Well this thread is more focused on the actual study of business. I'm a junior in high school, I attend a career training high school (vocational, if you want to call it but you take regular classes with it). This year I took Business Math alongside with my math class, as well as Business Services as my career-training. Next year I am going to do the same. So I will have: 2 years of Business math 2 years of Business services training under my belt. I'm not looking to "shoot high", just become a insurance salesman (I am very outgoing) or some other business-related job. Will I be as qualified as someone with an AA degree? How easy will it be to get a business math related job that looks for someone with an AA degree? How about if I take an online course to get my actual degree in business while I work? i.e. "I have 2 years of business math, 2 years of business service training, and currently taking online college courses on business/business math." Basically, I wanna know how easy it is to going to get a good job.
(Takes needle and pops happy balloon of teen optimism. Because I'm mean, that's why.) Easy is not likely to be the operative word, because things are bad right now, not likely to get much better, either. It will be hard even WITH a four year degree. There's actually a good argument to be had for staying in school and out of the labor market, unless flipping burgers to help pay for school. Do any of your classes apply towards a 4-year degree? Oh, and are you going to a for-profit school? those places are generally ripoffs. Community colleges are cheaper-and their college credits will TRANSFER. If not, I would take for-credit classes your senior year and this summer if you can. Choose stuff that will apply towards a four-year degree because, chances are, you won't be able to make *much* of a living with just two years of training. Bachelor's are really a minimum requirement these days for a decent life. (As well my broke-assed,un-B.A.ed self should know.:bawlPlease Register or Log in to view the hidden image! If it's a matter of accruing giant student loan debts though, I'd go to school part time and work as well...having a huge debt at graduation is BAD, because you can probably expect to be pretty hard-up for a few years after you get the degree. Work hard at all you do and DO NOT INCUR ANY DEBTS NOT UTTERLY NECESSARY. (Please note: Nutritious food is necessary. New clothes? a tv? A car that looks nice? Sodas???? junk food???? NO If you take that stuff for granted, stop doing so now.) Credit card sharks go after students because they know you're naive. They are not your friend. Now...the one exception to the above is sales. A lot of salesmen get degrees in Social Psychology, Sociology, or Psychology...because that gives you the science behind the sale... But really, the *only* qualification to being a salesperson is the ability to move product. That's it. You could have a high school diploma-if you can move product you can make 100K a year. Sales superstars are rare (and possibly sociopathic) people, but you can try to be one. I would suggest, while taking classes and doing other things, you read up on sales tactics (there's lots of books on it) read up on Social Psychology, and maybe try a really crappy commission sales jobs where they'll hire anybody who walks through the door-which will suck, but you're just doing it to get a feel for it.
This is where I want to be in life: $25k a year. A small $800 a month apartment living with a room-mate. Spending extra money on :m:
I made 20 k last year...and I have trouble meeting basic expenses. I'm all like "Where the hell did it go?" Because I didn't spend it on anything I didn't think hard about needing...I wear dumpster-dived clothing these days... Partly because I have medical issues, but that's really not enough for you to save for emergencies. Which you will have. Considering the :m:, a lawyer? But usually other crap, like tooth problems or car repair. You might be able to make it on the certs you're getting-but maybe not. For-profit schools' credits aren't generally worth the paper they are printed on. You may be getting taken by your school if it's not a community college. If it Isn't a CC, I suggest you call up major local businesses and ask the HR departments if they hire people out of your program and what they pay. Personally, I hope I'm wrong. Anyway, you may think $25 k a year is enough now...but most people tend to decide they want more than that later...so I'd like to to set yourself up to make that probable later not as much of a steep climb. I know a number of ex-stoners...they quit because they wanted more out of life than being stoned and doing what it is they did when they were stoned. They want the typical stuff like a home, a car, a marriage, kids...you know, the usual. Not about keeping up appearances...these are ex-stoners, it's about not wanting to struggle, about wanting to have some accomplishments...well, and the whole reproduction thing. Partying...is fun for awhile...then you're like...meh, I've been wasted before... Trust me-I did six hits of windowpane and found out my car had hovercraft mode (WHEE!) (BTW, you just spread the road out, makes it very easy to stay in the lines...Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!)
Hey Kid i'm in a sort of similar situation....I'm 18 and about to graduate high school and i'm trying to figure out what job I want blah blah blah. I get good grades but HATE school and am not really looking forward to going to college. I have the advanced classes with all the materialistic preps who think that anyone without a Bachelors and a car made in the last 5 years is a loser, but I enjoy their stupidity.(Sorry about the ranting if u had advanced classes u understand) I would recommend the Associates degree route. An associates in accounting can get u a job as a bookeeper which pays lower to middle 30's. I'm looking at either dental assisting (35 year), dental hygiene (60 year), paralegals (43 year) or RN's (50 year). And all these jobs require basically 1-3 years of school. I'm trying to get the highest paying, in demand, low education job I can get. I've also found that my school is split between the kids that the teachers actually prepare for college (they are a minority) which have very hard classes,some for college credit and the rest of the kids that have classes i'm pretty sure my sixth grade sister could pass if she applied herself. My point is having both types of classes the majority of students aren't prepared to get in debt and go off to some 4 year university. Really think before u make a decision but not so much that u stress about it. Anyways........best of luck dude Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
My advice is try to start your own business Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! $25K is not enough to live on - better off becoming a professional bar tender or medical Mary Jane producer. Waitstaff make more than 25K.
Then find a job with a utility company, state job, federal job , large private firm like American Express with nice benefits and work for one of them. Even the military these days has some nice offerings with everything paid for and a retirement package that's very good.
You won't be happy living on $25K for very long. Everyone matures, to a greater or lesser degree, and expects more out of life than they did in adolescence. Every high school kid promises himself that he will never grow up and be like all the grownups he sees in the world, but growing up is something that your body does to you whether you want it or not. An $800 apartment is trash unless you live in a small town in Kansas where you won't be able to earn $25K. The air conditioner won't work reliably--if it has one--it's so small that one of you will have to sleep on the sofa, and your neighbors will each have four kids crying, banging on the walls and accosting you in the hallways 24/7. You won't feel safe in your neighborhood and you'll stop going outside after dark. This will all feel like a big adventure for about one year, until your car is broken into, or you get shaken down for your grocery money walking to the market. The chances are about 90% that underneath this façade you're a fairly normal person, so you will want to go on dates, find a nice girlfriend (or boyfriend), get married (or domestic partnership), and have a somewhat normal life. It will be hard to do any of that on $25K. I have a friend who is you 35 years from now. She never had any ambition and her parents just let her coast through life. She dropped out of college after one semester because "she didn't like the other girls." Then she went to modeling school even though she's too short to get a modeling job. Men have never stuck around because the better they get to know her, the less they like it. To put it succinctly, nobody wants a loser in their life! She kicked around in office jobs during those glorious years when jobs were plentiful and paid pretty well. (Please note that you cannot duplicate this experience because jobs today are rare and the pay is awful.) Now, at age 52, she is a security guard, making $37K, but only because she works the night shift which pays more. It's a horrible life because she's never awake when her friends are. She's broke, has a car that's falling apart, and can't afford to take vacations. She keeps taking money out of her IRA to pay her bills, so when she gets too old to work any more she'll have to find a way to survive on Social Security. If this sounds like a great life to you, then go for it!
where do you come up with this stuff? one can't live well on 25k but not everyone has the ability to go to college. some people need vocational training. an eight hundred dollar apartment is not trash in most places. that's not even a cheap apartment and definitely not the type of surroundings you are describing. that's about average to a little above average depending on the number of bedrooms. a one bedroom for eight hundred dollars will usually be pretty decent to nice in a safe area. in california or new york city it probably is but not in most places. one can get a one bedroom in most places in america for anywhere around four hundred on up. some are even gated with amenities. i know someone who pays a thousand dollars for a hi-rise apartment that includes utilities right on the bay in the nicest neighborhood. it is just a one-bedroom but it's not definitely not trash.
My son in in the 9th grade and next year will go additionally to votech school, just like the OP. His field is electronics and when he graduates high school will get an AA in electronics. I am cool with this because his uncle can get him into the NYC Electrician's union and he can make a good buck at a young age. College is not bad- I liked going to college. Instead of running from class to class in 3 minutes all day long you take 2-3 classes a day for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Instead of worrying about a dozen classes you worry about 5-6. If anyone here is considering (or not considering) college I say you SHOULD be in college... you are giving up too much not doing it.
does one need a degree to be a garbage collector? a secretary? i don't think so. i guess it would be nice if everyone could just go to college but sometimes it's just not practical.
Umm....why? Have some ambition dude! Go for a PhD or at least a Masters Trust me man, you will need all the edge you can get, and getting a better paying job is always better. The world is a capitalistic society, you will need all the assets you have. Me personally... I am grade 9, I go to a CVI ( Collegiate and Vocational Institute ), which means shit in Canada ( I don't mean the school is shit, I mean the name is worthless, its pretty much all the same ). Planning on going through university, get a graduate degree in genetics & pathology, I heard there are dual MD/PhD programs, probably will compete for one of those, and then go military, direct commission officer Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! I agree with Fraggle Rocker, you won't be happy with that kind of money, and you will end up regretting it probs ( from what I heard from people and from what I read in books ). Find a job that rakes in the dough man! Or find a job you will be happy. P.S. You want to have wheels don't you? You want to get laid do you? You want to be popular with the chicks don't you? You want to be able to make the selection do you? And many more... That is just some incentives man Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
I know three people with four year degrees who went back and got two year certifications as CNC machinists - easier to get work, and paid better. Even a one year intro to that is a job paying better than 25K a year. On the other hand, 25k a year is not bad - you can live decently on that, most places, and save about 5k a year. Just don't buy a car.
