I know what I want to do (game programmer). It's just getting there that's gonna be the hard part.
Poll: Do you know what you are going to be?
- Thread starter All Hail Lelouch
- Start date
They ran a poll a lil while back about the average age of the escapist forum, and based off that (mostly teens, and majority under 20) I feel kinda like a the sad old guy screaming that y'all should get your hair cut and know what you wanna do with your lives. You damn kids 
I'm now nearly 24, and am coming up on the end of my masters degree. Hopefully, I'm going into PR (assuming I can find a job) but tbh, I didn't even know that until very recently. While I was doing my first diploma, I wanted to make documentaries, then for about the first seven minutes of my bachelors degree, I wanted to be a Journalist, but studying journalism made me hate it. Now I'm re-speccing again.
Basically, I'm going into PR, because its the only thing I have any ability at that I'm qualified to do and I should be able to pay off what I paid for my education that way. I definitely never even thought of it when I was younger.
My advice to all you young'uns is to pick college and school subjects that can transfer to anything. You'll know by about 14 if you want to go into math, science, engineering or medicine, and if you don't wanna do any of those, stick with total generalities. Don't bother getting invested in the idea of a specific career until about 6 months before you are going to look for a job. Sure, have a ponder, but I assure you that the competition for ALL the jobs you think are really cool or interesting or fulfilling is beyond insane (and will involve your every waking moment before you apply trying to get experience, and then probably working unpaid for a year or more) and if you take a specific course to try and get into them (like I did with BA Journalism) all you are doing is cutting down what else you can do when you inevitably get your dreams stamped on.
Just pitch for something non-specific and white collar, and enough to pay your bills. Learn to touch type (no need for 180 WPM or anything, but be able to type as fast as possible... when you get out of college, you will be writing thousands of words per day) pick up communication skills, be able to make a good presentation, learn excel and stuff.
I'm now nearly 24, and am coming up on the end of my masters degree. Hopefully, I'm going into PR (assuming I can find a job) but tbh, I didn't even know that until very recently. While I was doing my first diploma, I wanted to make documentaries, then for about the first seven minutes of my bachelors degree, I wanted to be a Journalist, but studying journalism made me hate it. Now I'm re-speccing again.
Basically, I'm going into PR, because its the only thing I have any ability at that I'm qualified to do and I should be able to pay off what I paid for my education that way. I definitely never even thought of it when I was younger.
My advice to all you young'uns is to pick college and school subjects that can transfer to anything. You'll know by about 14 if you want to go into math, science, engineering or medicine, and if you don't wanna do any of those, stick with total generalities. Don't bother getting invested in the idea of a specific career until about 6 months before you are going to look for a job. Sure, have a ponder, but I assure you that the competition for ALL the jobs you think are really cool or interesting or fulfilling is beyond insane (and will involve your every waking moment before you apply trying to get experience, and then probably working unpaid for a year or more) and if you take a specific course to try and get into them (like I did with BA Journalism) all you are doing is cutting down what else you can do when you inevitably get your dreams stamped on.
Just pitch for something non-specific and white collar, and enough to pay your bills. Learn to touch type (no need for 180 WPM or anything, but be able to type as fast as possible... when you get out of college, you will be writing thousands of words per day) pick up communication skills, be able to make a good presentation, learn excel and stuff.
Good luck with that. Personally I learned that 'living as i chose' needs some kind of financial backing. If you wanna be anything other than grindingly poor the rest of your life, you need to be able to pay your bills.Zeithri said:
It is impossible to plan for your future in any meaningful way. It is sometimes said that much like you can never step in the same river twice, you can never meet the same person twice, but that applies to the self as well. We are in states of constant change, and like it or not you can't even predict how the future will change you, nonetheless how it will change those around you, and the world in general. All you can ever really do is try to roll with the punches, and accept that there's gonna be some good and there's gonna be some bad.
The best thing you can do is whatever works, as for the rest, if you seek to find or hold on to specific forms, you'll only find frustration.
The best thing you can do is whatever works, as for the rest, if you seek to find or hold on to specific forms, you'll only find frustration.
OP, you're 19 so you have a lot of time to think about it. I just turned 26, and I have BS in Human Development (same general field as psy) and I'm applying to speech pathology school later this year. One word of advice, GPA is everything. A lot of majors are just there for prereqs for grad. school. Ex, psy, poli sci, english, history, econ...etc.
If you are in one of these majors, know that it is VERY hard to earn a good living off a broad degree like that alone, and you would need some sort of grad skoo plan, aka me.
If you are in a field like engineering or comp sci related stuff, then it's possible to just work with a BS and earn a decent living. I would advise you to think about which areas of studies you excel in, and go off of that. I excel at social sciences, hence my chosen major, but I uber suk at chem/math, so any bio/med field related stuff was off the charts for me.
If you are in one of these majors, know that it is VERY hard to earn a good living off a broad degree like that alone, and you would need some sort of grad skoo plan, aka me.
If you are in a field like engineering or comp sci related stuff, then it's possible to just work with a BS and earn a decent living. I would advise you to think about which areas of studies you excel in, and go off of that. I excel at social sciences, hence my chosen major, but I uber suk at chem/math, so any bio/med field related stuff was off the charts for me.
That really depends where you are. Over here in the UK, a decent degree (a 2.1 or a 1st in local parlance) is enough to get you through the door for most things, and most employers aren't especially interested in anything you've done at university. Sure, it helps to have done specific stuff, but for office work, its all the same.CloudFir3 said:
Y'all in the states have such weird approaches to all this stuff. I mean, none of the skills you learn at university are really applicable to ANYTHING except academia, and in the real world, no-one cares about the theoretical frameworks of literature/media/anything. You just have to be able to do the job well.
*shrug*
At the moment I'm in my first year of a Journalism degree but I'd prefer to be an author than a journalist personally. Who knows what'll happen throughout the next few years.
I clicked the first 'no' because I know what I want to study at university, and if I study that, I know what I want to do with my life, but at the same time I don't know where I'll be living, who I'll be with for the long haul, or anything like that. I'm fine with that though: my life needs a little uncertainty. Keeps it fun.
I have a plan, yeah. Or rather, I have a begining (AKA now) and an end (AKA, what I want to do with my life), but no middle (AKA, how the hell I get there). I find this ironic because I want to be some kind of writer. And when you're writing you often... uh... don't get the middle until you hit it? If you've ever tried to write some sort of long fiction, you know what I mean.
I am 35 and I don't know what I am going to be. I am married and have a house and love that. But job wise? *shrug* I try to do the best at what ever I do. I find most people out there are lazy or an idiot so it makes it that much better to shine. I have done just about everything from working on cars - the Army - retail - phone support - now working for HP as a software tester for 6+ years.
*shrug* Just do what you want - do it 100% and you will have money enough to do what ever you want and buy what ever you want. When you pigeon hole yourself you will get fucked when something goes wrong.
*shrug* Just do what you want - do it 100% and you will have money enough to do what ever you want and buy what ever you want. When you pigeon hole yourself you will get fucked when something goes wrong.
I know what I've wanted to do with my life since I was very young, and have been working towards that goal since my first year of High School. I am currently enrolled in my University toward a Bachelor's degree in Computer Animation with a minor in Drawing, I aim to become a 3D artist for either films or video game design.
I have many years ahead of me to go, but so far, everything has been going well.
I have many years ahead of me to go, but so far, everything has been going well.
In good hope, I'm gonna be a games programmer. Accepted an offer at Hull University to do Computer Science with Games Development incl. year's work placement; I largely enjoy programming and can't wait to do a course that is pure hardcore programming.
The one thing I can tell all you under 20 people. Don't believe the lie that a degree = $$$
I know people with masters slingin burgers and working at grocery stores. Don't over look the blue collar work. If you are 20 and start as an electrician you can make over 6 figures by the time you hit your upper 30s. That and you can never be outsourced and you can also easily work for yourself.
I know people with masters slingin burgers and working at grocery stores. Don't over look the blue collar work. If you are 20 and start as an electrician you can make over 6 figures by the time you hit your upper 30s. That and you can never be outsourced and you can also easily work for yourself.
I have an idea what I want to be.[footnote]Supreme Overlord of the world[/footnote], but precognition is not my specialty, so I can't be entirely sure.
Although my assistant wizards assure me that I will be successful.
Although my assistant wizards assure me that I will be successful.