got the job. Instead I got an entry level position in an entry level department that dealt with 911 and the very, very basic tech side of making sure it worked correctly. I then moved to a different department that expanded and was more technical - some switch programming. I again moved (laterally this time) to a dept that focused even more on getting into the switches and making sure the orders were processed correctly. That job moved out of state and they didn't properly incetivise me to move with it so I didn't. Got a job at the company I'm currently at - entry level in their Telecom dept - and continued to move up. They made a position for me to allow me to grow and I eventually left the Telecom side of things and am where I'm at now. I got this position because they gave me some work from this dept and I did very well with it. At any rate, I took a $2/hr pay cut when I moved to this company. As I sit today, I make a little more than double what they hired me at six years ago.

Unfortunately not all companies are the same and not everyone will even give you a chance without papers. Go to school, kiddies - but take this sort of approach to heart. Want more and do more but, more than that, show that you really want it by how you do it.

 

[sabrinathecat]

My main problem is that I work, but I don't network or play politics.
I sit at a desk and WORK.

Yes, I know "Networking" is hard work, but I don't have the aptitude or patience to play that field.
I'm busy.
My office politics was to bring in a batch of fresh-made cookies every Thursday and leave them in an open cubicle for everyone. People complained I was ruining their diets, but they still came by. Heck, some people came down from the 6th floor for cookies.

If I'd spent time networking, I might have held onto that job for another 3-8 months (before the division was outsourced), and there's a remote chance I might be working some place now. On the other hand, I'm a graphics guy, and I use a PC, not a mac.

 

[WayneLigon]

My main problem is that I work, but I don't network or play politics.

Well, most networking is done outside the office.

On the other hand, I'm a graphics guy, and I use a PC, not a mac.

By 'a graphics guy', what exactly do you mean? You do art, you do fonts and design, you do website buttons and elements, what?

I was under the impression that Mac used to be the only thing for design and publishing, but that the difference was so small now that it didn't matter unless you were using some specialized programs - is that not the case?

 

[sabrinathecat]

Well, most networking is done outside the office.



By 'a graphics guy', what exactly do you mean? You do art, you do fonts and design, you do website buttons and elements, what?

I was under the impression that Mac used to be the only thing for design and publishing, but that the difference was so small now that it didn't matter unless you were using some specialized programs - is that not the case?

The control and alt buttons on the PC have their functions reversed on the mac. This means that the keyboard shortcuts that are integral to 95% of actions are reversed. Sorting out that slow-down and fighting the trained reflex is extremely frustrating and time consuming. And if those functions have drastically different results, can cause a lot of hard work to disappear. As for the Mac being better for graphics--yeah, in about 1993. Which was about when Amiga was the top-notch animation computer outside of a cray.
I'm a generalist. I do not do still life traditional canvas painting, needlepoint, crochet, or compositional art photography. The "don't" list is considerably shorter than the "do" list.

 

[Herobizkit]

So for you guys who are "stuck", is there some path or choice you wish you had taken that you feel would have prevented your current situation?

I never had a solid plan coming of high school. I wanted to make video games, and to do that, I (assumed I) had to go to university. I tried Computer Science, got on AP my first year and failed the required Calculus requirement twice... and there was four years of Calculus to do. I switched to Arts my second year and dropped out during my third year as I still had no idea, clue or direction to go.

After that, I got a job at a call centre and basically never stopped floating in and out of customer service jobs. As long as I was making enough to cover my basic needs and some party money, I was golden.

Then I turned 25, then 35, went back to college, got a Radio Broadcasting diploma only to learn that I really hate the radio business, and now I'm 37 and still lost.

I've never been pulled into any direction career-wise; I'm kind of always in survival mode so customer service is where I ended up.

 

[nightwind1]

Actually, I think you underestimate that effect. It is difficult to go out and earn a living when there are no living-wage jobs that will hire you.

Requiring college doesn't help. But it is worse than that. Remember that we had a major recession back after in 2001, and another in 2007. It has been a long while since it was easy for a new person in the workforce to get a decent job.



A sense won't cut hte mustard if there's no paycheck.



"The plan"? Really? "The plan"?

Of course there's a plan. It involves HAARP and chemtrails.

 

[Janx]

I never had a solid plan coming of high school. I wanted to make video games, and to do that, I (assumed I) had to go to university. I tried Computer Science, got on AP my first year and failed the required Calculus requirement twice... and there was four years of Calculus to do. I switched to Arts my second year and dropped out during my third year as I still had no idea, clue or direction to go.

After that, I got a job at a call centre and basically never stopped floating in and out of customer service jobs. As long as I was making enough to cover my basic needs and some party money, I was golden.

Then I turned 25, then 35, went back to college, got a Radio Broadcasting diploma only to learn that I really hate the radio business, and now I'm 37 and still lost.

I've never been pulled into any direction career-wise; I'm kind of always in survival mode so customer service is where I ended up.

Ah yes, the classic Computer Science requires Math chain of college education...

While I tested out of some math (meaning I'm smarter at it than I admit), I hate math.

So when I got to college, met my advisor, and saw CS was all math, I changed majors to CIS with a CS minor. Meaning I got all the CS classes my college had, and a lot of business classes, as well as database and analysis to design software.

Much easier, just as effective. And very practical.

I did technical support in college, QA for a few years at a mega-corp and then transitioned into software development and been doing business app design ever since.

 

[Herobizkit]

[MENTION=8835]Janx[/MENTION], I'm glad you had enough common sense to have an idea of what you wanted when you went to school. I was 17 and clueless when I went.

I'm giving consideration to going back to college again before I hit 40 and hoping to do something other than custserv until I retire... but I have no idea what, and at my "advanced" age, starting a new career path seems unlikely with today's preference given to youth.