Originally Posted by cavit8
I don't think anyone should even think about starting a career until they're thirty. But that's me.
Hear hear..... I didn't even think of it until 25. I wasn't planning on living past 30 anyway.
I think with the way the world has changed that the straight and narrow from HS to post is a BIG mistake. It might have had it's place in time when companies actually took care of it's employees.
Those days are gone. You'll be lucky to get benefits now. Hell, you'll be lucky to get full time. When I was hired where I am now I treated myself like a corporation, I told the interviewer that I didn't expect any loyalty from them vis-a-vis downsizing etc. (all the reasons a whole bunch of people get let go at once).
BUT at the same time I told them that if someone offered me more money to do the same amount of work then I'd be gone. I wasn't going to kill myself through effort for anyone in business, EVER. I called it Bashudo (sp?) economics, I don't know where I got that from. Now almost 40 I see there is practiaclly no carreer path for anyone as the entire structure has been turned on it's ass by the boomers. Change the laws so they don;t need to retire they will now die in their cushy management jobs, and everyone else will remain in their cubicales in a holding pattern. Douglas Copeland wrote that the boomers has taken the biggest and best piece of pie for themselves and had put up razor wire and an electric fence around the rest of it.
Go on the adventures of your lifetimes, kids. Biking backpacking climbing diving whatever. Do it while your younger so you can enjoy it more. Do it so you can bring more worldy knowledge to school when you find that intangible whats-its that sparks your desire to learn. The cost of school is ******** if you don't know what it is you want to study. I won't buy a car not knowing if I like it. As a parent these days I'll be pissed if I spend 40-70k on an education that doesn't get used. Maybe they should pay for it themselves if it's simply to be in school. Our whole structure is based on mid century ideals when money was falling from the sky and the heady days of post war north america were still there.