<p>...medicine, science, math, computer, business, or law related? I'm just wondering because I know I'll never succeed in any of those fields yet those are the careers with money. BTW, I'm not going to grad school, because I can't afford it and I'm not intelligent enough to have it help my career aspects in any significant way.</p>
<p>I think those are the only ones... or you can coach a sport at the collegiate level. Each university has tons of coaches; I'm sure you'll find one for you.</p>
<p>PhD's have stipends that allow you to work at their university for free and includes a small living salary.</p>
<p>What are you strong at? You already "counted out" everything you can't do, but you haven't really listed what you enjoy or had success in.</p>
<p>Professional sports?
Acting?</p>
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What are you strong at? You already "counted out" everything you can't do, but you haven't really listed what you enjoy or had success in.
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<p>Ehh...writing? I mean, one has to be very talented if they want to make a career out of it. I also like to read about the social sciences and research facts. Seriously, I have no idea what to do.</p>
<p>Threadstarter, I'm pretty much in exactly the same situation as you. I'm too squeamish to go into medicine; I'm terrible at math and science; I could absolutely never bring myself to go into law; I've never been a "computer nerd", and business is just too mundane to dedicate my life to.</p>
<p>I, also, am really only good at writing - both "words" and music. And I, too, am interested in the social sciences and research.</p>
<p>You know what I did? I decided to buck up and just go into business/economics and accounting. I am about as atypical of a number-cruncher as it gets, but, like you, I don't have much money, and thus I just decided to do what I was <em>capable</em> of (can't do engineering because it's too hard; can't do medicine because it's too expensive; I don't want to do business/economics or accounting, but hell, I'm capable of it, so if I want money, that's my only choice).</p>
<p>So, yeah. You can follow your passions and be poor. Or you can choose something you're reasonably good at, and hopefully get enough money to pursue your passions on the side.</p>
<p>^ Yes, work is work, and who said it had to be fun? As long as I'm capable at it and I won't end up poor, it's fine with me. Comfortable and accomplished living is more important to me than an interesting job.</p>
<p>BTW, I love it when people are creative. Writing music seems so interesting, although I don't have any gifts in that as well. Too bad having strong ability in the humanities and social sciences is not lucrative. :(</p>
<p>I know of someone doing very well at writing music, just a few years out of college. "Comfortable" but probably not 100k/year with regularity; composes for television for example.</p>
<p>^ Just out of curiosity, how far is my music from what he writes? In terms of "being good enough" for professional work?</p>
<p>A</a> Suite of Tone Poems | music by matthew schwartz</p>
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BTW, I love it when people are creative. Writing music seems so interesting, although I don't have any gifts in that as well. Too bad having strong ability in the humanities and social sciences is not lucrative. :(
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Aw hellz yeah. Tell me about it. If I could make money from the humanities and social sciences, I'd be scoring films, coordinating international diplomatic relations, writing poetry, commissioning symphonies, directing films, achieving polyglotism, researching demographics, writing novels, promoting Esperanto, heading a rock band, promoting world peace, and doing just about everything else I could get my hands on.</p>
<p><em>sigh</em></p>
<p>Alas, the world is not built that way. Time to get back to accounting. -_-</p>
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I know of someone doing very well at writing music, just a few years out of college. "Comfortable" but probably not 100k/year with regularity; composes for television for example.
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<p>Wow! That is so brilliant and interesting. That person is probably one of the very lucky few who gets to do such things.</p>
<p>I agree. I think his dad was an engineer (grad school at Berkeley!), but is now a therapist.</p>
<p>"Comfortable" IS more than $100k/year with regularity. Remember, your net pay is about 50-60 cents on the dollar.</p>
<p>^ Well, it certainly depends where you live. For example, you live in New York, which is the most expensive city to live in in North America (22nd in the world). If you lived in London (I'm guessing you lived there before), you'd live in the 3rd most expensive city in the world</p>
<p>Yawn, I can't imagine anyone becoming an accountant if they don't enjoy it. Bucking up and getting a real job is one thing, doing a rote job you don't enjoy is not a good idea. There are many facets in business, you should be able to find one you enjoy. I'm afraid all the kids becoming accountants, pharmacists and engineers because the starting pay is good will be very unhappy middle aged people. Plus people tend not to do well in jobs they don't enjoy long term.</p>
<p>Let me suggest you watch this video--which talks about how important creativity is in a world of "rote" thinking:</p>
<p>Do</a> schools today kill creativity? (Ken Robinson) - TED Talks - Volume One Video Gallery</p>
<p>Be an air traffic controller. Go to an AT-CTI school to get certified. You make 6 figs after training, much time off, and the FAA forces you to retire around 45. Then you get a nice pension.</p>
<p>yawn-actually I've never been to London. I've been so Seoul however, the second most expensive city in the world.</p>
<p>I agree with this guy here. Business is HUGE, and doesn't involve crunching numbers day to day if you don't want it to. That's why I went into it, and I'm going to enjoy myself in the long run.</p>
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Yawn, I can't imagine anyone becoming an accountant if they don't enjoy it. Bucking up and getting a real job is one thing, doing a rote job you don't enjoy is not a good idea. There are many facets in business, you should be able to find one you enjoy. I'm afraid all the kids becoming accountants,** pharmacists** and engineers because the starting pay is good will be very unhappy middle aged people. Plus people tend not to do well in jobs they don't enjoy long term.
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<p>I don't disagree. But there are unique advantages of pharmacy. One being that for all intents and purposes clinical pharmacy is a hourly "salaried" position.</p>
<p>I wouldn't enjoy the rest of my life as a pharmacist personally. I'm currently a 3rd year(1st professional year) pharmacy student But what this potentially allows me to do is to work 36 hours a week as a retail pharmacy and another 36 hours a week as a hospital pharmacist. I would do that along with my military obligation to the Army NG. If you work 2 full time positions, you'll be earning $200,000/year with limited expenses (since you don't need to live in an expensive area like NYC). Not too shabby for a person in their mid 20s. What this gives you is enough income to sock away a HUGE amount every year so that one day in the future you'll be able to make investments in things you enjoy. Many times you need money to make money and these fields that have a high starting income are simply a tool to achieve that state. Nearly every profession where people in there 20s can make more than $200,000 a year requires you to work MANY hours.</p>
<p>Since I am in the National Guard and the state has a tuition waiver law, my PharmD is costing me nearly zero. I would probably enjoy the business, liberal arts, history a LOT more and it would be much more interesting. Unfortunately, I'd probably be a fool not to take advantage of a situation where I have zero debt and pay nearly nothing for 6 years and have the potential for financial freedom very early in my life.</p>
<p>Everything is based on the individual. It's about your acceptable versions of balance and what you're goals are in life and how exactly you want to go about achieving them.</p>