What job would you recommend a newbie to get?

[billyjaydore]

The very first step for most people is to get a job, i was just wondering what some of the guys of this forum would suggest in terms of a first job. Something where you are learning a valuable skill that could be turned into a business down the line. Thanks

 

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[Einfamilienhaus]

What Kind of Business do you want to lead in the future?

 

[Mario_fastlaner]

Salesman

 

[Lex DeVille]

The very first step for most people is to get a job, i was just wondering what some of the guys of this forum would suggest in terms of a first job. Something where you are learning a valuable skill that could be turned into a business down the line. Thanks

Lawn mowing. Anybody can do it. Anybody can get hired to do it. Follow @Johnny boy and after you get a little experience from the employee side, then turn it into a business.

Also follow @GravyBoat in case lawn mowing turns out not to be your thing. Read all of the posts in their gold threads.

 

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[Alferez]

You should get a job in the industry you are interested in developing a business. I think so.

I got a techjob, (with out any career), because I want to get the ability to develope solutions by myself.

 

[dandy2902]

The very first step for most people is to get a job, i was just wondering what some of the guys of this forum would suggest in terms of a first job. Something where you are learning a valuable skill that could be turned into a business down the line. Thanks

Sale person

 

[Johnny boy]

Lawn mowing. Anybody can do it. Anybody can get hired to do it. Follow @Johnny boy and after you get a little experience from the employee side, then turn it into a business.

Also follow @GravyBoat in case lawn mowing turns out not to be your thing. Read all of the posts in their gold threads.

although I make 3 times as much and work 1/4 or less of the time I used to, I still recommend getting a sales job first before starting a business in the trades. It gave me a great foundation that helps me be a better salesman and a better boss.

But yeah without any schooling, without a lot of startup capital, without a lot of skills or connections, without any secret tips or hacks, you can just go get customers, have employees do the work, and make 50% profit margins sitting back and managing. Of course many people don't do this because everyone in this industry is pretty much on the autism spectrum. It actually is not all that hard with some common sense.

 

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[Ritchie.]

You can learn programming (frontend/backend or fullstack) or you could learn ui/ux design like i did.

 

[timbers1]

But yeah without any schooling, without a lot of startup capital, without a lot of skills or connections, without any secret tips or hacks, you can just go get customers, have employees do the work, and make 50% profit margins sitting back and managing. Of course many people don't do this because everyone in this industry is pretty much on the autism spectrum. It actually is not all that hard with some common sense.

A lot of suggestions for sales--I think the quote above makes it sound a little easier than it is to be good at sales and extrapolate success from the experience.

I think for the right person, this is a very logical choice and the suggestion is a good one. However, success at sales from my experience is very personality dependent. I'd also argue that it is actually quite tricky, and that a lot of people who are good at sales are successful because of many things that they do innately. That's not easy for just anyone to replicate. Again, for the right person, it makes a lot of sense, and there are many versions of sales you can try (some might fit better than another), but it really may not be a great fit for you.

I'd argue if you want to start your own business someday, it would be wise to:

1) Get a job in an area you are passionate about. If your passion is simply to start a business, then find someone who has achieved some level of success over a long period of time and see if you can get a job with them. Ask questions, study how the business works, and practice observation. If you have a good business brain, you'll begin to pull out what makes that business successful and what things are threats to that success.

You'll also learn more about the mechanics of how the business works. How it's structured, how people interact, how many people are on staff, potentially some high-level financial figures, etc. This will help you prepare a model and figure out how you could build a biz someday.

2) I would work on knowing yourself and understanding who you are, what your strengths and weaknesses are, what you really enjoy and what you hate, what your tolerance for risk is, what is actually rewarding to you, etc.

If you can understand those types of things about yourself, you'll be able to figure out where inside a business you fit. Are you a CEO? Are you more of a producer/product manager because you love to do "x" hands on? Are you good at working with and directing people? Are you creative? Strategic? Like working alone? With a team?

As you began to answer these types of questions and learn more about yourself (which takes experience doing different things too), you'll gain a better understanding of how you fit into a business. You can start a business being strong or having a preference in any of these areas, but you may quickly need help in order to grow, sustain, etc. It really depends on who you are and the skills you have. Understand that is crucial to your planning.

Hope that helps and provides a little different view point!

 

[Mario_fastlaner]

A lot of suggestions for sales--I think the quote above makes it sound a little easier than it is to be good at sales and extrapolate success from the experience.

I think for the right person, this is a very logical choice and the suggestion is a good one. However, success at sales from my experience is very personality dependent. I'd also argue that it is actually quite tricky, and that a lot of people who are good at sales are successful because of many things that they do innately. That's not easy for just anyone to replicate. Again, for the right person, it makes a lot of sense, and there are many versions of sales you can try (some might fit better than another), but it really may not be a great fit for you.

I'd argue if you want to start your own business someday, it would be wise to:

1) Get a job in an area you are passionate about. If your passion is simply to start a business, then find someone who has achieved some level of success over a long period of time and see if you can get a job with them. Ask questions, study how the business works, and practice observation. If you have a good business brain, you'll begin to pull out what makes that business successful and what things are threats to that success.

You'll also learn more about the mechanics of how the business works. How it's structured, how people interact, how many people are on staff, potentially some high-level financial figures, etc. This will help you prepare a model and figure out how you could build a biz someday.

2) I would work on knowing yourself and understanding who you are, what your strengths and weaknesses are, what you really enjoy and what you hate, what your tolerance for risk is, what is actually rewarding to you, etc.

If you can understand those types of things about yourself, you'll be able to figure out where inside a business you fit. Are you a CEO? Are you more of a producer/product manager because you love to do "x" hands on? Are you good at working with and directing people? Are you creative? Strategic? Like working alone? With a team?

As you began to answer these types of questions and learn more about yourself (which takes experience doing different things too), you'll gain a better understanding of how you fit into a business. You can start a business being strong or having a preference in any of these areas, but you may quickly need help in order to grow, sustain, etc. It really depends on who you are and the skills you have. Understand that is crucial to your planning.

Hope that helps and provides a little different view point!

Good point.

I said sales not only because he would learn negotiation skills but also to deal with the fear of rejection (very limiting for lots of aspiring entrepreneurs).

Anyway you’re right, it really depends on the person to be successful in such a job.

 

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[B.Cotter]

A lot of suggestions for sales--I think the quote above makes it sound a little easier than it is to be good at sales and extrapolate success from the experience.

He doesn’t necessarily need to be good at sales, or even successful, but he can develop an understanding of how sales works and what it would take someone to be successful. Some of my best lessons learnt were through failure or “what not to do”... whether it was through personal experience or observation of others.

He may learn he’s not a great salesman but in his business down the road he’ll know exactly what he’s looking for in hiring someone to lead sales.

Not every restaurant owner is a chef but the successful owners know what they’re looking for in someone to be successful in the position.

 

[BlindSide]

Completely disagree with comments on needing a certain personality for sales. If you want to run a business, guess what? You’re in sales.

You can definitely do sales, it’s a skill. Yes, it can come naturally to some more than others, but that’s true for everything in life.

As for what to recommend.. sales is great if you can get a job where:

1. You know what your quota is
2. You then proceed to beat that quota before the month or quarter’s end (this is completely up to the company on how long of a leash you have)
3. Spend that free time building a business

 

[Commission]

Sales.

Find somewhere with solid training and a good manager who doubles as a mentor and leads from the front. That’ll take care of any inherent shortcomings.

All types of people can sell because all types of people buy. People are people. Learn how people work and how to present problems vs solutions and you’re set.

 

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[Kevin88660]

The very first step for most people is to get a job, i was just wondering what some of the guys of this forum would suggest in terms of a first job. Something where you are learning a valuable skill that could be turned into a business down the line. Thanks

Sales is a good choice, but again many people appreciate in a wrong way.

Sales is not about convincing customers to buy your shits, these days. But rather from sales you learn what works and what does not work. What attributes customers care and what others they do not give a damn. What kinds of customers and cost sensitive and who are not. So when you pick your be next business ideas and launch your own products/services you can position them much more accurately in line with market need.

 

[timbers1]

Good point.

I said sales not only because he would learn negotiation skills but also to deal with the fear of rejection (very limiting for lots of aspiring entrepreneurs).

Anyway you’re right, it really depends on the person to be successful in such a job.

Totally get it and agree!

 

[timbers1]

He doesn’t necessarily need to be good at sales, or even successful, but he can develop an understanding of how sales works and what it would take someone to be successful. Some of my best lessons learnt were through failure or “what not to do”... whether it was through personal experience or observation of others.

He may learn he’s not a great salesman but in his business down the road he’ll know exactly what he’s looking for in hiring someone to lead sales.

Not every restaurant owner is a chef but the successful owners know what they’re looking for in someone to be successful in the position.

I agree with the idea that a lot of different experiences are helpful whether you are good at it or not. You can always learn.

Completely disagree with comments on needing a certain personality for sales. If you want to run a business, guess what? You’re in sales.

You can definitely do sales, it’s a skill. Yes, it can come naturally to some more than others, but that’s true for everything in life.

As for what to recommend.. sales is great if you can get a job where:

1. You know what your quota is
2. You then proceed to beat that quota before the month or quarter’s end (this is completely up to the company on how long of a leash you have)
3. Spend that free time building a business

I run a consulting business. All my business is referral based and all I do when contacted is explain our process. I'm sure you could argue that is sales, or that the work I do that earns me the referrals is sales...but it's certainly not the experience you're going to get if you go get a "sales" job.

By your own breakout of what a sales job looks like, we would not do any sales.

I agree that it's a skilled and can be learned. Some will always be better than others, but I'm not sure if it's necessarily as valuable, or as easy, as it's being portrayed .

Good skill for sure, but I think there are lots of other jobs or approaches that can prepare you to run a biz just as well.

 

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[Andy Black]

learning a valuable skill that could be turned into a business down the line

Do you already have a skill? Maybe start there, or pick something simple to get started with?

Maybe just go freelancing instead of getting a job … and get paid by clients to get even better at some skill, while building a business and entrepreneurial skills.

 

[ZCP]

If you have skills with your hands (electrical, machining, mechanic, technician), get a high paying slowlane job while studying online sales or starting small businesses.

If you are good with your words and your smile, get a sales job for a startup with some upside. Then make connections and venture off onto other people's business deals while doing real estate on the side.

If you have a no responsibilities and know you are an entreprenuer, turn $1 into $2 and start from there!

 

[LifeDeathTime]

UX/UI design and/or Sales.

User experience & user interface design are great for learning how to build products that people actually want to use and need.

It's very different from just doing something like graphic design.

When you design how a digital product actually works - you're thinking through the entire user journey lifecycle.

Steve Jobs said, "The design is not just what it looks like and feels like. The design is how it works."

I started in sales but eventually moved into UX/UI design because I hated selling products that customers didn't love.

You can make a lot of money independently in both professions. And they both teach you vital skill sets for creating a fastlane business.

 

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[GuestUser4aMPs1]

The very first step for most people is to get a job, i was just wondering what some of the guys of this forum would suggest in terms of a first job.

Get a job with a lot of downtime, so you can focus that energy into business when not busy.

My first business started at a desk job (IT support), when we didn't have calls rolling in. @MJ DeMarco had a similar plan. I took the time to read and work on my business at that job, and it eventually freed me.

In my experience Job Skills ≠ Business Skills.

If it did, employees would start businesses left and right.

A sales job will make you hate sales. Sell when you have something to offer.

 

[MJ DeMarco]

ANYTHING that compliments your business goals.

Could be a sales job, a communication job, a job with down time...

Ask the question, "Aside from paying my bills, will this help me in some indirect way with my Unscripted /Fastlane goals?"

 

[Guest-5ty5s4]

Any job that gives you skills for your future business will be beneficial.

That being said, sometimes a job can pay well but not be very good for that - especially if the job is for a very large megacorporation or one with lots of credentials.

For example, if you become a bank teller, that's not exactly going to set you up to start your own bank.

But if you learned database SQL programming, marketing & graphic design, or a trade like tool & dye, that could instantly lead you to your own business.

One of my family members worked for an events/promotion company, and then a beverage company. Now he owns his own alcoholic beverage brand (including manufacturing).

So choose something you can see yourself doing as your own business.

 

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[BizyDad]

For example, if you become a bank teller, that's not exactly going to set you up to start your own bank.

Funny you should mention that.

I suggest banker because it is a specific kind of sales and when you know "nothing", you can interview a bunch of businesses and get a feel for where you want to go to next. I wrote about this a while back: What I Learned Being A Banker & Interviewing 2k Businesses

A lot of suggestions for sales--I think the quote above makes it sound a little easier than it is to be good at sales and extrapolate success from the experience.

I think for the right person, this is a very logical choice and the suggestion is a good one. However, success at sales from my experience is very personality dependent. I'd also argue that it is actually quite tricky, and that a lot of people who are good at sales are successful because of many things that they do innately. That's not easy for just anyone to replicate. Again, for the right person, it makes a lot of sense, and there are many versions of sales you can try (some might fit better than another), but it really may not be a great fit for you.

I'd argue if you want to start your own business someday, it would be wise to:

1) Get a job in an area you are passionate about. If your passion is simply to start a business, then find someone who has achieved some level of success over a long period of time and see if you can get a job with them. Ask questions, study how the business works, and practice observation. If you have a good business brain, you'll begin to pull out what makes that business successful and what things are threats to that success.

You'll also learn more about the mechanics of how the business works. How it's structured, how people interact, how many people are on staff, potentially some high-level financial figures, etc. This will help you prepare a model and figure out how you could build a biz someday.

2) I would work on knowing yourself and understanding who you are, what your strengths and weaknesses are, what you really enjoy and what you hate, what your tolerance for risk is, what is actually rewarding to you, etc.

If you can understand those types of things about yourself, you'll be able to figure out where inside a business you fit. Are you a CEO? Are you more of a producer/product manager because you love to do "x" hands on? Are you good at working with and directing people? Are you creative? Strategic? Like working alone? With a team?

As you began to answer these types of questions and learn more about yourself (which takes experience doing different things too), you'll gain a better understanding of how you fit into a business. You can start a business being strong or having a preference in any of these areas, but you may quickly need help in order to grow, sustain, etc. It really depends on who you are and the skills you have. Understand that is crucial to your planning.

Hope that helps and provides a little different view point!

As a different point of view to this point of view, I grew up a bookish nerd who had difficulty making friends or talking to people. I moved around a lot. I can count on one finger the amount of real friends I had before 11th grade. Anybody who really knows me knows I'm still very much this guy. I still get incredibly nervous when starting a conversation with anybody. I just don't let my fear stop me, I let it fuel me.

Still, today people call me the most extraverted person they know. Others praise my "gift of gab". (What gift? I always think to myself). I've been a record setting salesperson, sales trainer, etc.

So I agree with your points, except that sales is personality dependent. Sales is a skill, talking to people is a skill, and they can be learned by anyone willing to learn.

You can become who you want to become if you put your mind to it. You're right that it's not easy, but I'll tell everyone it is so so worth it.

 

[BlindSide]

I agree with the idea that a lot of different experiences are helpful whether you are good at it or not. You can always learn.



I run a consulting business. All my business is referral based and all I do when contacted is explain our process. I'm sure you could argue that is sales, or that the work I do that earns me the referrals is sales...but it's certainly not the experience you're going to get if you go get a "sales" job.

By your own breakout of what a sales job looks like, we would not do any sales.

I agree that it's a skilled and can be learned. Some will always be better than others, but I'm not sure if it's necessarily as valuable, or as easy, as it's being portrayed .

Good skill for sure, but I think there are lots of other jobs or approaches that can prepare you to run a biz just as well.

Who said easy?

You didn’t have to do any sales to get your first customers? Even if so, you are in the minority. It’s good advice for basically everyone here to learn sales, I just like the idea of getting paid well while doing it.

Definitely agree with other routes as well.

 

[Kevin88660]

The very first step for most people is to get a job, i was just wondering what some of the guys of this forum would suggest in terms of a first job. Something where you are learning a valuable skill that could be turned into a business down the line. Thanks

Most of the answer are from skill set perspective.

There is another way to look at it, which sector is going to do better in next 5-10 years?

Eventually best business opportunities are in domain knowledge. Used car salesman transiting to b2b software sales are crossing a bigger hurdle than you can imagine.

The industries I can feel the heat right now are cryptocurrencies, heathcare, online gaming, and to a less extend vegetarian food sector.

 

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