Hi,
I’m an engineer in its late 30s and I sometime go to high-school talking about my job, my scholar background, etc… I remember being very stressed about my future at that time, so I try to tell them what I wish someone had told me 20 years ago.
If any teens are reading this (or people in contact with teens), what topics or advice would you want to hear from some random dude like me ?
Thanks for your help
ps: I know most of lemmy users are middle age, but there is no way I create account on shitktok, Insta or stuff.
Not a teen anymore but a tip I’d tell them:
Don’t just look for what makes most money or makes you most happy. Look at what gives you the most happiness while also having relatively good job prospects. Look at what you like doing (even if it were a duty) and think if there’s a job that matches that.
Labour conditions and having decent colleagues (if any) matter a lot. You don’t want a terrible job. So go unionise.
A job isn’t necessarily for life, but it helps if you have a job that you don’t feel grumpy for. Unless if you’re working in medics or whatever, you don’t need to get cum laudes - just to pass.
If you can, avoid working for a rich CEO, and instead go for something worker-owned, ideally decentralised. They’re excellent.
No longer a teen, but I remember liking the information laid out by https://www.bls.gov/ooh/
It broke down stats around career prospects, the education requirements to get into that career, the outlook of future job prospects in that career, etc. I didn’t really care too much about what job I worked, just that I had one, and then I could at least enjoy my life outside of it comfortably. I found a few that seemed interesting to me and worked to those. I think having it all laid out for them would be helpful for them to make their own informed decisions.
I’ve also used this very data to justify a raise.
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What are the things you wished someone would have told you 20 years ago?
That diploma doesn’t decide for the rest of your life. They (teachers, familly, etc…) put so much pressure on me to choose the “right” path that I was afraid of screwing my entire life if I didn’t took the right options at school. In the end, diploma choose for the first 5/10 years max. Then, it’s up to you to drive your own life.
That’s a good point to hit. Our system encouraged everyone to get a university degree to find work/career, but it doesn’t have to be the path.
Lots of skilled trades out there that offer lots of opportunity to move up while earning well.
My example, I went to Uni because that’s what you do but ran out of my own funds year one, so had to go back to work to save for next round. I started working on the shop floor at a tooling place. They had openings for designers in engineering so I got in there and learned tooling design using CAD/CAM software, they offered apprenticeships so night school was free. As tooling became more automated it led to learning hydraulics, pneumatics, electrical wiring and controls. Later into Lean philosophy for plant efficiencies, etc. Along the way you are in charge of the project and manage time.
Now after 35+ years and changing jobs, my role is often as a consultant and includes mentoring engineers on how to use various software offerings (auto or industrial), or going into companies to conduct audits and produce reports that hilight what they can do better.
It was an organic path, where each learning step along the way led to something new opening up. So rather than a long paragraph like above I think its important for them to not be to anxious; because you can change paths and make choices along the way and end up with something enjoyable of your own making.
I’m 18 years old. Currently a first year in university studying Accounting and Finance. Right now, I see myself going one of two ways. Either I become a financial planner and hopefully opening up a boutique firm. Or, I want to be a high school teacher (Math, accounting, and history is what I’d want to teach)
I feel I may enjoy teaching more, and it might be easier to get into. The financial planning would probably be more challenging, however I could probably make more money doing it, and my parents would much rather I go into this versus teaching. What can I do to help me figure out what would be the better option for me?
Hi,
I think you may have a look to @BarneyPiccolo@lemmy.today comment in this thread as he depict very well the choice you currently face.
You may also ask yourself how much important is your job for you. Some people don’t really care about their job. They see it just as a way to have money and enjoy their life through leisure activities, friends, family. They can do anything as long as it pay. Some people (like me) really need to enjoy their job. I need technical challenge and I couldn’t work in finance, politic, management, administrative, etc… even with better pay. So, do you think you can handle working on a field that’s just “meh…” and enjoy you life outside your job. Or do you think job is really an important part of your life.
Regarding your parents, they will be proud of you whatever you do as long as you are happy. So, don’t try to make THEM happy. Try to make YOU happy. And, you are not stuck in a field for you whole life. You can do a job that pay well at the beginning, and then reorient to a lower paid, but more interesting job. Reorientation is not easy, but it’s doable. Lot of people work 10 year in a stressed well paid field, to switch to raising goats in the wild when they turn 35/40yo.
Life is not a sprint. It’s a marathon. Hope this help.
There are no teenagers on Lemmy the technological barrier to entry is way too high.
I mean I’m 19 now and made my account when I was 16 it really isn’t hard
Curious did you join through joinlemmy.org or did someone recommend you an instance?
No I just googled lemmy and thought the icon of shitjustworks was cute so I used it
Are you joking or not? If you’re not joking, I think you may be projecting your own stupidity at that age onto everyone else. Teenagers are perfectly capable of signing up for an account on a social media website… In fact, they’re kind of notorious for doing so.
Try explaining a teenager what federation is and which server they should select. Find out how long they last
i don’t think there are many teenagers who wouldn’t be able to understand “people on these websites can all talk to each other unless the individual site admins decide they don’t want to”
plus there are a lot of nerdy teenagers who would understand the un-simplified version perfectly fineYou can explain it to them. The question is about learning it voluntarily.
Also it’s way more than talking to eachother. Each instance is basically mirroring all other federated instances and syncing with the other instances all the time.
I understood what federation was just fine when I was a teenager. Again, projecting your own stupidity. Teenagers are perfectly capable of using email.
