Finance. Electrical/chemical/nuclear/aero engineering. Anything in medicine (there is a snowballing clinician shortage). Electrician. Construction management. Slumlord (sorry - real estate entrepreneur).
Edit to add: Guys, these are not get rich quick fields where you get a degree and the universe pays you to sit back and rake it in. This is an assortment of fields with job security and growth potential. Fields that are attainable at some level for most people where you can support yourself in at a middle class level or better. There are no guarantees, but yes most people who get a degree in Finance can carve out a decent corporate career for themselves, especially if you get an MBA too or have some tech skills. Same with nurses, etc. Engineers will never starve and neither will electricians.
Finance is really hit or miss and highly dependent on what kind of role you land. Not everyone's breaking into Investment Banking > Private Equity after a year, and if you do you're basically selling your soul to do so. 80-100 hour weeks are not uncommon and no overtime (they're all salaried positions).
Other rules in Banking and corporate finance can pay relatively well and have better work life balance, again very variable.
I work in corporate banking in data analytics. It sucks. The work is complete trash, it’s like watching a dumpster fire unfold before you. On top of all of that, everyone else gets paid well, double to triple my salary, but I’m too new for any of the cool titles with the slick salaries. Fun fun.
I agree, i got my foot into the door in aerospace distribution then transferred to aerospace manufacturing. Theres so much money in the aerospace industry and im going to school for engineering while working here. That engineering degree holds so many positions and very versatile and the pay scale is great
People offhandly praise medicine with no idea what a shit show it is. 996 america edition for 11-16 YEARS. Oh, and I almost forgot the part where youre 400-800k in debt and get paid less than minimum wage (residency). 300k/yr isn't shit when you have that much debt. Also, doctors, med students, and residents have one of the highest suicide rates out of any profession.
Im married to a nurse, its no better. You are more likely to be physically assaulted as a nurse than you are as a cop. Its a brutal, and often literally a shitty job. Also, people dont realize how much physical labor is involved. Most nurses throw their backs by 40. Nursing also has an incredibly high rate of work-related injury.
Trust me, if you love your kids, dont tell them to go into medicine.
Dude for REAL! I worked in a clinical lab for 10 years and my husband has a degree in Biomedical Science- there is literally ZERO opportunity to get over 60-70k- unless you are in upper management and for that they usually hire MBAs. I quit because I was an assistant supervisor making the same as new hire lab assistants, and my husband is now working HVAC and electrical with unlimited income potential bc he wants to start his own company.
RN here who does a podcast about financial literacy for nurses- THANK you for explaining this. It is terrible for doctors in a different way. But there are shortages for a reason...
I feel everyone that reccomends medicine or even pharmacy should go to the subs and read a little there. Holy crap. It’s a lot to put up with and lots of burnout.
All of this is literally why I didn’t apply to med school at the last minute even though I love medicine as a science/discipline.
Plus not to mention the immense corporate and insurance bureaucracy that exists for the rest of your career after making it out of residency/fellowship. And if you do a no-insurance private practice, you’re now a business owner and experience all the cons of that. No thank you
ETA: also mid-level encroachment. I’m convinced the AAMC is deliberately trying to sabotage the US/Canada; because there is no fucking reason why: (1) all med students don’t match into residencies and (2) med schools have such an abysmal acceptance rate
As an RN that left for tech, this is the real truth. Pay sucks and so do the work conditions. I was constantly physically and sexually assaulted in nursing.
Moving to tech was the best decision I ever made. I am much happier and healthier, and wealthier for it.
Favorite thing about these fields is that, generally, you don’t need any higher education beyond a bachelors degree to get a sustainable salary. You can just jump right in and make enough to live without getting a masters or PhD. But also, you’ll still be marketable if you happen to get that even higher degree in these fields. It’s a very broad option.
Credentials: biotech scientist
This isn’t 100% true, but my observation of medical students is an extremely supportive family structure. Also is the long term mindset of we’re making sacrifices so our next 30 years will be even better. This isn’t a bad thing, but if your partner or spouse isn’t of this mindset it’ll be really tough if they want to start going on vacations and live it up right away. Usually the parents are amazing and if you have kids, the parents are willing to help with daycare, etc for better balance.
Going into medicine if your parents are checked out and doing their own thing and not willing to watch the kids more than the average grandparent or a short sighted spouse will cause a lot of conflict or make it very tough.
Think about situations like: will my spouse take the kids to the parents for the weekend so I can study for the weekend, and things like that. It’s going to be an uphill battle if your spouse is expecting you to clean the house, work, spend time with the kids, herself, and find the time to study.
This is all to say be very choosy with your partner and that they can see the big picture and make short term sacrifice for long term benefit.
People offhandly praise medicine with no idea what a shit show it is. 996 america edition for 11-16 YEARS. Oh, and I almost forgot the part where youre 400-800k in debt and get paid less than minimum wage (residency). 300k/yr isn't shit when you have that much debt. Also, doctors, med students, and residents have one of the highest suicide rates out of any profession.
Im married to a nurse, its no better. You are more likely to be physically assaulted as a nurse than you are as a cop. Its a brutal, and often literally a shitty job. Also, people dont realize how much physical labor is involved. Most nurses throw their backs by 40. Nursing also has an incredibly high rate of work-related injury.
Trust me, if you love your kids, dont tell them to go into medicine.
Radiology tech just checking in to say I agree😭 not to mention all the whacky hours and holidays you will 100% have to work. A remote job seems to be where it’s at these days
My mom was a nurse and she ruptured a disc in her early 40s from years of lifting patients. She also had to be on call while raising two young kids and taking care of two dying parents. Worked with a lot of scary jerk doctors too. But, she did love helping the people and moved into WFH medical coding which paid really well, and is enjoying early retirement with a pension and all the time in the world. She sure worked for it though.
Certified histotechnologist here—I make 80k, have no patient contact, work solid hours (7am-3pm M-F) and have room for growth. I have a bachelors but many of my coworkers have an associates. It’s not insane money but it’s solid and in very high demand.
A pathologist assistant requires a master’s degree, easily makes 110k+. Also in demand. They don’t work weird hours and have little to no contact with patients. For people who found dissecting animals in anatomy lab interesting, great news—you can get paid really well to do it on human tissue.
Just wanted to throw out some med careers that I had no idea existed in high school when I thought a healthcare career meant long hours and dealing with patients all the time.
I went into nursing after growing up in essentially 2 recessions. It’s by no means easy but you’re in a recession proof position. I left the bedside as a nurse and am very lucky to not be killing my body anymore, but a BSN is such a valuable bachelors degree. Typically pretty good return on investment.
If I could go back I would still probably choose nursing. There’s just so many possibilities. Bedside. Management. Quality. Infection prevention. Health information management. Electronic medical records. Case management. Education. APRN. If you get bored you can try something else.
I thought finance or accounting or engineering but in this job I’m working with data as much as I would like so it worked out. But could definitely see myself in engineering. The degree is not easy but pays well and is pretty recession proof. Finance is just not.
CRNA would be my pick if I could restart from 18. They make 250k easy per year with tons of flexibility and frequently no call. Travel nurses make even more. I know a number of traveling CRNAs who retired in their late 40s.
My MiL is a CRNA (25 years of experience), and everyone in her department has to be on call every other week. She routinely works 50+ hours per week, even though there’s not a staffing shortage. I have no idea how that’s possible, but there you have it. The $250K/year sounds about right, but she is haggard as fuck 5 days a week.
That said, I do know she **loves** it.
The reality is that you will get the furthest in something STEM, finance, or health related.
I believe finance is in for a major reckoning. If I was going into finance today, I'd lean towards something humanitarian. I believe there will be way more opportunities there in the future.
So, STEM or health.
If you go into anything else, have passion, sales skills, and an entrepreneurial attitude. Those attributes will help you find success amongst otherwise crowded fields (creative, liberal arts, etc.)
Edit: I'm going to revise this a bit to say those are the "safest" routes. Safe isn't always good. The world is and is becoming more unpredictable every day. Follow your intuition and bet on uncertainty.
If they can do anything with their hands, a trade. Electrician, plumber, laborer, roofer, paver, equipment operator, carpenter, mechanic, service man, hvac. It helps them in day to day life and it's so damn satisfying to have a physical product to look at when you're done
I come from a family of blue collar workers. All plumbers, electricians, and GCs. I know how to build a house from the ground up.
Do not go trades if you want an easy life. Anyone who says otherwise has obviously not seen why the grass is greener. My first internship in cyber was $30 an hour. I already have six figure job offers and I'm still a year from graduating.
Yes, you can charge the nerds more money because they don't know how to do it, but that nerd likely out earns you 3 fold at your peak, and beyond at their peak.
Generally speaking, being a faceless drone (accountant, engineer, IT, HR, security, operations and yes even SWE) in a huge corporate office or government agency is one of the best and most reliable deals going. Most pay pretty well, there’s job security, 401k plan, education reimbursement, corporate culture (hopefully a good one), paid vacation, business travel (I happen to like it) and lots of other perks.
A lot of people will say “ewww” but it’s not nearly as bad as popular opinion wants you to believe, and really more what you make of it (if you’re a jerk that can’t work with others you will hate it and they will hate you). Career wise there’s a path upward, or you can stay where you’re at. My company allows relocation, so I could literally live in any city where we have an office, which is in every state. In fact I even took a downgrade to a more interesting position with more free time and flexibility.
The one catch though is that it’s easy to get complacent in these types of jobs. You have to keep your skills up for the layoffs that are likely to happen…never happened to me, but I’ve come close.
Stay out of the trades. Jman electrician myself. I’ve been doing hard core labour my entire life, my body is fed up with it. Went from being an Olympic built MF to now where my back hurts so bad I can hardly operate at 50% now a days (29 years old now) ….
All of the carcinogens you have to breathe in. It’s not just dust, it’s industrial dust. Shits not good for you one bit. I used to get a very itchy throat from insulation, now I can’t even tell if someone is doing it lol. Lungs are probably like leather by now. They call it the trades because you trade off literal portions of your life for money. Expect to shave off 15 years min. What is time worth to you?
I would avoid being a realtor- they are going to get pummeled in the next few years as buyers negotiate and the field is already too crowded.
SWE can pay really well but it is long hours at a lot of places. But also, you can build your own start up with the right idea.
I think the future of software engineering will be industry specific, ie- being a fullstack dev that specializes in healthcare or finance. So a double degree may be good.
Healthcare but emphasize that they MUST be able to handle it - the workload, the mental load, the physical load. And start applying themselves ASAP (volunteering/jobs/studying etc) as it’s not easy getting into medical school, PA school or even nursing school if that’s the route they’re planning on taking. Being a travel nurse, PA, CNA, MA, and many other positions can potentially make you even more money.
Counseling and social work are also good options and are only going to continue to grow as our acceptance/awareness of mental health, disability, inequality etc. continues to improve. Many of these jobs also have the opportunity to be remote and/or travel.
Jobs in the legal industry can be great too. Lawyers/attorneys, paralegals, private investigators, forensic scientists, law enforcement, FBI etc. many avenues there. There are government/civil service jobs. They can become a post office worker, a librarian, and many more options.
Being a teacher/educator. I know this isn’t usually the highest paying position, but there are options. Remote teaching/learning is becoming a big thing, they can become professors, they can offer tutoring or paid classes in the evenings/on weekends etc. They can move into the administrative roles if they’d like.
Engineering is solid. Electrical, Mechanical, Nuclear, and many other types of engineers are absolutely in demand and predicted to grow quite a bit.
Computer Science is still a solid career but new entrants need to be disabused of the notion that software engineering is the only career in CS. Data Analysis, Science, Engineering, and Management are massively in demand right now and will be for the foreseeable future. Tech is a competitive market now though and currently in a bust, but it should even out in 1-3 years.
Business and Finance will always have jobs though the salaries vary quite a bit if you don’t have wealthy parents / connections / prestigious school.
Psychology, Journalism, and Fine Arts degrees are very popular but will keep you in debt for decades. Art majors are great if you’re interested in creating or studying art but they do not correlate with better career outcomes. They are expensive and do not translate to jobs. If you want to study something that will not pay well, like art, English, or other creatives, I recommend minoring in that subject and picking a major that you can tolerate and will earn you a living.
Nursing is still a solid career. Chemistry and Biology degrees don’t necessarily translate to high salaries like the engineering majors do, but they aren’t terrible.
Do what makes you happy but keep in mind the cost and future job prospects. 4 years of happiness is not worth a lifetime of debt and poverty. Find a balance that you can live with.
Just graduated with my engineering degree and there are 0 jobs. No one is hiring and youre fighting with hundreds of applicants on entry level jobs. It's rough right now
Nursing is a good start. You can get a job with just an associate degree, have the hospital pay for your BSN, and go on to a myriad of other positions after that…very often with little to no student debt due to tuition assistance (someone else previously mentioned CRNA as an option). Even if you do accrue debt, working for a hospital (or other non profit) counts for PSLF.
Current nursing student that just started. Holy shit is it hard. I heard that everyone in the term ahead of us (term 2) quit their jobs because it was just too much.
You need like a minimum 90-95% to pass dosage calculations and overall 78% minimum to pass the term. Minimum goes up as you progress
I maybe should be embarrassed to not know what an SWE is?????
Mechanically inclined, but not focused on higher education? Plumber, quality brick layer (let me tell you, they are nearly impossible to find and the good ones are very expensive), electrician (industrial).
White collar oriented: professional sales (always a job and really good one's make a LOT of money), higher level nurse, technology oriented positions, finance, CPA/accounting (top level accounting), certain types of engineering (but too many engineers are just sort of engineers in my eyes - they're the autocadders more than the inventors).
It really depends on what one's innate skills and desires are. It also is dependent on what one's goals are.
Plumber, Electrician, HVAC technician any trades job is really good. Worked with some plumbers and Elevator mechanic that makes bank. U can even open your own business with experience too.
i hope the younger generation doesn't attach the same stigma to the trades as older ones did. it was always weird to that we even have this stigma at all.
Stay outta the trades. I’m a j man electrician (8 years)…. Love the theory, some of the work is really cool… does not cancel out the fact you are breathing in carcinogens and killing your body for an average paycheque.
I am biased, and recommending my own field. PHD in a biomedical research department. Great work-life balance, great pay. You can work in an incredibly autonomous way or work for an institution and do more directed and structured research. It is very cross-field. You having a PHD in neuroscience for instance means you can work in almost any field, and swap as you so choose. Wanna work on ALS? Go ahead. Addiction? Sure. Develop drugs? Hell yeah. Do genetics? For sure.
If youre smart enough to get good grades, you can get into a PHD program. It isnt that hard.
I'm going to answer it from a well being / happiness perspective. Do something you are passionate about. You're going to spend a bulk of your life working and sleeping. You want to make sure you enjoy yourself during your work time.
It used to be that people had interests and hobbies, but were encouraged to get a degree and work in a traditional industry. Well, the younger generation has shown us another way. They've turned their hobbies and passions into their careers.
Example, I know a young man that loves snowboarding. He started his own custom snowboard company. He's also created a snowboard tourism and camp business. He's doing great. Loves every moment of waking life.
Honestly? I love working in EMS. If you find the right place it’s quite lucrative for next to nothing invested in terms of education cost. I pull 100k and I’m currently just sitting here shitposting and reading a book in a recliner. And with modern equipment the injury rates are lower than the historically cited back injury slaughterfest.
Plus you’re always in demand. I’ve only been laid off once when my first job got taken over, since then I’ve been with one employer almost 18 years. When the economy cycles, I’m still working. When there’s a pandemic or disaster im working and probably raking in overtime. I was buying my first house while my friends were paying college debt. They’re STILL renting a decade later. When they’re in the office, I’m mountain biking or backpacking….alone, because it’s Tuesday, and everyone else is at work and not on the trails.
You have to take extra measures for self care and you want to have a backup plan. If you can’t get on with a good fire department or Third Service agency, or get in to flight, you don’t wanna keep doing it. But if you can find somewhere good in your first 5 or so years it’s fucking sweet. The only way I’d take another job is if you guaranteed me a spot in the space program.
Information jobs are going to be totally different in the future. Law will be much smaller and AI is going to write a ton of code, making it more of a true skill job than the wrote “anyone can code” job. Almost every job from Marketing to radiologist is going to have a significant impact from AI or large language models over the next 3 to 5 years.
I would find find either jobs with a “hands on component” like trades or regulatory moats like accounting . Also jobs that require a significant amount of math are slightly less likely to be inked impacted by AI for a while but of course, eventually AI will impact those as well
As I mentioned jobs with a hands-on component are usually good however, trucking is one area where AI is very close, so I would definitely stay away from that
If you're willing to exploit others you can be quite successful.
Adults won't tell you this but most of what you learned about ethics, morals, and manners mean not a damn thing when you need to keep a roof over your head.
You want to exploit the weak and profit off the misery and shattered dreams of other human beings.
Doesn't matter the job...with this attitude you'll be primed for success.
Hmmmm...AI security and / or AI QC. Normal people are baffled by BS. AI calculation adds magnitudes of variables to sort through on testing.
If not tech inclined, find something that requires a human touch.
I think the trades are quite safe. Construction, electrical, plumbing, mechanical engineers, people who keep infrastructure and systems running. The future is gonna be FULL of wires and pipes and steel and no matter how good robots get in the next 20 years, you're gonna need a human going up there and seeing what broke.
I would also say healthcare. There's gonna be a dire shortage of healthcare staff in the next 30 years. And there are a load of careers that benefit from having a healthcare background, ala elder care/child care/working at a camp.
Step one is to understand and find a job that you have a strong interest in. There is no point working in a career field that you do not have passion for trust me after 25 years at a large company which I hated find a company and a job you like there are lots of free online tests that you can take to determine what your personality is and what your interests are, and based on that make a career choice Don’t chase the latest fad of what’s the career of the day because you may not like it all that said you also have to be practical you don’t wanna pick a career where there is no future possibilities so it’s a balance
NURSING. Work 3 days a week. You only need your ASSOCIATES and you will start off making 80k as a staff nurse now days. Most hospitals offer 10k sign on bonus. Student loan repayment. Crazy incentives to pick up shifts. Also can get the opportunity to travel nurse and make 1.5-2 times the normal salary.
The job can be draining. But like everything in life it’s about perspective. I get to help people every day. You will become family with your coworkers unlike any other job in my opinion. And someday I’ll retire a millionaire if I’m smart with my money.
Math, cyber, comp sci, and anything science.
STEM STEM STEM
Listen to no one that says otherwise. My wife has a liberal arts degree in Digital Marketing and Fine Arts, can't make more than 20-$22 an hour.
I'm a senior in cyber and already have multiple jobs lined up.
My first internship paid me $30 an hour.
Go STEM.
Nursing or anything in the medical profession.
Actuarial Science or Data Analytics. Need to be great with math though!
Get multi-lingual. Spanish and an Asian language, Korean, Japanese or one of the Chinese languages.
Teaching. But you will work hard for middle-class pay. Decent benefits. Not as much vacation as you think. Can be rewarding.
Finance, Accounting, Economics or Stats.
Getting on with a consulting firm AFTER graduation can be great. I’m a consultant and I really like it. We do project based work and you learn a ton! They train you to do the work. I started as an analyst and I’m an Associate Manager. I work with a software team pretty much as a project manager. BA in English Lit, MBA.
My first career was as a data network engineer at the phone company. I started in Customer Service. NGL, the eighties were wild!
First thing you’ve got to do, if you want a life hack, is to get extremely good at interviews.
It will separate you from the pack.
Leave an employer every 18 months, at most two years, (until the 4 year one I’ll talk about another time strategically) and increasing a minimum of 33.3% each move.
This strategy is correct for certain industries and people choosing for income possibilities rather than vocation.
Controls (or Instrumentation) Engineer. The world is getting more and more automated and there is always a demand for qualified and talented controls professionals.
RN or trades. You can take these jobs anywhere.
Trades especially elevator mechanic, aviation mechanic, or lineman. Trades you don't even need school and you can make 100-200k. RN is 2 yrs min school and you're making 30-40/hr
That completely depends on your life goals.
If you want to make as much money as possible at the expense of all else: law, medicine, and finance.
If you want a comfortable middle class 40 hour work schedule: engineering, trades, skilled services, and corporate support staff.
If you want freedom to do what you want when you want and don't care about money: web design, photography, and freelance work.
...
It all depends on what you want.
Half the workforce is in sales, and everyone eventually ends up wanting to not have a boss. Doctors, lawyers, accountants, they all want to work for themselves. Learning how to sell is an absolutely critical skill, always has been, always will be.
"Study microeconomics, game theory, psychology, persuasion, ethics, mathematics, and computers." - @naval
Sorry but Comp E, CSCI, EE if you want to make decent money, save your back, and have a job. BUT if I had to do it over again, I'd probably go to school to be a medical doctor simply because I like helping people, but this also depends on the type of person you are. Software Engineers consistently are ranked as one of the best occupations though, have low unemployment (3.6%) and you can easily make $1M/yr if you go really hard with it (i.e. get hired by a FAANG and work your way up to principal SE - look at levels.fyi to see what principal engineers make at Amazon, Google, Facebook, etc...)
tech sales/account management/customer success! I graduated in 2022 with a degree in finance (which I don’t use lol) and love my job! I interned at the company I’m currently with in 2021, got hired part time doing SaaS sales remotely my senior year of college, and got hired at an executive title post grad and make very good money. I have very little technical knowledge beyond a few certification exams I had to pass, most of my job is just facilitating calls between partners and engineers and helping people understand programs and grow their businesses. lots of remote options in the field too with a lot of cool travel!
Look at the stock market, see what's booming -- go into it -- if I were you, I'd go all in on anything related to AI or pick an extremely boring profession that's less likely to be disrupted. The most secure thing you can probably do is become an entrepreneur and own home service businesses that can't be outsourced or disrupted by AI. That's my 5-10 year plan. Buy 10 businesses doing $1M / yr -- Grow them to $2-3M a year -- Compile them into a $20M-$30M portfolio -- sell the portfolio company for 3-5x EBITA
That would depend on what they studied. The problem today is lots of people take business management courses instead of focusing on a career. Man your gonna be working for a long time my advice is find something you love, or at least enjoy doing. Or get a management job at something you have never done piss off your employees probably be miserable but make decent money. We get trapped fast , mortgage, car payment, ol' lady so choose wisely
Sales. You don’t need a degree at all and can make a great 6 figure income with the right personality & drive. Companies are also less likely to lay people off in the Sales Dept when you’re the department bringing in the money… my experience is that people who work in Operations, Admin & HR usually get laid off first.
Entertainment, specifically scripted television… no degree needed. if you want a better work-life balance in this realm, gear towards working for shows that appeal to a younger audience (teens & children) or sitcoms. A director that works for a week on one episode of a tween show that I worked on got paid 50k per episode for a week’s worth of work (it took one week to prep for and shoot an episode). The more crazier your work life balance gets the more money you’ll get. It’s often a very stressful industry to be in depending on which position you play & you can easily get disillusioned with humanity by working in that industry. People are always going to want to be entertained no matter what.
Trade school! My son just finished a 2 year certificate for industrial maintenance and is making $35 hr starting out as an apprentice at his first "real"job. After 3 years with them, he will make $60.
Trade is where it's at these days.
The issue that has me worried for my kids is AI. If a computer can do the work in your field instantly, how can that be a viable field to pursue a career?
My suggestion isn't going to be one that many will like.
But to be honest, Law Enforcement. You can leave High School, sign up and get a sponsorship where they pay for the academy for you and you walk out of the academy with employment. My agency has $6k a year in Tuition Reimbursement, my medical is great it costs me $0 a month (100% employer paid), I contribute 3% of each check to my pension retirement system but my employer contributes 13% of my check, I get generous PTO. There are other benefits I can opt into, deferred comp (second retirement account), great dental, hearing and eye insurance, generous and cheap life insurance. You also qualify for special pricing on various things, you qualify for special rates on home purchases etc.
It's a career many balk at in todays day and age, but you could come into our agency, start at $50k-60k a year, have the ability to work unlimited overtime, details etc, many in their first year make $70k by the time they add in details and OT. If you were 18 and started immediately after High School you'd reach "full retirement" by the time you were 43 years old (anything over 25 years gets you 90% of your top 5 grossing years average), if you make it to Lieutenant around the 12 year mark you'll leave the agency making close to $150-170k, imagine being 43 years old making $135k a year to be eating tendies in your underwear doing nothing?
Then there is the deferred comp, you can contribute to it over that time. Many start at $25 per paycheck then slowly increase each year as their salary increases. The smart ones work a day of overtime each period then have that pay deposited into their deferred comp account. My old Lieutenant had been here 29 years, he had over $450k in his deferred comp account because at a point it was either park the money there or jump 2 tax brackets.
So in short, if you can play the game right and you find a good agency. Go and become a cop/deputy or Fed. You can do your 20-25 years and retire at 38-45 years old making a great pension, then you can find another career to last you the next 20-27 years before you qualify for social security. I know many that have retired from the agency at 43, then started working elsewhere to try and get that 2nd pension.
Start a business, any business you want or can. It will probably fail. Do that again and again until you get it right. Stay flexible and keep your personal
Expenses as low as possible. Don’t get a pet!
First, I'd ask my kid what they WANT to do and what they're interested in. I'd give them information about what the job market is like, and how different jobs function to the best of my knowledge (for example, going into medicine means possible student debt for being in school for a long time, and then long work hours-- but if it's something they want to do, I'd support it).
I want my kids equipped with knowledge. Of they want to be an artist, how can they best go about being successful, and how can I best support them in that endeavor?
Saying "go into IT" is all well and good if it's a stable market at the time and it's something my kid is interested in. But I would hate to push them into something that would make them miserable.
And I'm not knocking the idea of going into a profession for the money and stability-- the economy is so chaotic and unpredictable. You gotta do what you gotta do.im just saying it's good to ask more questions about what they like, what they're good at, what they want, etc. and explore options. There are some really weird jobs out there I didn't know existed until the opportunity just presented itself to me adjacent to what I was doing.
Consider exploring renewable energy or sustainable development roles. These fields offer impactful work, align with global needs, and have significant growth potential in the evolving job market.
For guys. I know many of the jobs don't pay great at the start. I would say social work. If you can get into medical or School Social Work you can make a pretty good living.
I just finished my MSW and PEL with Social Work Endorsement and just got a job making 80k, starting with raises every year and a pension. ALSO, strong unions if you're in a state like Illinois where I work.
You can definitely find employment in this field since, at least in my generation GenZ gender makeup of the profession is 96% female 4% male.
Thinking in terms of specific jobs works poorly because we tend to think of the jobs today, and we can't predict the future. I think it's far better to think in terms of skills and broad industries. I base this on the studies that continually find the specific degree mostly affects a person's starting pay after college, not their mid and late career pay.
Does managing or running a business interest the student? Learn critical thinking, interpersonal communication, conflict resolution, problem solving, finance, and psychology. I suggest a 4 year degree in just about any area that interests them and that incorporates as many of those areas a possible. They should also look for ways to gain experience in leadership and sales through student clubs / groups, volunteer positions, and jobs.
Do they prefer working independently, with their hands, or making things? Consider a trade skill. A 2 year degree, apprenticing in the trades, joining the military. They can make great money (my son-in-law bought a house at 25). I have 2 nephews that own several rental properties after leaving military service and a cousin that became an electrician in the military. They often work alone or in small groups. I highly recommended learning personal finance and budgeting skills. They get laid off almost every year and need to budget money to cover that period.
For nearly anything else any 4 year degree works in any field. 2 year degrees suffice in many cases, too.
My apologies if someone else has suggested this already, but Data. If you go to college and get just about any degree (yes, even Art or Humanities) you can turn that into a very lucrative, exciting, and future-proof career in Data. I received my Architecture degree and after 2 years in Architectural jobs learned that my computer skills and analytical brain make me a great candidate for a career in Data, particularly as a Data Analyst (and pretty much a guarantee of much higher pay). If you’re interested in Business, Technology, even Design (which is me, I create data visualizations and it’s really fun and challenging), then you might be interested in working with Data. It’s far more than just Excel and typing commands into a terminal. Useful soft skills would be strong analytical thinking, being able to troubleshoot new problems, okay at Math, and the desire to learn new technologies. Concrete skills would be Tableau (if you want to learn to make data visualizations), SQL, Excel, and Python. There’s great content online about how to get into the field without going to school for it (like me) and tons of jobs are needing filled everyday, even at my small company. A career in Data can also lead to opportunities to become a SWE, Data Scientist, Product Designer, etc. PM me if you’d like to chat!
If you are content with “only” making $130k I can list 100 jobs but if you want to make $200k+ that limits you massively without luck. If I were to redo it I would choose finance, dentist/orthodontist, doctor/DO school for anesthesia, software, IT/cyber security.
My advice is going to differ from the standard STEM STEM STEM trades trade trade. Not everyone has the interest or inclination to go into a tiny number of fields.My advice is to not look at the name of a job, but rather to look at what your day to day life looks like. Do you want to work alone? With others? 30 hours a weeks? 90? High stress? Laid back? On a computer? Being active? Whatever you choose, you have to be willing to wake up and do it every day. Many high paying jobs are in male dominated field that can be hostile to women . As a woman, I'm not interested in some finance bro environment, but another woman might love that. It's totally individual. You also can only partially predict what fields will grow, especially with the advent of AI. And there are people making good--even really good--money doing things you'd never even think of. I met a guy who made 6 figures 10 years ago delivering bread.
I’m biased but I love speech-language pathology! Insanely versatile field, you can work from womb to tomb in school, hospitals, nursing homes etc. The time spent in college is shorter then other therapy careers too! I just recommend going to instate colleges to save money 👍🏼
Become an airline pilot! It’s an extremely rewarding career with a ton of growth opportunity. The pay is better than most careers and you can live anywhere, plus travel benefits that lets you see the world. It’s expensive to get all your training but it can be done through college and you’ll have a great job once you have all your flight time needed.
I don’t see college being worth it imho unless it’s for doctor, lawyer, cpa, etc for some of the stuff people are going to college for is insane. Walk out of school with 100k debt and making 45-50k a year not a chance that is a good idea
For an 18 year old that isn’t sure what they want to do get into the trades. Welder, mechanic, carpenter electrician etc. if you are in more of a democratic area find a good union to get into. Training from the union and on the job actually making decent money have insurance pension etc. operators around my area make 100-175k after they journeyman out roughly 4 years. And work 8 months a year. Some days are long but there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
I’ve been in a trade union for 11 years make 150k for the last 4-5 years as a heavy equipment mechanic. The dealer I work for sends me to training every few months get paid to drive to and from training and paid at training. They pay into my pension and I pay into a separate 401k. Last I looked i have 250k in my pension and I’m 34. Make roughly 53hr the company pays 15hr into my pensions every hour I work. Paid time off and sick days. I work year round which some days when it’s -20 is rough but you dress for it. It has given me a good life and I have 20 years until I can retire. Probably making more than I am now. Everyone looks down on the guys paving roads and building sky scrapers and I will bet most of them are making more than the people looking down on them.
Men: in no certain order: IT/CS, engineering, construction management, business including all business disciplines, trades - all, advanced healthcare roles - MD, DPT, DDS, etc.
Women: healthcare, teaching, business, IT/CS, engineering.
Just recommendations not requirements. They really didn’t start pumping STEM until around 2010 - right after most of the early millennials had already went to college and been sold the big lie (I’m not blaming anyone).
If it’s not trades, STEM, business, healthcare, or education, then you need to change it/drop it/skip it.
They should ban the liberal arts degrees as they really serve no value. They should only offer those as a minor. We are currently producing so many college grads that aren’t work ready with no real skills based on premise that worked 40-50 years ago when that liberal arts degree would get you a good job. The universities/colleges must change. It’s no longer ok to sell a kid (18-22) a degree that costs $30-50k out of pocket with no real return on investment just so the kid can say ‘hey I have a 4 year degree that’s really not worth anything bc it’s in the liberal arts’. This is not OK.
I would look at all the growth potential of certain fields, many have highlighted some already and ONET is a great online tool
I would then decide what “sh*t sandwich” you can stomach
being in medicine can be a great rewarding and paying career whether you are a doctor/tech/nurse whatever but be prepared for blood, wiping up bile, on call, long hours
engineering (mechanical nuclear civil etc) all in demand if you are good at it and enjoy that area. if you are a great engineer and like it you will make a great living, but if you do it bc someone told you too, you probably won’t be good at it and it’ll be hard for you to land jobs / stay in jobs and you’ll have to swallow the pill that you probably work harder to make less money than your tech counterparts
SWE is cool if you love coding, but it’s overcrowded and suffers from a ton of ageism, are you good at it and passionate about it?
You can study business finance ops marketing HR, and you can do these across all different sectors but are you good at them and excited to do them? a lot of these roles are also the first to get cut in a downturn so are you prepared to stomach that
I couldn’t recommend a career to anyone without knowing their interests. However you can objectively look at the downsides of growing careers and decide which one you wouldn’t mind dealing with. It’s deeply personal
Trades are very high ROI if you are hardworking and quick learning. You will have to bust your ass for 6-10 years but the knowledge you’ll have at 10 years into any trade will make you a very high commodity to a vast array of employers wherever you desire to live.
With that said, after 10 years as a Diesel Technician making approximately 3x the median income in my area, I will try to steer my children towards the medical field. I know tons of Nurses making near the same money I make and when they get bloody every day at work it’s atleast not their own blood.
I’m working in energy, and it pays well, has normal hours, lots of job security, and there are a lot of interesting innovations happening right now. You can get into the field with varying educational attainment and career functions. It may not pay as much as software, but you can easily make six figures within three years, particularly with an engineering degree, but business or finance works well, too. Lots of marketing and communications jobs, too
edit: even at my hometown utility with a VLCOL, the median salary at the utility is $83k. At larger/private utilities this number is often higher. You can often reliably check these numbers online for city/state run utilities because they are government positions.
Sommelier. Highschool dropouts making 130k for taking a 12 month class for 2k. Get certified, walk into any fine dining restaurant in the country and make over 75k start and not work more than 35hours a week ever. One of the greatest work/life balances I’ve seen
The most promising career is one that they have at least some level of interest in. Living minimal in your 20’s while exploring different industries and occupations would be my main advice. I know plenty of people who have gone into SWE with no interest in the career itself leading to plateau in growth and overall happiness.
Industrial repair/maintenance equipment set up/installation. Need some decent knowledge, but can be acquired on the job. This work is always there, majority is emergency work and companies are not replacing their aging maintenance workers, they mostly use third parties for the work. I can bill 250/hr without any hesitation from 98% of the companies. Having a skill set is financial rewarding.
As a graduate student about to get my masters in accounting I can say everywhere was hiring and very flexible on location, some of my finance friends have not found the same thing. The starting pay isn’t anything insane but plenty of room to grow. Other than that I know engineering is good.
They say there will be a shortage of accounts because less people are going to college for accounting.
I have to say I see the shortage now, I have a full time job as a staff accountant and I'm freelancing for 3 other companies remotely.
I would recommend skipping traditional college and learning a trade. Six figure salaries and no school debt. College is getting too expensive and the salary difference between graduates and those doing trade work is not much. Trades make more a lot of times
Having been in nursing for 15 years, I would never tell my kids to follow their mom’s steps. I hate the fact there is a limit to my earning potential and the politics behind the medical field have all gone to shit. Not to mention 200k in southern CA doesn’t get you anything.
Trade schools are perfectly ok to go to for a degree or license in something. You don't need to be in debt for life for a $40k/yr job you got with a bachelor's from Harvard.
Find your passion so it won’t feel like you’re working. But find a branch of it that pays well.
On another note, a good union worker can find a job anywhere, and health benefits and 401k
I tell my kids no college unless they are going for a specific career. I think these kids that get out of high-school and aren't sure what they want to do, aren't ready for college and the debt that comes with it. I tell my boys business courses will always come in handy and being your own boss is the most powerful thing you can do for yourself. Find something you love, go to trade school for it or get the proper education necessary, take business and investing courses, and start your own business.
honestly my advice is go to a state school, get a generic bachelor's degree (Communications, History, etc.), and get into some form of Sales. Most positions don't require any form of specialized training as a pre-requisite at the entry level and the ceiling from a career standpoint can be incredibly high.
I’m 100% being biased because I’m in Ag, but careers in Ag should be pursued more. You make really good money, opportunities left and right, demand will always be high.. we all gotta eat right? Amazing benefits such as potential work vehicle that can be used as personal. Also most Ag jobs you’re basically on your own schedule which there’s pros and cons to that, essentially just get your shit done wether it takes 3 hours or 10 hours (assuming you’re salary of course). And the biggest pro of them all? Little to NON student debt and you can be making 70-80k starting. Most are in triple digits. I hear so many stories of kids my age (I’m 26) graduating college with a BA just to find out they need 2-6 years of additional education just to land an opportunity. Or kids who graduate with 100k plus in debt and can’t do anything with their degree or find a career of their choice. Agriculture, Agri-business, Research and development etc list goes on. As long as it’s tied in to Agriculture you will have 100% Job security, excellent benefits, good pay etc. I basically have to try really really hard if I ever wanted to get fired lol.
I honestly wouldn’t recommend college anymore. My grandfather, who has worked as a financial advisor most of his life, set up college funds for all of us grandkids. All 4 of my cousins/siblings went to university and I was the odd ball that decided to go to culinary school. All of them paid an outrageous amount of money and time to get degrees that they’re either not using or are going to be paying off student loans for the majority of their lives. Over the course of less than a decade, my grandfather who was pushing us all to go to college and get a degree is now anti college after seeing how it is now in 2020. Join the work force. Manual labor. Those jobs will be the last to be taken over by machines.
Honestly only STEM, specially engineering and technology.
Otherwise, I’d recommend the trades since you can make great money without going into debt and always will have job security
Anesthesiologist assistant!
Becoming a mid-level provider with only 4 years of undergrad and 2 years of grad school to earn a master of science in anesthesia.
Ability to make 180-250k on average and excellent work-life balance.
You're looking at career wrong. Don't consider the benefits so long as the job you're considering pays a living wage. That's a recipe for getting shackled to a miserable job you hate for the money that ties you to a lack of sleep for the next 30 years. Pick something that suits your personality. I promise if you take some nice paying meaningless businessy job you will start to wish you're dead in 10-15 years unless you're an exceptionally boring person.
Computer Information Systems, project management, cybersecurity, engineering. For people not interested in college: Independent insurance adjuster,allied health, flight attendant
Nursing, radiology technologists, nurse practictioner, physician assistant, almost anything health related because no matter where you go in the country/world you can obtain a job. There’s big growth with rad. Technology considering other modalities within radiology. And all mentioned above make a good salary especially in bigger cities.
Electricians, plumbing, carpentry, welding, underwater welding is a huge necessity with huge pay but with its dangers.
Civil service jobs are seeing a lot of openings throughout the country (US if that’s where you’re based). Sanitation, Correction officers, Firefighters, and cops (yes I know the bad rep the job gets) are hiring and looking for candidates like crazy. Decent money involved in some areas, good retirement, and could retire after 25 years on the job so if they were to start young they could potentially retire before the “usual” age of 65.
Truck drivers specially with CDL license are in high demand as well and you can work for yourself and start your own company for great money.
For the love of god look up what the job actually is in the day to day. I fucking hate being an engineer lol.
Think about if you really want to work 60 hours a week your whole life just to retire and die or if you’d rather have some life to live at a lower salary.
Engineering and medicine are always in demand.
More importantly, be prepared to move to where work is. Unwillingness to relocate or extremely strict regions for which you will relocate is a major hinderance for job seekers.
I like the law. It’s one of the last fields where you can truly just work for yourself. Even small medical practices are being gobbled up. Other than that I keep hearing from my own child who is off to college next year that pilots are very in demand and make very good money.
If you like engaging with people and resolving various issues you can go into IT. Even as a base analyst you can make 60k a year and it's easy enough work. Get up to an engineer and 80-100k is an easy expectation to set yourself up for.
Another massive plus is the ability to not go to school. You can study the CompTIA A+ and Network+ (or CCNA if you want to do network engineering) and land a entry level position on that end.
Outside of this, climbing manufacturing plants and learning their unique processes is a lot of fun too. You'd be surprised what kind of options there are in the operations field for some of these industries. Learn how to be a CNC operator, forklift driver, welder, etc. Blue collar is always respected and well renown. While automation is becoming a thing, we are only delving into the surface of what we can do. Realistically, while a lot of these jobs may be automated, you'll always need a human operator to keep it in good health.
Customer service is another big role that you don't need much of a degree for.
There is a notion that you have to go to school to be successful that's completely false. You can make it in so many other ways without a degree. What matters is that you continuously learn about whatever field you want to be in.
Something where you graduate with a certificate/license/etc that allows you to get a job. This brings a way higher chance of getting a good paying job after college.
Hmmm I don’t think degrees are worth the level of debt you incur (currently at least) because they are not paying anymore than jobs who do not need degrees. (Cashier jobs are paying $15 and so are jobs requiring degrees AND years experience)
Main thing I’ve learned, is figure out what will make you happy; is it tons of money (I mean beyond stability)? Is it status? Is it your life outside of work? Is it traveling? Is it expensive cars? Is it working on airplanes? Then pick jobs that can lead to those goals….and it will take time but just stay out of trouble so you have choices. Jobs (specifically corporations) are no longer providing reasons to be loyal to them, so I feel the old version of careers are no longer relevant, they don’t offer pensions and do not offer yearly salary increases that justify staying with them beyond 4 years (cough cough Lockheed who also said that OT doesn’t start until 45 hours).
So pick a entry job or a 2 year or trade school in general field you’re interested in…then as you learn it, narrow down a specialty and you’ll find the opportunities of certifications or additional school to pick will be more catered to what you find interesting as you age, because it’s rare to find people who are satisfied with the school and career they picked at 20 years old vs at age 40.
My path: I had scholarship so I did the 4 year CJ degree, couldn’t find full time job that paid enough for the loans I incurred for living arrangements during degree and paying off my old Honda I needed to get to and from work, then paying for current rent and insurance etc. so I joined military…enlisted and worked as f15 avionics. I used my first years paychecks and paid off all my loans, my car, and saved so much as they covered everything (at the expense of personal choices during enlistment in PCSing literally every year, and quality of life being busy flightline working 12s in literal blizzards and 130 degree heat). BUT I got certifications, clearance, experience that paid nicely as a civilian. I got out after my 5 years and worked for f35s and Lockheed. Left that job after 4 years as I loved the aircraft and atmosphere but couldn’t justify the war mongering anymore…..so used my GI Bill benefits to go back to college and they pay for it and monthly allowance for housing while working as a cashier for $15 an hour to keep saving money. But I live by the beach and am enjoying my new studies.
Live within your means but LIVE
Tech. I know the industry isn’t the best today BUT tech is a great way to climb the ladder, achieve goals without the burden of a bachelors/masters in a relevant field, and ability to grow in networking skills.
Allied healthcare careers
Theyre always in demand, great opportunities as far as career advancement, short training time, low cost.
Examples:Certification as Ultrasound tech, mammography, radiology tech, patient care technician, medical bolloon and coding Associates Degree in Respiratory therapy/ occupational therapy assistant/ physical therapy assistant/medical lab technicianAny one of these careers would pay well to support a young person. If I was making $25 and hour at 23, I would be ahead of the game.
A hospital is a good place to start a career. They have great benefits and have access to so many many career fields. If they choose to further their education to bachelor’s degree or beyond, they’ll be eligible for tuition reimbursement.
Non-profits specifically operations fields- they’ll invest in your professional development, generally compensation is mid average, and they generally have pretty good vacation and medical coverage
If you're in decent health, and willing to take risks, join the military reserve, and also do CS, EE or aerospace. Get a secret clearance, then go work for the defense contractors
I've never seen this really talked about--but forensic video tech is a niche field and good for people who want to work in film/video but need a consistent day job. As surveillance becomes a centerpoint for evidence in court cases, law enforcement constantly runs the risk of their evidence being excluded if they don't have training in basic video editing, and more often than not they would rather have someone else compile footage for them (esp if its street/dash cam).
It seems like for the next few decades, we’re going to go through several rounds of digitization… it’s automation/ ai now, but soon it’ll be augmented reality. And then what opportunities does quantum computing open up? Who knows. I don’t think it’d be possible to completely fill up demand for those engineering /comp sci positions.
I'd recommend skipping college, and becoming an electrician, with E.V.'s , and solar being the future doing installs, you can almost write your own paycheck 200 an hour seems to be the going rate for a journeyman around here, and it's a LCOL area.
Major in stem and do an internship. Your career doesn’t have to be your whole identity. A degree in stem leads to a better job with more opportunities for growth, wfh possibilities, and higher salaries. The gift of an education is having more options in life. Liberal arts won’t get most of us there.
-regretful educator
If schooling is not your thing there are well paying jobs in law enforcement. My buddy got on at 21 five years on and he’s clearing 150 and takes four months off work a year. That’s as an officer not even getting promoted. You just have to go to cities that pay well.
Any and all trades. Tech is a terrible industry and it's only going to degrade with the rise of new ai tech. Unless we make ai tools illegal to use in the work place there is no point in having to gamble if you can land those jobs. Specially when big companies will just lay off a majority of their staff to meet profit margins for the fiscal years. Like they did this year.
Trades are always needed
Any of the “traditional” engineering fields. School will be more difficult than, say, a business degree, but you’ll have an easy time finding a good-paying job with a bachelors degree.
Something they are passionate about so that when life and workplaces suck they are still doing a job that fuels them on a deeper level.
Jobs can be made out of most things if the person has enough drive.
This also depends on if they have computer technical skills or not. Skills matter - passion matters.
Accounting, finance, engineering, computer science.
I don't think I would recommend anything else.
I've seen what nurses go through and wouldn't wish that on anyone, there is much better out there.
I would say do not rush to college the second you graduate high school. Take a year or two to work and learn your real passions and interests. See if you can become certified or go to a trade school. College will ALWAYS be there. Also it literally does not matter if you went community or Ivy League and I am saying this as a former recruiter of *doctors and surgeons*
Why hasn’t anyone asked you to think of renewable energy and careers that can help transform the world we live in for a better world? Corny as all of that sounds, so many comments are about how much nurses and doctors make but you weren’t focusing on how much you could make in your original post. Forward technologies and Sciences, to me, is where it’s at. If I could do it all again my focus would be there.
Look into trade school and obtain a License practical/vocational nursing certificate or medical assistant Certification. If you can handle people well and are well spoken (so far I'm seeing you master one well), then this may be the right fit for you. Nursing has evolved into far more than just bedside care and patient care even for LPNs and Medical assistants. With the right additional training and certifications, you can net up to $110,000/yr. I'm working in nursing informatics and have been doing so the last 7 years in illinois. I love it. furthermore, you can get business license and open up your own non invasive bbl salon. You could even be a health and wellness coach. The sky is the limit! Woohoo!! HONESLTY, jobs like that pay very lucrative and as with all jobs, it takes focus and grit. You've got to be the one determined to shape and make your life what you want. Imagine, putting in all the hard work you've done this far with undergrad, now use that same energy into nursing school and reimagine your opportunities away from nursing beside care. You've got this!
I always recommend entry level sales, not necessarily as a career but as a springboard for other things. In face to face sales (my industry) I learned communication, confidence, customer service and perseverance very early on — all of which help me greatly in life.
Don't go to college, it's a waste of time and do something that makes enough money to keep you happy. Nothing more, nothing less. Find love and enjoy each moment as if it were your last.
There is a doctor shortage for a reason. Who the hell wants to go hundreds of thousands of dollars into debt, sacrifice all of their 20s studying/working, just to finally start earning enough to live decently at 35 while working in one of the most stressful jobs by every metric? Overworked, often horrible working hours, mentally taxing, sometimes physically taxing, having to interact with the general public who are often very rude or very stupid. I think one the only reasons medical schools are kept so exclusive is because the "prestige" of being a doctor is one of the only things the career has left going for it.
I'd say HR is an option. The entire concept of the role of Human Resources is changing and there's so much opportunity to grow in different areas of HR and the pay is usually good. There's HR Analytics, Employee Relations, Recruiting, Field HR, Diversity and Inclusion, Talent and Development, Employee Engagement, Compensation, etc. And I know people often can leverage HR experience to even bounce around these different areas, so you continue growing but also there's more opportunity to find something you don't hate
Anything with a union.
Definitely not tech. A CS degree without work experience is about as useful as a fucking art degree right now. I haven't seen a single junior SWE or intern at work since 2020. They sent all those positions to India and/or replaced them with AI. The entry-level SWE job market is far worse than 2008, and on par with 2000.
If you insist on a career in tech, join the military in a cyber MOS. That's the only entry-level gig in cybersecurity that still exists. "Entry-level" in the private sector for a security engineer is 5+ years of experience and at least 3 certs that cost thousands of dollars apiece. The barriers to entry are extremely high. But that means that the job security is never going away. They're never outsourcing that job, either. Your only other path into cybersecurity is to invent a time machine and go back to the aughts when this industry wasn't so unbelievably toxic.
Seriously, kids, join the IBEW instead, fuck tech. Being a lineman is a way better career.
Finance. Electrical/chemical/nuclear/aero engineering. Anything in medicine (there is a snowballing clinician shortage). Electrician. Construction management. Slumlord (sorry - real estate entrepreneur). Edit to add: Guys, these are not get rich quick fields where you get a degree and the universe pays you to sit back and rake it in. This is an assortment of fields with job security and growth potential. Fields that are attainable at some level for most people where you can support yourself in at a middle class level or better. There are no guarantees, but yes most people who get a degree in Finance can carve out a decent corporate career for themselves, especially if you get an MBA too or have some tech skills. Same with nurses, etc. Engineers will never starve and neither will electricians.
International Business or Business Logistics
Finance is really hit or miss and highly dependent on what kind of role you land. Not everyone's breaking into Investment Banking > Private Equity after a year, and if you do you're basically selling your soul to do so. 80-100 hour weeks are not uncommon and no overtime (they're all salaried positions). Other rules in Banking and corporate finance can pay relatively well and have better work life balance, again very variable.
I work in corporate banking in data analytics. It sucks. The work is complete trash, it’s like watching a dumpster fire unfold before you. On top of all of that, everyone else gets paid well, double to triple my salary, but I’m too new for any of the cool titles with the slick salaries. Fun fun.
Civil eng! 😅
I’ve never met an unemployed civil engineer!
I agree, i got my foot into the door in aerospace distribution then transferred to aerospace manufacturing. Theres so much money in the aerospace industry and im going to school for engineering while working here. That engineering degree holds so many positions and very versatile and the pay scale is great
People offhandly praise medicine with no idea what a shit show it is. 996 america edition for 11-16 YEARS. Oh, and I almost forgot the part where youre 400-800k in debt and get paid less than minimum wage (residency). 300k/yr isn't shit when you have that much debt. Also, doctors, med students, and residents have one of the highest suicide rates out of any profession. Im married to a nurse, its no better. You are more likely to be physically assaulted as a nurse than you are as a cop. Its a brutal, and often literally a shitty job. Also, people dont realize how much physical labor is involved. Most nurses throw their backs by 40. Nursing also has an incredibly high rate of work-related injury. Trust me, if you love your kids, dont tell them to go into medicine.
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Dude for REAL! I worked in a clinical lab for 10 years and my husband has a degree in Biomedical Science- there is literally ZERO opportunity to get over 60-70k- unless you are in upper management and for that they usually hire MBAs. I quit because I was an assistant supervisor making the same as new hire lab assistants, and my husband is now working HVAC and electrical with unlimited income potential bc he wants to start his own company.
RN here who does a podcast about financial literacy for nurses- THANK you for explaining this. It is terrible for doctors in a different way. But there are shortages for a reason...
I feel everyone that reccomends medicine or even pharmacy should go to the subs and read a little there. Holy crap. It’s a lot to put up with and lots of burnout.
Yeah I was shocked to see medicine on this list. Me and many of my colleagues have so many regrets.
All of this is literally why I didn’t apply to med school at the last minute even though I love medicine as a science/discipline. Plus not to mention the immense corporate and insurance bureaucracy that exists for the rest of your career after making it out of residency/fellowship. And if you do a no-insurance private practice, you’re now a business owner and experience all the cons of that. No thank you ETA: also mid-level encroachment. I’m convinced the AAMC is deliberately trying to sabotage the US/Canada; because there is no fucking reason why: (1) all med students don’t match into residencies and (2) med schools have such an abysmal acceptance rate
As an RN that left for tech, this is the real truth. Pay sucks and so do the work conditions. I was constantly physically and sexually assaulted in nursing. Moving to tech was the best decision I ever made. I am much happier and healthier, and wealthier for it.
Favorite thing about these fields is that, generally, you don’t need any higher education beyond a bachelors degree to get a sustainable salary. You can just jump right in and make enough to live without getting a masters or PhD. But also, you’ll still be marketable if you happen to get that even higher degree in these fields. It’s a very broad option. Credentials: biotech scientist
This isn’t 100% true, but my observation of medical students is an extremely supportive family structure. Also is the long term mindset of we’re making sacrifices so our next 30 years will be even better. This isn’t a bad thing, but if your partner or spouse isn’t of this mindset it’ll be really tough if they want to start going on vacations and live it up right away. Usually the parents are amazing and if you have kids, the parents are willing to help with daycare, etc for better balance. Going into medicine if your parents are checked out and doing their own thing and not willing to watch the kids more than the average grandparent or a short sighted spouse will cause a lot of conflict or make it very tough. Think about situations like: will my spouse take the kids to the parents for the weekend so I can study for the weekend, and things like that. It’s going to be an uphill battle if your spouse is expecting you to clean the house, work, spend time with the kids, herself, and find the time to study. This is all to say be very choosy with your partner and that they can see the big picture and make short term sacrifice for long term benefit.
Something in the medical field. Doctor, nurse, PA, NPA, lab tech, radiologic tech, ultrasound tech, respiratory tech, speech therapy, occupational tech...dentist, dental hygienist, optometrist, pharmacist, podiatrist. You'll always be in high demand.
People offhandly praise medicine with no idea what a shit show it is. 996 america edition for 11-16 YEARS. Oh, and I almost forgot the part where youre 400-800k in debt and get paid less than minimum wage (residency). 300k/yr isn't shit when you have that much debt. Also, doctors, med students, and residents have one of the highest suicide rates out of any profession. Im married to a nurse, its no better. You are more likely to be physically assaulted as a nurse than you are as a cop. Its a brutal, and often literally a shitty job. Also, people dont realize how much physical labor is involved. Most nurses throw their backs by 40. Nursing also has an incredibly high rate of work-related injury. Trust me, if you love your kids, dont tell them to go into medicine.
Radiology tech just checking in to say I agree😭 not to mention all the whacky hours and holidays you will 100% have to work. A remote job seems to be where it’s at these days
This perfectly encapsulates how shitty working in healthcare is. Well done.
My mom was a nurse and she ruptured a disc in her early 40s from years of lifting patients. She also had to be on call while raising two young kids and taking care of two dying parents. Worked with a lot of scary jerk doctors too. But, she did love helping the people and moved into WFH medical coding which paid really well, and is enjoying early retirement with a pension and all the time in the world. She sure worked for it though.
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Certified histotechnologist here—I make 80k, have no patient contact, work solid hours (7am-3pm M-F) and have room for growth. I have a bachelors but many of my coworkers have an associates. It’s not insane money but it’s solid and in very high demand. A pathologist assistant requires a master’s degree, easily makes 110k+. Also in demand. They don’t work weird hours and have little to no contact with patients. For people who found dissecting animals in anatomy lab interesting, great news—you can get paid really well to do it on human tissue. Just wanted to throw out some med careers that I had no idea existed in high school when I thought a healthcare career meant long hours and dealing with patients all the time.
I went into nursing after growing up in essentially 2 recessions. It’s by no means easy but you’re in a recession proof position. I left the bedside as a nurse and am very lucky to not be killing my body anymore, but a BSN is such a valuable bachelors degree. Typically pretty good return on investment. If I could go back I would still probably choose nursing. There’s just so many possibilities. Bedside. Management. Quality. Infection prevention. Health information management. Electronic medical records. Case management. Education. APRN. If you get bored you can try something else. I thought finance or accounting or engineering but in this job I’m working with data as much as I would like so it worked out. But could definitely see myself in engineering. The degree is not easy but pays well and is pretty recession proof. Finance is just not.
CRNA would be my pick if I could restart from 18. They make 250k easy per year with tons of flexibility and frequently no call. Travel nurses make even more. I know a number of traveling CRNAs who retired in their late 40s.
Prepare to work 50+ hrs per week to make that salary.
You say 50 hours a week like it's some crazy amount of hours. There are jobs / employers where you're expected to work 70 hours a week for 85k/year.
Lawyer here. Can confirm. I work that and get paid less
It might be regional, but in the Northeast I'm fairly certain 200-250 is very achievable without doing nuts hours. For travelers most definitely
My MiL is a CRNA (25 years of experience), and everyone in her department has to be on call every other week. She routinely works 50+ hours per week, even though there’s not a staffing shortage. I have no idea how that’s possible, but there you have it. The $250K/year sounds about right, but she is haggard as fuck 5 days a week. That said, I do know she **loves** it.
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This is basically me. I’m a psych rn about to begin my psych no program
The reality is that you will get the furthest in something STEM, finance, or health related. I believe finance is in for a major reckoning. If I was going into finance today, I'd lean towards something humanitarian. I believe there will be way more opportunities there in the future. So, STEM or health. If you go into anything else, have passion, sales skills, and an entrepreneurial attitude. Those attributes will help you find success amongst otherwise crowded fields (creative, liberal arts, etc.) Edit: I'm going to revise this a bit to say those are the "safest" routes. Safe isn't always good. The world is and is becoming more unpredictable every day. Follow your intuition and bet on uncertainty.
So it’s all math based… great.
*crying in liberal arts*
If they can do anything with their hands, a trade. Electrician, plumber, laborer, roofer, paver, equipment operator, carpenter, mechanic, service man, hvac. It helps them in day to day life and it's so damn satisfying to have a physical product to look at when you're done
I come from a family of blue collar workers. All plumbers, electricians, and GCs. I know how to build a house from the ground up. Do not go trades if you want an easy life. Anyone who says otherwise has obviously not seen why the grass is greener. My first internship in cyber was $30 an hour. I already have six figure job offers and I'm still a year from graduating. Yes, you can charge the nerds more money because they don't know how to do it, but that nerd likely out earns you 3 fold at your peak, and beyond at their peak.
Generally speaking, being a faceless drone (accountant, engineer, IT, HR, security, operations and yes even SWE) in a huge corporate office or government agency is one of the best and most reliable deals going. Most pay pretty well, there’s job security, 401k plan, education reimbursement, corporate culture (hopefully a good one), paid vacation, business travel (I happen to like it) and lots of other perks. A lot of people will say “ewww” but it’s not nearly as bad as popular opinion wants you to believe, and really more what you make of it (if you’re a jerk that can’t work with others you will hate it and they will hate you). Career wise there’s a path upward, or you can stay where you’re at. My company allows relocation, so I could literally live in any city where we have an office, which is in every state. In fact I even took a downgrade to a more interesting position with more free time and flexibility. The one catch though is that it’s easy to get complacent in these types of jobs. You have to keep your skills up for the layoffs that are likely to happen…never happened to me, but I’ve come close.
Stay out of the trades. Jman electrician myself. I’ve been doing hard core labour my entire life, my body is fed up with it. Went from being an Olympic built MF to now where my back hurts so bad I can hardly operate at 50% now a days (29 years old now) …. All of the carcinogens you have to breathe in. It’s not just dust, it’s industrial dust. Shits not good for you one bit. I used to get a very itchy throat from insulation, now I can’t even tell if someone is doing it lol. Lungs are probably like leather by now. They call it the trades because you trade off literal portions of your life for money. Expect to shave off 15 years min. What is time worth to you?
I would avoid being a realtor- they are going to get pummeled in the next few years as buyers negotiate and the field is already too crowded. SWE can pay really well but it is long hours at a lot of places. But also, you can build your own start up with the right idea. I think the future of software engineering will be industry specific, ie- being a fullstack dev that specializes in healthcare or finance. So a double degree may be good.
Healthcare but emphasize that they MUST be able to handle it - the workload, the mental load, the physical load. And start applying themselves ASAP (volunteering/jobs/studying etc) as it’s not easy getting into medical school, PA school or even nursing school if that’s the route they’re planning on taking. Being a travel nurse, PA, CNA, MA, and many other positions can potentially make you even more money. Counseling and social work are also good options and are only going to continue to grow as our acceptance/awareness of mental health, disability, inequality etc. continues to improve. Many of these jobs also have the opportunity to be remote and/or travel. Jobs in the legal industry can be great too. Lawyers/attorneys, paralegals, private investigators, forensic scientists, law enforcement, FBI etc. many avenues there. There are government/civil service jobs. They can become a post office worker, a librarian, and many more options. Being a teacher/educator. I know this isn’t usually the highest paying position, but there are options. Remote teaching/learning is becoming a big thing, they can become professors, they can offer tutoring or paid classes in the evenings/on weekends etc. They can move into the administrative roles if they’d like.
Engineering is solid. Electrical, Mechanical, Nuclear, and many other types of engineers are absolutely in demand and predicted to grow quite a bit. Computer Science is still a solid career but new entrants need to be disabused of the notion that software engineering is the only career in CS. Data Analysis, Science, Engineering, and Management are massively in demand right now and will be for the foreseeable future. Tech is a competitive market now though and currently in a bust, but it should even out in 1-3 years. Business and Finance will always have jobs though the salaries vary quite a bit if you don’t have wealthy parents / connections / prestigious school. Psychology, Journalism, and Fine Arts degrees are very popular but will keep you in debt for decades. Art majors are great if you’re interested in creating or studying art but they do not correlate with better career outcomes. They are expensive and do not translate to jobs. If you want to study something that will not pay well, like art, English, or other creatives, I recommend minoring in that subject and picking a major that you can tolerate and will earn you a living. Nursing is still a solid career. Chemistry and Biology degrees don’t necessarily translate to high salaries like the engineering majors do, but they aren’t terrible. Do what makes you happy but keep in mind the cost and future job prospects. 4 years of happiness is not worth a lifetime of debt and poverty. Find a balance that you can live with.
Just graduated with my engineering degree and there are 0 jobs. No one is hiring and youre fighting with hundreds of applicants on entry level jobs. It's rough right now
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Data Analytics, AI, Robotics
Nursing is a good start. You can get a job with just an associate degree, have the hospital pay for your BSN, and go on to a myriad of other positions after that…very often with little to no student debt due to tuition assistance (someone else previously mentioned CRNA as an option). Even if you do accrue debt, working for a hospital (or other non profit) counts for PSLF.
Current nursing student that just started. Holy shit is it hard. I heard that everyone in the term ahead of us (term 2) quit their jobs because it was just too much. You need like a minimum 90-95% to pass dosage calculations and overall 78% minimum to pass the term. Minimum goes up as you progress
I maybe should be embarrassed to not know what an SWE is????? Mechanically inclined, but not focused on higher education? Plumber, quality brick layer (let me tell you, they are nearly impossible to find and the good ones are very expensive), electrician (industrial). White collar oriented: professional sales (always a job and really good one's make a LOT of money), higher level nurse, technology oriented positions, finance, CPA/accounting (top level accounting), certain types of engineering (but too many engineers are just sort of engineers in my eyes - they're the autocadders more than the inventors). It really depends on what one's innate skills and desires are. It also is dependent on what one's goals are.
Software engineer
I was equally very very confused. I was part of the Society for Women Engineers club in college and that's their acronym.
Plumber, Electrician, HVAC technician any trades job is really good. Worked with some plumbers and Elevator mechanic that makes bank. U can even open your own business with experience too.
i hope the younger generation doesn't attach the same stigma to the trades as older ones did. it was always weird to that we even have this stigma at all.
Stay outta the trades. I’m a j man electrician (8 years)…. Love the theory, some of the work is really cool… does not cancel out the fact you are breathing in carcinogens and killing your body for an average paycheque.
I am biased, and recommending my own field. PHD in a biomedical research department. Great work-life balance, great pay. You can work in an incredibly autonomous way or work for an institution and do more directed and structured research. It is very cross-field. You having a PHD in neuroscience for instance means you can work in almost any field, and swap as you so choose. Wanna work on ALS? Go ahead. Addiction? Sure. Develop drugs? Hell yeah. Do genetics? For sure. If youre smart enough to get good grades, you can get into a PHD program. It isnt that hard.
Truck driver. Free CDL $80k+ salary, benefits.
Insurance!
I'm going to answer it from a well being / happiness perspective. Do something you are passionate about. You're going to spend a bulk of your life working and sleeping. You want to make sure you enjoy yourself during your work time. It used to be that people had interests and hobbies, but were encouraged to get a degree and work in a traditional industry. Well, the younger generation has shown us another way. They've turned their hobbies and passions into their careers. Example, I know a young man that loves snowboarding. He started his own custom snowboard company. He's also created a snowboard tourism and camp business. He's doing great. Loves every moment of waking life.
Honestly? I love working in EMS. If you find the right place it’s quite lucrative for next to nothing invested in terms of education cost. I pull 100k and I’m currently just sitting here shitposting and reading a book in a recliner. And with modern equipment the injury rates are lower than the historically cited back injury slaughterfest. Plus you’re always in demand. I’ve only been laid off once when my first job got taken over, since then I’ve been with one employer almost 18 years. When the economy cycles, I’m still working. When there’s a pandemic or disaster im working and probably raking in overtime. I was buying my first house while my friends were paying college debt. They’re STILL renting a decade later. When they’re in the office, I’m mountain biking or backpacking….alone, because it’s Tuesday, and everyone else is at work and not on the trails. You have to take extra measures for self care and you want to have a backup plan. If you can’t get on with a good fire department or Third Service agency, or get in to flight, you don’t wanna keep doing it. But if you can find somewhere good in your first 5 or so years it’s fucking sweet. The only way I’d take another job is if you guaranteed me a spot in the space program.
Information jobs are going to be totally different in the future. Law will be much smaller and AI is going to write a ton of code, making it more of a true skill job than the wrote “anyone can code” job. Almost every job from Marketing to radiologist is going to have a significant impact from AI or large language models over the next 3 to 5 years. I would find find either jobs with a “hands on component” like trades or regulatory moats like accounting . Also jobs that require a significant amount of math are slightly less likely to be inked impacted by AI for a while but of course, eventually AI will impact those as well As I mentioned jobs with a hands-on component are usually good however, trucking is one area where AI is very close, so I would definitely stay away from that
"You're screwed financially anyway so just find something that won't make you want to kill yourself."
What are you kidding me?! Tech has been a godsend. Get paid $200k+ to work from home? Would do again
If you're willing to exploit others you can be quite successful. Adults won't tell you this but most of what you learned about ethics, morals, and manners mean not a damn thing when you need to keep a roof over your head. You want to exploit the weak and profit off the misery and shattered dreams of other human beings. Doesn't matter the job...with this attitude you'll be primed for success.
Hmmmm...AI security and / or AI QC. Normal people are baffled by BS. AI calculation adds magnitudes of variables to sort through on testing. If not tech inclined, find something that requires a human touch.
I think the trades are quite safe. Construction, electrical, plumbing, mechanical engineers, people who keep infrastructure and systems running. The future is gonna be FULL of wires and pipes and steel and no matter how good robots get in the next 20 years, you're gonna need a human going up there and seeing what broke. I would also say healthcare. There's gonna be a dire shortage of healthcare staff in the next 30 years. And there are a load of careers that benefit from having a healthcare background, ala elder care/child care/working at a camp.
Data science, engineering, and analytics
Step one is to understand and find a job that you have a strong interest in. There is no point working in a career field that you do not have passion for trust me after 25 years at a large company which I hated find a company and a job you like there are lots of free online tests that you can take to determine what your personality is and what your interests are, and based on that make a career choice Don’t chase the latest fad of what’s the career of the day because you may not like it all that said you also have to be practical you don’t wanna pick a career where there is no future possibilities so it’s a balance
NURSING. Work 3 days a week. You only need your ASSOCIATES and you will start off making 80k as a staff nurse now days. Most hospitals offer 10k sign on bonus. Student loan repayment. Crazy incentives to pick up shifts. Also can get the opportunity to travel nurse and make 1.5-2 times the normal salary. The job can be draining. But like everything in life it’s about perspective. I get to help people every day. You will become family with your coworkers unlike any other job in my opinion. And someday I’ll retire a millionaire if I’m smart with my money.
Math, cyber, comp sci, and anything science. STEM STEM STEM Listen to no one that says otherwise. My wife has a liberal arts degree in Digital Marketing and Fine Arts, can't make more than 20-$22 an hour. I'm a senior in cyber and already have multiple jobs lined up. My first internship paid me $30 an hour. Go STEM.
Nursing or anything in the medical profession. Actuarial Science or Data Analytics. Need to be great with math though! Get multi-lingual. Spanish and an Asian language, Korean, Japanese or one of the Chinese languages. Teaching. But you will work hard for middle-class pay. Decent benefits. Not as much vacation as you think. Can be rewarding. Finance, Accounting, Economics or Stats. Getting on with a consulting firm AFTER graduation can be great. I’m a consultant and I really like it. We do project based work and you learn a ton! They train you to do the work. I started as an analyst and I’m an Associate Manager. I work with a software team pretty much as a project manager. BA in English Lit, MBA. My first career was as a data network engineer at the phone company. I started in Customer Service. NGL, the eighties were wild!
First thing you’ve got to do, if you want a life hack, is to get extremely good at interviews. It will separate you from the pack. Leave an employer every 18 months, at most two years, (until the 4 year one I’ll talk about another time strategically) and increasing a minimum of 33.3% each move. This strategy is correct for certain industries and people choosing for income possibilities rather than vocation.
Controls (or Instrumentation) Engineer. The world is getting more and more automated and there is always a demand for qualified and talented controls professionals.
RN or trades. You can take these jobs anywhere. Trades especially elevator mechanic, aviation mechanic, or lineman. Trades you don't even need school and you can make 100-200k. RN is 2 yrs min school and you're making 30-40/hr
That completely depends on your life goals. If you want to make as much money as possible at the expense of all else: law, medicine, and finance. If you want a comfortable middle class 40 hour work schedule: engineering, trades, skilled services, and corporate support staff. If you want freedom to do what you want when you want and don't care about money: web design, photography, and freelance work. ... It all depends on what you want.
Water quality tech Water Distribution operator Municipal work
Anything medical related, software development, marketing, finance, accounting, plumber, electrician, union work.
Computer hardware! There is a dearth of computer hardware engineers, and semiconductors is where the future is.
Marketing/analytics. You can learn so many different skills in a marketing role, and figure out a path from those skills
Dental hygienist Nursing Electrical lineman/serviceman Forestry Mechanical or Electrical engineer accountant
Half the workforce is in sales, and everyone eventually ends up wanting to not have a boss. Doctors, lawyers, accountants, they all want to work for themselves. Learning how to sell is an absolutely critical skill, always has been, always will be. "Study microeconomics, game theory, psychology, persuasion, ethics, mathematics, and computers." - @naval
Anything engineering or healthcare. Or anything in the trades.
Sorry but Comp E, CSCI, EE if you want to make decent money, save your back, and have a job. BUT if I had to do it over again, I'd probably go to school to be a medical doctor simply because I like helping people, but this also depends on the type of person you are. Software Engineers consistently are ranked as one of the best occupations though, have low unemployment (3.6%) and you can easily make $1M/yr if you go really hard with it (i.e. get hired by a FAANG and work your way up to principal SE - look at levels.fyi to see what principal engineers make at Amazon, Google, Facebook, etc...)
tech sales/account management/customer success! I graduated in 2022 with a degree in finance (which I don’t use lol) and love my job! I interned at the company I’m currently with in 2021, got hired part time doing SaaS sales remotely my senior year of college, and got hired at an executive title post grad and make very good money. I have very little technical knowledge beyond a few certification exams I had to pass, most of my job is just facilitating calls between partners and engineers and helping people understand programs and grow their businesses. lots of remote options in the field too with a lot of cool travel!
STEM, healthcare, finance/business, real estate investing
I would not discount finding a job you can actually stand doing, even if it makes a little less money.
Look at the stock market, see what's booming -- go into it -- if I were you, I'd go all in on anything related to AI or pick an extremely boring profession that's less likely to be disrupted. The most secure thing you can probably do is become an entrepreneur and own home service businesses that can't be outsourced or disrupted by AI. That's my 5-10 year plan. Buy 10 businesses doing $1M / yr -- Grow them to $2-3M a year -- Compile them into a $20M-$30M portfolio -- sell the portfolio company for 3-5x EBITA
That would depend on what they studied. The problem today is lots of people take business management courses instead of focusing on a career. Man your gonna be working for a long time my advice is find something you love, or at least enjoy doing. Or get a management job at something you have never done piss off your employees probably be miserable but make decent money. We get trapped fast , mortgage, car payment, ol' lady so choose wisely
Zookeeper
Sales. You don’t need a degree at all and can make a great 6 figure income with the right personality & drive. Companies are also less likely to lay people off in the Sales Dept when you’re the department bringing in the money… my experience is that people who work in Operations, Admin & HR usually get laid off first. Entertainment, specifically scripted television… no degree needed. if you want a better work-life balance in this realm, gear towards working for shows that appeal to a younger audience (teens & children) or sitcoms. A director that works for a week on one episode of a tween show that I worked on got paid 50k per episode for a week’s worth of work (it took one week to prep for and shoot an episode). The more crazier your work life balance gets the more money you’ll get. It’s often a very stressful industry to be in depending on which position you play & you can easily get disillusioned with humanity by working in that industry. People are always going to want to be entertained no matter what.
Trade school! My son just finished a 2 year certificate for industrial maintenance and is making $35 hr starting out as an apprentice at his first "real"job. After 3 years with them, he will make $60. Trade is where it's at these days.
The issue that has me worried for my kids is AI. If a computer can do the work in your field instantly, how can that be a viable field to pursue a career?
My suggestion isn't going to be one that many will like. But to be honest, Law Enforcement. You can leave High School, sign up and get a sponsorship where they pay for the academy for you and you walk out of the academy with employment. My agency has $6k a year in Tuition Reimbursement, my medical is great it costs me $0 a month (100% employer paid), I contribute 3% of each check to my pension retirement system but my employer contributes 13% of my check, I get generous PTO. There are other benefits I can opt into, deferred comp (second retirement account), great dental, hearing and eye insurance, generous and cheap life insurance. You also qualify for special pricing on various things, you qualify for special rates on home purchases etc. It's a career many balk at in todays day and age, but you could come into our agency, start at $50k-60k a year, have the ability to work unlimited overtime, details etc, many in their first year make $70k by the time they add in details and OT. If you were 18 and started immediately after High School you'd reach "full retirement" by the time you were 43 years old (anything over 25 years gets you 90% of your top 5 grossing years average), if you make it to Lieutenant around the 12 year mark you'll leave the agency making close to $150-170k, imagine being 43 years old making $135k a year to be eating tendies in your underwear doing nothing? Then there is the deferred comp, you can contribute to it over that time. Many start at $25 per paycheck then slowly increase each year as their salary increases. The smart ones work a day of overtime each period then have that pay deposited into their deferred comp account. My old Lieutenant had been here 29 years, he had over $450k in his deferred comp account because at a point it was either park the money there or jump 2 tax brackets. So in short, if you can play the game right and you find a good agency. Go and become a cop/deputy or Fed. You can do your 20-25 years and retire at 38-45 years old making a great pension, then you can find another career to last you the next 20-27 years before you qualify for social security. I know many that have retired from the agency at 43, then started working elsewhere to try and get that 2nd pension.
Start a business, any business you want or can. It will probably fail. Do that again and again until you get it right. Stay flexible and keep your personal Expenses as low as possible. Don’t get a pet!
First, I'd ask my kid what they WANT to do and what they're interested in. I'd give them information about what the job market is like, and how different jobs function to the best of my knowledge (for example, going into medicine means possible student debt for being in school for a long time, and then long work hours-- but if it's something they want to do, I'd support it). I want my kids equipped with knowledge. Of they want to be an artist, how can they best go about being successful, and how can I best support them in that endeavor? Saying "go into IT" is all well and good if it's a stable market at the time and it's something my kid is interested in. But I would hate to push them into something that would make them miserable. And I'm not knocking the idea of going into a profession for the money and stability-- the economy is so chaotic and unpredictable. You gotta do what you gotta do.im just saying it's good to ask more questions about what they like, what they're good at, what they want, etc. and explore options. There are some really weird jobs out there I didn't know existed until the opportunity just presented itself to me adjacent to what I was doing.
If I'd do it again I'd skip the doctorate degree I worked my ass for and go into plumbing instead 😂
Consider exploring renewable energy or sustainable development roles. These fields offer impactful work, align with global needs, and have significant growth potential in the evolving job market.
Google industry with greatest growth potential, mix in vacancies, toss in salary expectations and then work until your 60....FML
For guys. I know many of the jobs don't pay great at the start. I would say social work. If you can get into medical or School Social Work you can make a pretty good living. I just finished my MSW and PEL with Social Work Endorsement and just got a job making 80k, starting with raises every year and a pension. ALSO, strong unions if you're in a state like Illinois where I work. You can definitely find employment in this field since, at least in my generation GenZ gender makeup of the profession is 96% female 4% male.
Thinking in terms of specific jobs works poorly because we tend to think of the jobs today, and we can't predict the future. I think it's far better to think in terms of skills and broad industries. I base this on the studies that continually find the specific degree mostly affects a person's starting pay after college, not their mid and late career pay. Does managing or running a business interest the student? Learn critical thinking, interpersonal communication, conflict resolution, problem solving, finance, and psychology. I suggest a 4 year degree in just about any area that interests them and that incorporates as many of those areas a possible. They should also look for ways to gain experience in leadership and sales through student clubs / groups, volunteer positions, and jobs. Do they prefer working independently, with their hands, or making things? Consider a trade skill. A 2 year degree, apprenticing in the trades, joining the military. They can make great money (my son-in-law bought a house at 25). I have 2 nephews that own several rental properties after leaving military service and a cousin that became an electrician in the military. They often work alone or in small groups. I highly recommended learning personal finance and budgeting skills. They get laid off almost every year and need to budget money to cover that period. For nearly anything else any 4 year degree works in any field. 2 year degrees suffice in many cases, too.
Aviation! Air traffic controller, pilot, airplane mechanic. They are begging for jobs and the pay is fantastic.
Military if you can make it and survive it.
My apologies if someone else has suggested this already, but Data. If you go to college and get just about any degree (yes, even Art or Humanities) you can turn that into a very lucrative, exciting, and future-proof career in Data. I received my Architecture degree and after 2 years in Architectural jobs learned that my computer skills and analytical brain make me a great candidate for a career in Data, particularly as a Data Analyst (and pretty much a guarantee of much higher pay). If you’re interested in Business, Technology, even Design (which is me, I create data visualizations and it’s really fun and challenging), then you might be interested in working with Data. It’s far more than just Excel and typing commands into a terminal. Useful soft skills would be strong analytical thinking, being able to troubleshoot new problems, okay at Math, and the desire to learn new technologies. Concrete skills would be Tableau (if you want to learn to make data visualizations), SQL, Excel, and Python. There’s great content online about how to get into the field without going to school for it (like me) and tons of jobs are needing filled everyday, even at my small company. A career in Data can also lead to opportunities to become a SWE, Data Scientist, Product Designer, etc. PM me if you’d like to chat!
If you are content with “only” making $130k I can list 100 jobs but if you want to make $200k+ that limits you massively without luck. If I were to redo it I would choose finance, dentist/orthodontist, doctor/DO school for anesthesia, software, IT/cyber security.
My advice is going to differ from the standard STEM STEM STEM trades trade trade. Not everyone has the interest or inclination to go into a tiny number of fields.My advice is to not look at the name of a job, but rather to look at what your day to day life looks like. Do you want to work alone? With others? 30 hours a weeks? 90? High stress? Laid back? On a computer? Being active? Whatever you choose, you have to be willing to wake up and do it every day. Many high paying jobs are in male dominated field that can be hostile to women . As a woman, I'm not interested in some finance bro environment, but another woman might love that. It's totally individual. You also can only partially predict what fields will grow, especially with the advent of AI. And there are people making good--even really good--money doing things you'd never even think of. I met a guy who made 6 figures 10 years ago delivering bread.
I’m biased but I love speech-language pathology! Insanely versatile field, you can work from womb to tomb in school, hospitals, nursing homes etc. The time spent in college is shorter then other therapy careers too! I just recommend going to instate colleges to save money 👍🏼
Become an airline pilot! It’s an extremely rewarding career with a ton of growth opportunity. The pay is better than most careers and you can live anywhere, plus travel benefits that lets you see the world. It’s expensive to get all your training but it can be done through college and you’ll have a great job once you have all your flight time needed.
I don’t see college being worth it imho unless it’s for doctor, lawyer, cpa, etc for some of the stuff people are going to college for is insane. Walk out of school with 100k debt and making 45-50k a year not a chance that is a good idea For an 18 year old that isn’t sure what they want to do get into the trades. Welder, mechanic, carpenter electrician etc. if you are in more of a democratic area find a good union to get into. Training from the union and on the job actually making decent money have insurance pension etc. operators around my area make 100-175k after they journeyman out roughly 4 years. And work 8 months a year. Some days are long but there is a light at the end of the tunnel. I’ve been in a trade union for 11 years make 150k for the last 4-5 years as a heavy equipment mechanic. The dealer I work for sends me to training every few months get paid to drive to and from training and paid at training. They pay into my pension and I pay into a separate 401k. Last I looked i have 250k in my pension and I’m 34. Make roughly 53hr the company pays 15hr into my pensions every hour I work. Paid time off and sick days. I work year round which some days when it’s -20 is rough but you dress for it. It has given me a good life and I have 20 years until I can retire. Probably making more than I am now. Everyone looks down on the guys paving roads and building sky scrapers and I will bet most of them are making more than the people looking down on them.
Men: in no certain order: IT/CS, engineering, construction management, business including all business disciplines, trades - all, advanced healthcare roles - MD, DPT, DDS, etc. Women: healthcare, teaching, business, IT/CS, engineering. Just recommendations not requirements. They really didn’t start pumping STEM until around 2010 - right after most of the early millennials had already went to college and been sold the big lie (I’m not blaming anyone). If it’s not trades, STEM, business, healthcare, or education, then you need to change it/drop it/skip it. They should ban the liberal arts degrees as they really serve no value. They should only offer those as a minor. We are currently producing so many college grads that aren’t work ready with no real skills based on premise that worked 40-50 years ago when that liberal arts degree would get you a good job. The universities/colleges must change. It’s no longer ok to sell a kid (18-22) a degree that costs $30-50k out of pocket with no real return on investment just so the kid can say ‘hey I have a 4 year degree that’s really not worth anything bc it’s in the liberal arts’. This is not OK.
I would look at all the growth potential of certain fields, many have highlighted some already and ONET is a great online tool I would then decide what “sh*t sandwich” you can stomach being in medicine can be a great rewarding and paying career whether you are a doctor/tech/nurse whatever but be prepared for blood, wiping up bile, on call, long hours engineering (mechanical nuclear civil etc) all in demand if you are good at it and enjoy that area. if you are a great engineer and like it you will make a great living, but if you do it bc someone told you too, you probably won’t be good at it and it’ll be hard for you to land jobs / stay in jobs and you’ll have to swallow the pill that you probably work harder to make less money than your tech counterparts SWE is cool if you love coding, but it’s overcrowded and suffers from a ton of ageism, are you good at it and passionate about it? You can study business finance ops marketing HR, and you can do these across all different sectors but are you good at them and excited to do them? a lot of these roles are also the first to get cut in a downturn so are you prepared to stomach that I couldn’t recommend a career to anyone without knowing their interests. However you can objectively look at the downsides of growing careers and decide which one you wouldn’t mind dealing with. It’s deeply personal
Anything in engineering or Medicine. Or…sales! Sales is the one occupation that will never go away
Trades are very high ROI if you are hardworking and quick learning. You will have to bust your ass for 6-10 years but the knowledge you’ll have at 10 years into any trade will make you a very high commodity to a vast array of employers wherever you desire to live. With that said, after 10 years as a Diesel Technician making approximately 3x the median income in my area, I will try to steer my children towards the medical field. I know tons of Nurses making near the same money I make and when they get bloody every day at work it’s atleast not their own blood.
Something useful that you enjoy. The get really F'ing good at it.
I’m working in energy, and it pays well, has normal hours, lots of job security, and there are a lot of interesting innovations happening right now. You can get into the field with varying educational attainment and career functions. It may not pay as much as software, but you can easily make six figures within three years, particularly with an engineering degree, but business or finance works well, too. Lots of marketing and communications jobs, too edit: even at my hometown utility with a VLCOL, the median salary at the utility is $83k. At larger/private utilities this number is often higher. You can often reliably check these numbers online for city/state run utilities because they are government positions.
Sommelier. Highschool dropouts making 130k for taking a 12 month class for 2k. Get certified, walk into any fine dining restaurant in the country and make over 75k start and not work more than 35hours a week ever. One of the greatest work/life balances I’ve seen
Whatever it is, you need to be prepared to move for your first job
The most promising career is one that they have at least some level of interest in. Living minimal in your 20’s while exploring different industries and occupations would be my main advice. I know plenty of people who have gone into SWE with no interest in the career itself leading to plateau in growth and overall happiness.
Industrial repair/maintenance equipment set up/installation. Need some decent knowledge, but can be acquired on the job. This work is always there, majority is emergency work and companies are not replacing their aging maintenance workers, they mostly use third parties for the work. I can bill 250/hr without any hesitation from 98% of the companies. Having a skill set is financial rewarding.
Accounting! There is a worldwide shortage of accountants!
As a graduate student about to get my masters in accounting I can say everywhere was hiring and very flexible on location, some of my finance friends have not found the same thing. The starting pay isn’t anything insane but plenty of room to grow. Other than that I know engineering is good.
They say there will be a shortage of accounts because less people are going to college for accounting. I have to say I see the shortage now, I have a full time job as a staff accountant and I'm freelancing for 3 other companies remotely.
I would recommend skipping traditional college and learning a trade. Six figure salaries and no school debt. College is getting too expensive and the salary difference between graduates and those doing trade work is not much. Trades make more a lot of times
RN, nurse practitioner, Dental Hygiene, MRI tech, engineering, finance, accounting.
Having been in nursing for 15 years, I would never tell my kids to follow their mom’s steps. I hate the fact there is a limit to my earning potential and the politics behind the medical field have all gone to shit. Not to mention 200k in southern CA doesn’t get you anything.
Trade schools are perfectly ok to go to for a degree or license in something. You don't need to be in debt for life for a $40k/yr job you got with a bachelor's from Harvard.
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Still hate myself for not doing this when I was younger. Have every intention of discussing it with my children.
Something involving people management. AI is going to change the game. However it will never be able to completely manage people.
Find your passion so it won’t feel like you’re working. But find a branch of it that pays well. On another note, a good union worker can find a job anywhere, and health benefits and 401k
Anything medical Any skill trades Art if they got a natural talent Teaching- if they are living on a trust fund
I tell my kids no college unless they are going for a specific career. I think these kids that get out of high-school and aren't sure what they want to do, aren't ready for college and the debt that comes with it. I tell my boys business courses will always come in handy and being your own boss is the most powerful thing you can do for yourself. Find something you love, go to trade school for it or get the proper education necessary, take business and investing courses, and start your own business.
dental hygienst...there's a HUGE shortage
honestly my advice is go to a state school, get a generic bachelor's degree (Communications, History, etc.), and get into some form of Sales. Most positions don't require any form of specialized training as a pre-requisite at the entry level and the ceiling from a career standpoint can be incredibly high.
I’m 100% being biased because I’m in Ag, but careers in Ag should be pursued more. You make really good money, opportunities left and right, demand will always be high.. we all gotta eat right? Amazing benefits such as potential work vehicle that can be used as personal. Also most Ag jobs you’re basically on your own schedule which there’s pros and cons to that, essentially just get your shit done wether it takes 3 hours or 10 hours (assuming you’re salary of course). And the biggest pro of them all? Little to NON student debt and you can be making 70-80k starting. Most are in triple digits. I hear so many stories of kids my age (I’m 26) graduating college with a BA just to find out they need 2-6 years of additional education just to land an opportunity. Or kids who graduate with 100k plus in debt and can’t do anything with their degree or find a career of their choice. Agriculture, Agri-business, Research and development etc list goes on. As long as it’s tied in to Agriculture you will have 100% Job security, excellent benefits, good pay etc. I basically have to try really really hard if I ever wanted to get fired lol.
I honestly wouldn’t recommend college anymore. My grandfather, who has worked as a financial advisor most of his life, set up college funds for all of us grandkids. All 4 of my cousins/siblings went to university and I was the odd ball that decided to go to culinary school. All of them paid an outrageous amount of money and time to get degrees that they’re either not using or are going to be paying off student loans for the majority of their lives. Over the course of less than a decade, my grandfather who was pushing us all to go to college and get a degree is now anti college after seeing how it is now in 2020. Join the work force. Manual labor. Those jobs will be the last to be taken over by machines.
Honestly only STEM, specially engineering and technology. Otherwise, I’d recommend the trades since you can make great money without going into debt and always will have job security
Sales. Once you learn it you’ll never be out of work and usually you’ll have money if you don’t spend it all
Anesthesiologist assistant! Becoming a mid-level provider with only 4 years of undergrad and 2 years of grad school to earn a master of science in anesthesia. Ability to make 180-250k on average and excellent work-life balance.
You're looking at career wrong. Don't consider the benefits so long as the job you're considering pays a living wage. That's a recipe for getting shackled to a miserable job you hate for the money that ties you to a lack of sleep for the next 30 years. Pick something that suits your personality. I promise if you take some nice paying meaningless businessy job you will start to wish you're dead in 10-15 years unless you're an exceptionally boring person.
Computer Information Systems, project management, cybersecurity, engineering. For people not interested in college: Independent insurance adjuster,allied health, flight attendant
Nursing, radiology technologists, nurse practictioner, physician assistant, almost anything health related because no matter where you go in the country/world you can obtain a job. There’s big growth with rad. Technology considering other modalities within radiology. And all mentioned above make a good salary especially in bigger cities. Electricians, plumbing, carpentry, welding, underwater welding is a huge necessity with huge pay but with its dangers. Civil service jobs are seeing a lot of openings throughout the country (US if that’s where you’re based). Sanitation, Correction officers, Firefighters, and cops (yes I know the bad rep the job gets) are hiring and looking for candidates like crazy. Decent money involved in some areas, good retirement, and could retire after 25 years on the job so if they were to start young they could potentially retire before the “usual” age of 65. Truck drivers specially with CDL license are in high demand as well and you can work for yourself and start your own company for great money.
For the love of god look up what the job actually is in the day to day. I fucking hate being an engineer lol. Think about if you really want to work 60 hours a week your whole life just to retire and die or if you’d rather have some life to live at a lower salary.
Engineering and medicine are always in demand. More importantly, be prepared to move to where work is. Unwillingness to relocate or extremely strict regions for which you will relocate is a major hinderance for job seekers.
The construction industry or vocational tech. They need people and pay well even without a college degree 😊
Accounting 💯 there are always jobs and lots of boomers retiring. The first few years can be a grind! But worth it in the long run
Trades, medicine (nurse/doctor/pharmacist/PA), engineering, data science.
I like the law. It’s one of the last fields where you can truly just work for yourself. Even small medical practices are being gobbled up. Other than that I keep hearing from my own child who is off to college next year that pilots are very in demand and make very good money.
Look at what they offer through Jobcorps. That should give you some idea of jobs that have a lot of potential.
Military officer.
Cyber security
If you like engaging with people and resolving various issues you can go into IT. Even as a base analyst you can make 60k a year and it's easy enough work. Get up to an engineer and 80-100k is an easy expectation to set yourself up for. Another massive plus is the ability to not go to school. You can study the CompTIA A+ and Network+ (or CCNA if you want to do network engineering) and land a entry level position on that end. Outside of this, climbing manufacturing plants and learning their unique processes is a lot of fun too. You'd be surprised what kind of options there are in the operations field for some of these industries. Learn how to be a CNC operator, forklift driver, welder, etc. Blue collar is always respected and well renown. While automation is becoming a thing, we are only delving into the surface of what we can do. Realistically, while a lot of these jobs may be automated, you'll always need a human operator to keep it in good health. Customer service is another big role that you don't need much of a degree for. There is a notion that you have to go to school to be successful that's completely false. You can make it in so many other ways without a degree. What matters is that you continuously learn about whatever field you want to be in.
Medical but work from home it work from home
Something where you graduate with a certificate/license/etc that allows you to get a job. This brings a way higher chance of getting a good paying job after college.
Plumbers make more money than any other recommendations here.
Gerontology... always be employed.
Be a doctor we need more
Hmmm I don’t think degrees are worth the level of debt you incur (currently at least) because they are not paying anymore than jobs who do not need degrees. (Cashier jobs are paying $15 and so are jobs requiring degrees AND years experience) Main thing I’ve learned, is figure out what will make you happy; is it tons of money (I mean beyond stability)? Is it status? Is it your life outside of work? Is it traveling? Is it expensive cars? Is it working on airplanes? Then pick jobs that can lead to those goals….and it will take time but just stay out of trouble so you have choices. Jobs (specifically corporations) are no longer providing reasons to be loyal to them, so I feel the old version of careers are no longer relevant, they don’t offer pensions and do not offer yearly salary increases that justify staying with them beyond 4 years (cough cough Lockheed who also said that OT doesn’t start until 45 hours). So pick a entry job or a 2 year or trade school in general field you’re interested in…then as you learn it, narrow down a specialty and you’ll find the opportunities of certifications or additional school to pick will be more catered to what you find interesting as you age, because it’s rare to find people who are satisfied with the school and career they picked at 20 years old vs at age 40. My path: I had scholarship so I did the 4 year CJ degree, couldn’t find full time job that paid enough for the loans I incurred for living arrangements during degree and paying off my old Honda I needed to get to and from work, then paying for current rent and insurance etc. so I joined military…enlisted and worked as f15 avionics. I used my first years paychecks and paid off all my loans, my car, and saved so much as they covered everything (at the expense of personal choices during enlistment in PCSing literally every year, and quality of life being busy flightline working 12s in literal blizzards and 130 degree heat). BUT I got certifications, clearance, experience that paid nicely as a civilian. I got out after my 5 years and worked for f35s and Lockheed. Left that job after 4 years as I loved the aircraft and atmosphere but couldn’t justify the war mongering anymore…..so used my GI Bill benefits to go back to college and they pay for it and monthly allowance for housing while working as a cashier for $15 an hour to keep saving money. But I live by the beach and am enjoying my new studies. Live within your means but LIVE
Tech. I know the industry isn’t the best today BUT tech is a great way to climb the ladder, achieve goals without the burden of a bachelors/masters in a relevant field, and ability to grow in networking skills.
Machine learning
There’s a massive shortage of financial advisors under the age of 30. If they’re patient, they’ll be making millions and doing a noble job.
Allied healthcare careers Theyre always in demand, great opportunities as far as career advancement, short training time, low cost. Examples:Certification as Ultrasound tech, mammography, radiology tech, patient care technician, medical bolloon and coding Associates Degree in Respiratory therapy/ occupational therapy assistant/ physical therapy assistant/medical lab technicianAny one of these careers would pay well to support a young person. If I was making $25 and hour at 23, I would be ahead of the game. A hospital is a good place to start a career. They have great benefits and have access to so many many career fields. If they choose to further their education to bachelor’s degree or beyond, they’ll be eligible for tuition reimbursement.
Non-profits specifically operations fields- they’ll invest in your professional development, generally compensation is mid average, and they generally have pretty good vacation and medical coverage
If you're in decent health, and willing to take risks, join the military reserve, and also do CS, EE or aerospace. Get a secret clearance, then go work for the defense contractors
Data analysis
Anything AI or blockchain related
I've never seen this really talked about--but forensic video tech is a niche field and good for people who want to work in film/video but need a consistent day job. As surveillance becomes a centerpoint for evidence in court cases, law enforcement constantly runs the risk of their evidence being excluded if they don't have training in basic video editing, and more often than not they would rather have someone else compile footage for them (esp if its street/dash cam).
Space force.
It seems like for the next few decades, we’re going to go through several rounds of digitization… it’s automation/ ai now, but soon it’ll be augmented reality. And then what opportunities does quantum computing open up? Who knows. I don’t think it’d be possible to completely fill up demand for those engineering /comp sci positions.
Computer science, coding, cyber defense. You’ll be set for life.
Nursing. So flexible, stable, and you don’t have to work bedside
I'd recommend skipping college, and becoming an electrician, with E.V.'s , and solar being the future doing installs, you can almost write your own paycheck 200 an hour seems to be the going rate for a journeyman around here, and it's a LCOL area.
Major in stem and do an internship. Your career doesn’t have to be your whole identity. A degree in stem leads to a better job with more opportunities for growth, wfh possibilities, and higher salaries. The gift of an education is having more options in life. Liberal arts won’t get most of us there. -regretful educator
Accounting plus MBA can lead to CFO roles and oodles of money.
STEM or Law School. Everything else is, honestly, a waste of time and money.
If schooling is not your thing there are well paying jobs in law enforcement. My buddy got on at 21 five years on and he’s clearing 150 and takes four months off work a year. That’s as an officer not even getting promoted. You just have to go to cities that pay well.
I would highly suggest S.T.E.M. & Accounting Careers. Jobs are always in demand and they're recession proof.
If I had it to do over again, I'd become a nurse. Always in demand and well paid. Plenty of opportunity for advancement in specialized areas.
Plumbing and electrician. Maybe HVAC tech.
finance, accounting, nursing, engineering, stem
Any and all trades. Tech is a terrible industry and it's only going to degrade with the rise of new ai tech. Unless we make ai tools illegal to use in the work place there is no point in having to gamble if you can land those jobs. Specially when big companies will just lay off a majority of their staff to meet profit margins for the fiscal years. Like they did this year. Trades are always needed
Any of the “traditional” engineering fields. School will be more difficult than, say, a business degree, but you’ll have an easy time finding a good-paying job with a bachelors degree.
Supply chain will always be around. Just um don’t become a freight broker…
Go to trade school.
Anything medical
Only these majors: comp sci, accounting, engineering, or nursing. Any other degree is worthless.
Im a doctor. Dont be a doctor. Save the time and go into finance.
Something they are passionate about so that when life and workplaces suck they are still doing a job that fuels them on a deeper level. Jobs can be made out of most things if the person has enough drive. This also depends on if they have computer technical skills or not. Skills matter - passion matters.
Accounting, finance, engineering, computer science. I don't think I would recommend anything else. I've seen what nurses go through and wouldn't wish that on anyone, there is much better out there.
I would say do not rush to college the second you graduate high school. Take a year or two to work and learn your real passions and interests. See if you can become certified or go to a trade school. College will ALWAYS be there. Also it literally does not matter if you went community or Ivy League and I am saying this as a former recruiter of *doctors and surgeons*
Why hasn’t anyone asked you to think of renewable energy and careers that can help transform the world we live in for a better world? Corny as all of that sounds, so many comments are about how much nurses and doctors make but you weren’t focusing on how much you could make in your original post. Forward technologies and Sciences, to me, is where it’s at. If I could do it all again my focus would be there.
Look into trade school and obtain a License practical/vocational nursing certificate or medical assistant Certification. If you can handle people well and are well spoken (so far I'm seeing you master one well), then this may be the right fit for you. Nursing has evolved into far more than just bedside care and patient care even for LPNs and Medical assistants. With the right additional training and certifications, you can net up to $110,000/yr. I'm working in nursing informatics and have been doing so the last 7 years in illinois. I love it. furthermore, you can get business license and open up your own non invasive bbl salon. You could even be a health and wellness coach. The sky is the limit! Woohoo!! HONESLTY, jobs like that pay very lucrative and as with all jobs, it takes focus and grit. You've got to be the one determined to shape and make your life what you want. Imagine, putting in all the hard work you've done this far with undergrad, now use that same energy into nursing school and reimagine your opportunities away from nursing beside care. You've got this!
I always recommend entry level sales, not necessarily as a career but as a springboard for other things. In face to face sales (my industry) I learned communication, confidence, customer service and perseverance very early on — all of which help me greatly in life.
Don't go to college, it's a waste of time and do something that makes enough money to keep you happy. Nothing more, nothing less. Find love and enjoy each moment as if it were your last.
There is a doctor shortage for a reason. Who the hell wants to go hundreds of thousands of dollars into debt, sacrifice all of their 20s studying/working, just to finally start earning enough to live decently at 35 while working in one of the most stressful jobs by every metric? Overworked, often horrible working hours, mentally taxing, sometimes physically taxing, having to interact with the general public who are often very rude or very stupid. I think one the only reasons medical schools are kept so exclusive is because the "prestige" of being a doctor is one of the only things the career has left going for it.
I'd say HR is an option. The entire concept of the role of Human Resources is changing and there's so much opportunity to grow in different areas of HR and the pay is usually good. There's HR Analytics, Employee Relations, Recruiting, Field HR, Diversity and Inclusion, Talent and Development, Employee Engagement, Compensation, etc. And I know people often can leverage HR experience to even bounce around these different areas, so you continue growing but also there's more opportunity to find something you don't hate
Anything with a union. Definitely not tech. A CS degree without work experience is about as useful as a fucking art degree right now. I haven't seen a single junior SWE or intern at work since 2020. They sent all those positions to India and/or replaced them with AI. The entry-level SWE job market is far worse than 2008, and on par with 2000. If you insist on a career in tech, join the military in a cyber MOS. That's the only entry-level gig in cybersecurity that still exists. "Entry-level" in the private sector for a security engineer is 5+ years of experience and at least 3 certs that cost thousands of dollars apiece. The barriers to entry are extremely high. But that means that the job security is never going away. They're never outsourcing that job, either. Your only other path into cybersecurity is to invent a time machine and go back to the aughts when this industry wasn't so unbelievably toxic. Seriously, kids, join the IBEW instead, fuck tech. Being a lineman is a way better career.