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Anyone fairly young and feel like they haven't gotten anywhere in life?

D

DigitalCancer

Diamond Member
Ok..my wife is 22 (now) and she went to college, got her BA in psychology and is now working for the state (child services) bringing in around $32-33k/yr.

ME on the other hand...on the 25th i'll be 23 years old! I haven't done anything with my life significant, just worked a couple dead-end labor jobs. Mainly supported the wife through school (we were married when i was 20, she was 19) and so i'm JUST now starting school. I want to go for Radiology Tech i think, but, i'm not so sure now.

I feel like i haven't done anything with my life, except get married. I want to get a decent job while working through school but i just don't think thats going to happen. Right now i'm unemployed, still available for some contract server installations though. What did you do through school? Seems like alot of people on ATOT are pretty well off financially. I am getting there, but its been a REALLY slow process.
 
I wish I was farther. I'm 18, have a few bills, boring job, go to school in the morning, then work, then home. Repeat.

Not too much excitement.
 
I'm younger than you (20) but faced similar problems. Dropped out of college for a year, and after a long vacation financed by savings from my high school job I worked for $12.50 an hour for tech support. I felt like my life was going nowhere and went back to school and couldn't be happier. Before I was getting really bad grades and wanting to just get school over with but now I'm enjoying studying and feel like I'll do very well this semester.

Look into student loans. Sometimes they will pay for just about everything and you don't need a decent job through school. Don't sell yourself short and take the easy route through 2-year programs (sorry the word "tech" makes me think that but I believe Radiology Tech may be longer). Find what you really want to do and go for it, even if it seems like a lot of work to get into.

You probably can't benefit much from the advice of this kid but I think I know what a little bit of what you're going through. I realized that you have to factor out time as an issue in achieving your goals because even the more lengthy ones (becoming a doctor for instance) are only 7 or so years for a lifetime of satisfaction.
 
When I was 23, I was a college dropout making barely above minimum wage. It's never too late to start on a career path. I eventually finished my degree and that opened doors.
 
chrisms - thanks for the reply, least someones going thru similarities as me. ^_^ And for your little quote about a 'tech' being a 2-yr program, it actually is. They start out around $38-40k/yr which i can definitely live on. BUT, if i do like this job as much as i think i will, i just might go ahead and go through for Nuclear Medicine, they make a little more money and have a higher cap-out. I may go back through though and go full-fledge Radiologist...i dunno yet. I just know that i want to deal with technology in someway, but don't want to get into computer degrees because of all the competition right now.

thanks everyone for replies...please keep it up a bit, i'm here reading and being bored. ^_^
 
i'm 26 and feel the same way. i haven't done anything with my life, at least nothing that i feel proud of. i see all these people my age or younger with families and lives. i have no life basically. it fvckin sucks but i really don't know what to do.

i didn't go to college and i've been thinking about doing lately, but still no clue what i want to do.

 
Take a deep breath, relax. Do you have a plan for school? Does college or trade school fit your interests more closely? In most professions, 23 is barely dry behind the ears. So, you've got time. 🙂
 
Plan for school...for now i'm taking my basics, w/ a few med classes that i'll need (medical terminology, microcomputers) so i have that down. I know that i do want to do something in the medical field, but would rather not go for 10+ years to get my degree, and also would like to stay associated with technology. I'm going to a Community College at the moment that actually offers a very nice Radiology Tech degree, and its cheaper than most colleges, specially around here.
 
Originally posted by: DigitalCancer
Ok..my wife is 22 (now) and she went to college, got her BA in psychology and is now working for the state (child services) bringing in around $32-33k/yr.

ME on the other hand...on the 25th i'll be 23 years old! I haven't done anything with my life significant, just worked a couple dead-end labor jobs. Mainly supported the wife through school (we were married when i was 20, she was 19) and so i'm JUST now starting school. I want to go for Radiology Tech i think, but, i'm not so sure now.

I feel like i haven't done anything with my life, except get married. I want to get a decent job while working through school but i just don't think thats going to happen. Right now i'm unemployed, still available for some contract server installations though. What did you do through school? Seems like alot of people on ATOT are pretty well off financially. I am getting there, but its been a REALLY slow process.
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Stick with it kid. At least you have a plan. Pursue that radiology tech goal and you'll do well.
 
The important thing is that your wife has a degree. My boss got married when he was too young and he had to force his wife to get a degree after he had already 'made it' just so the family can send the kids to college, etc.

If I was in your shoes, as long as your wife is devoted, I would much rather my wife have a degree than me b/c I know I could do it anytime I want. What I am saying is . . . at least you control your own fate . . .
 
don't worry- just be a radiology technician and you'll be fine (although there is some outsourcing going on with that :x , but if you are good then you will always be in demand)

if you do that - you look to be shaping up well. Maybe do some stuff on the side of your job, such as keep doing your server installations on the side....


In all seriousness though - you are fine so as long as you are in school right now (although if I was married and my wife had her degree and I was a fulltime student I would be taking quite a bit of classes to graduate as fast as possible- i would feel really bad if i went out to have a lot of fun, or take a quarter "easy" if she is working 8-5 to support us)

If you just keep sitting around acting like a bum, well you just might be 😉

So as long as you are taking the initiative and helping to support your family, you are fine. But if you be too much of a bum...that is a recipe for disaster
 
Yea, thats my main thing right now is not being able to have a steady job drives me nuts. All this time we've been married i haven't been unemployed so...its a big difference for me. Its relaxing, not having to work, but, its also hard to juggle a job and school. I am looking into a tech job from HP though, supposed to call in a couple months, starts at $15/hr w/ 12hr days, i'd be working on my off-days from school. As it is now, i go to school for 12hrs, mon-wed. So i'm free thurs-sat, if i get that job, i'll work thurs/fri/sat/every other Sun.
 
Originally posted by: DigitalCancer
Yea, thats my main thing right now is not being able to have a steady job drives me nuts. All this time we've been married i haven't been unemployed so...its a big difference for me. Its relaxing, not having to work, but, its also hard to juggle a job and school. I am looking into a tech job from HP though, supposed to call in a couple months, starts at $15/hr w/ 12hr days, i'd be working on my off-days from school. As it is now, i go to school for 12hrs, mon-wed. So i'm free thurs-sat, if i get that job, i'll work thurs/fri/sat/every other Sun.
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Yep. I hate it when I have free time now because I feel like I should be in class or at work...It's pretty weird...
 
Originally posted by: DigitalCancer
Ok..my wife is 22 (now) and she went to college, got her BA in psychology and is now working for the state (child services) bringing in around $32-33k/yr.

ME on the other hand...on the 25th i'll be 23 years old! I haven't done anything with my life significant, just worked a couple dead-end labor jobs. Mainly supported the wife through school (we were married when i was 20, she was 19) and so i'm JUST now starting school. I want to go for Radiology Tech i think, but, i'm not so sure now.

I feel like i haven't done anything with my life, except get married. I want to get a decent job while working through school but i just don't think thats going to happen. Right now i'm unemployed, still available for some contract server installations though. What did you do through school? Seems like alot of people on ATOT are pretty well off financially. I am getting there, but its been a REALLY slow process.
Click to expand...

damn dude getting married is a big deal. you have gotten a lot farther than many people in life.
 
Originally posted by: totalcommand
Originally posted by: DigitalCancer
Ok..my wife is 22 (now) and she went to college, got her BA in psychology and is now working for the state (child services) bringing in around $32-33k/yr.

ME on the other hand...on the 25th i'll be 23 years old! I haven't done anything with my life significant, just worked a couple dead-end labor jobs. Mainly supported the wife through school (we were married when i was 20, she was 19) and so i'm JUST now starting school. I want to go for Radiology Tech i think, but, i'm not so sure now.

I feel like i haven't done anything with my life, except get married. I want to get a decent job while working through school but i just don't think thats going to happen. Right now i'm unemployed, still available for some contract server installations though. What did you do through school? Seems like alot of people on ATOT are pretty well off financially. I am getting there, but its been a REALLY slow process.
Click to expand...

damn dude getting married is a big deal. you have gotten a lot farther than many people in life.
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QFT. Some of us can't even get a girlfriend...18 years old and NEVER had one...so like tc said, married is a HUGE deal...++
 
Originally posted by: pontifex
i'm 26 and feel the same way. i haven't done anything with my life, at least nothing that i feel proud of. i see all these people my age or younger with families and lives. i have no life basically. it fvckin sucks but i really don't know what to do.

i didn't go to college and i've been thinking about doing lately, but still no clue what i want to do.
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It's never too late to start classes working towards an undergraduate degree. if you're 26 now, you could have your degree by the age of 30 or 31. At that point, it doesnt matter when you got your degree, all you have to say is "I have a degree."

It's only 4 years, I say go for it. You're still very young.

Oh, and just to let you know, I have a friend who never went to college. He's 25 and he works as a network admin, or some computer job like that. he took a bunch of classes to get certified in some stuff. Anyways, he just recently made the decision to go to college and get a degree. He's enrolled in community college for the spring 07 semester in pursuit of a B.S. degree. Im very proud of him for making that decision.
 
Originally posted by: pontifex
i'm 26 and feel the same way. i haven't done anything with my life, at least nothing that i feel proud of. i see all these people my age or younger with families and lives. i have no life basically. it fvckin sucks but i really don't know what to do.

i didn't go to college and i've been thinking about doing lately, but still no clue what i want to do.
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For you, I'm picking gunsmithing. You just seem like a gun building kind of guy to me.

Oh, and less ATOT 🙂
 
Originally posted by: pontifex
i'm 26 and feel the same way. i haven't done anything with my life, at least nothing that i feel proud of. i see all these people my age or younger with families and lives. i have no life basically. it fvckin sucks but i really don't know what to do.

i didn't go to college and i've been thinking about doing lately, but still no clue what i want to do.
Click to expand...

Well, one of the benefits of going to college later in life can be knowing the value of it and not wasting it away. I have a couple friends who worked after high school and THEN went to college. They're doing quite well now.
 
Originally posted by: pontifex
i'm 26 and feel the same way. i haven't done anything with my life, at least nothing that i feel proud of. i see all these people my age or younger with families and lives. i have no life basically. it fvckin sucks but i really don't know what to do.

i didn't go to college and i've been thinking about doing lately, but still no clue what i want to do.
Click to expand...

Hey, man, what do you love? Is there something in life that you really love and there is a career available that pertains to it? If so, go for it. No matter what. I'm a Junior in high school (15 years old), and my AP US History teacher told me that. After finding what I love, i've never felt better about what I want to do with my life. Which is computer engineering by the way. Just think about your interests, hobbies, anything that you really love to do/study/etc. And do it. 🙂 College is great, too. Get yourself involved. My sister did all sorts of things in college that got her involved in the campus community, and she loved it. She's in grad school going for her Ph.D in Materials Engineering at NC State. When she took and Introduction to Engineering class out of a whim in high school, she really loved it and decided that materials was her path. The only time she second-guessed herself was when she went through a severe depression (chemical imbalance) for a few months, but she got it cleaned up. Sorry if that was a rant, I just wanna help people who feel that they have no direction.
 
Originally posted by: krunchykrome


Oh, and just to let you know, I have a friend who never went to college. He's 25 and he works as a network admin, or some computer job like that. he took a bunch of classes to get certified in some stuff. Anyways, he just recently made the decision to go to college and get a degree. He's enrolled in community college for the spring 07 semester in pursuit of a B.S. degree. Im very proud of him for making that decision.
Click to expand...


I've found that kids in college think a degree is a big deal. I guess it's a huge part of their life, so it's their world. But degrees are so commonplace nowadays that a 4 year degree isn't going to set you apart from anyone else.

Once you've been in the field for a while, the cream of the crop will rise to the top. Some will have degrees, some will not. Your own abilities will limit you.

If I could give some advice, I'd say to start your own business. It's not guaranteed to succeed, but you'll get satisfaction from it. I've been working in a corporate environment for too long and I hate it. Can't stand the shallowness and the "keeping up with the Joneses" mentality. I'm making decent money but money doesn't buy happiness. I have enough that I can treat myself anytime I want, but nothing makes me happy. I routinely buy myself $500-$1000 gifts that just don't do anything for me. My $900 digicam, my RC helicopters, my RC airplanes, my jet ski, etc. They sit around and I don't use them. I've just become numb because I've been through the grind so many times. It's as if I'm reliving the same day all over again- going to work, going to sleep, getting paid, looking at the money build up which won't bring me any satifaction, going to work, etc. Time is ruthless and the years are just flying by. Nothing changes.
 
My one little bit of advice is to live each day with your wife as it was the day you found each other. Jobs, children, stress, money, bills, and the everydayness is irrelevant in the tiny reality of living and loving.

Just make it work man-find yourself and love your wife.

Rogo
 
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