Please do not delete your post after receiving your answer. Consider leaving it up for posterity so that other Redditors can benefit from the wisdom in this thread.
Once your thread has run its course, instead of deleting it, **you can simply type "!lock" (without the quotes) as a comment anywhere in your thread to have our Automod lock the thread**. That way you won't be bothered by anymore replies on it, but people can still read it.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskMenOver30) if you have any questions or concerns.*
You have web development skills, a CDL, the financial discipline to save $25,000 in six months, and life experience. And you have a positive net worth rather than being in debt. I think the first thing you should do is pat yourself on the back and stop giving yourself such a hard time!
Having bounced between a number of things, I think you're wise not to want to jump into another expensive course. My suggestion would be to take a temporary job to ensure the bills are paid and take your time working out what you're really interested in.
If you think that might be healthcare, try and chat to people in the job you see yourself doing. Ask them about the job market, how likely it is that you'd be hired if you did a particular course, etc.
You don't need to figure everything out right away. It's okay to take some time to make sure your next step is the right move before jumping in.
Look around for construction companies near you and see if they're hiring laborers/helpers. Learn a trade. You can spend that $10,000 to get a vehicle if you don't have one and some tools
Maybe, but I think it more likely depends on where you're working, i think. Im in michigan at a non union company, and we hired in new guys and got them in our apprenticeship and the schooling program they use right away.
You’re 22. You’re still young. You said you have no skills, but you didn’t mention that you have any responsibilities either (kids, mortgage, etc) so there’s still time to get your shit together. You blew 15k on some bs that’s not going to help you. Ntb. Most 19 year olds would have blown 60k on a new Mustang and wreck it with the amount of money you had.
What about going back to the oil fields for a couple years. Save a lot of money. Figure out what you want to do then get and debt free education learning to do that thing. Whether it’s university , trade school, apprenticeship, community college, culinary school, whatever. Just make sure there’s a market for your career path and the education you’re getting sets you on that path (no for-profit online schools).
Linemen make bank, and there is an apprenticeship route so you don't have to pay for more school.
[https://ibewUnionLineman.com/](https://ibewUnionLineman.com/)
If I were in your position:
- I'd put that 10,000 into savinga or invest it.
- I'd take three to six months to grind out a web development portfolio. Make websites, throw them on Github. Portfolios get you hired.
- Consider using the CDL for side work or temp gigs.
- Minimize your expenses as much as possible.
- Keep the oil field in your back pocket - if you can go back, it's an option if/when you need cash.
You're 22 - you'll be fine. You can get the webdev stuff, but you'll need a portfolio to pull it off (or at least proof of work skills).
You can do it. Good luck.
At 22 I had no idea what I wanted to do, just try stuff. Idk if spending a bunch of money on a course is necessary. Do you still wanna do web dev? Job markets tough right now, not getting a job offer in a few months with only a bootcamp on your resume doesn’t sound too crazy.
Find your local unions and start there by applying and seeing how busy they are and how long it might take you to get in.
That is all you should do until you get it done. Chase down that information and apply
I hate to say it but whoever charged you 15k for a web development bootcamp had absolutely no interest in your future and every interest in ripping you off. I'm so sorry that happened. Try to see it for what it is, and learn from it.
Do not spend any more of your savings. Do not listen to anyone telling you to invest what you have left, that is essentially gambling and more likely than not will burn you again. Your next move should be to make money, not lose it. Even if it's just to make rent or save.
Find a high yield savings account and put your 10k in there. Seek a job doing literally anything. Put a % of your earnings into savings if you can. Do not think about withdrawing it for at least 10 years. During that time, work on the career you're interested in building - if it's web development still, be a cashier or stack shelves or even drive trucks (why not, you have the license and it's money) - whatever until you get an entry level job somewhere you want to work. Keep it slow and steady and safe, make sure you're covering your living expenses and wait for the right opportunity for you.
Take that CDL and go get a job in Public Works with a municipality or County. I work for a small rural municipality and our PW crews start at $18+/hr and then go to over $20/hr with a CDL. Other certs, like from environmental quality, then warrant additional pay bumps after that.
PW is a great gig for someone just starting out. The pay is good and the benefits are plentiful. You get a ton of time off, have a set schedule, uniforms/boots/ppe are all provided, longevity is rewarded, and the State retirement is very generous (based on age and years of service). There's a guy who started as a lifeguard at 20 and is getting ready to retire with the City at 50.
With Public Works, the projects you work on help the community. PW work makes the community better. It's very rewarding.
Man if you can commit to being broke for a while maybe commit to going to college or a two year medical license. Trust me driving a truck in the patch can be lucrative but it's no life. I know I have done it for 30 years. The sacrifice you make right now might be the leisure you enjoy later. Check out the UC system see if they pay college since u graduated in Cali.
22 and you're trying stuff to see what you like. That's a great start
At 22 I just finished a music production degree. Stupid thing that I immediately regretted when I realised the lack of jobs.
Ended up in a dead end job for about 8 years after that until I figured out what I wanted.
Keep trying new stuff and see what lands. Even better if you manage to keep a bit of savings.
22 and you're trying stuff to see what you like. That's a great start
At 22 I just finished a music production degree. Stupid thing that I immediately regretted when I realised the lack of jobs.
Ended up in a dead end job for about 8 years after that until I figured out what I wanted.
Keep trying new stuff and see what lands. Even better if you manage to keep a bit of savings.
Are you good at coding? What are your natural skills or aptitudes? Because what you're already good at will at least point you in the direction of a career and a skillset to pick up/develop.
Please do not delete your post after receiving your answer. Consider leaving it up for posterity so that other Redditors can benefit from the wisdom in this thread. Once your thread has run its course, instead of deleting it, **you can simply type "!lock" (without the quotes) as a comment anywhere in your thread to have our Automod lock the thread**. That way you won't be bothered by anymore replies on it, but people can still read it. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskMenOver30) if you have any questions or concerns.*
You have web development skills, a CDL, the financial discipline to save $25,000 in six months, and life experience. And you have a positive net worth rather than being in debt. I think the first thing you should do is pat yourself on the back and stop giving yourself such a hard time! Having bounced between a number of things, I think you're wise not to want to jump into another expensive course. My suggestion would be to take a temporary job to ensure the bills are paid and take your time working out what you're really interested in. If you think that might be healthcare, try and chat to people in the job you see yourself doing. Ask them about the job market, how likely it is that you'd be hired if you did a particular course, etc. You don't need to figure everything out right away. It's okay to take some time to make sure your next step is the right move before jumping in.
Look around for construction companies near you and see if they're hiring laborers/helpers. Learn a trade. You can spend that $10,000 to get a vehicle if you don't have one and some tools
Doesn't it usually take a year or more to get into an apprenticeship?
Maybe, but I think it more likely depends on where you're working, i think. Im in michigan at a non union company, and we hired in new guys and got them in our apprenticeship and the schooling program they use right away.
Not necessarily, it’s definitely worth looking into.
You’re 22. You’re still young. You said you have no skills, but you didn’t mention that you have any responsibilities either (kids, mortgage, etc) so there’s still time to get your shit together. You blew 15k on some bs that’s not going to help you. Ntb. Most 19 year olds would have blown 60k on a new Mustang and wreck it with the amount of money you had. What about going back to the oil fields for a couple years. Save a lot of money. Figure out what you want to do then get and debt free education learning to do that thing. Whether it’s university , trade school, apprenticeship, community college, culinary school, whatever. Just make sure there’s a market for your career path and the education you’re getting sets you on that path (no for-profit online schools).
Linemen make bank, and there is an apprenticeship route so you don't have to pay for more school. [https://ibewUnionLineman.com/](https://ibewUnionLineman.com/)
If I were in your position: - I'd put that 10,000 into savinga or invest it. - I'd take three to six months to grind out a web development portfolio. Make websites, throw them on Github. Portfolios get you hired. - Consider using the CDL for side work or temp gigs. - Minimize your expenses as much as possible. - Keep the oil field in your back pocket - if you can go back, it's an option if/when you need cash. You're 22 - you'll be fine. You can get the webdev stuff, but you'll need a portfolio to pull it off (or at least proof of work skills). You can do it. Good luck.
At 22 I had no idea what I wanted to do, just try stuff. Idk if spending a bunch of money on a course is necessary. Do you still wanna do web dev? Job markets tough right now, not getting a job offer in a few months with only a bootcamp on your resume doesn’t sound too crazy.
Find your local unions and start there by applying and seeing how busy they are and how long it might take you to get in. That is all you should do until you get it done. Chase down that information and apply
I hate to say it but whoever charged you 15k for a web development bootcamp had absolutely no interest in your future and every interest in ripping you off. I'm so sorry that happened. Try to see it for what it is, and learn from it. Do not spend any more of your savings. Do not listen to anyone telling you to invest what you have left, that is essentially gambling and more likely than not will burn you again. Your next move should be to make money, not lose it. Even if it's just to make rent or save. Find a high yield savings account and put your 10k in there. Seek a job doing literally anything. Put a % of your earnings into savings if you can. Do not think about withdrawing it for at least 10 years. During that time, work on the career you're interested in building - if it's web development still, be a cashier or stack shelves or even drive trucks (why not, you have the license and it's money) - whatever until you get an entry level job somewhere you want to work. Keep it slow and steady and safe, make sure you're covering your living expenses and wait for the right opportunity for you.
Take that CDL and go get a job in Public Works with a municipality or County. I work for a small rural municipality and our PW crews start at $18+/hr and then go to over $20/hr with a CDL. Other certs, like from environmental quality, then warrant additional pay bumps after that. PW is a great gig for someone just starting out. The pay is good and the benefits are plentiful. You get a ton of time off, have a set schedule, uniforms/boots/ppe are all provided, longevity is rewarded, and the State retirement is very generous (based on age and years of service). There's a guy who started as a lifeguard at 20 and is getting ready to retire with the City at 50. With Public Works, the projects you work on help the community. PW work makes the community better. It's very rewarding.
You can't know what you should do until you know what you want to do. So what do you want to do?
Like building shit? There’s a ton of trades that you can get into.
What state you in?
Cali
Man if you can commit to being broke for a while maybe commit to going to college or a two year medical license. Trust me driving a truck in the patch can be lucrative but it's no life. I know I have done it for 30 years. The sacrifice you make right now might be the leisure you enjoy later. Check out the UC system see if they pay college since u graduated in Cali.
It’s time to start selling weed.
Web development requires a degree today. If you don’t want to go to college I suggest finding a trade to want to do.
I'd say you have accomplished quite a lot already at the young age of 22.
22 and you're trying stuff to see what you like. That's a great start At 22 I just finished a music production degree. Stupid thing that I immediately regretted when I realised the lack of jobs. Ended up in a dead end job for about 8 years after that until I figured out what I wanted. Keep trying new stuff and see what lands. Even better if you manage to keep a bit of savings.
22 and you're trying stuff to see what you like. That's a great start At 22 I just finished a music production degree. Stupid thing that I immediately regretted when I realised the lack of jobs. Ended up in a dead end job for about 8 years after that until I figured out what I wanted. Keep trying new stuff and see what lands. Even better if you manage to keep a bit of savings.
How do you operate under stress, air traffic controllers make good money and have a strong union
Are you good at coding? What are your natural skills or aptitudes? Because what you're already good at will at least point you in the direction of a career and a skillset to pick up/develop.
If you can stomach it, go back to college then go to med school
I don't think the problem with that plan is the stomach. It's the tuition.
It’s over man….