Men skipping college

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July 5th, 2017 at 2:20:58 PM permalink
Evenbob
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 146
Posts: 25010
Quote: Face
This is one of those things that is so terrible and seems there's no real fix. I look at people now and say "How the f#$% could you do one thing for thirty years?" And to think that decision must be made when you're still a child.


It's a tradition that dates back to when the
expected life span was late 40's. You chose
your career early and died when you were
50. The tradition hangs on when life
expectancy is in the 70's now. Now a person
can have 3 careers, in 1890 this was not
possible for most people. Even John Rockefeller
retired in his 60's because that's just what
you did. He kept going to the office till he
was 98, he was the exception.
If you take a risk, you may lose. If you never take a risk, you will always lose.
July 5th, 2017 at 2:37:38 PM permalink
Nareed
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 346
Posts: 12545
Quote: Face
This is one of those things that is so terrible and seems there's no real fix. I look at people now and say "How the f#$% could you do one thing for thirty years?" And to think that decision must be made when you're still a child.


yup.

Quote:
And forget what you're personally attracted to, people flat out have different brains.


Many people wind up choosing a mayor or a career for its prospects alone. Some do well and like the job, others hate it. I've met both kinds.

Quote:
Did you, Nareed, realize or understand your affinity to literature and history when you were 14-18? At almost 100% probability, we all just guess and hope as it's well before it's possible to have a clue of who we are and what we want.


Literature, yes. History, no. I've been a voracious reader since I was 12. But back then my non-fiction reading was almost entirely science and current events (my brother had subscriptions to both Newsweek and TIME).

Worse, I had no idea what I could study or do that would help me write. as it turns out, history was one thing.

Quote:
It's a wonder success even exists.


But perhaps the real problem lies with money. People are steered into careers that maximize their earnings potential, or most are. Be it in choosing a college and field, or not. Now, having money is great, and can help a great deal with achieving satisfaction out of life. But it's not the only way, and getting it might make you miserable.

In his memoir, Asimov said he wanted to study history in college. But settled on chemistry instead, because if he pursued history the best he could expect, professionally, was an academic post at some small college. Ironically after many years of study culminating in a PhD, he found himself employed in an academic position at Boston University (associate professor of biochemistry at the medical school). I should remind you Asimov had a sky-high IQ, a fantastic memory, and was a workaholic to boot.

He had writing to fall back on. he was a prodigy from an early age, too. He wrote his most acclaimed work, the Foundation Trilogy, in his 20s while working at a Navy lab during WWII.

But I digress. Money is important, but life satisfaction, happiness, is more so. And that's what we should be teaching children to pursue.
Donald Trump is a one-term LOSER
July 5th, 2017 at 2:45:13 PM permalink
AZDuffman
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 135
Posts: 18136
Quote: Evenbob
You never worked with drunks full time
in a bar, then. The DMV would be a picnic
compared to that. I hated Cheers because
it was the opposite of how real drunks
act.


I did not but might have preferred it. Call center was hell. Loser after loser looking for loans they couldn't qualify for. Ask loan purpose and they say "bills." Or could not understand why we would not finance ten grand of negative equity. Drunks you do not get Charlie listening in at any moment.
The President is a fink.
July 5th, 2017 at 2:46:19 PM permalink
Evenbob
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 146
Posts: 25010
Quote: Nareed
But I digress. Money is important, but life satisfaction, happiness, is more so. .


Joseph Campbell said about college, follow
your bliss. Follow what makes you happy.
He could easily gotten a doctorate but never
did because he thought it would over qualify
him for what he really wanted to do.
If you take a risk, you may lose. If you never take a risk, you will always lose.
July 5th, 2017 at 4:15:23 PM permalink
kenarman
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 14
Posts: 4470
Quote: petroglyph
Everybody should take some really lousy jobs,,,,,so they will know, when they have a good one.

What I like about having a trade is it allowed me freedom. Freedom to go anywhere I wanted and nearly at anytime. Just because a young person goes and gets a Jry. level certificate, it does not mean they have to spend the rest of their lives occupied doing that. But it can be awesome having a trade to fall back on. Never know when an office job will disappear on you and they can be harder to come by, at least good ones.

One thing I didn't like about the office work, is having to get along with everyone. I needed the freedom to think, act, and look the way I did.

I know guys that wanted to go to college but got a electrical card first, so they could pay for school. Hopefully without loans. It is much better than trying to pay for school flipping burgers.

I'm also glad that the vast majority of my work was done union. Each to their own, but later in life I can spot the older guys that were more trod upon by their employers.

Nothing wrong with going it your own way and starting your own business either. Everyone should have to give that a try once or twice. Might make them respect what your boss is going through a little easier. Me personally, I swore off having any more employee's years ago.


Totally agree with your post petroglyph. I have tried to talk many of the high school grads into going up to Fort MacMurray the centre of Alberta's oil patch. Even with no skills but a decent work ethic they can make $100,000 plus a year. Work for a couple years and and don't buy the $125K pick-up and you can almost enough to pay for college if you still want to go that route. My grand daughters partner has work ethic and skills but no ticket paid $86K in income tax last year working in the patch.

The last line in your post really resonates with me. No friggin employees. Had 50+ at one point have 0 now and I will never have an employee again.
"but if you make yourselves sheep, the wolves will eat you." Benjamin Franklin
July 5th, 2017 at 5:21:14 PM permalink
kenarman
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 14
Posts: 4470
Quote: Face
Jesus wept. I can't tell if you've just given me a glimmer of hope, or snuffed out my last one.

34 more years of this s#$%? I think the line is more like 3 point 4, and smart money is on the under ;)


I might have thought the same at your age Face. I now believe that I am privileged to have the physical ability and chance to be working. 100's of millions of people in the world put their life in danger to have the life I have. We privileged North Americans often lose sight of that fact. Obviously at my age many of my friends have tried retirement. The majority get bored and don't stay retired very long. Pensions for most will keep a roof over their head and food on the table but leaves no "fun money". Fun money comes from going back to work even part time.

The other thing that I believe that makes life pretty easy at this stage Face is that you choose to be happy. This is true for me but it might not be true for you and the demons that want to share your brain. If you wait for life to make you happy you can wait for a very long time. If you just decide 'f...k it' I am going to be happy regardless of what life throws at me it makes life much easier, and I probably deal more efficiently with the bumps in the road. Since I have spent my whole life with the same brain I don't know if that is the luck of the brain draw, if it came from being blessed by a Buddhist monk and the religious artifacts or from something inside me. Whatever it was I will happily take it.
"but if you make yourselves sheep, the wolves will eat you." Benjamin Franklin
July 5th, 2017 at 5:36:19 PM permalink
petroglyph
Member since: Aug 3, 2014
Threads: 25
Posts: 6227
Quote: AZDuffman
I have always thought of making a list of "jobs everyone should have to have in life." The kinds of jobs no man is really a rounded man unless he has seen what they are like. For example:

Everyone should have a job dealing with the public/directly with customers
A job where your daily pay is not guaranteed (e.g.: like my suitcase courier job)
Where you have to stand all or almost all of the time
Where you have to work in less than comfortable cold, hot, or rain/snow. And I do not mean the A/C is cold. I mean outside cold.
Where a machine or customer flow mean you do not get a break in the action by your own choice
Where you work nights/weekends/holidays or any not 9/5/M-F schedule, and often less than 8 hours rest between shifts

Any more ideas?
May they get the chance to have their immediate success depend on a group of employees, just like them.

It's good to want things.

Of course work sucks, that's why they pay you to do it. [but it don't have to]
The last official act of any government is to loot the treasury. GW
July 5th, 2017 at 5:51:35 PM permalink
petroglyph
Member since: Aug 3, 2014
Threads: 25
Posts: 6227
Quote: Face
This is one of those things that is so terrible and seems there's no real fix. I look at people now and say "How the f#$% could you do one thing for thirty years?" And to think that decision must be made when you're still a child.
I saw more than once and it saddened me. Going out on some fishing charters for halibut on Cook Inlet, we would hear and old fella regale us of how he worked at the mill for 40 years, "and always wanted to come to Homer and go halibut fishing". A short time later get him hooked up with a nice fish, and the old guy is to worn down, to reel it in. There he had waited his whole life.

Maybe people need to regularly examine their priority's?
The last official act of any government is to loot the treasury. GW
July 5th, 2017 at 6:27:44 PM permalink
petroglyph
Member since: Aug 3, 2014
Threads: 25
Posts: 6227
Quote: kenarman
Totally agree with your post petroglyph. I have tried to talk many of the high school grads into going up to Fort MacMurray the centre of Alberta's oil patch. Even with no skills but a decent work ethic they can make $100,000 plus a year. Work for a couple years and and don't buy the $125K pick-up and you can almost enough to pay for college if you still want to go that route. My grand daughters partner has work ethic and skills but no ticket paid $86K in income tax last year working in the patch.


In five years, that can be a life changing amount of money. [through these eyes] Good on him, it takes moxy to work the patch. It's a pretty strait crowd that works the oilpatch these days, not like the Ak. pipeline. He can definitely further himself with the energy company. Who doesn't want a good hand, with experience zest and youth?

If he survives the first few market ups and downs, he can probably stay there till he retires if he wants. The oilfield, as well as the trades, has/will see really high attrition rates till they kick the rest of us boomers to the curb.
The last official act of any government is to loot the treasury. GW
July 6th, 2017 at 6:15:58 PM permalink
Face
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 61
Posts: 3941
Quote: kenarman

I might have thought the same at your age Face. I now believe that I am privileged to have the physical ability and chance to be working. 100's of millions of people in the world put their life in danger to have the life I have. We privileged North Americans often lose sight of that fact...

The other thing that I believe that makes life pretty easy at this stage Face is that you choose to be happy. This is true for me but it might not be true for you and the demons that want to share your brain. If you wait for life to make you happy you can wait for a very long time. If you just decide 'f...k it' I am going to be happy regardless of what life throws at me it makes life much easier, and I probably deal more efficiently with the bumps in the road. Since I have spent my whole life with the same brain I don't know if that is the luck of the brain draw, if it came from being blessed by a Buddhist monk and the religious artifacts or from something inside me. Whatever it was I will happily take it.


I like to think I remain aware of "1st World Problems" when I'm bitching about one. Face, or who I feel is the "real" Face, has a handle on s#$%. I can reread my fishing thread and see it, as there was never a moment of "oneness" in my life as during that time. It's the depression, man. It's a trip.

I totally get that being happy is a choice, and I for the most part believe it. But when your head's not working, the choice simply doesn't exist. It's not a matter of deciding an obstacle is an opportunity to promote happiness, it's lacking the mechanism that allows happiness to exist. It's a very f#$%ed up situation where you can't really comprehend anything, because your emotions, your driving force, is cattywompus. I can't see a problem and decide what to do, I have to see it and decide what this other, wiser guy would do.

I dunno. As everything in my life is pretty swell and it's just a case of being unhappy, I reckon I've been doing it right.

Quote: petroglyph
Quote: Face
This is one of those things that is so terrible and seems there's no real fix. I look at people now and say "How the f#$% could you do one thing for thirty years?" And to think that decision must be made when you're still a child.
I saw more than once and it saddened me. Going out on some fishing charters for halibut on Cook Inlet, we would hear and old fella regale us of how he worked at the mill for 40 years, "and always wanted to come to Homer and go halibut fishing". A short time later get him hooked up with a nice fish, and the old guy is to worn down, to reel it in. There he had waited his whole life.

Maybe people need to regularly examine their priority's?


You just broke through it for a moment, and made up my mind. Thanks. Whether the gratitude is genuine or sarcastic will remain to be seen =p
Be bold and risk defeat, or be cautious and encourage it.
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