re: What type of career would you recommend to an 18 year old in today's age?

quote:

---

You aren’t wrong, but I always get a chuckle out of the pervasiveness of these responses. Guys, not everyone wants to work at a construction site or in a plant.

---

A man (who wants to have a family) doesn’t have the luxury of following his dreams regardless of income. Sometimes you have to suck it up and do the dirty work in order to make a living and get ahead.

quote:

---

With what you know now, what would you tell someone like me to look into?

---

It depends on what you're interested in.

Trade schools right now are a ticket to print your own money, if you enjoy the work and become good at it. Plumbing, A/C repair, electrical, welding... all of those are pretty much robot-proof (at least for the foreseeable future). As the population grows and more people continue to look for white-collar jobs, trade skills will continue to be important and lucrative.

If you enjoy mechanics, go into robotics. As no-skill and low-skill wages go higher, automation/robotics becomes more in demand as companies move to replace human workers with mechanical ones. As long as there is automation, there will be a need for people to fix it when it breaks down.

If you enjoy coding, get into AI programming. I wouldn't put all my eggs in that basket though as it's currently so much the rage that the market may well be saturated with AI programmers by the time you finish college.

Avoid anything in marketing, sociology or arts like the plague unless you aspire to be head barista at some Starbucks.

quote:

---

Nothing outside of the guys swinging a hammer on your roof are “immune” from AI impacts.

---

A dumb take.

If you are strong in STEM, made a great career for myself from my Computer Science degree.

Engineering would be good also.

Study Finance, intern with a private equity firm, accept an offer, prophet...

quote:

---

Academia is so fricking out of touch with industry today, even in engineering school

---

Any good supply chain management program will have a SCM panel made up of big industry players that help to align the SCM program with what is needed in industry. These close relationships also help with internships and placement of students after graduation.

As others have mentioned, it really depends on what your strengths and interests are.. if you are terrible at math , do you really want to spend half of your waking hours (or more) working as an engineer, which you will hate AND suck at ? I would echo those who advise to go to college and try a few different activities , take a few varied classes - you might find some things you are great at, or love doing- then all you have to do is monetize it…. Further, if i had it to do over again, instead of being so hellbent on graduating on time or early- I seriously would have dragged college out for 7 or 8 years.. it truly is the best, most magical time of most people’s lives .


But beyond all that, my #1 piece of advice- again, this is dependent upon your personality - but generally speaking, i would do whatever you have to do to BE YOUR OWN BOSS…. Maybe not in the very beginning, maybe take a salary job but give yourself a time limit, then go out on your own.. the freedom and flexibility will truly be priceless .

Medical field….

I want to give you credit for seeking advice, and not assuming, as some of us did at your age, that we already knew all there is to know .


But, take all of the advice you get here with a gigantic bag of salt.. after all, amonsgt the posters here is someone who literally started a thread about needing to poop while you are taking a shower .

quote:

---

Biomedical engineering with a focus on nanotech. Be on the forefront of devices that will heal from the inside

---

That is not a job that would allow him to stay in Louisiana.