Where's the money?

[theoriginator]

My question to everybody out there living and working in all the different industries is where's the money at? What sector makes or will make the most money in the years to come when the economy turns around? I'm an out of work auto painter currently being forced to detail cars all day at a used car dealership to stay in college and keep the bills paid. I'll be finished with all my business basics at the end of this year and will be enlisting in the military (shipping out to basic training at the beginning of 2011). For that is the only way I can see myself getting the Bachelor's Degree paid for, job training in a different field, saving large amounts of money, and seeing what the world has to offer, not to mention getting out of Dallas. I'm 25 and my job prospects are a joke, I've been in the auto body/ reconditioning business since I was 15. I have enough experience, and tools to come back to this as a backup plan, but its not going anywhere as of right now. I feel like I'm still young enough to try something different and would like to join the military, so I won't regret not doing it later in life, and so I can say I did my part in service to this country. I'm in good shape but I won't be able to do physical work forever, so my question is.....WHERE'S THE MONEY!?!?

[novaderrik]

i think the old saying is to do what you love and the money will come.

[shmoov69]

Become a politician and the money will come! That is about it.....well I guess you could become a prostitute......which really isn't much different!

[LateNight72]

I'm 21, in school for Engineering. But I do not believe engineering in general is where the money is. Look into Petroleum Engineering if you want the big $.

[XLexusTech]

want a good salary anywhere you go and be in demand.... go to nursing school... you can even travel and live in differint places...

It may sound weird but check it out..

[idreamofthe60s]

The world will always need engineers.

[dadto2jays]

I would suggest to get your self in a dealership preferably a foreign like toyota,mazda,nissan, honda etc..Be a service advisor, body shop service advisor in other words the back end of the business. I have many emplyess that make over 60k and several over 100k in todays economy. I got my 21 year old son a job at an Acura store and he makes close to 800.00 a week right now and he has been there for a couple of months. There is a ton of money to be made but you have to go with the right attitude and zero games...

[ArtosDracon]

I'm going to second the do what you love comment. As corny as it sounds, that is actually one I've learned from experience. I've sold furniture, taught construction, done computer repair, been a manager at a computer repair place, done security, installed car alarms, worked in doors and windows at home depot, done night audit for a hotel, I have a degree in IT and it all sucked. I'm following Thomas Edisons mantra, I haven't failed at anything yet, just found a lot of things I don't want to do. I'm planning on getting into welding courses this summer or fall with the hope that I can get into the automotive fabrication industry. Hopefully that works out. I've made everywhere from $8 an hour to making just shy of $10K one month, averaged just over $8K a month for a six month period, and I can definitely say that life outside of work was more fun when I was making bank, but life at work sucked, miserably. Oh, I installed cabinets too. There's probably more too.

[go-fish]

What branch of service and what job are you looking at?

[theoriginator]

I was looking into the Air Force or the Army, because I have enough college credits (87) and an AAS in Auto Body Tech I can come in as an E-3 rather than an E-1. The Air Force and the Navy have the best schools/ training as far as I can see, but I'm not into being a Sailor, I'd rather be an Airman or a Soldier. Biomedical Equipment Technician (Air Force and Army have this occupation) or Contracting/ Operations Management (Air Force only) or Financial Technician (Air Force and Army) or Construction Equipment Repairer/ Operator, Machinist, or Metal Worker (Army). I want to get a job in the military that I can use in the civilian world. I also plan on getting a Business Management BS while in service, my goal is to be self employed and completely independent by the time I'm 35 (10 years should be enough time to learn a new trade/ skill and make it happen). I'm single with no kids so I would love to travel as I have no baggage. The auto business is my backup plan.

[MrQuick]

The world will always need engineers. its a shame that most of them are coming from the the other side of it.


Where's the money? Depends on how much you are willing to risk for loss. I've been very fortunate with the stocks but I have been investing for awhile now.
Vince

[XLexusTech]

navy medic.... number one recession proof industry health care

[Steve1968LS2]

Get a Govt job.. they seem to have an endless supply of money and they never downsize..

[Pro Stock]

Thanks for wanting to serve our country, I've been in the drag race cylinder head and engine building end of things my whole life, made big $ and feel like I have'nt worked a day in my whole life.

Dale

[brans72]

Don't work for a auto dealer in NC seems like automotive field is going down down and down. I would say nurse or engineer or certain IT jobs myself.

[trex1270]

Not all jobs in The Navy send you to sea. The Seabee's is one or Corpsman deployed with FMF (Fleet Marine Force) among others...you could always apply for the Frogs...I was a Torpedoman who worked with Tomahawk cruise missiles, Mk48 adcap torpedo, mk50/46 torpedoes, hellfire and penguin missile systems and on my last ship I was on VBSS, which you board other ships and search for drugs, weapons, etc....vessel boarding/search and seizure..not to mention I am a rock solid spades player and can paint with the best of them!!! The old saying before we painted was once for dust, twice for rust! Any branch you join is a good choice and you will make the best friends of your life..you just choose the branch..Good luck!

[go-fish]

navy medic.... number one recession proof industry health care

That is Corpsman, the Navy doesn't have medics.

I have been in the Navy for almost a decade and have never been stationed on a ship, never went out to sea on a ship and never will be sent to sea on a ship with my job. There are oppurtunities for me to go to dirtbike mechanic school, outboard motor school, fiberglass school, paint school. I am a Cat mechanic, Cummins fuel system tech, fast rope quallified, could go to jump school soon, Hazmat shipper cert......I could go on and on. There are units you can go to that will send you to more training than I've had.

I have been to more places in 9 years than probably 90% of soldiers in for 20+ years. In the Army you will go to your base in CONUS or OCONUS, Iraq, and/or Afghanistan. I have been to Puerto Rico, Ecuador, Spain, Guam, Japan, Bahrain, Germany, Ireland, Kuwait, Iraq, numerous other countries for shorter periods of time. Not to mention all the schools around the US I've been to for a week or more (Louisville, Norfolk, Williamsburg, Athens,GA, Ventura, Fort Walton Beach, Panama City, to name a few) Now, tell me a Soldier gets those travel oppurtunities.

I work on everything from D9 dozers to four wheelers to HMMWV's to 30Kw generators. I get the training to do all that. In the Army you won't ever get the oppurtunity to be so diversified in what you work on. If you think being a "Soldier" or "Air Man" just sounds cooler then go for it.

Even though I don't sail and I wear camoflauge I am proud to be a Sailor and have the confidence that I am better trained tactically and skill set wise than any other comparable job field in the other services.

I really couldn't give two craps why you're not into being a Sailor but if it's because someone filled your head with notions of you being stuck on a ship scraping paint chips then you got fed a lie. There are more jobs than ship type rates.

The Seabee's of the Navy are also centered in Port Hueneme, CA which is smack in the middle of the car culture Mecca. Steve Strope's shop, Boyd's, Wilwood, all the shop's and industry giant's just a few minute's south in LA. You got Pomona. Just do a little research for custom shops and manufacturers in Ventura County and LA which is just to the south.

All those neat-o car rags usually only feature local SoCal rides that are built locally. If you want to get close to the car industry, have the security of a military occupation for four years and later possibly roll into a sweet career at a top notch shop when you get out, consider joining the Navy as a CM and requesting a Port Hueneme Battalion. You wouldn't have any problems getting your request.

In the Army you couldn't network like you could in a SoCal Seabee battalion. Look up FnLou on here. He was a Construction Mechanic in the Seabee's and networked his way right into hosting a Powerblock show.

[JJEH]

Work hard and save as much as money. That is the way!

[BA.]

Look at the baby boom generation and they are retiring soon or just retired.

Find a job that services the retiring generation. healthcare, medicine, long-term care, etc.

I'd put IT second.

[Bryce]

engineering consultant. become a PE. you can be your own boss and make 150-300 an hour. Engineering contractors make bank too. but you get no benefits. save up for a rainy day and be prepared to move to where the work is at.

[theoriginator]

I have narrowed down my career change ideas to the following:

CPA
Biomedical Equipment Engineering
Welding
Real Estate

What are yall's opinions on my options? I want to be in really good career shape in another 5-10 years. I'm 25 now and want to live comfortably with self employment an eventuall reality after 35.

[joemac]

In post #10 where you talked about starting something of your own. That is the best advice anybody could ever give you. It doesn't matter what it is just pick something and commit to it. Get your degree in Business Management or something universal like that.

I can't say I agree 100% about the do what you love and the money will follow. I'm sure there are hundreds of artists and writers that would majorly disagree as well.

[Jim Nilsen]

I have only seen a few jobs in my life that the people who have them have worked there for years with good pay ,good benefits and no layoffs.

Garbage men, plumbers,postal workers, police officers although it is dangerous, fireman dangerous too.

I can't think of any more people I know that have ever had a job last anymore. There is no good place to recommend becuase sooner or later they all have managment problems.

You could start your own business but that takes money to start with and is not garanteed you will even make a living these days.

All jobs become work just like any other job and the only way you will ever love your job is to love working to start with !!!!!!!

Best advice I ever got was to apply for the highest paying job you can get into no matter what it is and that the only way to get one is to apply for it.

Example: when asked how this guy got the job he had even though he didn't know how to do it very well, the guy said he just applied and they hired him. Must have been one heck of an interview to snowball the company that bad !!!!

[makoshark]

IT with a focus of Logistics pertaining to the new RFID technology. It`s growing to a huge industry

[Ishmael]

A number of years ago - at least in Canada - everyone was told to go to College , trades were for dummies. Now we can't get enough tradesmen. They have to import them. I had a plumber come out the other day to move a toilet 3/4 of an inch forward while another guy tiled the floor and I had to be at work. The guy came out three times, but in less than an hour and spent about $10 on material. I paid him $140 cash. The kicker is, at the end of the day ,if he does his job right, all the s%*# goes away. He can work anywhere in the country. My cousin is a plumber. He spends half his time fishing and makes way more than I do. Everyone thinks about technology but I say look at the basics that everyone needs but few want to do. Tradesmen here make really good money. Somedays I think seriously about changing jobs.

One thing to think about and that I told a student: if you are young, don't have any ties and you don't owe anybody anything why not see the world - not in the military or anything that's going to have ties on you though. I've known guys that have bartended across Australia and Europe. Take your time, think alot, see the world (without any expectations and on your own)and then decide. You've got the rest of your life and I would hate to see anyone make a decision that would affect the rest of their life too quickly. Its too easy to get in a rut. You'll never get this opportunity again.

[joemac]

The merchant marines are a decent way to see different places without being in a super strict setting. I think most guys are six months on six off.

I was a tradesman for 8 years-HVAC, there is a reason why there is a shortage of them. It SUCKS BALLS, seriously lame hours, all the companies I went to had the same short comings, the three P's I call it. Piss poor planning. The pay wasn't terrible though, I just had plenty of money and no time to enjoy anything. Now if I owned my own mechanical contracting company that I called the shots that might be a little different.

Another important thing to know when getting into a trade is that there are thousands of dollars in tools that more than likely you will have to pay for. Some employers will do some type of loan, but if I was ever to get back in a trade, I would do it on my own.

[shmoov69]

My grandpa used to say: If you find something that nobody else wants to do, you will get paid well to do it.
Makes sense to me!

[Turbo Rob]

My question to everybody out there living and working in all the different industries is where's the money at? What sector makes or will make the most money in the years to come when the economy turns around? I'm an out of work auto painter currently being forced to detail cars all day at a used car dealership to stay in college and keep the bills paid. I'll be finished with all my business basics at the end of this year and will be enlisting in the military (shipping out to basic training at the beginning of 2011). For that is the only way I can see myself getting the Bachelor's Degree paid for, job training in a different field, saving large amounts of money, and seeing what the world has to offer, not to mention getting out of Dallas. I'm 25 and my job prospects are a joke, I've been in the auto body/ reconditioning business since I was 15. I have enough experience, and tools to come back to this as a backup plan, but its not going anywhere as of right now. I feel like I'm still young enough to try something different and would like to join the military, so I won't regret not doing it later in life, and so I can say I did my part in service to this country. I'm in good shape but I won't be able to do physical work forever, so my question is.....WHERE'S THE MONEY!?!?

PM me your number - I retired from the Air Force after serving 25 years and can talk to you about the different jobs available and answer any other questions you might have about being an Airman.

Others have offered great advice in this thread - save/invest your money, get a good education, and pick something you are happy doing. You are not going to get rich quick - but can save a small fortune with the right plan and motivation.

Oh yes - another great plan nobody has mentioned is marry somebody who already makes the big bucks....

PM if you want to discuss the Air Force further.

Rob

[MikeDVC]

I have narrowed down my career change ideas to the following:

CPA
Biomedical Equipment Engineering
Welding
Real Estate

What are yall's opinions on my options? I want to be in really good career shape in another 5-10 years. I'm 25 now and want to live comfortably with self employment an eventuall reality after 35.

CPA gets my vote. Everyone needs to file taxes, and businesses need accountants in good times and bad (perhaps even more in bad times). I've been in public accounting for over 20 years. I've never been unemployed, layed-off or have been with a firm that has "slowed" due to the economy. Our small firm has grown considerably in the last two years; and believe me there is no lack of work in our office.

Just my 2 cents.

Mike

[andrewb70]

If you have the patience and drive, a PhD in accounting is very well compensated. Starting salaries for a freshly minted PhD in accounting is about $140K for a 9 month contract. It goes up from there....

Andrew