I am 28 and I literally have no clue what I am doing with my life. I have become stagnant.

a reply to: 5letters

I would absolutely love to as I speak arabic french and farsi almost fluently, but you need experience to work overseas.

I wouldn't normally recommend that anyone go to work for the U.S. government, but they're always looking for interpreters for arabic and farsi and it probably pays better than any of us know. LOL!

a reply to: 5letters

Off the top of my head I would say go to a trade school.
Too many young ones are getting degrees that don't always
get them the jobs they wanted in the first place.

a reply to: 5letters

Where do you live??? Location is everything in this field.

I know places which would hire someone like you in a NY second, but you have to be where the work is. You might not be making six figures on day one, but you'll have a job and a career path. You talk about the internship thing, but almost no company I know in the business gives two hoots and a holler about internships. They're looking for people who are willing to work, and live where the work is. The real good jobs in the energy sector are in places where people generally don't want to live (ND, north slope, SW Wyoming, La.)

There's plenty of work in this sector here in the United States (if this is where you live) and Canada. You don't have to work internationally.

For example, have you ever considered just going out and working in the industry itself? Have you ever considered going out and working for a service company as a hand, or roughnecking, or swamping, etc.? What about workover, or X-ray, or mud, or reclamation, or, or, or? You'd gain valuable experience doing any of these things, and the energy industry is booming right now! Just booming! They're drilling everywhere around here. They're drilling, fracking and refining all over in Wyoming, North Dakota, and Oklahoma too. Off shore is going crazy in the Gulf of Mexico.

I can honestly say, I've never heard of anyone with a degree like yours say they can't find work. I honestly can't.

The energy industry is one where "paying your dues" is always going to be a thing, it's ingrained in the industry. Until you've paid your dues, the hard way, you'll never get anywhere. That's just the way it is.

ETA - One thing about the energy sector; you have to be willing and able to deal with extreme cold and extreme heat...because that's were the work is. (again, Alaska, Wyoming, ND, Gulf, Texas, etc.)

I'm 27, I've got the job, the car, working towards the house...
Yeah, I feel more lost than ever...

a reply to: 5letters

Don't worry. I didn't know what I wanted for my life in till I was 35.
Now that I do i am well on my way to achieve ing my dream.

a reply to: 5letters

If you have a degree you can always lecture as a default. It's interesting and good money.

What's stopping you?

a reply to: 5letters

I say do what you want.
I was lucky. What i wanted to do was be a writer.
Something I can teach myself.

I got some room mates and an at home job answering phones.
That paid my bills and gave me time to learn. But not much else.
It's worth it though. I finished my novel and now I'm just hoping to get it published.

Life will drag you where it will. Do whatever you think will interest you the most. You’ll probably end up going in a direction you never even considered. Im a lot older than you, still don’t know what I truly want to do, but I’m having fun heading off in directions I had no intentions of going. a reply to: 5letters

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

I live in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. I guess I have been looking at the wrong areas. There are def jobs out there but I guess online was a very bad route when it comes to applying for jobs. I am 100% willing to relocate. Unfortuantely, I think I'm over qualified or something to be roughneck or a damn janitor on an offshore rig. I am considering to go into a Masters in something else.

a reply to: 5letters

I didn't suggest you look for a job as a janitor. I suggested you look for a job in the industry. I don't understand how you can say you're over qualified when you don't have any experience. All due respect, but education counts for knowledge, not experience. College teaches you how to think, not how to 'do'. Experience is what gets you the jobs.

I'm an Engineer, but I got to where I am based on experience. I was an Engineer long before I worked as one. In fact, I didn't even work in the field my education was in for probably my first 10-12 years. My education was in electronics and I worked in heavy construction as a surveyor, and in the energy sector (oilfields), then up through the ranks to Asst. Superintendent, Superintendent and PM...all outside of my field. I wasn't even working in electrical. As a matter of fact, even today I've never had anyone ask me what my education was in. The only thing people were interested in was experience...any kind of industry experience. Now I work in aviation systems electronics engineering, but if you looked at my early resume you'd think I was a field supervisor in heavy general construction or the energy sector.

And yes, the internet and .25 cents won't even get you a cup of coffee. Do you know how many people try to get jobs from places like Monster dot com? It has got to be in the tens of millions. I can't tell a thing about someone from a sheet of paper, and half of that is usually lies anyway (not you, just resumes in general). I can tell even less on the internet.

I hire people all the time in our field, and I'll let you in on a little secret. I don't care what your suit looks like (or if you even have one), I don't really care what your education is. I don't care what you look like, what nationality, color, sex or persuasion you are. I'm going to ask you questions, but I'm looking for two things, and two things only. I'm looking for your attitude and ability to show up, and I'm looking for your willingness and capability to learn how to do the job I need you to do. That's it. I choose the questions I do not because I care about the answer, but rather to see how you go about answering them. And, there's one thing I absolutely cannot stand, and this is when someone uses a piece of paper to tell me why they are 'entitled' to a job. That's the fastest way to get shown the door.

Now, you may wonder why I wrote that last part, and I'll let you draw your own conclusions. However, I would suggest digesting it thoroughly. This, coming from a 56 year old crusty bastage with now 32 years (25 with the same company) experience in aviation and electronic systems.

BTW...I'm not being critical here, I am trying to be helpful to you. You seem like a bright person, but I think you just need some real world experience, not more education. You know the old saying...'those who can't do, teach'.

Best of luck to you!

P.S. I have long advocated that there should be a prerequisite of a minimum two years work or military experience prior to college admission. This would solve a lot of dilemmas similar to yours.

a thank you to everyone on this form who were nothing but positive. Fate took its course this week and I got hired as an environmental engineer today!

originally posted by: 5letters
a thank you to everyone on this form who were nothing but positive. Fate took its course this week and I got hired as an environmental engineer today!

Hell yeah!

Good for you!

I am honestly happy for your success and hope it continues to unfold for you.