I need some career guidance.

Need some career guidance?

• I'm an incoming freshmen for college. My parents are convinced that only profession sure to offer lots of financial rewards and a comfortable lifestyle is being a doctor. I really, really doubt this. I don't want to be a doctor because I don't want to go through all the suffering of medical school, interning, residency, etc. Oh yeah, I don't like science either. I don't want to sound really unethical, but I would only do it for the money too. That can't be good. I've been told to go for business if I'm solely in it for the money. (How true is that?) Can anybody assess the truth to that? My parents keep telling me success in business requires lots of luck. I see many people who don't move up in the corporate world either... is it often because they don't go back to get their MBAs? Are they unmotivated or not intelligent? Or does moving up the ladder really entail luck? I'm planing on getting bachelor's degrees in history and economics, which leaves very little room for the premed requirements. Can anybody tell me how good an economics degree is? (Doing this combo because because I love history and economics for the job security). I work hard and I think I'm fairly intelligent, but I'm not a workaholic. I was sleep deprived between two sports, 5 demanding AP classes, and four other student organizations. My social life and the pursuit of my hobbies went down the drain. So my main question is: what should I do if I want a career that promises a comfortable lifestyle and also lots of time for friends, family, and hobbies permitting that I work really hard for my education? Yeah, sounds like a magic question. (also, not engineering because I would suck as an engineer) Thanks for the feedback.

• Answer:

  Quick answer is going to be a nurse, or something similar in that field. Another is to be a plumber. They make very good money and is easy to start your own business as one. And if you are good, people will be loyal. But you need to make sure you have the a$$ crack for it :) Long answer is depends on what you mean a comfortable lifestyle. For me comfort is freedom. Means I set my own hours. It also means no guarantees, but that is business and life in general: trade offs. Business does not depend on luck in the general sense. It may be lucky if I drive by a location the first day it is available and can pick it up for my business, but previous hard work and saving money puts one in a situation to take advantage of opportunity. Everyone else driving by can see the same opportunity, but do not take advantage. With history you can teach, beyond that it is a nice piece of paper. Economics is a bit trickier. Currently a lot of out of work financial types, but things will change, they always do. From watching my brother (he is a stock broker) it helps if you have an "in" or legacy with a firm to become established. It is not like being an engineer or programmer where the concern is what you can do. Not much difference between a bookie and an economist, just one is legal and one is not. Personally I own a business because I want the freedom. I also enjoy creating and building something. And currently I can brag I've created more jobs than the President this year (4) and I only had to borrow 8k. Hard work for an education will not guarantee success or an easy life down the road, possible exception to doctors, but they put in a lot of hours at work, and are on call a lot. Hard work at work is no guarantee either, but at least the odds improve. And if nothing else, remember, all the degrees and intelligence does not mean anything without wisdom to go along with it (also known as common sense). You will learn more in 2 weeks in the real world than 4 or 6 or 8 years in school or whatever your parents tell you. Get a job, any job, find what you like or hate, and repeat the process.