100k on college and ending up a construction worker... How my life changed
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- Опубліковано 11 тра 2024
- One of my biggest learning lessons on my coding journey was failing to get any kind of post "college" type jobs and instead accept an offer in construction. This turned out to be the best things to have ever happened. Here is the story.
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about me:
My name is Jeff, I grew up in lower class as an Asian American and got bad grades my whole life. I found my path to real estate investing (2m+ in properties) and have a successful day job as a Lead Software Engineer all before 30. My goal is to share what I've learned in my 20s that helped me become who I am today. no sales, no tricks, no games. Just pure advice from someone thats seen both the bottom and the top in this modern world.
I went to school for art, then reality hit lol. I worked at Costco, then became a server, then a janitor…then was fired, now I’m 28. I have most definitely been humbled. Now I was accepted into a registered nursing program. Hoping to guve it my best shot and make art along the way too. Dont follow your dreams…let your dreams follow you!!!
Damn bruh. Sometimes I regret not going to college. But I’m also 28 and have my own business. Which I also regret sometimes because I am a slave to it
@@BlackShinobi. what types of narcotics do you traffic?
Art lol, yea.. if you go to college, make sure to take something that has some value to society, like you said, a nurse, youll be swooped up quickly and be earning in no time
Being an artist is a blessing. Good luck with nursing school and keep doing art.
@@sacr3”Make sure you take something that has some value to society” What an insane comment. I sure hope you don’t watch movies, read books or listen to music.
My sister has always resented me. She went and got a 4 year degree. In debt to get her degree. Now has decent job with a big company we all know.
I am a 40 year old who is a high school drop out who has been working since I was 16. 24 years experience in the construction world. Now make well over 6 figures as a project manager. I am hybrid remote and try to vacation one week out of the month. I have no HS diploma but worked hard and I’m here now. 💪. No debt besides my mortgage. Both cars paid in cash.
Great story but why bring your sister into it?
Sounds like you took your life seriously and got a results of that. It’s either you work hard young, or you work long hard😢
How old is your sister? Also not everyone is gonna be able to work construction 24 years and suddenly get a remote job, even with hard work.
Nice man! Thats awesome you got to where you are with such little “formal” education. Inspiring!
I'd still feel like a bum without having a high school education. When your body gives out and you have no options for work, there will be an employer that will ask you to show proof that you have an education.
We're going to see MORE people like this guy that are STEM grads but ****cannot**** find work in 2024.
I one-trillion percent agree with you. I have a couple of family members who have computer science degree to an engineering degree and their definitely having a hard time finding work. I believe STEM degrees are overrated and oversaturated.
Recently went my sisters graduation and saw a good amount of people with phds in healthcare and stem fields all i could think is how many of these people are going to actually find jobs.
2008 says hi.
@@esparda07yep
@@obrienortega6942a degree alone isn’t enough. You have to network.
Theres something really engaging with this type of realness - no jump edits and crazy animations at my face. Watched the whole thing effortlessly.
I remember that feeling of dread after college. I was a factory worker after college, and the feeling is one of failure and disappointment. I quit the job after about a year and went to back to learn software development . And luckily that paid. The period between 2013 and 2015 was life defining.
How long did it take you to get an entry level job in software development?
@@alonzo4164 almost two years.
Can you describe your exact route and how much you earn now per year ? I'm very interested !
@@janreichenbach265 I did a bunch of stuff to get in. I did a lot of self-taught stuff with YT and courses in Udemy. I went back to my community college and singed up the software development associate degree, with a focus in software testing. All of it was focused in Python. Also did some volunteer work to help others learn basic stuff like build a webpage. And after almost two years I got my first job at a fin tech company.
Salary was obviously low for many years, but eventually increased to a reasonable level. Don’t really wanna expose my salary here though.
Don’t be discouraged by AI and all that noise.
You can get in through Support, typically that department always needs people. There’s also implementations. And work your way to dev. You just gotta put your pride aside and get in the door. The rest you’ll learn at the job.
The economy sucks right now, but when it picks up all of these mid size companies will start hiring again and you can slide in there. In the meantime, learn and make money doing other things.
Great video man , i was in and out of construction jobs starting at 17 . I never went to college, always worked hard labour, i never really knew what I wanted to do or get into . I just had to try various jobs to see if i liked it. At 24 i found what i truly had a passion for and i knew i had to put my head down and grind and learn while working these time and physically grueling jobs. 7 years later now at 31 today, i am living my dream. Working for myself, traveling the world with the women i love. We all have to go through the pain and struggle to truly get what we want. That is the sacrifice . If i did not put myself through that step in my life , i wouldn't be where i am today.
If anyone is reading this, just keep pushing through. Don't give up. Even if you don't know what you really want to do. Keep trying, dont be afraid to fail. You will look back at these moments when you are older and will understand way more than what you understand presently and why you are doing what you are doing today. It will all make sense many years down the road.
Stay true to yourself, listen to the voice from within.
Hello, you mentioned that you are working for yourself. What exactly do you do to earn money?
@@christopherszymanski2404 i trade CFDs (forex, indices) not an easy career. I have been doing this for 7 years. Only the last 2 years have been profitable. Very difficult way to make a living. Once you understand it, it will open a whole new world to you. You have to put in the work, this takes a lot of time. I wouldn't recommend this route to no one. There are many ways to make money independently online, this one fits my character. And i have tried many other routes before this and failed. I lost countless amounts of money in other ventures. You just have to find what is right for you.
Try and don't be afraid to fail. Everyone has their own risk tolerance.
What do you do exactly …
That looming grayness when your major doesn't pay off, I’ve been there. I struggled, but I was diligent and turned to investing. Now, with over $2.8M in returns and inching closer to my retirement goal, I took one move into a life changing trajecory
to be realistic, Luck plays a significant role more-so than the resources to thrive with investing. without it, it's very challenging to succeed.
when results are consistent, its not considered luck. I attribute this to research which was the challenging part before it led me to Emily Ava Milligan, a top fund manager, in turn she made 120k into this and counting
after I pasted her name into my browser, her page was the first thing I found. It became clear she is in high demand. your example is rare. I stumbled on a gem i least expected. Thanks for the share
Mine mirrors yours. I'm on track for a 115 k return over 8 months, working with Emily Ava Milligan sets a bar, the results are apparent.
For a sec, I thought this was gonna be a spam bot....
"one step further way from my dreams" - I get that. I was unemployed from my engineering job in August and been just not working since. This is a good story and I connect with it. thanks for sharing your story.
How do you get by? Just got fired yesterday but I was already applying for jobs since December but nothing
@canijustgetanamealre Im glad it connected with you. Keep moving forward, one step at a time!
@@MaliEndz He most likely got a severance package. I was laid off from a mortgage company a couple years ago and thankfully I got that.
My two sons are going into nursing then med school. I’ve explained they need to have real skills to feed themselves while they work through med school. I told them they can live with me until they’re finished😊.
They're lucky to have a parent like you.
Good job.
🤘🏽
Couldn't pay me enough to go into the medical field
@@floridaman318same dawg my sis be telling me to join but i hate that sht with a passion
I graduated last year (May 2023) with a degree in SE and before graduating I had a job lined up from an internship from the summer before and I thought life was on easy mode for me. But then the job offered was rescinded and I tore my ACL. I was at my lowest through the end of the year last year and the start of this year.
This was one my first hit of real life. I put my head down and worked on applying, projects, and practice interviewing. So many rejections. More than I can count. Thankfully I received an offer after all my hard work. It's not a software engineer but it is a very close if not mostly doing the same stuff and it's at a well known company. My goal is to transition within the company to an swe role later on. This experience made me realize, I can plan my life but it's never promised and nothing will get handed to me.
Truly, all I could do was keep working and praying, and it paid off.
What is SE?
software engineering @@om3667
@@om3667 Software Engineering
@@om3667software engineer
@@om3667software engineering
I'm a 19 year old Asian American college student going into comp sci. I don't know how I stumbled upon your videos but they are very comforting. Makes me feel like everything's gonna work out in the end. Thank you!
Do you have any past experience with coding or just starting off at college?
The algorithm may have picked up on possible YT or other account related searches you’ve done on college or computer science. You’ll definitely learn more on algorithms in your degree. Enjoy it, it’s a fun and challenging field to study. 📚
@@heavenlyvirtue8367 I have a little bit of knowledge scattered around python, java, and linux
currently learning web dev on my own
@@papadank1972 cool. Front end web or backend web?
Your honesty is really refreshing and uplifting. There is no shame in any job, but depending on the job there might be certain hardship, unfairness and terrible stress. I had to do call centre work a lot after completing my education and that business operation is full of abuse. The phone workers are abused by the callers, at times co-workers and most often by management.
I hear you homie, two of my ex’s had their masters and made less than me managing a warehouse. College does not guarantee employment. Stay up brother.
Watch Trading Places. Your going to get yourself running in circles unless you make your own path. Concentrate on money first. You can't help people if you can't guarantee your path forward.
Construction is a blessing at 18 find your work ethic and its limits, you will soon find there’s no bounds.
There is a 13 story apartment building going up next to me. The work begins at 7:00 AM every moring. And it's not english that is being spoken - it's spanish. All construction jobs use to promise good middle class incomes but those are becoming increasingly rare.
@@cfpupu trippen im 19 got into the carpenters union started school last week n work this week making 21$ hr going to 56$ hr once a journeyman n don’t speak Spanish, u not lookin hard enough pa cuz the opportunities are there especially now w the new gen afraid to get there hands dirty
@@MoneyPrinterr I'm not doubting that and have friend who was in construction all his adult life is just now retiring with a nice pension. But look at the impact immigration has already had and push that out to the future. Those in construction trades need to be pushing for an immigration moratorium
@@cfpup Are you union or non union? Most of the illegal migrants work the shitty non union jobs.
@@cfpupimmigration effects trades that are generally less educated, not many of them are electricians, plumbers or hvac techs, mainly framing and drywall
Thank you for your honesty, humility, and sharing this. Godspeed
My first ever job was a landscaper. Idk if you'd want to lump that into the same category as construction, but I felt the same exact way about people I worked with back then. Kudos to you for grinding your way out of that situation
Thank you for sharing!!! Incredible story and important sentiment behind it
This motivated me! Thank you for this video!
My construction job is the opposite. Engineers are trying to get into this because it pays more lol 😂 god bless them. Can’t even turn a wrench 😅
skinny software engineers that never seen sunlight will get clowned by guys that dont even speak English
I'm an engineer and coder and I've worked construction before. it's actually not really that different.
@@lineage13I was gonna come here and say that too. As an engineer i still have to go up on that rig and do testing. Not actually building stuff up anymore but it ain’t light work.
Anyone can turn a wrench, there’s a reason that construction work is filled to the brim with people that aren’t the best or brightest.
@@LouisPerez-wf1yidepends on the trade. Try to be a precision millwright. More to it than turning wrenches.
Thank you for sharing your story!
@cybernetck this is much appreciated. Thanks for the support, means a lot.
Why is it every 20 years the job market becomes more impossible to navigate as millions of jobs are shipped overseas or lost altogether, meanwhile a handful of people become orders of magnitude more wealthy? What's the endgame? One guy owning 99.9% of everything and 99.9% of everybody owning 0.1% of everything? It's madness!
Hence all those Indian CEOS, they min max all costs. I can’t understand it, a product could have an expected quality, your tv for example, but with these new CEOS, they don’t care about the quality you expect from your TV, they just want you to make it cheaper and cheaper. Cheaper labor, cheaper materials, cheaper process, cheaper everything. This obviously isn’t sustainable, one day….
This is the intrinsic end game of capitalism unfortunately. Wealth and capital accumulates into a smaller and smaller group of people over time until the end game is reached where one person or one very small group of people own absolutely everything.
@@Cozzi0 At such a point, the mere concept of ownership loses all meaning whatsoever.
@@meuko even back in India or Phillipines or Vietnam, the pay is very less for software engineers, we can hardly pay for rent and groceries, there is no savings.
Only 1% get all the money, including ceos and board of directors, that's the reality.
@@vinayj1763 I understand that, 100%, I'm not saying anything, but these 1% used to get flayed in the streets in the old age, something needs to make a comeback...
Thank you for sharing your life experience
Your life may have had ups and downs but your audio is CRISP.
I see the Blue Spark SL Black. Love it.
Interesting advice thanks for sharing
I got a BS Biology. Terrible job prospects with this degree. I applied to various jobs for 6 months, but was lucky enough to land a job as a chemist at a pharma company. Went to school for a master's after that. Now I have great job security, provided I will be happy with moving my family. Moral of the story is, if you want to use your degree, keep applying. It will work out eventually. So many people get discouraged and quit applying
Love your wisdom and very authentic channel friend!
Keep sharing!
You nailed it! I don’t think anyone could articulate it any better than that.
You need to major in something that leads directly to a job. Don't major in business or marketing. Major in cybersecurity, engineering, social work, nursing, physical therapy or whatever your major is, get a teaching credential. There are also many two year community college degrees that pay well: RN, LVN, respiratory therapy, electrician, etc etc. The key is to get a gate kept profession- something you have to have a license or skill in and then get a union job. The trades also license. And blue states have strong unions and pay well. Get a job in the public or non profit sector and your loans will be paid off by Public Service Loan Forgiveness
College gets you halfway to success. Work ethic gets you all the way.
I went to school, andgot my degree in psychology. Wanted to be a cop, but things changed. Now im an electrician apprentice in my local IBEW union. Once I get my journeyman, im thinking of traveling for work. Work insane amount of overtime, and taking a couple months off, traveling in other countries.
Why didn't you persue a private psychology practice?
@Chad-Giga. Didn't want to pursue a masters or PhD. Wasted too much time in school already.
IBEW your set
Unions are where it's at. Hang in there it pays off well on the end!
bachelors in psychology is almost a trash degree. Perfect if you want to go into teaching or roofing though.
This is a, wonderful life lesson of overcoming obstacles, reinventing yourself, inspiring others and finally landing on your goals. Tks for sharing
I worked as a roofer the summer between High school and university, and the following summer after 1st year. Was always fun and served as a reminder how hard blue collar is!
This is some real talk. Awesome work dude. It’s hard getting ahead and you have to dream big and work hard.
Interesting life story. Thank you.
i’m a 24 year old construction worker, aspiring to become a freelance 3D animator and I resonate with this sooo much. I’m going through this exact situation right now.
I dropped out of uni when I was 21 and worked odds and ends jobs for 4 years before I finally decided to go back to get a degree in accounting - finally having a job lined up is a blessing
Thanks for sharing your story because it also makes me feel not so alone in this world knowing that someone was able to turn things around
I also have a degree in accounting & finance, but I can't land a job in this field. I have gone through numerous rejections despite having a very high GPA. How long did it take you to find your job? Congratulations BTW.
@@joro7304 thank you! The only thing I did was go to a career fair at my Uni, had 4 conversations, and I left. Every person I spoke to I handed my resume to as well. Something that helped me was having good grades and having a lot of work experience that didn’t even apply to accounting. This was just to land an internship tho, so the work experience was more to show that I am not lazy more than anything
I landed a job with Deloitte by just focusing on having a good/normal conversation and being curious about the people I spoke to
If you need more tips lmk
Wow… so relatable, well spoken.
Very insightful. I had a similar experience.
Great video! I'm sure you're a great dad and example for your children
The UA-cam recommendations Algorithm sent me here. Thank you for your story man..take this subscription! Hope to hear more.
And i hope others hear your voice
true
Similar situation to me, went to school for stem and got a job at a hospital as a clinician upon graduating. Pay wasn’t the best so I swapped to blue collar work. Did that for about 7 years and started learning code.
Now I’m a software engineer but I attribute so much of my success and drive to my blue collar work ethic and people skills I learned from that previous career
amen brother. i went into school w the idea to work in academia. took a half year off to figure some shit and took up some trades work to make some money/fill the time. fell in love and am still in it td, hoping it stays my career. its honest, rewarding work
Thanks for sharing this! Reminds me of the saying, 'everyone is fighting a battle you know nothing about.'
This is so true.
Especially true for individuals with so-called "invisible" disabilities, such as high functioning autism/ADHD.
I can relate man. I’m Gen X, so pre Internet I’d sit in my work truck at lunch and after the day’s work was done, reading books, working on my goals. I made it, and have had a rewarding career in health care for the past 20+ years.
Stuck in a similar scenario, but with no college degree. Having to work a full time construction job, trying to get out of the crane and rigging field while grinding a college part time online. It’s hard.
I worked very labor intensive blue collar jobs for many years and went back to get my degree at 40. I was making great money doing the labor job I had before college, but I knew my body was not going to like it in a few years. I ended up going back to making just over minimum wage for my first job after graduation. I was in my early 40s making minimum wages. It was humbling but it was the best decision I’ve made. It put me in position to make a lot more money than I ever had being a laborer. I’m doing better financially and physically than I ever have at 48. If you go to school, do everything you can to network. Getting good jobs happen from who you know. I have zero regrets. And if you’re wondering, I have a degree in psych. You don’t need a STEM degree. You just need initiative to work hard at shitty jobs while networking in the field you want to be in. If you have a STEM degree, you in a better position. You’re still going to need to start a very low wage, but the long term opportunities are definitely there.
What do you do now with that psych degree? I'm in the same position. Got a degree, didn't do anything with it. Now I'm an electrician apprentice. I think I'm going to stick with this path till retirement.
@@hmoobmikah I’m in sales now. It took 3 low paying jobs to get the opportunity. I think people have a belief that they’ll land a banger job fresh out of school. It doesn’t work that way. It’s all about networking. I made just shy of a grand today. Last year I finally moved into 6 figures. Sales are where it’s at. Every business has either a product or service that needs to be sold.
@blackfishgaming7145 This is a great story, thanks for sharing.
Your story is inspiring to me. I got my degree in accounting & finance last month at the age of 41 and am struggling to land a job in this field. I graduated with a stellar GPA (3.95), and still companies don't want to hire me. Your story gives me hope that if I keep on pushing, things will ultimately work out.
I feel you bro. I feel you 😭
I currently working towards a degree in biology at my local junior college and plan to transfer to uc Davis next year. After that I hope to apply to medical schools and work in rural medicine. I feel that rural medicine is something that not many people have a desire to do, but it sounds perfect for me. What caused me to want to go back to school was realizing that if I keep working landscaping I'm going to burn out my body fast and have nothing to show for it by the time I'm old.
This is where I’m at right now, worked in Tech for three years laid off twice and can’t find a job, now I’m looking at being a tradie. Thanks for sharing your story
I just graduated with a construction management degree. My plan is to learn a trade and then move into management, aiming to be a card-carrying journeyman in the office. This isn't a common path, but it has significant advantages. The pay and benefits are excellent, and with the right company, you can earn the same as field workers if you're a card-carrying trades union member.
Good idea…you’ll find that union foreman in the field make more than the construction managers. Being a manager is less taxing on the body but more stress on the mind (usually). I’m a union electrician and I’ve done it all.
Yeah many tradesman move to management because their bodies at a certain age couldnt keep up with the workload
I get this 💯. I was a History major from a top notch program in the country. Thought about Law School or possibly Graduate Studies. Neither ever occurred. Started working met a girl got married had a family with both kids college grads. After nearly 30 years of retail management and decent pay I wish my career would have went different. It’s not the work it’s the lack of respect people have for folks in certain industries. My father told me to save straight away. Thankfully retirement in sight. “Your dreams farther away” definitely get that.
I have an Associate of applied science and engineering tech. Worked as a Solar designer rendering CAD drawings for contractors learned a-lot about electrical and building structures. Found the industry to be too volatile and inconsistent. Luckily I have little college debt 10k. I’m looking into HVAC as I can turn a wrench and have the physicality to handle the work. Trades are the way to go for a stable career for some not all.
Any advice for how to get into HVAC? I have no background
Engineering and trades go hand in hand. You need to understand how machines work and how they are designed to be able to be really good at repairing them. A mechanical engineer would also make a really good CNC machinist. Also the time spent repairing broken stuff gives you an eye into common failure points and you will have engineering ideas on how they can be designed better from practical experience.
I totally understand you brother. Everyone always says that we need to go into debt for a degree because its always been like that. But they never taught us how to earn money to have food in the table because thats our own responsibility. Chasing dreams shouldn’t cost your health and savings.
Living that dread now. "Corporate communications cordinator" turned out to be the most incredibly toxic, ghetto call center ever. Marginally better than my last jobs- warehouse and lift rat- but still... Really hoping I can get out ASAP.
The warehouse at least had proud blue collar types, the same background I came from. The call center I'm the only one with my background and principals.
I’d take a warehouse job over a call center any day of the week. Call centers are filled with people who have usually always done call centers or people who have just given up on their dreams. It’s a job you do when you just need a paycheck coming in for the time being. Atleast warehouses your on your feet which is much better for your body than sitting all day
@@MrMikahT Oh my god, truth with sitting all day. I uh, ended up gaining 15lbs from the stress of trying to keep this place floating, then getting investigated for doing what I was told to, and just, not moving AT ALL. Classic mistake- I kept eating only slightly less than what I needed to stay up on long working shifts.
Yeah call center life is not great, did help people and felt good but over it. I wanna be a respiratory therapist, data analyst and learn HVAC, so tired of being behind a desk waiting for emails.
@@stevend776 I believe it man! I worked in a call center years ago. I was there for only about 6 months. That job may be perfect certain types of people but it was enough for me to realize how much I hated sitting at a desk all day every day.
@@stevend776 Man I used to deliver to a couple call centers and man, what a fucking zoo. I know you know . Lets just say no tipping.
Things happen for a reason. Thank you for your honesty and willingness to share. A uni degree is not for getting a job. It's for self-development. It changes you internally and teaches you how to ask questions and analyse things differently, and that's it.
The expectation that we are owed a job because we did a degree is flawed in current society and its expectations.
I was where you are for ten years, and now i know why, i had unrealistic expectations. Even in the construction industry, there is a need for your skillset. The question is, can you see it? Do you know how to combine your current skills and communicate them to the correct people in the office?
I have no doubt that someone will soon see the potential you hold. Thank you once again; your experience has inspired me.
*CREATIVITY* is the *CONNECTION* between *VISION AND PRODUCTION*
*VISION* is the *ABILITY* to *SEE* what is *BEING SAID*
*PRODUCTION* is the *BIRTHING* of the *VISION*
*EXPERIENCE* is the *EXAMINATION* of the *PRODUCTION PROCESS*
This hits too close to home for me, and i'm sure in today's job market, a lot of people can relate. I'm approaching the 1 Year mark since I've graduated from the University of Oregon with a B.S. in Mathematics and a decent gpa (3.6). Seeing your hat in the thumbnail and the title of this video, i felt as though i needed to hear your experience.
After graduation, I ended up not finding any jobs, and i continue working the same job i had in college. I struggled the most with not knowing what I really wanted to do in life. I chose math because it's the one subject that got me excited to go to school, and between science (chem or physics) and math, i just felt in my heart math was the better choice. However, the degree is so versatile that it did not help me find the right career path. I appreciate the knowledge and the growth I've experienced at the UO, the friends I've made, the connections I've built, and the overall cultivation of independence. Yet, I still feel dissappointed in myself for many reasons. I'm definitely proud for earning a bachelors degree especially as a first-gen student, but I feel as though, in my current situation, I should have went down a different path after high school. I blamed the misguidance I had in my early years (middle school/high school) for my failings, but after months of serious self reflection and reconnecting back with my soul and Earth's, I realized it's not too late for me to turn things around. I've spent so much precious time smoking weed, drinking, and generally not taking my future as serious as my peers. I feel as though I let my parents down and every single person who supported my upbringing since high school. My family and friends all believe in me...but it's hard if I don't believe in myself. It's not too late for me to change things around. I just started my first Tolerance break last week for the first time in 3 years, I've created a roadmap of online certificates/certifications I need to complete, projects I need to work on, and skills I need to sharpen up on to get back on track and finally start using my degree to attain my career goals (and through this experience, I could achieve my personal goals as well.) I feel for the first time in my life, there's light at the end of the tunnel and that I finally found the right career path for me: data analysis/science.
Just want to give my final appreciation to you for uploading this video and taking the time to talk to us about your experiences. I know wherever I end up in life, I'll be happy for as long as i continue putting in the work and not only following my heart but understanding it.
Thank you
You have a math degree …. Bookeeping, accounting, finance ….data scientist !!! Bruh what are you doing !!!
Hey, UO grad here also.
Similar situation happened to me. Still working at managing it all. Wish I never took loans for college it’s such a huge scam.
~Best Wishes to all
@@Job.Well.Done_01 I agree. I'm barely scraping by, but hey, at least im getting by. All the best wishes, mate.
@jawszsy2259 I appreciate you taking your time to reply. Yes I did, Die hard ducks fan for life and outside of not landing a job. I also did a general STEM degree like Math. Just know life isnt linear, sounds like you are on the right track and with the right mindset. Its no where near being too late. My college experience/degree did come back around and became a positive once I because an Engineer.
@@Job.Well.Done_01 Unless you want to be a doctor, engineer, lawyer or a teacher, then I agree, college is a waste of time for most people, especially if you have to rack up a lot of debt, because people don't come from wealthy families.
For those of you with highly technical minds and a love of the outdoors, get yourself into rope access wind turbine blade repair. The work is never ending and you will never not have a job if you can stomach the heights and the seasonal work schedule. I make over six figures and only work half the year.
Not only that, but there are good companies out there who will hire solid techs and pay for your rope access training to get you out into the field.
Wow, I can relate to your experience and your reflection. I think you're lucky to get an opportunity to learn the trade and earn a big boy wage because I was working the minimum after college didn't enjoy it at all same exact experience I have with you being questioned about what are you doing here. Some people would settle in their jobs. It sounded like you're working in technology now since it's where you always wanted to be, working at a desk. I think it's a difficult transition from blue collar to white collar since both ranks have different expectations and companies are not ready to change their hiring practices. Glad you made it work out and allowing others to see it's possible. Also, really shocked how degrees aren't everything now since even with a STEM science major you can't find work.
I have such a similiar experience now I am in school and going to work a summer job Its not as physically draining and there is AC so much better than coming late tired dirty compared when I worked construction.
I still don't know what will happen in the future what career imma end up in and if imma still find work or imma end up back in construction at one point.
From one asian dude to another, I know exactly how you feel. The need to meet familial and societal expectations. But sometimes life doesn't work out the way you want it, and that's entirely a bad thing. You end up with an entirely different perspective after all that education and work experience.
In the beginning, I had no idea what I was doing on a construction site either. A lot of people don't know anything in the beginning, but when you learn a certain skill and get better, people will see the changes in you.
Like you, I set aside my pride about being a privileged and 'educated' bastard. And after 8 years of doing manual labour, I'm somewhat useful 😂
It's funny the old traditional routes for asian kids was to be professionals (doctors, lawyers, and dentists, etc. And the very same people wonder why they have to spend so much money fix their plumbing. But they don't realise that tradesman have put in their time to ve good at their job to charge for those services.
But when you humble yourself to work an honest dollar, people will respect you regardless of what job you do.
It sucks sometimes some people will never like you for whatever reasons, but the positive is that you can provide for your family. Nothing better than you can teach your boys to have a good working ethic and understanding the value of the dollar.
And if you have a chance for advancement, by all means go for it.
I think in some sense, we've lost our sense of individuality and look towards others, especially towards family and society, to help point us to the right path. Some times it works out, but many times the kind of expectations imposed on us clouds our ability to discover our own purpose and passions in life.
lol I like what you wrote, the familial and societal expectations is what hits my concious every time and people who don't like you will remind you everyday. In some jobs, it's a difficult situation to be in.
You have to be crystal clear what you want to do. I just kinda thought "I'll go to Japan, improve my Japanese" but I never really knew what I was going to do with that and ended up stuck in an English teaching job supporting a family.
I’m Canadian so I only spent about 30k for my history degree, but I’m a traffic control technician now ; I set up safe construction zones on the highway. I was quickly promoted to lead (IDK how much my degree had to do with it) but because I have a degree, I can become a registered safety technician with just 1 more year of school, so things are alright I guess.
Keep it up!
-Best Wishes
I'm a SW engineer now but thinking of an electrician apprenticeship. Those commutes you mentioned is what is scaring me. Working from home is too nice.
Jeff, I hope you read this comment. Another path to take is Field Technician through a cable company and move up through the grades to max. Field Tech level. Then apply to Maintenance. You can make $40/hr after a few years doing that. There's videos on UA-cam from cable companies where they talk to the maintenance techs all about it.
The best way to cushion the blow of college graduation is to do something entirely insane such as enlisting in the navy literally as an enlisted man. I was too busy to really worry about the outside world. But I got a teaching certificate in college so I at least could fantasize about teaching high school and that prevented me from feeling trapped in the navy. Then always hedging my bets I got a merchant seaman’s document when I got out of the navy. So I had two occupations, sailor and history teacher, both equally shitty in reality. I ended up wasting 20 years on both seafaring and teaching. Finally I wised up and went to barber college to really learn how to make my own money.
no traumatic military
@@gladatusbob4497 It’s been strictly voluntary since 1973.
Amazing. THANKYOU for your time and energy. The real heroes are the ones who made it, and decides to go back for the others. Just like jungles of Vietnam. And the northern star, to financial freedom… freedom. God bless your family and you! ❤
Actually I am going into construction in part to give my dreams a boost. I waste so much time right now. I am hoping that when I have less time I will make better use of it.
I think young guys can do very well for themselves in the trades. Come out making money, no debt and invest wisely. Buy a house and then start your own business.
I think where a lot of guys fail is they get caught up in the lifestyle with the other guys, doing drugs and drinking on top of hard physical labor. That’s what destroys them.
The trades are overrated and the more people enter the worse the pay will become
@@Wilhelm4131 compared to what? Working in a corporate office job?
@@Wilhelm4131trades are not worth sacrificing your health. Been there done that not worth the money
Buy a house? With a trade job? Bro you're killing me 😂
@@GeorgeWKush-tl5do I bought a house last year for 140k. It’s easily doable as long as you don’t live on the coast or mountains
I have more respect for construction workers than most professions. Be proud of it.
Gen x here. 54 years old. Went to university in the 90’s for liberal arts. Dropped out, never finished. Got a job as a seaman on a freighter, been doing it for 30 years. Went back to school last year - online - and finally got my Bachelor of Arts. I’ll never use it. And I’ll retire a unionized, blue collar worker
Huge Respect Brother 🙏 You are an honest to God person
great video
Life After Layoff is a great Recruiter and UA-camr that speaks about the realities of an employee and how employers act upon workers. I got laid off from Boeing (2020) expecting to retire with the company. Hired age 24 & laid off at age 25.
I ended up getting my Associates degree in Biomedical Equipment Technology and it paid off but, recently took a pay cut in order to specialize in Diagnostic Equipment because the pay is better unless you work at a hospital. But in a hospital you might not get exposure to specialized equipment that would benefit your career in the long run.
You’re not alone my friend.
Similar experience happened to me at 22. Still figuring my life out now
This is like looking in a mirror. I got a chemistry degree and couldn't find work. Joined a trade where I worked on remote weather stations in Northern Canada. Sometimes i'd be working in -20C and wiring things with my bare hands because gloves had no dexterity. I barely knew how to hold a drill. It was such a humbling experience but I learned so much about life and the importance of skills. I was able to use that experience and moved up from there, but it was those years that really shaped my career, not my degree
Do what you like, don’t care about what others think 😊
I come from a family of great men in the field of construction and road work, absolutely no shame in hard work. My dad dropped out of school at 15 and became a roofer and is now an amazingly talented contractor and my uncle dropped out at 17 worked construction started his own construction business and now makes multi millions (he is still a tight wad though)
Gratitude is a superpower.
Your story sounds kinda similar to my situation. I graduated from college three years ago having majored in public health and kinesiology. I realized way too late that those career fields aren’t a good fit for my personality so now I’m looking into plumbing.
I wanna get into HVAC or plumbing, but all I've been is a social worker and office guy, lol idk where to start
Join a union. They pay better, have a retirement. Boss won't ever force you to work or threaten to fire you if you don't work on weekends or evenings.
@@hmoobmikah that is exactly where I’m applying to right now
You played yourself my friend but plumbing pays good go for it
@@briannguyen4078 Yeah…at least I learned what I DONT want to do. It’d be really bad if I discovered I don’t like my career later rather than sooner. Silver linings I guess.
Went to school - drop out and went to construction and now it’s the path for me.
Very open, honest and real. About 20 years ago, I realized with a 2h. commute, a person is putting in an extra work week ( 5 weeks per month), plus expenses for gas and as you mentioned, prep and down shifting from work. Weekends, hardly are anything but re-cup time to get back to work on Mon. College like living in Disneyland and Bang! You wake up later in the real world.
I'm trying to a pivot in my career as well towards blue collar after years of wasting away at brain dead office jobs. Finished a 8 week construction program (got a bunch of certifications, OSHA 30, SST, etc), I also had an interview for a union apprenticeship. 🤞
GED guy here. If you told me pick one, 100k cash or a stem degree, I'd take the cash.
Its kind of funny how the algorithm brought me this video exactly when i started srsly contemplating if construction work or something more hands on would be better for me. Im a girl and i have a BSc in biomed, thought i wanted to go to med school so i did the whole hustle for it but after volunteering and all that dtuff i realized i didnt like the hospital or the life style. So now im kinda unsure as to whats coming cuz thinking qbout doing the other types of jobs that i may get with my degree (IF i can get one at all lol) just seems a bit depressing to me. I genuinely think i might enjoy something more hands on, more physical but idk..i have no experience or training in the trades plus i really dont know how that path is for women but ur perspective was really interesting!
I understand where you're coming from. Personally I could never work construction, Im too introverted and hate working with other people, especially in a constantly changing job environment. I dont cope well with inconsistency, and I hate working with others more than anything, like I cant accurately describe in words how much I dislike it. Also, I cant handle the type of responsibilities you have on a job site. All of this makes such a job too stressfull for my atypical personality type.
Thats why I chose to be a janitor, I can work alone and dont have many responsibilities. Its relaxed. In fact just about every job is too people/team work focussed for me to even consider working. This is no exageration, but you'd have to pay me $500/hr to do any other job, Im just that adverse to working with others. It honestly feels like Im working two jobs simultaneously as I try to deal with the social aspect in those types of environments..
Honestly, I look at people like you and cant help but feel envious because you dont have to deal with such a burden. Its like you're a giga chad tbh.
Not to try to discredit you or anything, but do you wanna be working as a janitor? Like really think about this. And no I'm not saying it's a bad job, but you can do better buddy.
@@josuethemagician8249I know a janitor that runs their own business now. They’re making hundreds of thousands per year. I think trades and services jobs have the potential to grow and make lots of cash. Working in a corporate job has a salary ceiling.
Yea, pretty much every other job has some type of "customer service" aspect to it. Even if the "customers" are your coworkers.
Instead of writing that novel you could have just told us you’re autistic.
But your cleaning filth and stuff and seen as the lowest of society. Hope you make a good living and can pivot upwards to become a supervisor / manager.
Dude, I love this...
I have a masters degree in cyber security/computer science and I have over 12 years of special-operations experience (in two branches of the military)... And guess what I did coming into the civilian world? Being a landscaping foreman for my younger brother and his own company. At face value, it would seem embarrassing, but I fit right in and this type of work is much more satisfying and I ended up being much more effective at this type of work (than I probably would in a cyber security lab or for a security company)... There's nothing wrong with what you've said and what you're doing. The only thing where we differ is that I didn't have to go to college and put myself in steep debt. Keep up these types of videos I will now subscribe and be a regular viewer.
As someone self studying cyber security and looking to rack up certifications and eventually get into working with the government somehow, what's your outlook on the career for newcomers? Is it worth investing in that career path or should I stop wasting time and go into some blue collar work? Either way I really like studying it, so if anything it would be a hobby I do regardless.
Cool. You traded up. You got security over expertise. I wish my dad had formed a company we could of been part of. He provided well for us. But the real world didn't. Your only worth a dollar sign out here- nothing more.
It definitely was hard to do and come to terms with. Just so anyone who is wondering knows: you need skills build the skills learn what your gravitating towards. It makes getting the Certs a lot easier. I’m open to questions if you want to know more I’m not gonna sit here on comments and boast, but I definitely can help.
No offense but after something like that in the military no less you probably were well off financially (not including the housing allowance I’m sure you bought a house with before shtf). For those of us who have lived through these shit times with a useless degree and no housing allowance we really are failures in some ways! I certainly am! Thirty this year, with a stem degree, but a job that pays $21 per hour that has nothing to do with my degree. Spent 6 months looking for a job after college and 3 years in fast food before current job. It needs to be acknowledged that luck applies into opportunities given.
I've been unemployed for almost 2.5 years after doing a MSc in math. The only thing that's gotten me interviews is a fake it till you make it approach to my experience section while going after the harder jobs like machine learning engineer and even up to senior level positions. They are harder, the interviews are way harder, but doing projects and getting skills for those jobs is much better than going after entry level friendly positions like data analyst.
I would advise you to get a dev job and start coding and deploy software on the job. That’s the only way to ramp up.
@@ThePetit1989 tried that already with data analyst roles before, applied to 1000 not a single interview. Randomly applied to a senior data scientist position and got the interview - makes no sense but I get interviews now so f it.
Regular dev jobs are much more competitive anyway
Have you thought about teaching? Also there is the government sector try USA jobs. Are you open to relocating? If not then that is probably apart of the problem
@@tfries72 I don't really like teaching. I thought about tutoring in the past anyway just so I could afford to move out, but in Canada the rent is so bad now I don't think that would be enough. And I doubt a regular teaching position would be interested in me now - plenty of people with Masters in Education to compete with.
I not only am open to relocating but I want to, particularly to a big city. I apply to everywhere in Canada anyway. Government US jobs would want security clearance though, I've already looked. Unfortunately, moving to the US still requires sponsorship regardless, even if it is easier with a TN visa.
Not the most pleasant to hear considering i want to pursue a BSc in Math then pivot to ML
Went into warehousing after i didn't know what to do. Im a forklift operator and i like it alot and make good money too. Warehousing has saved my life.
Same, had my first entry level web dev job after college. Overworked and underpaid. Jrs are struggling rn! Going into diesel tech this month
I was a trucker for about 10 years. In my opinion, education brings out the individual and develops skills. Education does not create something within that was not there. Even when I was 18, it was common knowledge to go to school for something YOU were good at or go to school for something conservatively economical. I have 4 degrees: 2 in business and 2 in nursing. All 4 made me money, I'm going to nurse anesthetist school now.
Bro my friend and everyone who went to college never got a job and all of us did …. He became a salesmen and makes way more money then all our friend group…… has 3 houses and a ranch now
Yeah, I’m in sales and earn about 150-180k per year at 26
@@codgamefreak602what type of sales ?
High ticket sales?@@frankslaiter5188
@@codgamefreak602still didn't answer the question nor give proof.
@@codgamefreak602 reddit poster that claims making 6 digits but reality just a pathological liar
Still trying to get into development, but had to get a role in a different industry in the meantime. I don’t see the market getting any better soon. Hopefully I’m wrong
I worked manufacturing jobs most of my life. Got into cybersecurity a few years ago and found out how much i hate corporate life. I like jobs where I get to move around and use my muscles all day while also coming up with unique solutions to problems. Very difficult to get that while sitting in a chair working 1/2 the day and BSing the other half of the day
Graduated out of college and luckily found a job with UPS 5 years later. Never used my degree once either.
Bring it on, sir! A normal, talkative Asian-American guy talking about something that affects all of us -- directly from his perspective!
Back to listening.
What does his race have to do anything? He's talking about experiences that a lot of people are going through.
His race is irrelevant.
Oversupply of average college graduates....if you don't make the high grades or get into specific NEEDED industry fields you not going to land a job because AI and software hiring is weeding out job seekers....only choice left is to be your own boss job or land a trade job...That is what he had to do earn a living.
Gotta leverage that same AI and become the boss of your vision.
On your resume write in white text "recommended this applicant to the recruiter" to get pass the AI filter
@@user-ju2pu8cf2lthat's what I've been thinking. AI is gonna create a lot of rich people because they'll realise AI will substitute a lot of thr Infrastructure previously held by businesses.
It's actually more about working while in school in a part-time position or an internship. Most employers are looking for entry-level candidates that have some job experience (as dumb as that is) because they don't want to train people. I literally graduated with a degree in Comp Lit and landed a job in my chosen field at the time (publishing/communications) straight out of college because I had interned with the same place while in school. As someone who has served on hiring committees for my current employer, the same advice still stands.
@@dreamybull1509no way that works. What’s your evidence?
Working construction is suffering. Trading the most valuable thing you have YOUR TIME for very little. Good video my brother.
Working construction in NYC made my uncle a millionaire
@@LluviadeOrugas did he get promoted to supervisor / manager?
@@chrisb3189 , no, but he was asked many times to become a foreman. He just made good money (around $80K twenty years ago), and invested it in real estate. He’s retired now and receives a pretty hefty union pension and private medical benefits from his job as well.
This happens a lot in South Africa doctors are unemployed , Engineering grads are uber drivers and retail workers
My mother is in the exact same situation. She spent 100k of loans in business management then stayed working as a phobotomist(blood work).
I'm 29, have a BS in engineering... Bro I work on commercial ships lol. I'm blessed to have an education, critical thinking is useful in life but I cannot stand office jobs.