I have no idea what I am going to do with my life

[jiacinto]

I really don't. I've lost so much money nad have so many broken pieces while everyone else I know gets high paying jobs.

I need something to break my way.

[La_Serpiente]

1. Carlos, what are you looking for?

Perhaps you should answer that question first.

[RebelOne]

2. I don't know what to tell you.

But you are young and have a lot going for you. I think you will make it.

[Demobrat]

3. First, quit worrying about what everybody else has.

That's a losing attitude.

[jiacinto]

7. But I can't get it off my mind

that's all I end up talking/thinking about.

[E_Zapata]

46. J - that's just another shade of GREED.......

not becoming even to you.

[E_Zapata]

45. Not only that.....it's bad karma

coveting other's alleged windfalls......bad bad bad. The universe doesn't reward that because it is founded on selfishness.

[kixot]

4. Heh, join the club.

I'm 27 and still dont know what I want to be when I grow up. I already have a wife, no kids, so I'm running out of choices and my options are slimming quite a bit. I hate to say it, but sometimes I feel it must be pretty nice being W., all fortunate and carefree.

[prolesunited]

5. Quit making the pursuit of money

the sole focus of your life.

[jiacinto]

18. Ok

But I really like money.

[CandyCrim21]

59. Absolutely.

Money does not buy happiness, if your happy with yourself you can make everything else even out.

[Droopy]

6. First, stop comparing yourself to other people

It seems like you're real hung up on how well all your friends are doing while you wallow in despair.

Don't wait for some stroke of luck to happen to you. You are going to have to go out there and make it happen. It is a tough job market out there but, still, success largely depends on you. Ain't nobody going to hand you anything.

[jiacinto]

8. I know

I know. I just can't get the thoughts out of my mind.

[KoKo]

78. Arghhhhhhhhhhhh! Carlos is some dark side of ourselves..the more we feed

him the more he takes over our thoughts....AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

[HEyHEY]

9. Carlos.....fuck the high paying job

Forget about high paying jobs. I gave up a $45,000 a year job to go to a $70,000 a year job that turned out to be a nightmare. Even on the good days I was thinking "shit, this isn't how I want to live" And all that money, didn't mean a damn thing in the end of it. I wasn't happy, couldn't see myself ever becoming happy....and worst of all my boss was the biggest prick in the world. The whole time I felt like a fraud, like I didn't belong in that kinda world...after I quit I realized that was why I was so off kilter..... Money and possesions were something I had tricked myself into thinking were important to me. And living in a money driven town like Vancouver and being with the "rich folks" all day only fueled that. Now I realize who I am and what I want to do. I guess you won't know who you are until you try to be who you aren't.

Now I'm trying to find a job as a journalist and will be thanking god if I can make $12 an hour..but I know I will be happy and can't wait to begin.

Carlos....forget about the money..find something you like doing, whether it's a cause or something like that, and find a way to make money at that. It will maybe be a bit before you make a lot of money at it. But in the end, as Sinatra said, you'll have done it your way.


Trust in Allah - But tie your Camel Securely - J

[Heddi]

10. E-V-E-R-Y-O-N-E you know has a high-paying job?

I find that hard to believe.

Maybe ALOT of people you know, but EVERYONE? Even the woman who rings up your order at the quicky-mart?

Even the guy who pushes the broom at your hotel?

I mean, you don't know them PERSONALLY, but you know OF them.

Quit comparing yourself to other people. You'll ALWAYS fall short.

I've said this before, but I suppose it bears repeating:

There will always be someone with:

a better job
a larger savings account
a nicer car
bigger boobs
a larger penis
a more beautiful spouse
a better mortgage rate
better gas mileage
nicer shoes
trimmer toenails

YOU need to compare yourself to YOU.

Stop worrying about what other people have, and worry about what you WANT--from yourself.

What do YOU want to do with your life? It's okay to admit that maybe you're not happy with what you went to school for, or that you wish you'd spent your time doing something else.

Be glad that you have family, and health, and a car, and belongings.

There are many people in this world who have NOTHING---NOTHING.

Losing a mastercard is nothing.

Losing self respect is everything

[HEyHEY]

11. hmmm

"a better job
a larger savings account
a nicer car
bigger boobs
a larger penis
a more beautiful spouse
a better mortgage rate
better gas mileage
nicer shoes
trimmer toenails"

Sounds like you're describing Ron Jeremy

[jiacinto]

13. I understand

I really do. I think going to a prestigious, snooty liberal arts colllege really warped my brain.

[E_Zapata]

48. Again, you fail to take responsibility for your decisions........

It might have started by the fact that you WANTED to go to that snooty liberal arts college.

[jiacinto]

51. My mother wanted me to go there

And this whole Florida nightmare is my fault.

[CandyCrim21]

62. Babe........

never do anything for anyone elses reasons but your own. You have to worry about yourself first in this life. When it comes to life decisions, I mean. You get my drift.

[northzax]

69. probably true.

Heck, I know after my turn at a snooty liberal arts college, we all pursued high paying jobs. but you know what? I'm 29, and the people I really thought were interesting have either left those jobs for other things, usually involving less moolah, or never joined the rat race to begin with. There will never be enough money to fill that hole, my friend. sure, go play wit the big boys, just long enough to know that you aren't good enough, aren't singleminded enough, aren't cruel enough to make it. then find something you want to do.

Rehab is filled with people who followed someone else's idea of what life should be. sounds like you're learning that one the hard way.

[elcondor]

70. I'M at a snooty liberal arts college

right now and I'm not getting brainwashed into thinking I WILL have a high-paying job and a mansion upon graduation. I don't have delusions about the life I'm going to have. A B.A. will certainly help, but, as an adult, I realize it doesn't GUARANTEE a certain lifestyle.

First of all, I think you need to stop driving. :-) IMHO, this cross-country meandering is a metaphor for your life. Like others have said, you need to figure out what you want to do with your life and then DO it. And figuring out where to live is the first step.

Even more than that though, I think you need to talk to a professional about your fears and insecurities. You have posted topic after topic here about your life and it doesn't seem like you have gotten the advice you need.

[caledesi]

31. Excellent post Heddi. nt

[David Zephyr]

86. Heddi, You Are A Wise Soul.

:thumbsup:

[Heddi]

89. :bows, blushing:

Like most of us, I had to learn these lessons myself---I'm not perfect, but I learned that money in no way guarantees happiness. If anything, it adds to your problems--it makes you want MORE, it makes you lose touch with who you are, and makes you focus on WHAT YOU HAVE.

I grew up below the poverty level.

Once I started making REAL MONEY I started to live the way I thought I was always supposed to have lived----eating out every night, buying clothes I never wore, buying shoes that were ugly and uncomfortable.

Where I was once an outcast for wearing hand-me-downs and having to tape my glasses together, I suddenly became POPULAR. People gravitated towards me because I wore expensive clothes and flaunted my money like it grew on a tree.

Then, it dawned on me that I had become a superficial, vapid, shell of the person I REALLY was. I didn't do the things I really liked to do because it wasn't 'cool'. I didn't wear the clothes I wanted to because it wasn't 'cool'.

I realized that I Was letting material desires, greed, and the need to appeal to everyone get in the way of who *I* was.

So I donated all the clothes, threw out all the makeup, and said fuck it.

I found myself happy for the FIRST TIME.

Now, my $$ goes into the savings account. I haven't bought a new pair of underwear in 2 years, nor new jeans in over a year.

But I'm happy. I only strive to please my husband and myself--and happily, both of us are happy with ME, not my clothes, or my job, or my hair colour.

The cult of greed and materialism is just that -- a cult. We're fed the idea every day, in every ad, in every newspaper, that we must OWN more, WORK more, MAKE more, WEAR more -- it's not okay to be yourself, you have to be a walking advertisement. You have to do the 'cool' things to matter. YOu have to have a nicer car than you can afford because otherwise, you're not a worthwhile human being. You have to buy a $200 pair of shoes or else you just don't matter in this world.

Materialism can turn the greatest people into shallow shells who lose all track of the REAL important things in life.

Now, I don't want a house on a hill and a shiny new car. I don't want new clothes and fancy china. Give me a farm with some goats and chickens; give me mud on my hands from the garden I just sowed; Give me a pair of shoes that are 10 years old and fit me like a glove, and jeans that have the 'tummy-pinching' worn out of them 5 years ago.

Living simply is doing just that--Living Simply. Some people say it's "simply living" but don't buy into that.

Do what YOU want to do. Be who YOU want to be. Once you do those 2 most important things, everything else will fall so nicely into place you'll be tickled pink and unable to handle yourself.

"To thine own self be true"---truer words have never been spoken.

[SOteric]

12. Make the life you want.

It's not like slices of a pie. Even if everyone you know has what they want, there's still plenty of 'stuff' in the world left for you.

[GregW]

14. Didn't you quit your last job?

If so, why? Shouldn't you be working now?

[jiacinto]

19. A lot of reasons

That I can't really go into on the board, except that they were legitimate ones.

[caledesi]

32. Read "Tuesdays with Morrie" - that will put it in perspective.

Did it for me.

[htuttle]

15. Savor the moment

For now, you have slack.

Others spend their lives in pursuit of slack, but you have it, in abundance, right now.

Before long, you can get right back into the rat race if you wish. And then you will look back at this time, and savor the memories...

[Champion Jack]

24. PRABOB

[Nlighten1]

16. You need to take some meditation classes Carlos

There are places near me that offer them for free. Why don't you find some near you that are free, that is, if you can find them. When you find inner peace you will see that these things don't matter.

[Southsideirish]

17. Do what a Buddhist would do....

Concentrate on the "now" - don't dwell on the past or what might have been - that will drive you crazy..

[Susang]

20. No offense Carlos, but you really got to get over this stuff

You are young, you have an advanced college degree, you still have a car (a brand new one, if I remember correctly), and most importantly, YOU HAVE YOUR HEALTH! Many people, myself included, aren't so lucky on that score.

You're hardly helpless or without skills. If you continue to feel sorry for yourself , you won't see *any* opportunities that come your way. Just because your friends have gotten "high paying jobs" doesn't mean that you won't at some point. What they have and what they get has NOTHING to do with you. Why do you think you deserve what they have?

I'm much older than you, and trust me, been knocked around more times than I could count; most recently two months ago. No matter what you may think, every knock down or setback is an opportunity for growth and change. I have learned from every situation that caused me pain, I have grown from every incidence of humiliation, anxiety, fear and bankruptcy I have endured.

Nietzsche said "that which does not kill us makes us stronger". Words to live by.

[jiacinto]

22. Okay

But I got better grades and worked just hard as many of them. What they seemd to have, which I haven't had, is good connections.

[HEyHEY]

23. start presusring the people in your area that you wanna work for

Go back and back and back...you'll create your own job.

[Susang]

25. So what?

I did better in school than a lot of people who are much more successful than I am. It's all about how you gauge success. If what you care about is money and material success, than you'll probably never be happy.

Somebody will always have more of whatever you want. Imagine people in third world countries reacting to your complaints. How do you think they would see your life? Success is relative.

Now, if you want to get out of this self-pity funk, you need to *do* something. Make a plan. List your goals or even just the things that are important to you. Then think about how to make them happen. What do you need to do (and I mean *you*, not other people, not "connections", just you) to get closer to them.

As someone who's recently been unemployed, then taken over a 50% cut in pay, just to improve my quality of life, I know that you can make do with less. Luxury is a matter of perspective. You have so much more than you think you do.

[jiacinto]

26. I know

nt

[Susang]

28. It's all about action, Carlos

Doing something positive about your situation will make you feel better, trust me. It really boosts your self esteem and I have a sneaking suspicion that you might need a little extra push in that area.

The best thing about being a liberal is seeing (and understanding) that there a million different ways to be successful in life and they're all equally valid. It's really about what is right for you, not what your friend have going for them. The sooner you stop worrying about them, the better off you'll feel.

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

27. First:

YOU make good connections, in the manner you present yourself. I do not mean expensive suits, shirts, ties, shoes and watches. There are enough slugs like that running around that if you put them all in the ocean, they would displace all the water and it would go dry.

No, how you present yourself is from the inside. It is a very intangible thing, but people know it when they see it and experience it. Also, fer' christ sake, GET INTO COUNSELING!!! Get your mind healthy. Hell, work on getting your body healthy too, your mind will love you for it. Go to the Y and hit the weight stack or something! You got the time. Use it on you. You won't have this luxury forever.

Follow your bliss. Find something that causes tectonic shifts in your nether regions and DO IT. Fuck this standard career bullshit. The executive suites(and divorce courts...) are stiff with people who spend too much time gazing out the window wishing they were somewhere, anywhere else. But they are slaves to a paycheck and the lifestyle it buys. Cluestick Alert: That shit really don't matter.

One more thing, use this time to work on developing something too few people have:

Some wisdom.

[proud patriot]

21. Somethings bound to go your way Carlos

I'm pulling for ya .

:hi:

[XanaDUer]

29. Some bad news

Life is not always fair.

Many people who attend a "prestigious, snooty liberal arts college " come from wealthy and influential families and have ties to help them into high-paying and/or prestigious positions that those who:

1. Don't go to prestigious, snooty liberal-arts colleges don't get.

2. Those who do go to snooty, liberal-arts colleges but who are there on scholarship and come from non-rich, non-prestigious families still won't get.

That's Life, here and in the rest of the world.

Or, why don't you ask some of these highly paid friends for some job leads?

I know some DUers here offered you a place to stay with them, and another one help with a job.

[jiacinto]

36. Well

The one who helped with a job was offering me something that was on comission only and would not pay until months down the line. While I was grateful and thanked him for offering for it, as I needed to earn cash now, it was simply not appropriate for me to pursue at the moment. I am moving in with family temporarily.

I am under #2 and it sucks. It really does. I have aked some of these friends but all they have been able to do is put me in contact with people. I get to talk to them and then they never get back to me and I end up playing phone tag, at which point the clue phone rings and I have to get the answer.

[XanaDUer]

67. Well, it's at least doing something...

But in the end, you have to rely on yourself.

[jiacinto]

83. I know that all too well

nt

[hunter]

30. My fantasy jobs...

When I graduated from High School, back around the time of the bicentennial, I was hoping someone in the computer or television industry would hire me for a lot of money and pay my way through college. It didn't happen.

For a time I was a furniture mover, and I got pretty strong, so that was one of the best jobs I had as a high school graduate and college student. My worst job was being the handyman at a large daycare center, unclogging the toilets and cleaning up the mess, at least that's how I remember it...)

It was then I lowered my expectations. So I had this fantasy job where I was attending college and working in a nice sandwich shop owned by a woman whose very wealthy and distant husband bought it for her as a tax write-off and real estate investment, and this lovely woman let me live in the apartment upstairs, and when I wasn't working I could write and hit the beer taps downstairs anytime I wanted to

Hmmmm, it was a very elaborate fantasy, but I never got that job either. I did have a girlfriend who worked at Taco Bell, and sometimes she felt sorry for me, and I would buy a taco just before they closed, and she would add random food to my bag, the food that they were supposed to throw out.

When I graduated from college I got a job teaching junior high school in a very big city. That was the hardest job I ever had, and it didn't pay very well, and it sucked whenever the cops had to be called in to look for guns or drugs, because that would get the kids all agitated, and they'd be bouncing out of their seats all over the place to look out the windows.

I've done other things since then, but I'm still looking for one of those fantasy jobs -- one that pays me lots of money to do something I enjoy.

That fantasy job in the sandwich shop still sounds pretty good, but I don't think my wife and kids would approve.

Anyways, another thing for you to think about--

My sister graduated from college and she got one of those high paying jobs you think you want, and mostly she looks happy, but I think she would rather be teaching P.E. at some nice high school somewhere else, but she doesn't know what it would be like to live on a teacher's salary, and she doesn't really want to find out.

[YellowRubberDuckie]

33. Go to a customer service center...

They're everywhere. and they pay well.
Duckie

[RobinA]

34. I Don't Know What Your Interests Are...

But join the Peace Corp or something. Meet a new class of "everyone" to know. It might give you a better perspective. There are A LOT of people out there who don't define success by how much money they have.

You might not know what you want to do for a long time. I decided what I wanted to do when I grew up when I was about 44 years old. I look back on those strivers at the Fortune 200 company I used to work in and they just seem pathetic. Richer than me, but pathetic. They darn sure aren't happy, with their petty office intrigues, back stabbing and such.

[jeter]

35. How old are you Carlos?

Just curious.

[jiacinto]

37. 25

nt

[CandyCrim21]

64. OMG, 25?

25 and you STILL arent situated with your life!!!! Whats the matter with you kid! LMAO, Just kidding. But seriously. This isn't quite the catastrophey your feeling that it is. It sounds like you just need to learn some patience and some persistence and you should be back in the game in no time. Don't be so hard on yourself.

[MissMillie]

38. Get on with it.

Life is what happens to you when you're making other plans.

I know you've had a tough time--and I've been worried about you.

But you know, this too shall pass. If you can go to bed and ask "Did I do all I could do today?" and answer "yes", then life is good.

Stop thinking so much about what you don't have, and concentrate more on what you do have and what you CAN do.

[Richardo]

40. Your key words: "...*MY* life."

It IS your life, not your friends'. It's a unique path that only you can travel. Comparing your life negatively to that of anyone else is a futile, pointless and unproductive exercise.

What can YOU do? Who are YOUR 'connections'? What do YOU want from YOUR life? How are YOU going to get there. Get a vision and make small, achievable, focused steps to get there. Luck comes to those who prepare for it.

MissMillie said it all in her post.

Best of luck to you.

[jiacinto]

41. Ok

I see your point.

[soleft]

39. You're doing it right now, this is your life. RIGHT NOW

Don't miss it waiting for it to happen.

[indigo32]

42. Carlos

the problem with valuing money... is theres never enough of it...(unless you're Bill Gates... and most of us aren't).
There will alway be those with more or less. Happiness comes from within most the time.
Take some time to clear your head and make a plan... then get moving on it.

[RogueTrooper]

43. Go to IOWA

an volunteer for a Presidential campaign. From that you may get a full time job on the campaign. If not, there are other campaigns to get involved with. You have an excellent political brain on you Carlos but I do not think you will be happy until you do a job you want to do.

[sujan]

44. time to go republican

[jiacinto]

49. Time not to be snide

nt

[sujan]

72. This just in from another discussion

Apparently costco pays their workers pretty good.

Work 4 years full time for them, you'll be earning 40,000/year.

[E_Zapata]

52. And therein is the problem

he doesn't know himself well enough to know that he is a republican. One of the finest republicans that money can buy. One of the OLD time republicans (the ones that I respect because they at least think through the issues and proffer their position).

Know thyself, Carlos.

[tom_paine]

54. You too, Zapata?

Feels pretty good to kick a man when he's down?

Just WHO is acting like the BUSHEVIK here, eh, Zapata?

I disagree with carlos' politics a lot, but I wouldn't dream of giving him sh*t aftre all he's been through.

You're quite a guy, Zapata.

[jiacinto]

56. I am not a Republican

My Republican friends would laugh at the suggestion.

[E_Zapata]

80. No, it doesn't feel good to kick a boy when he is down.......

but given the sheer magnitude of the numbers of people who have enough gumption to pick themselves up.....and who may need some support while they are pulling themselves up by their bootstraps, I find Jiacinto absolutely INTOLERABLE and INSUFFERABLE. Gee, I wonder if his attitude has anything at all to do with the fact that potential employers won't call him back?

He LOVES the grief........I am doing him a favor.

and you? get off my back! It's none of your business what my opinion is. If this dude wants to post all day everyday with his whining.....then I am not going to enable that. You can....and I won't say a word to you. So do me the same favor, please.

[tom_paine]

53. Yeah, kick a person when they're down and looking for help, sujan

You must be a GEM of a person...

:puke: :puke: :puke:

[Loonman]

47. The gods help those

Who help themselves.

[tom_paine]

50. Carlos, so many others have said what I was getting ready to

Reread the responses above, pal. Much good advice there.

Most of all...

STOP OBSESSING ABOUT WHAT OTHERS HAVE!

Some are more fortunate, some are less. Some are richer and less talented, some are richer and more persistent.

Whatever. The bottom line is that, even in your hard-core Commie countries, there is inequality.

Live your life, pal, as best you can. Fuck the rest of it.

Be happy.

[GOPisEvil]

55. My answer from the other thread.

You can't sit around and wait for life to come to you. You have to make things happen for yourself. That being said, you aren't going to go from the mailroom to the CEO's office overnight.

As I've said before, I took a job with the State of Texas over 11 years ago. I didn't like the position itself, but I liked getting paid regularly and having benefits. I also noted that there were positions within my agency that I would enjoy, and for me to get one of those jobs was going to require several steps along the way. For the first 8 years of my career, I was promoted 5 times and/or took a lateral move to a more visible position. After 8 years, I got a very good position. Now, I'm getting dissatisfied again, and it might be time to move on, but now I have 3 years of experience in an area I like and a stable 11 years with the same employer. Maybe I'll be able to build from there.

See life in stages, make short, intermediate and long-term goals. Rome wasn't built in a day

[Richardo]

58. A little "Hudsucker Proxy" interlude....

That being said, you aren't going to go from the mailroom to the CEO's office overnight.

Norville Barnes did that on his FIRST day... :D



(a little levity, folks.)

[GOPisEvil]

61. OK - unless you're Tim Robbins!

:D

[CandyCrim21]

57. What exactly is the problem?

I've heard so many peole say this in the last month. Including myself. I'm going to school for Sociology/Criminology and after I get that degreee I think I will have a selection of jobs at my grasp but I have absolutely no idea what I want to do with this degreee. What exactly is it that your looking for? Are you in school now? Are you working? I think I'm pretty good at advice but i'm going to need a little more info to help you out buddy. In the meantime, try not to make yourself miserable over it. ;) Honestly if it makes you feel any better, my dad is 42 years old, retired on disability from the State Highway Dept., he has raised three girls on his own pretty much and he really doesn't do anything besides hunt, fish, and spend time fixing up his house. But a few weeks ago he said the same thing to me. That he didn't know what he wanted to do with his life.

[Gato Moteado]

60. Carlos: you just said you like money....

...but in the past i believe i've heard you say you have worked retail jobs in malls. is this correct? if so, you are not quite on the path to financial freedom, let alone wealth.

now there's nothing wrong with working retail. i just don't think there's a lot of room for growth in that area. what are your marketable skills? what is your degree in?

i know you didn't have a good experience in south florida. i lived there for four years and had a very different experience than you...i love it there. but, no matter where you live you're still going to have the same difficulties in finding a good, high paying job (if that, indeed, is what is most important to you).

if getting into a career is priority one at this moment (and in this economy it probably should be), then the best thing to do is decide exactly what you want to do, update your resume, and start hitting the job market hard. i wouldn't move again just yet until you figure out what it is you want to do. once you figure that out, focus your search in the area you would like to live. when you get a job offer or two, then worry about relocating.

and don't blame your materialistic tendencies on your liberal arts alma mater.

[jiacinto]

63. I was in school at the time

The retail jobs were "survival jobs".

[Gato Moteado]

65. ok, i understand.....

...we've all been there. now you're out of school, right? what is your degree in? what skills do you have that you'd like to utilize in your career?

[CandyCrim21]

66. While your waiting........

for things to start going your way I think A job would be better than NO job at this point. I'm working two waitressing jobs to get through school but if I had to. I'd pick up a third at McDonalds if I was totally strapped for cash.

[XanaDUer]

68. Wasn't there just a thread by you about rushing you life?

Or am I going nuts?

Carlos, it's time for some introspection. You have the time. You say your brother is going to blame you, and maybe he will. Anyone can be a crime victim, at any time.That is not anyone's fault but the mugger's.

But maybe you need to look at yourself and say, "what is my responsibility with why I may not be doing what I want?"

It's not easy. And going to Ivy League schools is no guarantee of success, either. I think I mentioned, and someone else here did, that maybe you should volunteer in a field you like and see if that can get you contacts to move onto another, better-paying job.

But the "American Dream" is not working out for a lot of people, not just you. The economy is no good. I have a Master's degree, and that may make you seem overqualified for a lot of jobs!

[PapaClay]

71. Live It!

I'm starting over fresh for the second time. In my fifties with no marketable degree.

College for me lasted 3 semesters (think Animal House). I then spent 20 years in the military, picking up an AS, and became a damn good mariner. An injury forced me to give up the sea. I retired and found a job in safety. Spent 13 years with the company, became a corporate level manager and saw my position eliminated at the end of last year.

Been out of work for 10+ months. Decided it was time to try something different. Just passed my Network+ exam today and my A+ exam three weeks ago. My next job will be as an entry level PC or network tech. Less pay ('bout 60% less) but also less stress ('bout 90% less).

Shit happens. Concentrate on the journey. In the end, nobody wins and everybody dies.

Hang in there!

[Nikia]

73. I've thought more about your situation

Do you just want to make a lot of money or is there something in particuliar that you want to do? Have you taken the foreign service exam? That could be a possibility if you want to work abroad. Do you want your career to have meaning or do you just want prestige and money? I went to a liberal arts college too and I've been thinking about the connections I may have there. For me, my most successful friends in my major, biology, are on their way to being doctors (PHDs or MDs). The ones making money have jobs in fields that I have no interest in like banking and insurance. Have you really exhausted your college connections? What about your profs? I wish that I would have been closer to my profs. Anyway, I might have a connection for you but I haven't talked to him since I graduated over three years ago so I don't know how receptive he would be for our first contact in a long time to involve asking if he could help find someone that I know from a message board find a job. Being relocatable will help you. Would you mind being an investment banker?

[jiacinto]

84. Trying to work on it

I would not mind being an investment banker. If you could help that would be great.

[dreissig]

90. Investment Banking

It's very hard to get into investment banking. You need to have all sorts of connections. Some people do indeed penetrate the barriers, but they put a tremendous amount of their young lives at risk for an uncertain return.

Every junior person in investment banking works extremely long hours. By this I mean working to the point where it's bad for their health. I've seen young lawyers do the same. The top jobs are hugely competitive.

My guess is that you are disappointed that at age 25 you expected more opportunities. Maybe when you look back at it, you will realize that the opportunities really weren't there, that it was a myth.

[CMT]

74. find some way to occupy your time and I don't mean politics

necessarily. It takes time to find the job your looking for and as I recall you haven't been out of school that long. You should find other interests to occupy your time and volunteer for worthy causes working with people who are homeless or in a hospice. Being a big brother to a kid who could use a positive male to bond with. If you see how so many others are living you'll see that you have everything comparatively. Give it some time, the job will come. In the meanwhile do positive things for others and the rewards to you will be better than anything monetary.

[KamaAina]

75. Based on what I've seen from you here at the mighty DU

you'd make a crackerjack researcher/analyst for any politically-oriented group (well, maybe not the Heritage Foundation :-) ). It could be anything from Common Cause to the League of Women Voters. Of course, the pay is crap, but then again, I went to arguably the snootiest of all American universities (Harvard and maybe Princeton might argue the point :-) ) and at nearly 40, I'm still below the median income for a single person here.

You may have noticed that I've soft-pedaled the Lieberman-bashing of late. This is largely due to the information contained in your well-researched posts on the subject. That's the kind of talent we need out there, persuading swing voters that (insert Dem here) is really not such a bad guy after all. Go for it!

Edit: Spelling and italics at once. Good thing this nasty old keyboard is going away next week!

[jiacinto]

85. Yeah I like research

nt

[Mika]

76. How about a move to Miami-Dade? - its just great here.

Glad to see you're OK, Carlos.

Lotsa jobs for those willing to work hard in Miami. Not a place for the lazy, though.

[Kamika]

77. here's a tip.. stop whining and do something about it

Now I feel SOMEONE has GOTTA come clean.. this has really gone far enough.

Stop whining! Seriously. Snap the hell out of, you won't accomplish ANYTHING if you just watch your friends. And wtf is up with you need something to break your way?

NOONE is gonna give you a break, it's a tough and rough world and someone might aswell spill it out to you because all these "I'm sorry for you" answers accomplishes nothing. So repeat it 10 times.. NOONE WILL GIVE YOU A BREAK!

Get a job as ANYTHING and work hard and you will give YOURSELF a break. Save up money and start a shop.. or just work your ass off but GET a job and WORK and work HARD.

Unless you are physicly disabled you have NO excuse for not working your ass off.

Sitting around thinking how life is unfair will give you shit.

Thanks.

/Sue

Ps. I'm not saying this to be mean. I'm saying this to HELP you

[amazona]

79. who is this everyone who has high paying jobs?

I don't know too many people anymore with a high paying job except for a couple of doctors who work for an HMO/hospital system. Everyone else has a low paying job, even if they have incredible qualifications, or if they're rich, they're either self-employed or they inherited it. There just aren't that many high-paying jobs out there. The people who worked hard in college to get engineering and computer skills...well...they just got totally screwed.

If you DO know lots of people with high-paying jobs, you are in a unique position, because your contacts can help you by letting you know of openings and opportunities. Don't be ashamed to talk to your friends about the fact that you need a job. Most "real" jobs are obtained through networking. Since you are still floundering, I'd suggest taking the first good opportunity you get, even if you are uncertain about the job. Experiment and see where it takes you.


rich friends are good

[jobycom]

81. Life is what you are living right now, dude

I know the feeling of watching friends make more, feeling as though I've made wrong choices. No big deal. Do what you want to do, even if for a while that means just doing the little things you want to do, like eating at Chilis tonight, or playing miniature golf. Don't forget to live while you are planning what to do with your life.

Do little things. Be happy. Do what makes you happy. The rest comes along when you are ready for it.

At this point in my life I hoped I'd be an historian, novelist, actor, rock star and world traveller with an incredible romantic marriage. Life's given me other things instead. I've got two children that are worth more than everything I never did. If I had known then how I would feel about them, I would have given up all of those dreams for the chance to get to meet them. As it is, many of my failures have worked out well. I have a boring, underproductive job, and because of that I spend more time with my kids than any father I know. I also have spare time to do other things. I'm learning to fly, learning French, learning how to build an addition on my house, kayaking, hiking local parks and occasionally exotic places like the Grand Canyon. And I make less than people I was smarter and more talented than. Guess what? Many of them wish they were me.

It works, dude, as long as you let it.

[RobinA]

92. Let's Hear It

for the boring, unproductive job. I had one for 12 years and I did a HUGE amount of stuff with the energy I didn't spend on the job.

In the end it got to me because the atmosphere of the place was really toxic, but I don't really regret hanging around there for so long, because I did other things that I never would have done if the job had requred one iota of energy or brain power.

[onebigbadwulf]

82. Imagine what you'd do with a trillion dollars

and do that.

[NightTrain]

87. I've felt that way for close to 38 years.

:shrug:

[Dr Satan]

88. did you ever

talk to an army recruiter yet?

[dreissig]

91. Plastics, Benjamin

The Graduate was a popular movie when I was in college. We had wider ambitions in those days than getting rich. Looking out just for yourself was considered selfish.

The idealism of the 1960's won't continue to be written off as unrealistic much longer. If young people don't commit themselves to a better world, political reality deteriorates drastically. Adam Smith is wrong - there's no "invisible hand" leading to a better future for everyone. When everybody maximizes just their own personal situation, everybody ends up poorer.