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What do you do for a living and how did you get where you are today?

Discussion in 'LGBT Later in Life' started by AnonymousForeve, Nov 10, 2013.

  1. AnonymousForeve

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    I just want to hear some of your stories because I am currently in the closet because my parents don't approve of homosexuality and I've decided that I need to be out on my own before I can come out. I'm currently going to college, but I'm undecided and I'm not sure what to major in. My interests are more toward math and science than any other subject. I would like to be able to get a job soon after college so that I can leave my house and support myself so that I can finally start living my life, but I'm not entirely sure how I should go about doing that exactly. I also can't work for a really low salary because I would like to have a family someday, but I don't need to be making six figures in order to be happy in life.

    I think that if I hear some of your stories, it might help me find some guidance in life that I've been sorely lacking.
     
  2. Klutz

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    I'm a mechanical engineer. I changed majors and had to do a total re-evaluation of what I wanted to do. This was the advise I was given:

    What would your dream job be? You said you like science and math. Which sciences? Physics, chemistry? Which maths? Theoretical or applied? Do you want to work with electronics, or make things that move mechanically? What are you good at? Do you tie moral value into you job (e.g. do you want to make the world a better place). Do you want to move, and where? How far would you be willing to go from home?

    I got a job within a couple weeks of graduation and make decent money. Decent being affording the lifestyle I want to live. usajobs.gov is a really helpful tool for looking at what fields are growing as well as salaries and locations. I don't know if you are in the USA, but it may be helpful even if you aren't.

    I'm also going to suggest looking at trade schools for things like being a machinist (with overtime, some of them make more than engineers at my work).
     
  3. Tiny Catastrophe

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    You're already ahead of me. I have no idea what career to go with or even what college to attend. I'm currently a retail slave (or to be correct, sales associate) but I do not make enough to survive on where I live nor do I want to do that for the rest of my life.
     
  4. Klutz

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    I gave you the wrong link. I meant to sen d you to the Occupational Outlook Handbook. I also forgot to check and see if we are supposed to post links. So, look it up. you can see projections in certain fields as well as the average salaries for certain time benchmarks as well as the variance in the pay.
     
  5. Alejandro

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    I agree with u,I need to be out on my own before I can come out to my parents however they will accept me because they are not homophobic but I'd rather not say yet.

    First of all I suggest you do not choose to follow a path just because you need the money or go somewhere fast, concentrate on what you really are interested. For example, I love art and architecture and is just what I'm studying right now though it will be a hard road because like you I hope to have a family someday.

    Try to take it easy to look like a good person with good intentions and that soon life will reward you. and sorry my terrible english!!
     
  6. Tightrope

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    You need to take this in steps. Getting your education and becoming emancipated could precede coming out, since I advocate the least drama possible during school, since it's draining enough, and especially if a person is in a situation with a potentially hostile family circle. You are being true to yourself by following the general line of skills and aptitudes that suit you, so that's very good. Then, just put your nose to the grindstone once in the work place. Try to be perceptive as to what a good fit in terms of an employer might be, in terms of their tolerance and diversity, if you are able to do so. That's important, too.
     
  7. AnonymousForeve

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    Thanks to everyone who posted so far! :icon_bigg

    I should probably add that I'm also not against the idea of having a job that I don't absolutely love doing. As long as I don't despise what I do, I'll probably be fine. Hell, if I wasn't concerned about having a family, then I probably wouldn't mind working two minimum wage jobs. I find that many people are concerned with getting their hypothetical dream job in which they love every second of what they're doing (and that's completely fine), but I dream more about being with a guy that I love dearly that loves me in return and with whom I can share all of my personal feelings with. This might have to do a lot with pretending to be someone I'm not in order to survive in the helpless state I'm in, but regardless, I've never been more sure about anything I want in life than this.

    But if I were to give it some thought, I've always loved video games, so I think my dream job would probably involve helping to develop them. It's never seemed like something I could do, but I have considered taking a beginner programming class to see if I'm any good at it.

    This is going to be a bit of a long, somewhat unrelated rant ahead (it's related more with my original post than this one), but when it comes to schoolwork, I've been pretty dedicated to getting everything I need done. Sometimes, I'd spend hours before and after school just to try to get help with some of my harder classes and I would (and still sometimes do) occasionally pull all-nighters. I graduated high school with about a 96 average and based off of the grades I'm getting in my college pre-requisites, I'm probably going to have a pretty good GPA this semester. Reflecting on this, it makes me wonder... Does being able to work like this in school translate decently into the real world? Or does this not matter in the slightest?
     
    #7 AnonymousForeve, Nov 10, 2013
    Last edited: Nov 10, 2013
  8. greatwhale

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  9. SemiCharmedLife

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    I'm a grad student because I'm a nerd and a masochist. Eventually I would like to be a professor. But in case that doesn't work, my backup career is trophy husband.
     
  10. Tightrope

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    This is a new one to me. I've heard something like "Don't do what you love ... love what you do." I struggle with that one. I would think that if you do something you love, you will love what you do. *visualizing a dog chasing its tail*
     
  11. Phoenix

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    that's what i want to be too! how do we make that happen?
     
  12. Klutz

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    I was going to say that the majors (and jobs) dealing with software development with an emphasis on games and things is highly competitive and you would have to be a stellar student to succeed. Then I finished reading your post, and from what you have said, it sounds to me like you've got what it takes. The passion that you work with and the dedication to completing a task translate. The willingness to track down help and not settle for good enough is a great quality. As long as you don't pick your nose during interviews, I think you could bank on your academic life. Don't forget to network, however. And professional groups are awesome for meeting people.

    If your university doesn't offer a program for what you want, I'm going to advise you to go talk to someone from the math department about applied mathematics and maybe merging that with a programming major (perhaps a create your own thing).

    Best of luck!
     
  13. Tristar

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    When I was just getting out of high school and heading to college I didn't have the foggiest idea what I wanted to do. Although I had interests in science (astronomy in particular) and always did well in those subjects, I ended up with a degree in, of all things, Theatre and Drama and ... have had a career in computer software development ever since. Once I did finally graduate I still didn't have a real good sense of what I was going to do next. I got a temp job that was to last for two weeks that ultimately led to my software career. (The two week temp job turned into 4 years at that particular company and positions with other software companies came afterwards.)

    I guess the point is some people know early and with no hesitation what they are destined to do with their lives. Others, like myself, do not, and it can take some time to find our way. Either way, it's okay.

    Take your time and explore the options. Try different things. Talk to people who are doing things that align with your interests; if possible, even visit their workplaces. Most of all, don't be afraid of making a change if you find you are not as content with a field as you thought you might be. I spent 5 years in undergraduate school because I decided that liberal arts were more interesting to me at the time so I switched majors. Obviously, I did not end up with a career in the theatre, but it was the right thing to do at the time and I have no regrets.
     
  14. AnonymousForeve

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    Thanks for the replies, everyone! This has made me feel a little better about college. :icon_bigg

    I'd like to use college as a chance to explore different possibilities, but I'm kind of worried about the debt I might stack up as a result of it. I have some good scholarships, so my situation isn't as bad as other students, but I've seen some pretty bad results from students not trying to set permanent goals for themselves in college (although to be fair, most of those cases involved students that didn't take school as seriously as they should have).

    Also, what's it like having a software development career? I'm kind of interested in majoring in something computer related (Computer Science, Computer Information Systems, Software Engineering, etc.), so it would be great to hear from somebody working in the field like yourself. Are there certain points when you consider your job very hard or stressful? How many hours a week do you typically work and do you often have to work overtime? Also, you mentioned that a temp job you had led to eventually getting your current job. What was that temp job and how were you able to get it? Thanks for the help! :icon_bigg
     
  15. Tristar

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    The student loan situation is certainly more difficult today than it was for me back in the '80s. I was also fortunate enough to have a scholarship to help out. Of course, that only lasted for the first four years. My final year was a bit more challenging as I did have to pick up a part-time job to make ends meet and pay for tuition, etc.

    My career has had its ups and downs, probably like most others. At its best I was working long (looong) hours but I was at a place where it didn't feel like a grind--I really enjoyed what I was doing. My current situation is less interesting (and in fact, I'm considering a change right now) but the hours haven't been as long. It really depends on where you are and what your interest-level is in the work you're doing. All my software jobs have been salaried so overtime isn't really a factor. You work as long as you need to to get the job done. Oftentimes it may be long hours but, if you're getting into it because you enjoy doing it, it won't feel like slaving away. Most of the time, anyway. :icon_bigg

    As far as my situation, I picked up a job through a temp agency just doing mundane computer work (spreadsheets, word processing, etc.) and the employer was so satisfied with my contribution that I was kept on beyond the initial period. Eventually I moved to programming (something I had toyed with in my spare time anyway) and administering a mini system (IBM AS/400) for the same company. Most of my subsequent jobs came through networking with friends online in related fields or other colleagues in the industry.