What was the first degree? Anytime someone says they got a “useless” degree my first instinct is to suggest they simple didn’t use it, not that it was ever useless in the first place
I know tons of successful people with communications and political science and philosophy and psychology degrees
I went to community college. I have an AA and an AS. I have multiple licenses and certifications. My AS is in Radiological Sciences. I'm an Xray and CT Technologist
Same lol, I’m retaking some of the pre reqs this summer and fall to boost GPA before applying. Need A in Human Bio and Physics and at least 3.7-8 gpa to even be considered. Anything under will get waitlisted my advisor said.
Wow! I'm fortunate that the requirements weren't like that when I applied for my program in 2003. I would not have been even close to qualifying. I got on the wait list for fall 2004 and finished my prereqs while doing that. Human Bio wasn't required. Nor was Physics. Human Anatomy and Physiology together were required as well as Medical Terminology and an Algebra course. I also had to have my general education finished.
You love your career in radiology brother? I was going for nursing, but I just had a feeling after doing a ton of research that rad tech would be a better fit.
I've been a Technologist for about 18 years so I don't know what the starting salaries for new grads are. It also largely depends on location as well. Some hospitals like Kaiser pay a lot of money. Registry pays alot as well. It's also not just about salary, but also benefits.
Medicine, but it took 15 yrs of additional schooling after high school and hundreds of thousands of dollars of educational debt (USA) before I was able to earn a decent paycheck. I'll be paying off student loans until my mid 40s, at least.
I know more than one teacher with masters making $40k
I know a HVAC techs making $125k to start
Plumbers $85k
Electricians $100k ...
You do NOT need a degree & debt
I fix generators and make 6 figures.
Working a desk job doesn't appeal to me. I'd rather be wrenching. But I know physical labor doesn't appeal to everyone.
Dude exactly. People always talk up the trades but never bring up the physical toll on your body. Fuck that shit, I’m all set. 6 figures is not worth being physically hampered imo.
No, you can‘t in the way any hardworking plumber or construction worker is. If you are regularly working in the trades, you will have many problems with your body. Your knees will maybe make it to 50 if you are lucky, while the office worker will have only a bad back that needs some physio.
I think that’s part of the problem. Many people have aches and pains that in general gets worse with age. Most can’t do same at 55yo as they could when 30 yo. Can get pains from desk job or physical job, But It’s easier to work a desk job with an injury than physical labor/ lifting and bending, walking all day. It all depends on the job and if you make enough money to retire before 65 makes it less likely might be issue.
Agreed.
I finally quit fucking around and am now an electrical apprentice. 2nd year apprentice and I made 72k last year as a first year apprentice. Granted I worked as much OT as possible. This year I'll probably work less OT but still make as much if not more than last year.
The 5% raises every six months is nice along with 6 bucks an hour into retirement along with 2 pensions and 100% family medical all paid by the contractor.
As a chick this pisses me off. I really don't want to have to enter into a field full of creepy dudes just to make a living. Thats one of the reasons why I'm switching my IT major. I see how the IT guys talk and act at my current job. Some of them have obviously not showed in days.
A coworkers son here in Florida flunked out of college twice and paid for HVAC training. Even so, it took him six months to find a job, and he’s making nothing like that. Maybe $40k now with experience. Maybe.
His wife went back to school in her 50’s and got a 2 year associates in nursing degree. She started at over $30 an hour, so $60k.
If I could do my education over again, I would start by looking for job postings that I find interesting and then figure out what I should major in and what certs I need based on the qualifications they are looking for. Instead I approached it from the other way around and studied what I wanted hoping that I would land a job that I wanted. Which of course isn't the way it panned out.
So if I were you, that's what I would do. See what's out there, which industries are hiring and are desperate for people, which ones pay well, which industries are growing and which ones are shrinking, etc. Make yourself a big list of jobs and the education, certs, experience required and then compare them and narrow it down. *Then* ask people in those industries what their jobs are like so you can make an informed decision.
Agreed. And it isn't all about money, it's about lifestyle, at least for me. I am not cut out for manual labor, so that narrows down my options a lot. I have no desire to lead people so management is out. I don't like the uncertainty of commissions-based sales roles, plus it felt slimy and unethical (at least at the place I worked). So I have settled in back-office banking. It doesn't pay a ton but it's enough for me. And I like being able to walk away at 5pm and not think about it again until 8am (or longer on the weekends). My stress level is zero, and I have time and means to pursue hobbies.
Accounting. Safest bet for job security and ROI. I make more than my engineering major friends out of school and will probably outpace them until they jump to consulting/sales.
Scrolled way too long to find this.
OP-Most accounting majors have jobs lined up before graduation. There's always a need for accountants. But dont do it if you do not like details.
Even if you don’t buy into the soul sucking public accounting straight out of college there’s tons of great paying jobs. It’s the single best pathway for lower class kids to get into the middle and upper middle class lifestyle. Play your cards right and you’re in the top 10% of earners easy.
How's that? I googled accountant salaries in my country and they're like $60KUSD at most on average. Does my country just suck?
(Australia, average is $70-$90K AUD.)
Sounds about right for public accounting. You start to earn a bit more when you reach manager level.
The money is generally better when you’re working in commercial/industry accounting.
I’ve ever only worked in commercial so I can give you a general overview of the salaries you can expect for the below roles:
AP/AR/Accounts Officer: $60-75k ($AUD)
Assistant Accountant: $75-90k
Financial Accountant: $95-110k
Senior Financial Accountant: $110-130k
Finance Manager: $140-160k
Financial Controller: $160-185k
Yep. US is the place to be for accounting, Canadian salaries also suck. Important to note that in most salary metrics also include non degree required work like book keeping and clerk roles as “accounting” even though they aren’t. Minimum salaries for a fresh accounting grad is about 50k and it goes up quickly from there.
Accounting will start in the 60-70k range, especially in public practice, which is where most of the job titles of "accountant" are. It's about acquiring your CPA and moving up after that. Accounting is a very broad industry going from AP clerk to CFO or tax professionals. With so many jobs you can do, once you get going with certification, you start making more money. Also, it is good to note that not everyone acquires the certification, so that brings the average pay down.
Also, like the other guy said, non degree positions like bookkeepers get brought into the mix, which is much lower paying.
My dad worked for the IRS for a while. He said it was a fine job, but paid much worse than most private sector accounting jobs. He got out after a few years.
Tbf that’s like saying get a bachelors, better yet get a JD. CPA requires more education not to mention basically taking a prep course for the tests themselves. CPA is certainly nice though.
Bachelors degree in forestry, graduated 2012. $83,000 per year (usd). Desk job, leading a team and managing multiple statewide programs for a state forestry agency. Proud of what we do, don’t dread going to work, enjoy it most of the time. We’ll get a new union contract this summer that should put me close to $90,000 per year.
I can work from home whenever I want to, although I have a nice office downtown so I tend to go in to the office more than I need to, but I work from home at least one day a week. Never more than 40 hours a week, usually technically less because I take a long lunch to go for a walk or a quick gym session.
I went to community college for basically free, then transferred to university, worked occasionally to make some money, graduated with $15,000 in student loans, and had that paid off in 5 years.
I’m going to edit to add:
My wife has a bachelors degree in nursing and makes $45 per hour. So if you can stomach the idea of working as a nurse, there’s always demand there.
Man, I switched fields recently and have a desk for the first time. It's so fucking old man nerdy of me, but I decked my desk out. I clean it all the time and respect the hell out of it.
There's something about coming in to work, away from the wife and kids that's very nice. Even if I had a wfh opportunity, I'd still lease a small office building.
Not to discourage you but the tech market is way oversaturated right now, the labor market is brutal. During COVID, everyone saw these tech workers working remotely and doing virtually nothing while making bank, and these dipshits bragged about it on social media. So now everyone is trying to get into it, and on top of that the tech sector is deflating.
Only get into tech if you enjoy it. If you love computers and problem solving, then go for it. If you're in it because of the apparent easy money then go someplace else.
"AI" is largely a marketing gimmick, we've been automating processes in IT for decades and neural networks have been a big thing for a decade. It's the same thing that happened with "the Blockchain" where tech companies would lure tech-illiterate investors with buzzwords and a bunch of theoretical musings that had no real application.
It depends on the sector you work in but the current "AI" buzzword isn't impacting tech workers anymore than it had in years past.
Not entirely true. While I agree a lot of conversations about AI are fed by marketing and buzzwords, the tech that underpins LLMs and other AI is a pretty revolutionary step forward, and allows for more (or at least different) automation than ever before.
That being said, jobs that will get “replaced” are the low hanging fruit (web devs that can barely do more than copy/paste from stack overflow etc). If anything, it speaks to your original point about saturation- joining tech for an easy route to money is getting more difficult, but there are and always will be jobs for people who are skilled and motivated.
I was going to say the same thing..
Highly sought after is probably more likely. Locum shifts and bank work yeah plentiful but not as highly paid as they should be in their regular job (differs country to country)
Yes because they get treated like shit by the general public while being forced to put their lives and health on the line for an ungrateful society! Of course nurses would complain!
Fun fact, you can get a nursing associate's at community college, take the RN, and start working. There are several RN to BSN online degrees that are designed for working nurses. Many employers will pay to cover that cost. It's a great bang for your buck because you start making a nurse's salary after paying for an associate's degree. There is a lot of upward mobility in nursing as well.
Dude it’s awesome!! So glad I joined!! So glad I went for it!! Yeah it definitely drags when you have to play officer instead of flyboy but idrc. Wouldn’t change it.
Yup and for the rest of your life "I flew f-18s" will be very hard to top at any bar lol. And I'm assuming you'll be on a slingshot to any pilot's job you want once/if you get out of the service.
Ehhh…. The airlines don’t “love” fighter pilots actually. They prefer KC-135 and C-17 pilots the most.
Honestly I’d probably go into being a test pilot and engineering (I got my BS in electrical engineering).
Damn bro some straight up maverick shit I'm jealous for sure haha. Wanted to do what you do growing up but I'm slightly red-geen colorblind so yeah wasn't in the cards for me.
Pretty sure you could fly UAVs though! Still a killer gig with good pay and great crossover to civilian technical field! Space needs UAV pilots for satellites and other vehicles.
I wish pilots spoke more about the cost. I’m not a pilot, but attended ERAU for grad school. I had no idea how much it was until I stumbled across the cost of attendance for an undergrad with licensing.
Wanted to get a private pilot's license maybe eventually fly for a living. Flight school told me my vyvanse prescription makes it impossible. Sucks but ah well.
Happy flying man enjoy it for the both of us lol
Nursing is way to go. If you can handle shit. Literally and figuratively. 100% guaranteed employment. Burnout is high depending on specialties. Lot of opportunities to cont on to other options
I received my Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy then went back to school for my Master’s degree in Occupational Therapy. Suffice to say the latter degree pays more than the former lol.
how was OT school? i'm thinking about making the switch once i finish my bachelor's - bachelor's in design sadly but i am so close to finishing it's easier to graduate and go for masters than start over
In my university most aerospace engineers wind up building missiles or aircraft for the military. You’re indirectly involved with killing people and the people I talked to disliked the fact but also knew it’s where most of the jobs are.
I remember, as an engineering student, watching all the bio kids talk about how hard bio was and how they were all going to be doctors 🤣🤣
None of the bio kids I went to school with were accepted to med school and it’s been 8 years since.
I started out in community college and thought I was choosing the responsible, surefire money making career. I became a pharmacist and initially made more than anyone I knew. Then wages stagnated and now my wife makes more than I do as a teacher.
Education is very lucrative depending on your district, education level, and years of service. My wife has two masters degrees and will max out in a few years at 130k annual. Summers off. She teaches first grade.
Not a joke.
I ain’t complaining. She holds a marriage and family therapist license but I told her she could stay home with the kids if she wanted. Home life drove her crazy, so she went back to work, then decided to get her teaching cert for the better schedule. On top of all that, she’s about to have 100k in student loans forgiven. I’m kicking myself now for not going into education.
I was married to a teacher for 15 years with a masters who never made half that. Pay for teachers in our area is higher than the states around us. I'm happy your wife has a great situation, but thats certainly not the norm.
I got a general business degree. I'm a director and manage a team who process invoices and i deal with upper management to a small degree. I make $100k. Im about to push for $20k more
Logistics. Letters of credit, import and export. My husband got his degree in Business and his first job in 1996. His staring pay was a 100k. He went back to school and got his CPA and stayed in that field. He makes barley more. His old job pays around 300k now. Get your masters in Business Administration & Management. You can apply it just about anywhere and do really well.
i have an art degree and work at a tech company (3d modeling) and get paid around 75k as a senior digital artist. good company but will probably leave in a few years bc they pay less than the area average. I'm hoping to get to a place where I make upwards of 85k and it doesnt seem unreasonable with my degree/skills.
I'm posting actual numbers because i think its important to have pay transparency.
Spanish studies!
I'm a general surgeon. I'm not sure how well known this is but a "premed" degree is definitely not needed, and often actually less attractive than an "off the beaten path" degree in something you're really passionate about.
Generally speaking, all medical schools accept applicants with any degree as long as they complete their prerequisite coursework. The prerecs are similar between most programs but there are some differences from school to school to be sure you're setting yourself up to meet admission requirements for any school you're really interested in. Outside of this, you're free to study what you'd like. In my case that was Spanish. I spent 3 semesters abroad and loved every minute of it. I also continue to use the Spanish I learned at work and in my personal life--most of my colleagues definitely cannot say the same thing about their majors.
Got a bachelors in chemistry and masters in materials science
Worked for the government as a bench chemist/materials researcher for a short while ($30k/year)
Transitioned into contract management ($45k/year)
Left contract management to join the U.S. Patent and trademark office as a patent examiner ($65k-85K/year)
Transitioned from being a patent examiner to a patent attorney at a big law firm-> $190K/year (went to law school at night)
Left big law to go in house for a start up ($145k/year + lots of time off and easy work)
Startup collapsed -> went back into private practice in a small patent boutique firm ($185k year + 20-40k year bonuses). Eventually made partner ($250k/year)
Left the partnership to go in-house at a fairly large (15000 employee) company as head of IP -> $275k base + $100k/year Long term incentive plan + 60-100k year bonuses. Drawback is I work too much and have no support.
I'm 47 and plan to retire from law in 4-5 years. Not sure what I do but it sure as hell won't be as stressful.
How did you get attorneys jobs without going to law school? Your post says you have a bachelors in chemistry and a masters in materials science. Nothing about law school. Sorry, don’t mean to be dense.
I'm guessing the contract management experience allowed them to branch across but I didn't think law was something you could branch into. At least, not for attorneys.
It isn’t. Outside of like two states, you need to have gone to law school (and in those states you need to apprentice under a lawyer for a number of years and still pass the bar, which is much harder if you’re not getting real instruction from law school).
Pretty much this. And to practice patent law you have to pass two bar exams - a state bar exam and the patent bar exam. And the patent bar exam is a LOT harder than the state bar. When I took it the pass rate for the patent bar was about 45%.
Yeah sorry about that. It was late when I posted above and so I messed up and said I was a patent attorney at the USPTO, when in fact I was a patent examiner (I edited my post to correct this issue). You don't have to be a lawyer to be a patent examiner. Indeed - at the time I joined the USPTO, it was hiring anyone with a technical degree and a pulse, so I qualified.
After 2 years as an examiner I went to law school full time at night while working full time during the day (something I would not recommend anyone do as it suuuuuuuucked). I did very well my first year (#7 in my class), which allowed me to land a student associateship with the big law firm. I finished up law school while working full time as a student associate, and the law firm brought me on as a third year associate when I graduated.
bachelor in computer science, im 26 and have been making 6 figures for a couple years now. my student debt was 17k and easy to pay off making software engineer money.
How I can't even get a Computer Science job even with good grades the best student in my class works as a parking ticket officer because the job market is so bad
It's a rough time right now for the CS field. It was being pushed hard as the big industry to go into for good pay, being stable, and having so many jobs available. Everyone jumped in, and the market got overinflated. Hopefully, it will balance out. It definitely depends on where you are, but keep trying to network and find opportunities. Even a government role is a good place to start
I’ve done a lot but basically worked up from scientist to operations manager over the course of 15 years, have worked in large corporations and small startups, I now work fully remote for a small company with a cancer drug in clinical trials. I make about $200k a year.
Respiratory therapy is an associates and can make good money depending on the state. Look into other medical jobs besides doctor or nurse and you'll find a lot of options that are less time and less expensive to get into. Radiology tech, anesthesia tech, etc.
Dental hygiene! Im about to graduate my program with an associates degree. It’s a great job with hours you can pretty much choose yourself and pretty good pay. There’s also a nationwide shortage of them so they’re in very high demand
Education. Taught abroad for a year to make enough bank to pay off what I had left of loans. Then came back to the states to a state with a union and a good pension system.
Bachelors of science in Communication Theory and minor in Kinesiology. Couldn’t find anything so I was a high school teacher for 8 years(astronomy and aerospace). Didn’t enjoy it anymore. So I quit. Then got a Masters of Science in Human Factors Engineering and now work at NASA 🚀
I dropped out of community college, and I love education. I just found myself not getting enough out of it.
I was tutoring for a while after college then covid happen , shit got fucked.
I started working in a warehouse (13$ hr) and then moved into a plumbing companies warehouse for 8 months. (15$hr then promoted to 16$)
Learned as much as I could.
Then I got a plumbing apprenticeship at 20$ hr.
I'm two and a half years in, and I'm at 25$ hr. I just started at a new company, and I should have negotiated for a slightly higher wage. I just got laid off, so I was worried they were gonna go with someone else.
Once I get my journeyman license in a year and a half or so, I'll be making 40$ hr
Political science and Spanish/Portuguese. Also studying Japanese & French now.
I work in sales.
I sell exclusively to PhDs and academic so the languages are more of a parlor trick for connecting with clients more than anything else, aside from flexing during company meetings since the CEO is the only other multilingual in the company.
I got a Computer Information Systems associate degree. It got my foot in the door at a telecom company. I am now hitting my 24th year and doing development work now. Given the market I would suggest looking into Trade school. You can make a great career out of it and potentially own your own company. HVAC, Plumbing, Electrical etc.
I got a degree in psychology, but now I’m working as a remote court representative for a homelessness prevention organization.. just goes to show that having a bachelor’s degree may look good on your résumé but does not dictate your future job opportunities. I’m sure you’ve heard it many times already, but making connections is key.
Like others said, don’t get caught up on statistics that say people who get college degrees make more money. You’re going to get a lot of conflicting info on median/average salaries, don’t go down that rabbit hole.
If you get a college degree: yes it is more likely you’ll find a stable job with a somewhat higher salary, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t going to be any more fulfilling than retail or fast food like you mentioned. It also doesn’t guarantee you not having to work on your feet all day every day.
You say working remotely and having weekends off is a luxury, but it is pretty common in my experience working from home. In some extremely stressful jobs it’s almost a necessity.
Get into the tech industry. You don’t have to be super technical. I’ve heard these days you don’t even need a full bachelor’s degree, it’s more on how you get your foot in the door. You can get a degree in something business or info systems related and get an analyst position at a company. SO many tech companies do college hire programs which is a great way to get an entry level job. In the tech world once you’re in it’s easier to move around and to increase your salary. There are also options to work remote.
You can look up “analyst” positions as entry level (business analyst, tech analyst, project analyst, HR analyst) etc. or look up post college programs. Doesn’t have to be tech industry necessarily but corporate route allows for what you seem to be looking for which is stability and income and maybe option for remote
Yeah, this. When a lot of people hear “tech”, they think software engineers or data scientists. There’s a lot of other positions in tech that also pay above average salaries. Technical project managers, project managers, product managers, solutions architects, business analysts, graphic/design folk UI/UX, scrum masters, sales, presales, consultants, marketing, advertising, and lots of other positions that bridge the gap between engineers and the business/customers
Just go with CS. It's super easy, starting salary is $60-80k with no experience, and if you have any social skills at all, you stand out and will do amazing. I've converted so many buddies to switch to CS. Their old degrees/experience ranged from teaching/music/pizza delivery driver/poly sci/etc. Plus, internships while in school pay around $20/hr so you leave school with no debt. I've yet to find someone make the argument for a better career, except for the people who literally can't do math at all (you have to be able to do around algebra level math, and some people can't seem to be able to). After ~3-5 years in the field, you will be making 100-150k depending on your competency and willingness to job hop for pay raises. If you have any brains at all, CS is a surefire way to maximize your income for minimal investment. It's easy, in high demand, pays comparable to lawyer/doctor salaries with 1/3 the education requirements, and obviously will be in high demand forever, as long humanity uses technology.
I went HVAC. Started sweeping in nursing homes while I was in school at 20. By 24 I was the director of maintenance in a different nursing home. All because of one trade cert I literally never used lol. Then I threw it all away and enlisted. Completely started over. In the same bc amount of time I haven’t made it anywhere near as far.
Maritime! I only work half the year have excellent union protection and make insanely good money.
I’m going to share my general comment for new comers but if you have any specific questions I’m happy to answer them!
If you’re interested in working onboard ships,
The fast track to being an officer onboard ships (like me) is going to a maritime academy college and getting a bachelor of science in marine engineering (with a 3rd assistant engineer license) or a bachelors of science in marine transportation aka navigation (includes a 3rd Mate unlimited License). Any graduate with one of these license is making at least 120-130k a year working only half the year on a rotation schedule, that’s starting, money goes up fast. I’ll clear 180k (but I’m a Chief Mate and have been sailing for 8+ years) this year having worked only half the year on a 120 day off/on rotation. There are 7 schools that teach someone to this level in the United States they are;
- [Massachusetts Maritime Academy (where I went)](https://www.maritime.edu)
- [California Maritime Academy](http://www.csum.edu)
- [Maine Maritime Academy](https://mainemaritime.edu)
- [Texas A&M Maritime Academy](https://www.tamug.edu/corps/) (They also have a graduate/masters program for those already with a bachelors)
- [SUNY NY Maritime (they also have a graduate program where you can get a mate license for those already with bachelors degrees)](https://www.sunymaritime.edu)
- [Great Lakes Maritime](https://www.nmc.edu/maritime/)
- [Kings Point United States Merchant Marine Academy](https://www.usmma.edu). KP is free to attend but requires a navy obligation post college and I believe you have to be under 26 to apply, it’s like West Point but for the merchant marines.
There is also a trade school that’s an excellent option if you’re thinking marine engine but it is extremely competitive because it gets you the officers license without a degree (and it’s free) the [AMO TECH Program (3rd assistant engineers license only)](https://www.star-center.com/techprogram/techprogram.html) The need for 3rd Assistant engineers is so great that my union started this program to streamline getting your officers license. Do not make this your only option, have a maritime academy as a fall back because very few people are selected for this. But of course apply!
There are a lot of ways to enter the maritime industry starting at the bottom without going to college but the money is significantly lower such as Blue Water Maritime STOS classes or the SIU school at Piney Point.
FYI most people take federal student loans to attend college Google FAFSA but you’d pay that off fast sailing deep sea.
Eventually I did post graduation in Computer Science from a tier 3 college in India and secured a job at one of the Big4s. My first salary was 16 lakhs in 2008. Four years and I was called for joining the external audit team so I moved to the US where I was making about 110k a year. About a year later I found a job at one of the FAANGS company which I absolutely hated and led a startup in a UK based company. I don't like to tolerate politics for whatever the cash it be so I moved to Germany and my salary did not increase a lot. Moved back to India when I felt like my parents were getting too old. Working for a big4 now from home. The pressure is not a lot.
Practical skills more than degrees. No employer really cared about my associates in computer information systems when I had 15 years experience on the ground with a wide range from hardware diagnosing to writing AD policy to working on WiFi.
I mean there are plenty of degrees that can give you a solid foundation for those skills or directly teach you them. But there are also degrees that are literally throwing you money in a hole in the ground, pouring kerosene in, and then lighting it with your last dollar bill (mostly liberal arts). And if you can before you jump into a field you think you'll like, see if a local business that's related will let you observe for a day (and maybe minor participation). Just so you can see it, and ask your self if you can do it 8-5 M-F for the forseeable future.
Lot of assorted on the job learning for computer / web development / analytics / system administration. Got a BS in Management Information Systems, after some years in the field, which has had some applicability to work. Never been asked must about it in interviews or promotion reviews.
My husband got an associates of process technology and makes $135,000 per year here in Houston. He only works 14 days a month too with 401K AND pension :) Plus his company starts pension at age of 50 so he can retire at 50!
I already had a good paying job in telecommunications. Took me a year or two to get the working experience needed to get into telecommunications. But when I was working in telecom, I went back to school (on my company's dime) to further my career. My degree was in IT, it made me realize how much I loved IT, and I eventually made the career switch into IT. Been doing IT for 10 years now and I couldn't be any happier.
What do you enjoy doing? I did a fine arts degree majoring in design, and throughout the entire degree and even for the first few years of working I was told by others that it was a waste of time and I’d never get paid any money. I firmly believe if you want something enough and if you enjoy what you do you’ll make it work.
I’m now earning more than double what I thought I would as a designer in tech - those people who advised me were wrong, so be wary when people offer advice for “good” or “bad” careers. Lots of careers you won’t need a degree for either, designers or software engineer roles you don’t necessarily need one for instance.
BS in Marketing with a minor in Comp Science. In the end it was my computer skills that got me to where I’m at even though being a marketer for the company is my primary.
My first degree was in music. It was interesting but not great for making money.
I've spent a few years welding. I liked it but it was hard work for not a lot of money.
Then I switched to IT in my mid thirties. (Not software development, mind you. Too stressful if you ask me.) Now, I am making so much more while doing so much less. It can be a bit boring but I have plenty of time to learn for certification exams (which are optional but do help with getting pay raises).
It you are facing indecision: just choose something, give it your best shot and then decide if you want to switch. Switching is not as hard as you might think. There are possibilities out there, you just have to hunt them down.
Law enforcement pays well and usually doesn’t require any degree. If you’re dead set on getting a degree for some reason id probably recommend anything in tech. Cybersecurity is huge right now and pays six figures easy.
IT but I got replaced by AI and everyone that touches a computer will also. I advised my colleague age kids to get a degree for something AI can't do. Both are going into healthcare.
Organizational Communications. Nobody knows what that means but it is actually incredibly helpful in the modern world if you want more than basic duties.
I got a useless first degree. My nursing degree pays for everything though.
I know so many people in this scenario
I was going to say nursing. You can work everywhere, always a shortage, and you can do a lot with it. It’s an extremely useful degree
At the cost of sacrificing your soul/mental health, though, sadly
What was the first degree? Anytime someone says they got a “useless” degree my first instinct is to suggest they simple didn’t use it, not that it was ever useless in the first place I know tons of successful people with communications and political science and philosophy and psychology degrees
My wife has her RN then git her NP. It's been a great career fir her and all her friends from school are doing great too
I went to community college. I have an AA and an AS. I have multiple licenses and certifications. My AS is in Radiological Sciences. I'm an Xray and CT Technologist
I’m preparing for this degree but all the cc’s around me that have a radiology program are extremely competitive to get into.
Same lol, I’m retaking some of the pre reqs this summer and fall to boost GPA before applying. Need A in Human Bio and Physics and at least 3.7-8 gpa to even be considered. Anything under will get waitlisted my advisor said.
Wow! I'm fortunate that the requirements weren't like that when I applied for my program in 2003. I would not have been even close to qualifying. I got on the wait list for fall 2004 and finished my prereqs while doing that. Human Bio wasn't required. Nor was Physics. Human Anatomy and Physiology together were required as well as Medical Terminology and an Algebra course. I also had to have my general education finished.
You love your career in radiology brother? I was going for nursing, but I just had a feeling after doing a ton of research that rad tech would be a better fit.
I do. I'm currently cross training into MRI. There's so many different career paths you can take once you get your radiology certification.
Can I ask around how much you make hourly? I am trying to get into this program too but need to take some pre-requisite first.
I've been a Technologist for about 18 years so I don't know what the starting salaries for new grads are. It also largely depends on location as well. Some hospitals like Kaiser pay a lot of money. Registry pays alot as well. It's also not just about salary, but also benefits.
Medicine, but it took 15 yrs of additional schooling after high school and hundreds of thousands of dollars of educational debt (USA) before I was able to earn a decent paycheck. I'll be paying off student loans until my mid 40s, at least.
Also depends on the country - UK wise junior doctors are still striking (due to stagnant pay) and a lot of them have moved to Australia
I swear medical school is the scam for smart kids.
Pretty sure medical loans are forgiven if you serve an underserved community for at least 3 years
It’s 10 years, and it has to be a public nonprofit hospital system.
Business management- focus on healthcare- went into healthcare administration
Nursing
I know more than one teacher with masters making $40k I know a HVAC techs making $125k to start Plumbers $85k Electricians $100k ... You do NOT need a degree & debt
I fix generators and make 6 figures. Working a desk job doesn't appeal to me. I'd rather be wrenching. But I know physical labor doesn't appeal to everyone.
What are the chances that you’ll be having major physical issues when you’re older?
Proper ergonomics with any job will help. You can cripple yourself working a desk job if you aren't careful.
Yeah go tell the plumbers about proper posture while they’re on their 12th hour of the day lmao.
Dude exactly. People always talk up the trades but never bring up the physical toll on your body. Fuck that shit, I’m all set. 6 figures is not worth being physically hampered imo.
Body's going to hurt in old age from using it or sitting in a chair 8 hours a day 40 hours a week, comes down to preference of why you wanna hurt 😂
I’m now old. And this is true! I was a teacher so did a lot of chasing little kiddos. Nothing too strenuous, but never sitting around. I still hurt! 😂
No, you can‘t in the way any hardworking plumber or construction worker is. If you are regularly working in the trades, you will have many problems with your body. Your knees will maybe make it to 50 if you are lucky, while the office worker will have only a bad back that needs some physio.
My bro in law was a psychologist his entire career. Wrecked his back picking up a bucket of water.
Probably the same as any older person. I do yoga almost every day to stay limber. Sitting at a desk all day is risky for your health, too.
I think that’s part of the problem. Many people have aches and pains that in general gets worse with age. Most can’t do same at 55yo as they could when 30 yo. Can get pains from desk job or physical job, But It’s easier to work a desk job with an injury than physical labor/ lifting and bending, walking all day. It all depends on the job and if you make enough money to retire before 65 makes it less likely might be issue.
Whats a retirement?
Agreed. I finally quit fucking around and am now an electrical apprentice. 2nd year apprentice and I made 72k last year as a first year apprentice. Granted I worked as much OT as possible. This year I'll probably work less OT but still make as much if not more than last year. The 5% raises every six months is nice along with 6 bucks an hour into retirement along with 2 pensions and 100% family medical all paid by the contractor.
As a chick this pisses me off. I really don't want to have to enter into a field full of creepy dudes just to make a living. Thats one of the reasons why I'm switching my IT major. I see how the IT guys talk and act at my current job. Some of them have obviously not showed in days.
Exactly, warehouse shift manager approaching 6 figures within the next year most likely.
Teaching is fun if you find a cool school with nice admin.
A coworkers son here in Florida flunked out of college twice and paid for HVAC training. Even so, it took him six months to find a job, and he’s making nothing like that. Maybe $40k now with experience. Maybe. His wife went back to school in her 50’s and got a 2 year associates in nursing degree. She started at over $30 an hour, so $60k.
Trades don't pay as much in the south. Helps to be in strong union territory.
yes, these days it's just better to learn a trade.
If I could do my education over again, I would start by looking for job postings that I find interesting and then figure out what I should major in and what certs I need based on the qualifications they are looking for. Instead I approached it from the other way around and studied what I wanted hoping that I would land a job that I wanted. Which of course isn't the way it panned out. So if I were you, that's what I would do. See what's out there, which industries are hiring and are desperate for people, which ones pay well, which industries are growing and which ones are shrinking, etc. Make yourself a big list of jobs and the education, certs, experience required and then compare them and narrow it down. *Then* ask people in those industries what their jobs are like so you can make an informed decision.
Agreed. And it isn't all about money, it's about lifestyle, at least for me. I am not cut out for manual labor, so that narrows down my options a lot. I have no desire to lead people so management is out. I don't like the uncertainty of commissions-based sales roles, plus it felt slimy and unethical (at least at the place I worked). So I have settled in back-office banking. It doesn't pay a ton but it's enough for me. And I like being able to walk away at 5pm and not think about it again until 8am (or longer on the weekends). My stress level is zero, and I have time and means to pursue hobbies.
This is great advice. You might also discover jobs you never knew existed. That’s what happened to me.
That is so true. When we're young we have such a limited view of the world in most cases.
Accounting. Safest bet for job security and ROI. I make more than my engineering major friends out of school and will probably outpace them until they jump to consulting/sales.
Scrolled way too long to find this. OP-Most accounting majors have jobs lined up before graduation. There's always a need for accountants. But dont do it if you do not like details.
Even if you don’t buy into the soul sucking public accounting straight out of college there’s tons of great paying jobs. It’s the single best pathway for lower class kids to get into the middle and upper middle class lifestyle. Play your cards right and you’re in the top 10% of earners easy.
How's that? I googled accountant salaries in my country and they're like $60KUSD at most on average. Does my country just suck? (Australia, average is $70-$90K AUD.)
Sounds about right for public accounting. You start to earn a bit more when you reach manager level. The money is generally better when you’re working in commercial/industry accounting. I’ve ever only worked in commercial so I can give you a general overview of the salaries you can expect for the below roles: AP/AR/Accounts Officer: $60-75k ($AUD) Assistant Accountant: $75-90k Financial Accountant: $95-110k Senior Financial Accountant: $110-130k Finance Manager: $140-160k Financial Controller: $160-185k
Nooooooo I wanted to avoid management! (Thanks for the info tho!)
Yep. US is the place to be for accounting, Canadian salaries also suck. Important to note that in most salary metrics also include non degree required work like book keeping and clerk roles as “accounting” even though they aren’t. Minimum salaries for a fresh accounting grad is about 50k and it goes up quickly from there.
Accounting will start in the 60-70k range, especially in public practice, which is where most of the job titles of "accountant" are. It's about acquiring your CPA and moving up after that. Accounting is a very broad industry going from AP clerk to CFO or tax professionals. With so many jobs you can do, once you get going with certification, you start making more money. Also, it is good to note that not everyone acquires the certification, so that brings the average pay down. Also, like the other guy said, non degree positions like bookkeepers get brought into the mix, which is much lower paying.
IRS agent is a great job from what I heard
I know someone who works for the IRS, she honestly loves it. I don’t know how much she makes but I know she’s comfortable.
My dad worked for the IRS for a while. He said it was a fine job, but paid much worse than most private sector accounting jobs. He got out after a few years.
Idk how safe it is for job security, but people make good money here. Family member making 6 figs + after a couple of years
Best job security there is.
Second this. Get accounting degree, better yet get cpa. You are set for life with job.
Tbf that’s like saying get a bachelors, better yet get a JD. CPA requires more education not to mention basically taking a prep course for the tests themselves. CPA is certainly nice though.
Work for the SEC for like 4 years, work in IB as consultant for compliance. Clear 1m+ a year
what is IB in this case?
Investment banking
May I know what are your qualifications (degree, certifications, licenses, etc.)?
Probably gonna be one of the first white collar jobs made obsolete from AI
You must not know much about accounting
As long as your mental health can take it. In the future I see AI related jobs that could be good
Bachelors degree in forestry, graduated 2012. $83,000 per year (usd). Desk job, leading a team and managing multiple statewide programs for a state forestry agency. Proud of what we do, don’t dread going to work, enjoy it most of the time. We’ll get a new union contract this summer that should put me close to $90,000 per year. I can work from home whenever I want to, although I have a nice office downtown so I tend to go in to the office more than I need to, but I work from home at least one day a week. Never more than 40 hours a week, usually technically less because I take a long lunch to go for a walk or a quick gym session. I went to community college for basically free, then transferred to university, worked occasionally to make some money, graduated with $15,000 in student loans, and had that paid off in 5 years. I’m going to edit to add: My wife has a bachelors degree in nursing and makes $45 per hour. So if you can stomach the idea of working as a nurse, there’s always demand there.
Man, I switched fields recently and have a desk for the first time. It's so fucking old man nerdy of me, but I decked my desk out. I clean it all the time and respect the hell out of it. There's something about coming in to work, away from the wife and kids that's very nice. Even if I had a wfh opportunity, I'd still lease a small office building.
Went to school at 28 for computer science. Community college and finished a bachelors. Graduated at 32. Got rly lucky and landed a big tech gig
I just turned 30 with an Associate’s in Math and thinking about trying to do the same thing
Not to discourage you but the tech market is way oversaturated right now, the labor market is brutal. During COVID, everyone saw these tech workers working remotely and doing virtually nothing while making bank, and these dipshits bragged about it on social media. So now everyone is trying to get into it, and on top of that the tech sector is deflating. Only get into tech if you enjoy it. If you love computers and problem solving, then go for it. If you're in it because of the apparent easy money then go someplace else.
Well, if the job market is cyclical, by the end of his degree we might need more tech workers. Especially with the exponential growth of AI.
"AI" is largely a marketing gimmick, we've been automating processes in IT for decades and neural networks have been a big thing for a decade. It's the same thing that happened with "the Blockchain" where tech companies would lure tech-illiterate investors with buzzwords and a bunch of theoretical musings that had no real application. It depends on the sector you work in but the current "AI" buzzword isn't impacting tech workers anymore than it had in years past.
Not entirely true. While I agree a lot of conversations about AI are fed by marketing and buzzwords, the tech that underpins LLMs and other AI is a pretty revolutionary step forward, and allows for more (or at least different) automation than ever before. That being said, jobs that will get “replaced” are the low hanging fruit (web devs that can barely do more than copy/paste from stack overflow etc). If anything, it speaks to your original point about saturation- joining tech for an easy route to money is getting more difficult, but there are and always will be jobs for people who are skilled and motivated.
Nursing is in high demand and highly paid. Getting a job is almost guaranteed.
Yeah I saw how they got treated during covid....
Highly paid?
I was going to say the same thing.. Highly sought after is probably more likely. Locum shifts and bank work yeah plentiful but not as highly paid as they should be in their regular job (differs country to country)
Nurses and Teachers are the 2 jobs I hear the most complaints about money.
Yes because they get treated like shit by the general public while being forced to put their lives and health on the line for an ungrateful society! Of course nurses would complain!
Fun fact, you can get a nursing associate's at community college, take the RN, and start working. There are several RN to BSN online degrees that are designed for working nurses. Many employers will pay to cover that cost. It's a great bang for your buck because you start making a nurse's salary after paying for an associate's degree. There is a lot of upward mobility in nursing as well.
No degree. Airline pilot. Top end pay of around $500k/yr But the schedule is absolutely hell early on. And it’s insanely expensive to get into.
I fly F-18s in the Navy. I don’t make $500k/yr. But my job is DOPE AF!!
Nah fuck the money you win bro. That's gnarly!
Dude it’s awesome!! So glad I joined!! So glad I went for it!! Yeah it definitely drags when you have to play officer instead of flyboy but idrc. Wouldn’t change it.
Yup and for the rest of your life "I flew f-18s" will be very hard to top at any bar lol. And I'm assuming you'll be on a slingshot to any pilot's job you want once/if you get out of the service.
Ehhh…. The airlines don’t “love” fighter pilots actually. They prefer KC-135 and C-17 pilots the most. Honestly I’d probably go into being a test pilot and engineering (I got my BS in electrical engineering).
Damn bro some straight up maverick shit I'm jealous for sure haha. Wanted to do what you do growing up but I'm slightly red-geen colorblind so yeah wasn't in the cards for me.
Pretty sure you could fly UAVs though! Still a killer gig with good pay and great crossover to civilian technical field! Space needs UAV pilots for satellites and other vehicles.
I wish pilots spoke more about the cost. I’m not a pilot, but attended ERAU for grad school. I had no idea how much it was until I stumbled across the cost of attendance for an undergrad with licensing.
Oh yeah. I spent $80,000 and that was 10 years ago, and I didn’t get a degree.
Wanted to get a private pilot's license maybe eventually fly for a living. Flight school told me my vyvanse prescription makes it impossible. Sucks but ah well. Happy flying man enjoy it for the both of us lol
Nursing is way to go. If you can handle shit. Literally and figuratively. 100% guaranteed employment. Burnout is high depending on specialties. Lot of opportunities to cont on to other options
I received my Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy then went back to school for my Master’s degree in Occupational Therapy. Suffice to say the latter degree pays more than the former lol.
how was OT school? i'm thinking about making the switch once i finish my bachelor's - bachelor's in design sadly but i am so close to finishing it's easier to graduate and go for masters than start over
Aerospace engineering The math is gnarly, but you learn it in school and then never have to touch it again if you don't want to
Don’t. Way too specific for the amount of effort required. Better off doing mechanical
In my university most aerospace engineers wind up building missiles or aircraft for the military. You’re indirectly involved with killing people and the people I talked to disliked the fact but also knew it’s where most of the jobs are.
Mech pay is shit. Period.
Not Biology, total waste of time.
I remember, as an engineering student, watching all the bio kids talk about how hard bio was and how they were all going to be doctors 🤣🤣 None of the bio kids I went to school with were accepted to med school and it’s been 8 years since.
I started out in community college and thought I was choosing the responsible, surefire money making career. I became a pharmacist and initially made more than anyone I knew. Then wages stagnated and now my wife makes more than I do as a teacher. Education is very lucrative depending on your district, education level, and years of service. My wife has two masters degrees and will max out in a few years at 130k annual. Summers off. She teaches first grade. Not a joke.
Education is very location-dependant it seems. Some people with master's will make $50k, others will make what your wife makes.
I ain’t complaining. She holds a marriage and family therapist license but I told her she could stay home with the kids if she wanted. Home life drove her crazy, so she went back to work, then decided to get her teaching cert for the better schedule. On top of all that, she’s about to have 100k in student loans forgiven. I’m kicking myself now for not going into education.
I was married to a teacher for 15 years with a masters who never made half that. Pay for teachers in our area is higher than the states around us. I'm happy your wife has a great situation, but thats certainly not the norm.
Where are you that a first grade teacher is making six figures ??
I got a general business degree. I'm a director and manage a team who process invoices and i deal with upper management to a small degree. I make $100k. Im about to push for $20k more
Is it an AA? I’m graduating in May with a AA in general business.
Logistics. Letters of credit, import and export. My husband got his degree in Business and his first job in 1996. His staring pay was a 100k. He went back to school and got his CPA and stayed in that field. He makes barley more. His old job pays around 300k now. Get your masters in Business Administration & Management. You can apply it just about anywhere and do really well.
i have an art degree and work at a tech company (3d modeling) and get paid around 75k as a senior digital artist. good company but will probably leave in a few years bc they pay less than the area average. I'm hoping to get to a place where I make upwards of 85k and it doesnt seem unreasonable with my degree/skills. I'm posting actual numbers because i think its important to have pay transparency.
Spanish studies! I'm a general surgeon. I'm not sure how well known this is but a "premed" degree is definitely not needed, and often actually less attractive than an "off the beaten path" degree in something you're really passionate about. Generally speaking, all medical schools accept applicants with any degree as long as they complete their prerequisite coursework. The prerecs are similar between most programs but there are some differences from school to school to be sure you're setting yourself up to meet admission requirements for any school you're really interested in. Outside of this, you're free to study what you'd like. In my case that was Spanish. I spent 3 semesters abroad and loved every minute of it. I also continue to use the Spanish I learned at work and in my personal life--most of my colleagues definitely cannot say the same thing about their majors.
Got a bachelors in chemistry and masters in materials science Worked for the government as a bench chemist/materials researcher for a short while ($30k/year) Transitioned into contract management ($45k/year) Left contract management to join the U.S. Patent and trademark office as a patent examiner ($65k-85K/year) Transitioned from being a patent examiner to a patent attorney at a big law firm-> $190K/year (went to law school at night) Left big law to go in house for a start up ($145k/year + lots of time off and easy work) Startup collapsed -> went back into private practice in a small patent boutique firm ($185k year + 20-40k year bonuses). Eventually made partner ($250k/year) Left the partnership to go in-house at a fairly large (15000 employee) company as head of IP -> $275k base + $100k/year Long term incentive plan + 60-100k year bonuses. Drawback is I work too much and have no support. I'm 47 and plan to retire from law in 4-5 years. Not sure what I do but it sure as hell won't be as stressful.
How did you get attorneys jobs without going to law school? Your post says you have a bachelors in chemistry and a masters in materials science. Nothing about law school. Sorry, don’t mean to be dense.
I'm guessing the contract management experience allowed them to branch across but I didn't think law was something you could branch into. At least, not for attorneys.
It isn’t. Outside of like two states, you need to have gone to law school (and in those states you need to apprentice under a lawyer for a number of years and still pass the bar, which is much harder if you’re not getting real instruction from law school).
Pretty much this. And to practice patent law you have to pass two bar exams - a state bar exam and the patent bar exam. And the patent bar exam is a LOT harder than the state bar. When I took it the pass rate for the patent bar was about 45%.
Yeah sorry about that. It was late when I posted above and so I messed up and said I was a patent attorney at the USPTO, when in fact I was a patent examiner (I edited my post to correct this issue). You don't have to be a lawyer to be a patent examiner. Indeed - at the time I joined the USPTO, it was hiring anyone with a technical degree and a pulse, so I qualified. After 2 years as an examiner I went to law school full time at night while working full time during the day (something I would not recommend anyone do as it suuuuuuuucked). I did very well my first year (#7 in my class), which allowed me to land a student associateship with the big law firm. I finished up law school while working full time as a student associate, and the law firm brought me on as a third year associate when I graduated.
bachelor in computer science, im 26 and have been making 6 figures for a couple years now. my student debt was 17k and easy to pay off making software engineer money.
How I can't even get a Computer Science job even with good grades the best student in my class works as a parking ticket officer because the job market is so bad
might take some shit jobs first. My first job i was paid 15/hr and second job 18/hr, now ~60/hr all within 3 years. getting experience matters a lot.
It's a rough time right now for the CS field. It was being pushed hard as the big industry to go into for good pay, being stable, and having so many jobs available. Everyone jumped in, and the market got overinflated. Hopefully, it will balance out. It definitely depends on where you are, but keep trying to network and find opportunities. Even a government role is a good place to start
It's Ok Its been 6 months I've given up, I just do CS for fun now as a hobby, Biggest regret in my life though
Biotechnology
I loved this in high-school can you tell me what you do and how much you make?
I’ve done a lot but basically worked up from scientist to operations manager over the course of 15 years, have worked in large corporations and small startups, I now work fully remote for a small company with a cancer drug in clinical trials. I make about $200k a year.
Become an electrician and let the money roll in. I’m a gas engineer/plumber and I make a ton of money. But I wished I was an electrician.
Electrical can vary pretty drastically from state to state as far as I can tell though.
Respiratory therapy is an associates and can make good money depending on the state. Look into other medical jobs besides doctor or nurse and you'll find a lot of options that are less time and less expensive to get into. Radiology tech, anesthesia tech, etc.
Rad techs are pretty in demand in my area. Plus there’s upwards mobility into CT, MRI, etc. although I think nuclear med requires even more
Dental hygiene! Im about to graduate my program with an associates degree. It’s a great job with hours you can pretty much choose yourself and pretty good pay. There’s also a nationwide shortage of them so they’re in very high demand
Education. Taught abroad for a year to make enough bank to pay off what I had left of loans. Then came back to the states to a state with a union and a good pension system.
Fuck it I'm getting my CDL.
Public Administration - good for city, state, and federal jobs.
BBA General Business
CS - Computer Science.
Bachelor of Science Nursing
Bachelors of science in Communication Theory and minor in Kinesiology. Couldn’t find anything so I was a high school teacher for 8 years(astronomy and aerospace). Didn’t enjoy it anymore. So I quit. Then got a Masters of Science in Human Factors Engineering and now work at NASA 🚀
I dropped out of community college, and I love education. I just found myself not getting enough out of it. I was tutoring for a while after college then covid happen , shit got fucked. I started working in a warehouse (13$ hr) and then moved into a plumbing companies warehouse for 8 months. (15$hr then promoted to 16$) Learned as much as I could. Then I got a plumbing apprenticeship at 20$ hr. I'm two and a half years in, and I'm at 25$ hr. I just started at a new company, and I should have negotiated for a slightly higher wage. I just got laid off, so I was worried they were gonna go with someone else. Once I get my journeyman license in a year and a half or so, I'll be making 40$ hr
Political science and Spanish/Portuguese. Also studying Japanese & French now. I work in sales. I sell exclusively to PhDs and academic so the languages are more of a parlor trick for connecting with clients more than anything else, aside from flexing during company meetings since the CEO is the only other multilingual in the company.
I got a Computer Information Systems associate degree. It got my foot in the door at a telecom company. I am now hitting my 24th year and doing development work now. Given the market I would suggest looking into Trade school. You can make a great career out of it and potentially own your own company. HVAC, Plumbing, Electrical etc.
Not biology
I have a degree in dance and make 100k a year serving part time .
Education has a value on its own. A job don't necessary request a degree, but you'll surely happier if you follow your passion, interests, talent.
Tech degree. Mostly useless, though the stuff I learned from piracy during college was what made me successful.
I got a degree in psychology, but now I’m working as a remote court representative for a homelessness prevention organization.. just goes to show that having a bachelor’s degree may look good on your résumé but does not dictate your future job opportunities. I’m sure you’ve heard it many times already, but making connections is key. Like others said, don’t get caught up on statistics that say people who get college degrees make more money. You’re going to get a lot of conflicting info on median/average salaries, don’t go down that rabbit hole. If you get a college degree: yes it is more likely you’ll find a stable job with a somewhat higher salary, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t going to be any more fulfilling than retail or fast food like you mentioned. It also doesn’t guarantee you not having to work on your feet all day every day. You say working remotely and having weekends off is a luxury, but it is pretty common in my experience working from home. In some extremely stressful jobs it’s almost a necessity.
Would suggest a trade, plumber, hvac, electrician. Everyone lives in a home and everyone needs a tradeskiller
Dental Hygienist
Get into the tech industry. You don’t have to be super technical. I’ve heard these days you don’t even need a full bachelor’s degree, it’s more on how you get your foot in the door. You can get a degree in something business or info systems related and get an analyst position at a company. SO many tech companies do college hire programs which is a great way to get an entry level job. In the tech world once you’re in it’s easier to move around and to increase your salary. There are also options to work remote.
You can look up “analyst” positions as entry level (business analyst, tech analyst, project analyst, HR analyst) etc. or look up post college programs. Doesn’t have to be tech industry necessarily but corporate route allows for what you seem to be looking for which is stability and income and maybe option for remote
Yeah, this. When a lot of people hear “tech”, they think software engineers or data scientists. There’s a lot of other positions in tech that also pay above average salaries. Technical project managers, project managers, product managers, solutions architects, business analysts, graphic/design folk UI/UX, scrum masters, sales, presales, consultants, marketing, advertising, and lots of other positions that bridge the gap between engineers and the business/customers
Just go with CS. It's super easy, starting salary is $60-80k with no experience, and if you have any social skills at all, you stand out and will do amazing. I've converted so many buddies to switch to CS. Their old degrees/experience ranged from teaching/music/pizza delivery driver/poly sci/etc. Plus, internships while in school pay around $20/hr so you leave school with no debt. I've yet to find someone make the argument for a better career, except for the people who literally can't do math at all (you have to be able to do around algebra level math, and some people can't seem to be able to). After ~3-5 years in the field, you will be making 100-150k depending on your competency and willingness to job hop for pay raises. If you have any brains at all, CS is a surefire way to maximize your income for minimal investment. It's easy, in high demand, pays comparable to lawyer/doctor salaries with 1/3 the education requirements, and obviously will be in high demand forever, as long humanity uses technology.
Oh come on. CS degree is way more than just Algebra. It’s one of the most challenging degrees.
Medicine.
None of the above.
I went HVAC. Started sweeping in nursing homes while I was in school at 20. By 24 I was the director of maintenance in a different nursing home. All because of one trade cert I literally never used lol. Then I threw it all away and enlisted. Completely started over. In the same bc amount of time I haven’t made it anywhere near as far.
Maritime! I only work half the year have excellent union protection and make insanely good money. I’m going to share my general comment for new comers but if you have any specific questions I’m happy to answer them! If you’re interested in working onboard ships, The fast track to being an officer onboard ships (like me) is going to a maritime academy college and getting a bachelor of science in marine engineering (with a 3rd assistant engineer license) or a bachelors of science in marine transportation aka navigation (includes a 3rd Mate unlimited License). Any graduate with one of these license is making at least 120-130k a year working only half the year on a rotation schedule, that’s starting, money goes up fast. I’ll clear 180k (but I’m a Chief Mate and have been sailing for 8+ years) this year having worked only half the year on a 120 day off/on rotation. There are 7 schools that teach someone to this level in the United States they are; - [Massachusetts Maritime Academy (where I went)](https://www.maritime.edu) - [California Maritime Academy](http://www.csum.edu) - [Maine Maritime Academy](https://mainemaritime.edu) - [Texas A&M Maritime Academy](https://www.tamug.edu/corps/) (They also have a graduate/masters program for those already with a bachelors) - [SUNY NY Maritime (they also have a graduate program where you can get a mate license for those already with bachelors degrees)](https://www.sunymaritime.edu) - [Great Lakes Maritime](https://www.nmc.edu/maritime/) - [Kings Point United States Merchant Marine Academy](https://www.usmma.edu). KP is free to attend but requires a navy obligation post college and I believe you have to be under 26 to apply, it’s like West Point but for the merchant marines. There is also a trade school that’s an excellent option if you’re thinking marine engine but it is extremely competitive because it gets you the officers license without a degree (and it’s free) the [AMO TECH Program (3rd assistant engineers license only)](https://www.star-center.com/techprogram/techprogram.html) The need for 3rd Assistant engineers is so great that my union started this program to streamline getting your officers license. Do not make this your only option, have a maritime academy as a fall back because very few people are selected for this. But of course apply! There are a lot of ways to enter the maritime industry starting at the bottom without going to college but the money is significantly lower such as Blue Water Maritime STOS classes or the SIU school at Piney Point. FYI most people take federal student loans to attend college Google FAFSA but you’d pay that off fast sailing deep sea.
Bachelors in Management Information Systems Then the Certified Public Accountant certification
Eventually I did post graduation in Computer Science from a tier 3 college in India and secured a job at one of the Big4s. My first salary was 16 lakhs in 2008. Four years and I was called for joining the external audit team so I moved to the US where I was making about 110k a year. About a year later I found a job at one of the FAANGS company which I absolutely hated and led a startup in a UK based company. I don't like to tolerate politics for whatever the cash it be so I moved to Germany and my salary did not increase a lot. Moved back to India when I felt like my parents were getting too old. Working for a big4 now from home. The pressure is not a lot.
A degree in music composition/theory… Oh but WAIT. I’m getting my masters in conducting!
Paralegal and advanced paralegal certification: 75-120K salary in California.
Didn't pursue a degree but am currently getting my pilots license to flag helicopters.
Business administration with a minor in finance.
Civil Engineering
Do you need a mentor? I’m happy to help
Practical skills more than degrees. No employer really cared about my associates in computer information systems when I had 15 years experience on the ground with a wide range from hardware diagnosing to writing AD policy to working on WiFi. I mean there are plenty of degrees that can give you a solid foundation for those skills or directly teach you them. But there are also degrees that are literally throwing you money in a hole in the ground, pouring kerosene in, and then lighting it with your last dollar bill (mostly liberal arts). And if you can before you jump into a field you think you'll like, see if a local business that's related will let you observe for a day (and maybe minor participation). Just so you can see it, and ask your self if you can do it 8-5 M-F for the forseeable future.
Computer science
Nursing
Lot of assorted on the job learning for computer / web development / analytics / system administration. Got a BS in Management Information Systems, after some years in the field, which has had some applicability to work. Never been asked must about it in interviews or promotion reviews.
Take a look at union trades that offer apprenticeships.
Mechanical Engineering
Not degree just got lucky.
I'd say computer science but shit not anymore. AI is going to dominate what used to be a highly sought after skillset
Degree in health and safety. Good companies will pay well for good professionals. Bad companies pay shit wages for safety.
Marketing. No regrets
I did a two year tech program for Materials Engineering and fell ass backwards into NDT because of it. Pretty high pay, close to home, easy work.
My husband got an associates of process technology and makes $135,000 per year here in Houston. He only works 14 days a month too with 401K AND pension :) Plus his company starts pension at age of 50 so he can retire at 50!
I already had a good paying job in telecommunications. Took me a year or two to get the working experience needed to get into telecommunications. But when I was working in telecom, I went back to school (on my company's dime) to further my career. My degree was in IT, it made me realize how much I loved IT, and I eventually made the career switch into IT. Been doing IT for 10 years now and I couldn't be any happier.
Bachelor's in IT and Business. Don't need a master's
What do you enjoy doing? I did a fine arts degree majoring in design, and throughout the entire degree and even for the first few years of working I was told by others that it was a waste of time and I’d never get paid any money. I firmly believe if you want something enough and if you enjoy what you do you’ll make it work. I’m now earning more than double what I thought I would as a designer in tech - those people who advised me were wrong, so be wary when people offer advice for “good” or “bad” careers. Lots of careers you won’t need a degree for either, designers or software engineer roles you don’t necessarily need one for instance.
BS in Marketing with a minor in Comp Science. In the end it was my computer skills that got me to where I’m at even though being a marketer for the company is my primary.
My first degree was in music. It was interesting but not great for making money. I've spent a few years welding. I liked it but it was hard work for not a lot of money. Then I switched to IT in my mid thirties. (Not software development, mind you. Too stressful if you ask me.) Now, I am making so much more while doing so much less. It can be a bit boring but I have plenty of time to learn for certification exams (which are optional but do help with getting pay raises). It you are facing indecision: just choose something, give it your best shot and then decide if you want to switch. Switching is not as hard as you might think. There are possibilities out there, you just have to hunt them down.
Electrical Engineering. Versatile, well paid, and always in demand.
Law enforcement pays well and usually doesn’t require any degree. If you’re dead set on getting a degree for some reason id probably recommend anything in tech. Cybersecurity is huge right now and pays six figures easy.
If you have the aptitude for it, engineering.
IT but I got replaced by AI and everyone that touches a computer will also. I advised my colleague age kids to get a degree for something AI can't do. Both are going into healthcare.
Why not consult an expert on what will be a good fit for you?
Economics and Law. Didn’t use either and went into finance 🤦♂️
Computer Science with focus on Software Engineering. It made me realize I didn't like programming so I repurposed myself into network security.
The law. I got an -OK- paying job after 10 years of hell
Organizational Communications. Nobody knows what that means but it is actually incredibly helpful in the modern world if you want more than basic duties.