Tell me what to do with my life

CaptainObvious.Is archaeology what you love? If it's yes, then get your degree in it. It's a damn fine bet you won't go on to work in a profession that has to do with your degree. Not because of a lack of jobs in it necessarily, that's just what usually happens. So what do you do? Bail on what you love and plan on a life of misery as an accountant? No. Study what you love, but plan smart. Keep working hard to have a career in archaeology. If you succeed, bomb-diggity you get paid to do something you love. But in the meantime, work in some jobs that build up your experience where you might be marketable from a skills level.

Few people walk out of college with a career because of the degree the got.

CaptainObvious.Is archaeology what you love? If it's yes, then get your degree in it. It's a damn fine bet you won't go on to work in a profession that has to do with your degree. Not because of a lack of jobs in it necessarily, that's just what usually happens. So what do you do? Bail on what you love and plan on a life of misery as an accountant? No. Study what you love, but plan smart. Keep working hard to have a career in archaeology. If you succeed, bomb-diggity you get paid to do something you love. But in the meantime, work in some jobs that build up your experience where you might be marketable from a skills level.

Few people walk out of college with a career because of the degree the got.

DeforestationI want to say do what you like (and if archaeology is that, then do it), but at the same time, archaeology was on the top 10 list of "least valuable college majors" by Forbes as recent graduates have an unemployment rate of 10.5% and median salary of $28,000 (including people with jobs outside of their major/projected field).

Money isn't everything, but it is necessary to an extent.

safarisamI mean, I love the opportunities, and digging in the dirt. Archaeology is what calls to me, and I'm surprisingly good at it. I'm doing a brief field school in Ireland this summer, but after that I'm not sure. I don't know if I want to continue with school or not.

CaptainObvious.It's just an opinion, but mine is that the question of continuing with school is a no-brainer. Especially since you've already put in time. Just finish it out, get your bachelors, and go from there.

Also, be wary of statistics, because like I said earlier, virtually no one gets a career in what they major in. I'm pretty sure Forbes puts an English degree as like the number three most worthless piece of shit behind philosophy and psychology, but I'd like to think I'm doing just fine.

.Rybak.Geology

safarisamI took a geology class last semester on the geology of yellowstone! Too much math for me though.

Peter.more school never really hurts. is the job you already have not in archeology? and what level of degree are you currently trying to get?

.Rybak.I might be switching my major to geology but that's the problem... I'm terrible at math.

gnar_whalI hear casting couch has some great benefits

killabeesi dont know how anyone is asking this question..
mmj grow in RI and MA selling your overages to patients is like 60g's a year minumum. just watching plants grow and reading up on cultivation.. cant even imagine the money to be made out west

safarisamI took a geology class last semester on the geology of yellowstone! Too much math for me though.

safarisamIn regards to income, I have a stable, reliable source that yearly makes more than the average intro archeology job. Money isn't too much of a concern.

PeppermillRenoIf you have this why are you starting a thread on what to do you clearly have an advantage over most everyone your age who has real problems about how to pay their bills and eat? Do you wanna rub it in or something?


You also said you have a passion for your major yet are crying on here about not knowing what you want to do...most people in boring majors would love any opportunity to remain connected to them. I want to be a historian but it would lead to poverty so its not reasonable. History HS jobs were unavailable, Im not good enough to write a book, and a PHD in that field isn't something I can afford. My brother graduated from Cambridge in England with a history degree and could have actually hacked it in this field but he wimped out because of his horrible wife and the pressure to be all corporate.

The fact you could actually stay in that field is unique (and I doubt any of your peers have that ability) and you are still bitching on here?


(If a blue name your age posted a thread like this and asked this question and made a comment like that about money not being an issue the downvotes would be in the hundreds BTW u know noone else could post shit like this and get away with it...)


Im sorry but from the posts Im pretty sure that nothing you do will make you happy no matter how good it is and you'll constantly feel the need to complain and aspire to something else. So maybe identify that, realize its immature, and then try and regain your passion for your major which you say you like and are enthusiastic about. Or volunteer doing something you are entusiastic about while you are a college student and guess what when you finish there will probably be a paycheck and a job in it. Or pop out some kids and be a full time mom and you will have plenty to occupy you for the next 20 years.



Now give yourself some credit you know money you likely aren't blowing your up your nose you aren't an idiot financially you probably don't need much and want to spend money you don't have on shit like purses or an obscene car etc etc etc. GL.

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OregonDeadLol. Farming is not just watching plants grow and reading up on cultivation. Farming anything is hard work (lots of manual labor) and involves a lot of risk with potentially volatile prices. Definitely the potential to make money farming any commercially viable crop whether it is Grass seed or Cannabis or Christmas Trees or whatever but it is all hard work.

safarisamI had a meeting with a "Success Advisor" yesterday and she told me to be realistic with my career goals. This is me being realistic. I'm scared to graduate next year, and don't think I can do what I love.

CaptainObvious.Is archaeology what you love? If it's yes, then get your degree in it. It's a damn fine bet you won't go on to work in a profession that has to do with your degree. Not because of a lack of jobs in it necessarily, that's just what usually happens. So what do you do? Bail on what you love and plan on a life of misery as an accountant? No. Study what you love, but plan smart. Keep working hard to have a career in archaeology. If you succeed, bomb-diggity you get paid to do something you love. But in the meantime, work in some jobs that build up your experience where you might be marketable from a skills level.

Few people walk out of college with a career because of the degree the got.

safarisamI mean, yes, I'm aware I have privileges that give me advantages. It allows for me to pay for school, and for that I'm stoked.

I like my major, but realistically I will never get a job in it, and I want to drop out of school every other week. I thought I wanted to go on to grad school, but that means moving, trying to get accepted (and with my transcrip that's never going to happen) and doing all that just to be in a field with absolutely no jobs.

I had a meeting with a "Success Advisor" yesterday and she told me to be realistic with my career goals. This is me being realistic. I'm scared to graduate next year, and don't think I can do what I love.

KazabazuaThis whole idea that you need to go to University or College to be successful is becoming more and more outdated as each year passes. These days we have things like codeschool, skillshare, lynda and other internet tutorials/educational sites that I would argue provide a much better education than I was ever given in College or University. A lot of the new jobs created in the last 5-10 years require little to no 'official' post secondary education.

You can easily learn enough in 2-3 years online about computer programming to make $50,000+/yr - You just need the dedication and drive to sit down everyday. If I were you, I would just drop out of University right now if you don't think archaeology is what you want to do, take some time off, go travel and get your priorities in line before wasting more of your parents money on a bogus degree.

DeforestationI want to say do what you like (and if archaeology is that, then do it), but at the same time, archaeology was on the top 10 list of "least valuable college majors" by Forbes as recent graduates have an unemployment rate of 10.5% and median salary of $28,000 (including people with jobs outside of their major/projected field).

Money isn't everything, but it is necessary to an extent.

californiagrownHahahahaha, dude the OP can't handle the math in an intro geology class... And you're suggesting coding and comp science?

Frankly, it sounds like OP doesn't want to pursue anything that takes a good amount of effort. In that case, fall back on the land you have, and go become a privateer archeologist selling shit on the black market.

safarisamProbably should have clarified- i've never taken an intro to geology! Only an upper level class. Can do the simple math, but would rather not get into the complex kind required for higher classes.

KravtZGreat, you realized you pick a totally useless major. Thats step number 1.

If I were you..I would look into moving majors in business (accounting, finance, marketing,etc) or engineering. The best majors which are the most versatile and can offer a generous return on your investment in college. Even if it takes an extra year. You don't need to do finance or engineering or wahtever...but you will be able to show employers you are smart and have a marketable degree in whatever field you pursue.

CaptainObvious.One thing to consider with this is if you shoot for a high-level degree without the intent to pursue that job, you fuck yourself.

To elaborate: my wife got a dual degree mechanical engineering and psychology. When she graduated she had already realized she hated ME and wanted to get a job doing something else. She applied to like 60 or 70 jobs with no luck. Decided to try taking the ME degree off and had offers within a day. If you put in the time for an advanced degree like engineering, you price yourself out of entry jobs that aren't engineering related. People won't even consider you because they think you'll expect more money. True or not.

californiagrownI disagree completely, largely from personal and anecdotal experience. If you have a good set of social skills to go along with that analytical mind you are a very hot commodity.

Then again, maybe your wife was looking for work in a field unrelated to my experiences.

CaptainObvious.Just telling you what happened. Do with it what you will, but I've talked to multiple employers who back the findings up.

Social skills don't do shit for you if they ignore your resume.

californiagrownIf one is just relying on a resume to get a job, I can absolutely see why they would have difficulty haha

CaptainObvious.Have....have you even tried to get a job in the past 5 years? Are you getting your jobs at ski shops and bars? If you're trying to get a grown up job, there is NO method to apply outside of a virtual environment. Like literally none. Your resume is the first line and that's it. Gone are the days of following up with people and making an impression. You actually cannot do it any more for a big-boy job.

californiagrownLol. Yes I have a big boy job. And yes I have worked for 3 different firms in the past 4.5 years... All voluntarily switching jobs. What's with the condescending tone?

And lastly yes there is more to it than blindly inserting your resume into the internet machine. Its not too difficult to find the HR contact info and give them a quick call expressing interest, or a quick email doing the same. Contacting folks on LinkedIn is another easy way to express interest. All things I've done, all things that have gotten me interviews...in the past 5 years haha.

Actually LinkedIn is one of the places I have been approached about jobs that are not related to my current career field... The other area is meeting friends and their coworkers/bosses at happy hours/events.


Life is sales. The beauty of not actually working in sales is that you only have to turn it on when you really want something as opposed to 50hrs/wk if you did in fact work in sales :)

CaptainObvious.I've had completely different responses for the same tactics in IT. Like polar opposite. Not doubting that you've had the same setup, it's just flabbergasting to hear those things work elsewhere. I followed up with HR at a couple of the companies here in Denver and I was told by both recruiters that they are not authorized to forward on any additional information past what was included in your application (Resume, Cover Letter, etc.) A few years back I ended up in a job that I got just by luck of the draw, but I learned about it from a contact that I had met up with for drinks. He said he'd put in a word for me, gave me a heads up about the job, etc. However, when I went to interview and dropped the guy's name, neither the hiring manager nor the recruiter knew who I was talking about.

I've had a few recruiters reach out to me via Linkedin, but I've not been searching when it happened. I have tried contacting the recruiter or the hiring manager on LinkedIn, but always receive frosty responses or canned responses. "We're currently evaluating multiple candidates. We will notify you if you have been selected to move forward with the interview process."

I was actually just chatting with another developer as a result of this thread and they said the same thing I did. I don't know if it's an IT thing, but in general I've gotten the cold shoulder until they look at your resume.

californiagrownI've either been able to chat a little bit with the hr head about the position, or I've been able to feasibly work out what manager is doing the hiring(website, LinkedIn, journals etc) and send a quick email expressing interest and asking for a quick phone chat.

I found the key is interest in the job, not interest in getting the job makes a better impression. Also, just cause it didn't work a few times doesn't mean it doesn't help.

In any case, not everything works for everybody in every situation. But a sales attitude at the right times really does help.