How do you figure out what you want to do as a profession?

[ironpony]

1 hour ago, AngryGromit said:

Agreed, waiting tables, retail and grocery store work is teenager / early 20's jobs. If you still in these kinds of positions when you hit your 30's, you in major trouble of getting stuck in these kind of jobs for life. You need a career to earn the big bucks to get ahead in life. Otherwise your a few paychecks from homelessness. Not a good position to be in when your in your 40's and 50's. 

Okay thanks.  Well I did the grocery store thing before but it still wasn't enough money to live on my own.  What are some good big buck jobs then, that are easy to get though, instead of being in competition?  For example, I know two people that went to school to become teachers, and there are never any teacher jobs.  What are some good ones then where there is a bigger calling?

[Foxhall]

On 12/22/2021 at 5:24 AM, basil67 said:

AU$1mill (US$750,000) is a starter home where I live.

Interesting- seems high,

How much is an average house to rent in an Australian city?

[Foxhall]

8 hours ago, ironpony said:

What are some good big buck jobs then, that are easy to get though, instead of being in competition? 

something you can get trained up in fairly quickly and be able to set up working yourself then,

some of the trades perhaps that people mentioned earlier,

or something like a pensions adviser- usually plenty of demand for that, get trained up in it and build up a network of clients then

[elaine567]

10 hours ago, AngryGromit said:

Agreed, waiting tables, retail and grocery store work is teenager / early 20's jobs. If you still in these kinds of positions when you hit your 30's, you in major trouble of getting stuck in these kind of jobs for life.

I don't think anyone is suggesting that ironpony waits tables as his main job, but if he wants more money then taking on a second job may be his only option if he cannot find a higher paying job  and he doesn't want to retrain or get some education to make himself more appealing to employers.

[ironpony]

2 minutes ago, elaine567 said:

I don't think anyone is suggesting that ironpony waits tables as his main job, but if he wants more money then taking on a second job may be his only option if he cannot find a higher paying job  and he doesn't want to retrain or get some education to make himself more appealing to employers.

it's often been difficult working to jobs because the times will often conflict with each other when trying to find another job.

What other education could I get to make myself more appealing to employers?

[elaine567]

26 minutes ago, ironpony said:

What other education could I get to make myself more appealing to employers?

Depends entirely on what higher paid job you have decided to try for.

[ironpony]

1 hour ago, elaine567 said:

Depends entirely on what higher paid job you have decided to try for.

Oh okay.  I'm not sure at the moment.

[AngryGromit]

10 hours ago, ironpony said:

 What are some good ones then where there is a bigger calling?

The trades are good jobs, well paying and there a huge demand for them, Electrician, Plumber, HVAC, Carpenter are the big ones. You can specialize in others. Stucco Siding, Sheetrock and plaster, insulation, roofing, concrete and masonry, tile flooring, carpeting, etc.  

Mechanic and body work are other good ones. 

Edited December 23, 2021 by AngryGromit

[ironpony]

Oh okay.  I considered those trades before, but I want a job where I don't want to work in the freezing cold since doing so now, really has worn on my health.  I think it might have been one of the contributors to my sleep deprivation.  So it sounds like a lot of those traids would be working in the cold, but maybe not?

[AngryGromit]

4 hours ago, ironpony said:

 I considered those trades before, but I want a job where I don't want to work in the freezing cold since doing so now, really has worn on my health

Most of them will involve working outside in the elements in the winter. Houses under construction don't have heat. The only exception I can think of is sheet-rocking, the temperature has to be well above freezing for Spackle to properly dry,  Ideally 65 to 80 degrees, but it has to be at least 55 degrees. Usually they will bring in propane blast heaters to get it warm enough in the building to start sparkling.  I was an electrician helper for 3 years, I worked in 90 degree weather in the sun and 10 degrees outside in the winter. Just dress for the conditions and it's not too bad, Used to love my Carhart over-alls. I recall once outside, I was so hot with two layers of clothes in my carthart I had to unzip the front to cool off. My Boss at the time didn't have one and was freezing. I would tease him, "Cold Victor?"    I still use them when doing work on the car or attic work. iI don't have to worry about getting my clothes dirty with the one piece Carhart over them. 

Not all jobs are outside, repairs are in warmer environments, but you will be outside in the winter some of the time work the trades. Even auto mechanics have to deal with cold cars, even if the shop is heated.  

Edited December 23, 2021 by AngryGromit

[ironpony]

Oh okay thanks.  I can keep that in mind.  Thanks.  Well I was told by friends and family to not go into school for a job I don't want unless it's something passionate for me, otherwise they feel I will not do well at it, school wise.  Do they have a point or should I just go take a trade anyway, just to have a job?

[Happy Lemming]

5 minutes ago, ironpony said:

Well I was told by friends and family to not go into school for a job I don't want unless it's something passionate for me...

I would say concentrate on a trade/profession you can tolerate.  You don't have to necessarily be "over the moon" happy about heading out to work each day, but you shouldn't be miserable, either.

7 minutes ago, ironpony said:

...otherwise they feel I will not do well at it, school wise.  Do they have a point or should I just go take a trade anyway, just to have a job?

That's a question only you can answer.  How badly do you want to earn a "living wage" and move out of your parents' home??  How motivated are you towards accomplishing this goal.  If nothing will stop you and you are determined, then your friends and family are wrong.  If you are someone who will "give up" at the first sign of adversity, they your friends and family are correct.

[ironpony]

6 hours ago, Happy Lemming said:

I would say concentrate on a trade/profession you can tolerate.  You don't have to necessarily be "over the moon" happy about heading out to work each day, but you shouldn't be miserable, either.

That's a question only you can answer.  How badly do you want to earn a "living wage" and move out of your parents' home??  How motivated are you towards accomplishing this goal.  If nothing will stop you and you are determined, then your friends and family are wrong.  If you are someone who will "give up" at the first sign of adversity, they your friends and family are correct.

Okay thanks.  That's a good point, I am just not sure what to take as a trade.  Could it come down to just flipping a coin, or something more arbitruary like that?

[Happy Lemming]

8 hours ago, ironpony said:

Okay thanks.  That's a good point, I am just not sure what to take as a trade.  Could it come down to just flipping a coin, or something more arbitruary like that?

Perhaps, you could take a temporary job as a laborer for a day or two (at a house construction site).  Talk to the people doing the trades, the plumbers, the electricians, etc.  Try to get some input from them, ask them the "pros and cons" of their profession, what they like and dislike, etc.

In the process of flipping houses, I've done it all.  Nothing was really on my "dislike" list with the exception of taping and floating drywall.  I don't mind finishing drywall, but I was not a fan of taping and floating.  But that is something you might like... its hard to say what you might like or dislike.

[ironpony]

Okay thanks.  There is a job right now I am applying for that is higher paying and it's working outdoors.  But in the past, this was difficult to in the freezing cold.  People say to just get warmer clothes and warmer gloves, but the gloves are too thick to do the work in.  In this job I applying for, I will have to be pushing buttons but it's hard to push the right buttons with the gloves on and it's impossible to fit my finger into the trigger guards of the tools with the thick gloves.  How do others do this, if they want to keep their hands from freezing too much, since the gloves are too thick to operate any of the equipment with?

[Happy Lemming]

As another poster pointed out Carhartt Overalls are quite warm, so that will keep your body warm.

As for your hands, I would research Saranac gloves, they are somewhat warm and provide very good textile feel. 

If you need something warmer, I would look at gloves with thermolite.  I have a pair of Nibo thermolite gloves that I've used for riding my motorcycle in all weather and my hands have never been cold.  I'm still able to operate all of my controls on the handlebars, so they do have "OK" textile feel.  They are not perfect... but good enough textile feel for the small buttons on my handlebar controls.

[ironpony]

14 minutes ago, Happy Lemming said:

As another poster pointed out Carhartt Overalls are quite warm, so that will keep your body warm.

As for your hands, I would research Saranac gloves, they are somewhat warm and provide very good textile feel. 

If you need something warmer, I would look at gloves with thermolite.  I have a pair of Nibo thermolite gloves that I've used for riding my motorcycle in all weather and my hands have never been cold.  I'm still able to operate all of my controls on the handlebars, so they do have "OK" textile feel.  They are not perfect... but good enough textile feel for the small buttons on my handlebar controls.

Oh okay thank you very much.  But I googled Nibo thermolite gloves and I already can tell they are going to be too thick by looking at the pictures, unless there are options that are only half the thickness at least, from what I can tell?

[Wiseman2]

17 minutes ago, Happy Lemming said:

As another poster pointed out Carhartt Overalls are quite warm, so that will keep your body warm.

I got camo slippers for Christmas and they are very toasty. 🥾

There are other gig style jobs such as DJing or Uber driver, that wouldn't involve working outside in Canadian winter weather.

Having a clean, valid driver's license and current full time employment are a big plus when looking for work.

Edited December 28, 2021 by Wiseman2

[ironpony]

1 minute ago, ironpony said:

Oh okay thank you very much.  But I googled Nibo thermolite gloves and I already can tell they are going to be too thick by looking at the pictures, unless there are options that are only half the thickness at least, from what I can tell?

Oh okay thank you very much.  But I googled Nibo thermolite gloves and I already can tell they are going to be too thick by looking at the pictures, likely, when it comes to pressing small buttons all day.

[Happy Lemming]

4 minutes ago, ironpony said:

But I googled Nibo thermolite gloves and I already can tell they are going to be too thick by looking at the pictures, unless there are options that are only half the thickness at least, from what I can tell?

Are there any sporting good stores that sell Saranac gloves?? They actually have excellent textile feel and decent warmth.  You might find a nice balance of warmth and textile feel from their wide variety of gloves.  You could go in and inspect them to see if they will fit your needs.