End up in a career you didnt expect to have?

[NY03SonicConv.]

I started working as a carpenter's helper out of high school, learning the trade. A good friend of mine was a FDNY firefighter and insisted on signing me up for the next test. I went to the remedial classes, to learn how to answer test questions the way they want and worked out 7 days a week to get ready for the physical portion of the test. I retired about 5 years ago after 23 years working in a busy South Bronx firehouse. If you want to be a trooper , sign up for the test,go to the prep classes, sign up for similar civil service tests. Don't worry about how many take the test, over 20 thousand took my test.

 

[DiB14-SAFD]

I started working as a carpenter's helper out of high school, learning the trade. A good friend of mine was a FDNY firefighter and insisted on signing me up for the next test. I went to the remedial classes, to learn how to answer test questions the way they want and worked out 7 days a week to get ready for the physical portion of the test. I retired about 5 years ago after 23 years working in a busy South Bronx firehouse. If you want to be a trooper , sign up for the test,go to the prep classes, sign up for similar civil service tests. Don't worry about how many take the test, over 20 thousand took my test.

I had a similar path. I was bouncing around in some odd jobs and doing a little college on the side when a buddy of mine talked me into signing up for the San Antonio Fire Dept. entrance exam. 15 years later I am a Captain and love going to work every shift.

 

[SNISTR1]

I joined the Navy with all intentions of doing 4 years and out to use the GI Bill to go to auto tech. Didn't see college as an option as I knew I wouldn't apply myself and only saw it landing me a desk job. Well here I am 6.5 years later behind a desk working with people's pay. I don't particularly like the paper work in my job but I do like helping people. The travel and experience is what's kept me in. Ive been stationed overseas my entire tenure with the exception of initial training. 4.5 years in Yokosuka Japan, 1 year in Chinhae South Korea, and now I'm in Sigonella Italy for the next 2 years. Never would have expected it to work out like this but I'm happy it has.


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[BlksvtCobra01]

My entire background is in the automotive industry. Went to a trade high school and then to UTI. I just turned 23 so I still have some time to figure things out, but I am getting extremely burnt out with my job as a service writer. I love my co-workers but the customers can be absolutely ruthless. Everyday I dream of punching some of the people who come in for service. I'm at the top of my pay level(which isn't much) and cause of that I don't have much motivation to be amazing at my job. Just enough to not get in trouble with the managers. I'm trying to get away from a desk job. I have my Class A CDL and a hoisting license to operate machinery. But, the pay for those jobs are not any better than what I'm doing. I'm curious to see how many of you went to school for one career and ended up to doing something completely different. Or fell into a career kind of by accident and were able to have financial and mental happiness.

I took auto mechanics in h.s. Then did the Ford ASSET program in college I got out of the automotive field after three years. Pay sucked flat rate can eat a dick. Favoritism for good jobs and warranty for others which sucked. I'm a process tech for a plastics company now. I like it wish it paid a little more though and benefits were better. Good luck OP try and do something you like everyday.


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[Buckwheat 1]

We must have at least 1 member that started out in Law Enforcement. And ended up dealing drugs and owning a Strip Club.

 

[rezarxt]

Just high school here. Got lucky and applied to chemical manufacturing facility at 25 years old and landed a gravy job as a Control Room Operator right off the street, very rare to happen here. Union pay scale so I make more than a lot of college grads. January will be 20 years, I guess this is my career...

Thats awesome!, very few of those jobs left. Union pay scales can easily get into 70,000 without overtime, so thats pretty awesome for no degree required.

On the flip side, I could never ever do that day in/day out. I am the type of person that needs variation in what I do, and I need a challenge every day at work to keep me sharp. I love working on software, because it challenges me every day. Not to mention, the work from home, flex hours, and 40 hour weeks are pretty great also . After leaving the army, I am never working overtime or weekends for the rest of my life haha. If you offered me a gravy job making the same I do right now, I would pass without a second thought.

 

[03cobra#694]

I started out as a fluffer, then moved up to the big leagues. Well, because...

 

[James Snover]

I'm the poster boy of this thread. Born and raised by a brick layer to be a brick layer and run the family business. I was working construction since I was six years old, and took my apprenticeship while in high school. The day I graduated I also earned my masonry journeyman's card and was all set for a life of masonry construction, just like dear old Dad. Didn't go to college, didn't need or want to, had everything figured out.

But it didn't take three months before I was sick of it. I'm not saying there is anything wrong with construction, but I quickly found it to be boring as hell, for me, and couldn't bear the thought of doing this for the next twenty, thirty years. Weekends and summer vacation was one thing; the work made me big and strong and I always had a little cash in my pocket. But a life of it? I had to find something else!

By luck I got a job fixing copiers, and the company taught me electronics. Dd that for sixteen years and loved it: old copiers were the coolest damn electromechanical contraptions, ever! But the new ones were less fun and then, one day, the job went away.

From there I lucked into a job fixing x-ray film processors. That lead to getting trained on some x-ray machines, then ultrasound machines, then CT, MRI, cath labs, etc ...

... and now, I find myself in a job, life, and income level I would never have expected, never thought of, would have said I could never do.

And I'm also doing some writing and having a bit of success with that, too. Check off another item on the "I never thought this would happen" list.

 

[bokyo1987]

Went the opposite route of most enlisted military folks... went to UK on a full ride and graduated with a BA in political science. I didn't plan real well and ended up working in UPS soon after. I was set to move into a supervisory role when I decided to enlist in the Air Force.

I spent almost two years training in Texas and California ( I still miss Monterey) before heading to GA and I've been here ever since. About to wrap up seven years active duty and am starting to entertain contract offers.

I guess I didn't expect to be in this career field since I never had a clear vision of what I want to do in life. I'm really happy for (and somewhat envious of) those who have known exactly what they want to do with their lives from an early age... I'm about to be 30 and I still have a hard time thinking about what I want to be when I 'grow up' lol

 

[PhoenixM3]

I did 29 years in in the Navy and now clean peep show booth floors to regain my dignity.

 

[CobraKid04]

Father was in LE, so that's what I wanted to do. Got a job as a security guard at a local college (90 plus guards). They paid for most of my school and it turned out to be a great learning experience. I made rank at age 23 and made great money.

I wanted to be a LEO, so I applied to everywhere in Columbus Ohio, except the state troopers( shit pay and shit job). Took 3 years, but got picked up by a premiere agency and it's been great. 3 years in now and make 90k a year without overtime or special duty.

There is money to be made as a cop, but thoes agencies have strict standards and hire few.

Ironically, I they sent me to the trooper academy for my certificate. It was live in military style, sucked ass.

 

[BladeX10]

Im in a really weird crossroads with my life.

I always thought i wanted to work in the auto industry because i'm a car nut. I got a job as a lot porter at a Nissan dealership when i was 21(im 26 now). Did that for a year and a half and worked my way up to detail manager, Moved over to Lube tech after 3 months. Eventually moved into being an entry-mid range tech. It didnt take long for me to realize that the auto industry ****ing sucks. Its one of the most boring, repetitive unexciting job industries to work in. You work on boring cars all day long for ****ing peanuts then come in the next day to do the same thing. I got zero satisfaction out of doing anything.

So i paid off all my debt, got rid of unnecessary bills, downgraded everything and quit a few months. I just couldnt do it anymore. I basically turned back the clock to when i was 18/19 and started over again. I even got a retail job just hold me over until i figure out whats next. Auto industry is all i know and i want no part of it anymore.

Few weeks ago i went to a car meet for the first time in years and the passion is slowly starting to come back. That was worth it by itself.

 

[Mpoitrast87]

Father was in LE, so that's what I wanted to do. Got a job as a security guard at a local college (90 plus guards). They paid for most of my school and it turned out to be a great learning experience. I made rank at age 23 and made great money.

I wanted to be a LEO, so I applied to everywhere in Columbus Ohio, except the state troopers( shit pay and shit job). Took 3 years, but got picked up by a premiere agency and it's been great. 3 years in now and make 90k a year without overtime or special duty.

There is money to be made as a cop, but thoes agencies have strict standards and hire few.

Ironically, I they sent me to the trooper academy for my certificate. It was live in military style, sucked ass.

Mass state police is the same way. Military style academy Monday through Friday. Weekends off. But, the pay is great. Tons of details due to all the construction in mass. Last few years before my dad retired all he did was details. Total salary of his last full year was over 190k.

 

[Mpoitrast87]

Im in a really weird crossroads with my life.

I always thought i wanted to work in the auto industry because i'm a car nut. I got a job as a lot porter at a Nissan dealership when i was 21(im 26 now). Did that for a year and a half and worked my way up to detail manager, Moved over to Lube tech after 3 months. Eventually moved into being an entry-mid range tech. It didnt take long for me to realize that the auto industry ****ing sucks. Its one of the most boring, repetitive unexciting job industries to work in. You work on boring cars all day long for ****ing peanuts then come in the next day to do the same thing. I got zero satisfaction out of doing anything.

So i paid off all my debt, got rid of unnecessary bills, downgraded everything and quit a few months. I just couldnt do it anymore. I basically turned back the clock to when i was 18/19 and started over again. I even got a retail job just hold me over until i figure out whats next. Auto industry is all i know and i want no part of it anymore.

Few weeks ago i went to a car meet for the first time in years and the passion is slowly starting to come back. That was worth it by itself.

Kinda same story with me. Wanted to be a tech. But, after doing some time working on cars I didn't want to touch my own cars when I got home. That in itself made me stop working on cars. And when I started as a writer at my current job one of the techs told me on my first day to get out of the industry as soon as possible

 

[Bdubbs]

I have a degree in business management. Now I work at a butter factory as a shift foreman. Been there for 11 years, worked my way up to my current position.

Shift work isn't for everyone, but it's nice having half the year off.

 

[CompOrange04GT]

High school drop out. Thought I would never do squat with my life. Did landscape. Sold car wash products at the gas station. Cooked at bars.

Then 5 and a half years ago, I found out about the oil industry. Started as a grunt on rigs and frac sites. swinging hammers.. etc. Walked into the office one day became a dispatcher. blah blah.

5 and a half years later I look over a large portion of Texas and New Mexico in a management role I sure as hell never knew I'd get. I work a LOT still ( 70-80 hour weeks) but I also wake up when I want and stop when I Want. I have no schedule and no boss over me within 800 miles

 

[BrunotheBoxer]

Op if I were in your shoes I'd look into border patrol. I would rather do that than have a desk job and it seems exciting to me.

 

[Mpoitrast87]

Op if I were in your shoes I'd look into border patrol. I would rather do that than have a desk job and it seems exciting to me.

Want to to stay in New England lol. Can't do summer year round shit

 

[Buckwheat 1]

Want to to stay in New England lol. Can't do summer year round shit

If you want to be a cop then make it happen. The pension alone is like hitting the lottery. I wanted to be a cop and regret not following that goal.
Time flies so ya better get moving.

 

[Mpoitrast87]

If you want to be a cop then make it happen. The pension alone is like hitting the lottery. I wanted to be a cop and regret not following that goal.
Time flies so ya better get moving.

Deffinetly going to try. And it really is. My mom stayed at home to raise my brother and I so my dad was the sole provider. Even then he was able to retire at 58 after 34 years of being on the force.