Making Money

[DrReplyInRhymes]

Please suggest some career paths for someone who hasn't graduated college, has held a somewhat stable job history for approximately 6-10 years but is being burned out completely by his current choice, and would only take another 5-7 years realistically to bring in the money and be happy with life. (money will make me happy, for those naysayers out there).

 

Academics isn't a problem, passing tests / exams / licences / certifications, etc. However, I'm getting to the point where I'm questioning is this all my life had to offer?

 

I need a change. I need to be happy with my job. I need to be happy with my future goals. I need to be happy with living.

 

With that in mind, what are some awesome career opportunities you guys can share that would both offer financial freedom (suggesting McDonald's should be out of the question) and also still offer the variety that makes life worth living. Something feasible, reachable, but possibly something I may never have even thought of looking into. At this point, I'm wide open to suggestions.

 

I have many skills ranging from office / ashamedly secretarial work to building websites / coding applications and games to portfolio examinations to being able to work with tools and driving forklifts, yet I am a master of nothing in particular.

 

Please advise.

[empresario]

This may be an obvious one...but have you considered software developer?

[Gunther]

Well the stock market is about to crash, might be worth putting some bucks on selling the Dow Jones Industrial Index or S&P500 Index and letting things take their course.

 

I do a bit of my own trading with currencies trading an algo I made which is doing pretty good on the year, investments and trading is always a good start to make some extra income streams.

 

So long as you're prudential in your approach and don't make too many trades, and can be patient and act rationally rather than emotionally anybody can do well with it.

 

Buying some physical Gold and Silver and putting it away for a later date also would be a great idea, I'm buying some every week I get the chance.

 

In any case, I wish you luck as I'm still on that journey myself, I feel like it is beginning to lead me somewhere now though, I left university to pursue my passion of trading financial markets and spend my time networking instead. I met a fund manager who is a millionaire without any higher education, it can be done if you're resilient enough and determined enough to put time into learning through experience and finding your own way.

 

Good luck!

[empresario]

Oh, also, don't worry about a 4-year degree as a developer. Most regions are so dry for talent, that even have a foundation is enough to get your foot in the door.

 

As a startup, the only way we compete is by finding people like yourself with a base knowledge that we can develop. We look specifically for people that want a non-traditional work environment and are willing to learn.

 

After a couple years, you can't tell one of our guys from a 10-year developer at a corporate firm. Since what we do changes every day you get the experience you'll never get elsewhere. it's win-win.

 

So, if you are looking to get creative and don't know where to start...try a start up. Some are high risk. Others, like mine, are 2 rounds of funding and 4 years in (and less risk...but still willing to take chances on raw talent).

[Jacob_Duluoz]

Drone Pilot

[Maggie4]

What do you enjoy doing on your days off? That's what you should do for a living.

[d0nnivain]

Think about your hobbies, interests & skills. Now think about how you could turn them into a business. That is what you should do . . .open your own business.

 

Before you just start, assuming you are in the US, go to a seminar or two on being an entrepreneur. Some great free ones are offered by https://www.score.org/ and various local SBDCs https://www.sba.gov/offices/headquarters/osbdc/resources/11409

 

Best wishes

[craw]

This may be an obvious one...but have you considered software developer?

 

If you can code and enjoy it. You must go into it.

[Els]

If you're interested in website and application development you should definitely go into that IMO. I work in that field and there is no shortage of jobs, especially if you're willing to work on a product that isn't particularly inspiring. I got a couple of job offers before I even graduated, and that's way over at the other end of the world - if you live in the US I think your opportunities will be even more numerous.

 

There's no real need to take a college degree either. I did and don't regret it, but if you want to earn money quickly there's not much point in it. Look into one of the few-month bootcamps with industry connections like Hacker School instead. I mean, don't get me wrong, becoming a good programmer takes a helluva lot of time and practice, it isn't anywhere near as easy as some articles would have you believe. But if you start from that, work hard, and do other side projects in your spare time, you could probably land an internship quite quickly and jobs after that. Most of us learn by doing, after all.

[newmoon]

you really think your life path and career goal will come from a message board on LS? no one here knows who you are what you want to do, or what you like. you have to find your own goal and path. don't you know what makes you somewhat happy?

[empresario]

you really think your life path and career goal will come from a message board on LS? no one here knows who you are what you want to do, or what you like. you have to find your own goal and path. don't you know what makes you somewhat happy?

 

You shut your Philistine tongue! Sometimes even the most intuitive artist has to soak in inspiration from an external source.

[CarrieT]

I have many skills ranging from office / ashamedly secretarial work to building websites / coding applications and games to portfolio examinations to being able to work with tools and driving forklifts, yet I am a master of nothing in particular.

 

Please advise.

 

Become a coding master.

 

Beginning coders in Silicone Valley are getting $125,000+ (but the cost to live here is very painful).

 

Coding is the way of the future, with-or-without a degree.

[empresario]

Become a coding master.

 

Beginning coders in Silicone Valley are getting $125,000+ (but the cost to live here is very painful).

 

Coding is the way of the future, with-or-without a degree.

 

And coders in the middle of the country make 6-figure as well...only far less competition and 1/4 the cost of living. But for some reason people don't know that.

[Els]

As a startup, the only way we compete is by finding people like yourself with a base knowledge that we can develop. We look specifically for people that want a non-traditional work environment and are willing to learn.

 

After a couple years, you can't tell one of our guys from a 10-year developer at a corporate firm. Since what we do changes every day you get the experience you'll never get elsewhere. it's win-win.

 

This is interesting. The main problem I've encountered with working for a startup is that many of them either offer equity instead of a salary, or a very low salary. And personally if I'm going to work for equity or low pay I'd rather do it for my own vision and company than someone else's, unless the product that the startup is developing really interests me.

 

But if yours is one of the few that actually pays a considerable salary, then it's definitely worth a developer's while to join.

[empresario]

This is interesting. The main problem I've encountered with working for a startup is that many of them either offer equity instead of a salary, or a very low salary. And personally if I'm going to work for equity or low pay I'd rather do it for my own vision and company than someone else's, unless the product that the startup is developing really interests me.

 

But if yours is one of the few that actually pays a considerable salary, then it's definitely worth a developer's while to join.

 

We pay people for the value they bring. That's the only way a startup can survive. But in my 5+ years, 3 companies, and 100ish employees I've never had a person quit. When you hire on a very defined and deliberate culture, people are motivated by more than money and end up there for a reason.

 

We don't pay considerable salaries. But the industry I'm in is extremely trendy and the culture was very well established. It doesn't feel like work. but it's definitely not for everyone...which is why when we have 100 applicants it whittles down to 5-6 REAL fast (based on culture fits).

[DrReplyInRhymes]

you really think your life path and career goal will come from a message board on LS? no one here knows who you are what you want to do, or what you like. you have to find your own goal and path. don't you know what makes you somewhat happy?

 

Yes, you're right, but it never hurts to ask. The collective experience gained from many is often better advice than asking a few for biased views. I'd rather ask, and get many suggestions and topical discussions, than to never ask.

 

Had I had the answer in the first place, then the question would be redundant, no?

[Got it]

Don't shoot down the food industry. Food, retail, hospitality all have high paying jobs especially when you get into multi-unit management and higher. There are also other areas tied to these industries that come in with higher salaries, real estate, construction, and then operations for a few of them. For example, a multi unit manager in these industries are making six figures with base and bonus.

[craw]

What can you code in?

[Els]

We pay people for the value they bring. That's the only way a startup can survive. But in my 5+ years, 3 companies, and 100ish employees I've never had a person quit. When you hire on a very defined and deliberate culture, people are motivated by more than money and end up there for a reason.

 

We don't pay considerable salaries. But the industry I'm in is extremely trendy and the culture was very well established. It doesn't feel like work. but it's definitely not for everyone...which is why when we have 100 applicants it whittles down to 5-6 REAL fast (based on culture fits).

 

I agree with this. Personally I think passion beats money as well, which is why I'm working for my own business instead of for a larger corporation (which would be more lucrative). It's just that I think if a developer is going to take the risk and no/low pay inherent in the majority of startups, he might be better served being self-employed instead, unless he really believes in the product.

 

But it really is a 'different strokes for different folks' thing. My opinion might be a little biased also since I have had a few people attempt to rope me in to code for their startup for 'equity' and get a little affronted when I turn them down. But if what you do has been working for you and your employees for 5+ years, then you must be doing something right! (The startups that asked me never got off the ground)

 

I definitely think either route could work for the OP, too.

[DrReplyInRhymes]

What can you code in?

 

c#, and it's not hard to apply the same principles to new languages. I have a fairly good understanding of c# due to hobby game making and small applications building, but I've heard it's not hard to learn the 2nd (and 3rd, 4th, 5th, etc languages) once you have your first one down. Java, javascript, c++, etc would all apply the same principles, just a different syntax.

 

(I do not consider html to be a coding 'language', but have knowledge in that area too)

[empresario]

I agree with this. Personally I think passion beats money as well, which is why I'm working for my own business instead of for a larger corporation (which would be more lucrative). It's just that I think if a developer is going to take the risk and no/low pay inherent in the majority of startups, he might be better served being self-employed instead, unless he really believes in the product.

 

But it really is a 'different strokes for different folks' thing. My opinion might be a little biased also since I have had a few people attempt to rope me in to code for their startup for 'equity' and get a little affronted when I turn them down. But if what you do has been working for you and your employees for 5+ years, then you must be doing something right! (The startups that asked me never got off the ground)

 

I definitely think either route could work for the OP, too.

 

Well, there's a difference between "startup" and STARTUP.

 

I sold my first company, sold my second, and my third is in it's second round of funding. Once you get to round 2 of funding, you may be a startup...but potential employees don't see it that way. The risk is pretty mitigated at that point as there are a lot of people with a lot of money betting on your success.

[NewLeaf512]

Please suggest some career paths for someone who hasn't graduated college, has held a somewhat stable job history for approximately 6-10 years but is being burned out completely by his current choice, and would only take another 5-7 years realistically to bring in the money and be happy with life. (money will make me happy, for those naysayers out there).

 

Academics isn't a problem, passing tests / exams / licences / certifications, etc. However, I'm getting to the point where I'm questioning is this all my life had to offer?

 

I need a change. I need to be happy with my job. I need to be happy with my future goals. I need to be happy with living.

 

With that in mind, what are some awesome career opportunities you guys can share that would both offer financial freedom (suggesting McDonald's should be out of the question) and also still offer the variety that makes life worth living. Something feasible, reachable, but possibly something I may never have even thought of looking into. At this point, I'm wide open to suggestions.

 

I have many skills ranging from office / ashamedly secretarial work to building websites / coding applications and games to portfolio examinations to being able to work with tools and driving forklifts, yet I am a master of nothing in particular.

 

Please advise.

 

 

data protection officer

[Els]

c#, and it's not hard to apply the same principles to new languages. I have a fairly good understanding of c# due to hobby game making and small applications building, but I've heard it's not hard to learn the 2nd (and 3rd, 4th, 5th, etc languages) once you have your first one down. Java, javascript, c++, etc would all apply the same principles, just a different syntax.

 

(I do not consider html to be a coding 'language', but have knowledge in that area too)

 

Sorry if this comes a bit late (just remembered your thread), but C# and Java are some of the most popular languages so you'll definitely have no issues finding employment if you go down that route. Indeed it's possible to apply similar logical principles to most programming languages, however I've noticed that employers often specifically request "at least 1 (or 3, or whatever) year experience in __insert language/framework name__". Also, much of the work of learning a new language is not just re-accustoming yourself to the syntax, but also to basic principles in which they differ (dynamic vs static typing, different methods of passing objects, etc) and learning the external libraries/frameworks needed for your purpose. For instance, a C++ programmer accustomed to writing graphics programs for OpenGL would need a LOT of readjustment to learn, say, Android development. So it does help to specialize a bit as well. At the very least pick a couple of areas of software dev that you are interested in and focus on the languages/frameworks needed for those areas.

 

Javascript tends to not be a standalone requirement unlike Java and C# - it's usually required of front-end web developers so to get a job with JS you'll probably need to be good at HTML, CSS, jQuery, etc as well as just vanilla JS.

 

If you're intending to work for a startup as empresario recommends, I'd suggest Ruby on Rails and Python, as well as getting into Android and iOS development. They are more 'trendy modern' languages/frameworks compared to the ones you mentioned, and startups tend to lean towards those. Also, most tech startups are based around web or mobile app development. Game development, that you mentioned, is a much more niche area, so fewer opportunities, but the advantage is that there are also fewer developers with published games under their belt so you'd have an edge if you've already done that.

 

Good luck whichever path you choose.

Edited October 6, 2015 by Elswyth