OT - Career suggestions for son! :)

[gauge22-v2]

All the guys in my family that did well with no degrees were union plumbers and electricians. But a few of them have had multiple knee replacements by 50. The rest are so beat up they cant or dont want to do anything outside of work. I was told not to go into trades because of it. The hardwork isnt an issue. Sacrificing health is.

I was told to "go into computers" when I was a teenager.

If your kid is as smart as you say he is, then engineering is a great option. If he can hack the math, engineering, labs, the sky is the limit. You dont need to be the best of the best either. Just got to an ABET accredited school. C's will get you in the door because the washout rate is high and the number of people who dont have the organizational skills to manage million dollar projects is also high.

Civil engineers can work literally anywhere in the world. The pay is good to excellent. You work in an AC building most of the time and you are paid for your specialized knowledge that cant easily be replaced. Then theres the PE (professional engineer) that is paid for the stamp on all the projects they work on that cant be replaced by a machine. And even if they could (which isnt happening because you cant sue a computer when a bridge fails), it's not a huge deal because most have such a broad skillset that they're set for life.

It's trendy to hate on an education but it pays off. Especially when you are 40 plus years old. It's not low stress but to me its better than limping around or not being able to lift your hands over your head.

I hear ya on this.

Something to keep an eye on for my son for sure. I worked many physical jobs in my 20s and you are right about longevity. Now I sit at a desk with my hot coffee, listening to podcasts etc. I could do this job into my 80s easily, if my brain holds up

 

[hevi-head]

The PE level is not required to work in any field of engineering. There are EIs (engineer interns) and designers in all fields who do not have PEs.

The only one with a stamp is the PE. The PEs name and seal go on the signature sheet. All other sheets they are responsible for get their name, firm, and PE number in the title block.

The rest of the engineers perform work on the jobs with the PEs name bearing ultimate responsibility. They develop the plan set and actually create the plans for the PE.

Structural engineering falls under civil engineering. You need basic Statics and structures classes before you can take steel or concrete design.

Most electrical engineers dont have PEs.

To be called a PE in any field you have to take a 9 hour test after having 4 to 5 years as an intern.

Civil engineers and electrical can literally work in any state or any country in their profession. Thats why I put the emphasis on civil.

Thanks for schooling me on that lol. I was in the trades (electrician) forever before moving into construction management. Here I was always under the impression that the civil engineer only did the civil drawings on the blueprints. Elevations, drainage, parking lots etc.

 

[Bleed]

Common misconception. Ultimately the PE is responsible for a pedestal being at the wrong elevation or a drainage structure being in conflict with something else. Anything incorrect that can cost money during construction falls on him. Happens a lot.

Believe it or not, most PEs dont even work in CAD unless theres no other way. Theres usually 3 or 4 guys working under him building the set for him. They send him plans or docs electronically (industry loves blue beam) and he red lines the set. His team executes the changes. And the process continues like that until various submittals and deadlines.

Its really not unlike paralegals doing all the work but the firm partners calling the shots and getting all the face time. And making all the money.

Which is why I suggest it anytime it comes up in conversation. If you have a degree in civil engineering, even with no experience, finding a job is much easier than it is for most other people because the implication is you are book smart and have problem solving skills. Just one way to go but it doesnt get mentioned much.

Thanks for schooling me on that lol. I was in the trades (electrician) forever before moving into construction management. Here I was always under the impression that the civil engineer only did the civil drawings on the blueprints. Elevations, drainage, parking lots etc.

 

[Cv215]

Air Force.

 

[GoofyGrant]

I’ve messed around with similar crossroads, and stuff that mixes hands-on tech with steady job paths can be a nice middle lane. I even looked into phlebotomy once since 25.4% are blacks in that field and the mix of people and quick-entry training felt pretty welcoming. For your son, anything like computer repair, IT support, or junior tech roles could give him space to geek out while actually building a path.

 

[artie farkalarty]

I hear ya on this.

Something to keep an eye on for my son for sure. I worked many physical jobs in my 20s and you are right about longevity. Now I sit at a desk with my hot coffee, listening to podcasts etc. I could do this job into my 80s easily, if my brain holds up

How did this all shake out since this was a while ago? There were great many solid suggestions but ultimately it was up to him of course.

 

[chooch]

Can’t believe I’m going to say this but law enforcement. Requires 6 months at the academy, and it’s relatively inexpensive. First job (or 3 or 4) will most certainly be in a shithole municipalities at very low, part time wages. But if he’s smart, he’ll test for all the high paying municipalities in the area and the highest scorer gets hired, not longest tenured. GOOD departments pay very well, benefits are great, and in 25 years you get a big fat pension. My wife was a police officer, when I retired at 49yo she retired at 39yo. She didn’t have the full 25 years in obviously but she’s fully vested in her pension which she can start to collect on in 8 years. People suck, but the pay, benefits, and retirement plan are hard to beat.

 

[Stryker24]

Why am I asking PM about this? Well I actually trust the opinions here.

He is 20 and a bit aimless. Working in a cell phone shop.

He is amazingly brilliant with math, physics etc. He is rebuilding laptops (old chasis making them "sleeper" laptops).

He is a geek at heart, regardless of playing football for 10 years. Yes, he works out!

Things I have suggested:
- CFA
- Internet security
- Electrician

Any suggestions that might be a fit? Any experience that you have had that led you into a lucrative/rewarding career?

BTW - he has VERY little interest in taking traditional university.

I mean I feel like if someone is good at math the sky is the limit. If he doesn't want to go to college (can't blame him, waste of money for 85% of majors), then entry level tech or vocational school to be an electrician. Sounds like you have a son full of potential.

 

[xpoc]

I was a cop for over 30 years. I absolutely loved my job and if I had a do-over I would not change a thing. Never got rich, never was poor, but was able to raise a family put 2 kids through college and I was able to retire at age 50. Most importantly, I had a ton of fun and had a strong sense of purpose in life.

 

[gauge22-v2]

Hey folks,

He has a job to put him on a path to be an electrician. Thankfully one of my peers knows the owner of a small electrical company. He is also enrolled in a college program.

 

[SDRaver]

Without reading every comment I would say military service. Be it active duty, national guard, reserves.

Originally I had a 3-year enlistment contract and just wanted to get out of a town of only 9000 people with one traffic light. A town so small that we had a celebration for our first traffic light.

That initial 3 years in the Army ended up being 21 years of active duty service. In fact I served over 20 years and still retired before the age of 40. And now have two monthly checks and health insurance for life.

Now even with 21 years on active duty with around 17 of that in the Special Operations community I would still suggest looking at the Air Force.

You never hear anybody complaining about being in the Air Force. And certainly rarely if ever hear anybody complain about being stationed at Air Force installations.

There are some out there who are absolutely masters of "double dipping". Learning how to maximize both the civilian life and career as well as the reserve, national guard life and career.

Right now the military offers all kinds of opportunities to not only pay off college debt. But also pay for skills and training that you could use out in the civilian world.

 

[gauge22-v2]

Without reading every comment I would say military service. Be it active duty, national guard, reserves.

Originally I had a 3-year enlistment contract and just wanted to get out of a town of only 9000 people with one traffic light. A town so small that we had a celebration for our first traffic light.

That initial 3 years in the Army ended up being 21 years of active duty service. In fact I served over 20 years and still retired before the age of 40. And now have two monthly checks and health insurance for life.

Now even with 21 years on active duty with around 17 of that in the Special Operations community I would still suggest looking at the Air Force.

You never hear anybody complaining about being in the Air Force. And certainly rarely if ever hear anybody complain about being stationed at Air Force installations.

There are some out there who are absolutely masters of "double dipping". Learning how to maximize both the civilian life and career as well as the reserve, national guard life and career.

Right now the military offers all kinds of opportunities to not only pay off college debt. But also pay for skills and training that you could use out in the civilian world.

I am the op.

I would agree, but I am in Canada.

I was in the reserves in the early 90s....my combat jacket liner had a date in it. It was from the Korean war era. During basic it was raining and all of us boots were getting soaked through our rain gear. The Master Sergeants were laughing and said "First thing you do after basic is hit a military surplus store and find some old American rain gear". Like WTF cant even do rain gear right...lol

Canada's military has decent training but the equipment is fucking awful. I would never want my son in the Canadian military....

Son is doing well.

 

[chooch]

If you were in the US the military really would be another great option. Obviously not for your situation but anybody else with a similar question in the US…. On top of the wife being a police officer and retiring from that at 39, she put 22 years in the army reserves (2 combat deployments also) and retired from the army at 40. Between the education, pay, benefits, and retirement plans, law enforcement/military is a great path to early retirement and a stable future and can both be done at the same time.

 

[Siggy]

Its a little late for this suggestion, but if he didnt mind working in the medical field and wanted to make Doctor level dollars without having to go to medical school he could become a Nurse anesthetist.

$240K avg yearly wage.