17 year old career advice

[keaton_815]

Hi I’m 17 years old from the UK and am stuck about what to do. I’m currently an apprentice engineer in my first month of a 4 year apprenticeship and I can’t see myself doing this for the rest of my life it’s just very dull. I don’t know the best thing to do now I’m not sure whether to carry on with the apprenticeship as a security net because I have a good career at the end while trying to build a business or if to get a good paying job to support me while trying to build a business. I think I would maybe go all in and try and get the job and invest lots of money and time into building a business but I fear it not working out deep down even though I know it’s possible for me. If anybody has any advice or has been through something similar any help would be appreciated.

 

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[Odysseus M Jones]

I’m currently an apprentice engineer in my first month of a 4 year apprenticeship and I can’t see myself doing this for the rest of my life it’s just very dull.

You might think that now.

But engineers build the world, and look how much cool stuff we have and could have if people stuck at it.

Engineering can be fastlane, extremely fastlane.

It's a prized skill that you're being paid to learn.

 

[Stargazer]

Exactly what Odysseus just wrote.

Hundreds of £billions are being poured into Engineering projects in the UK alone. All of the small and large engineering companies contracted to do the work were set up by engineers.

The more you are in the sector, the more you will see the opportunities.

Dan

 

[heavy_industry]

In some industries it takes several months of learning until you start being interested in it. You need to have some proficiency to appreciate the things you're doing.

But if in 6-12 months you feel the same way and have no intrinsic motivation for it, it's time to switch career paths. Engineering is just one of the many paths to success.

 

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[keaton_815]

You might think that now.

But engineers build the world, and look how much cool stuff we have and could have if people stuck at it.

Engineering can be fastlane, extremely fastlane.

It's a prized skill that you're being paid to learn.

Yeah I’m at a bus company at the minute just doing MOTs etctha

In some industries it takes several months of learning until you start being interested in it. You need to have some proficiency to appreciate the things you're doing.

But if in 6-12 months you feel the same way and have no intrinsic motivation for it, it's time to switch career paths. Engineering is just one of the many paths to success

Thanks for the response mate I’m going to give it more of a chance definitely

 

[keaton_815]

T

Exactly what Odysseus just wrote.

Hundreds of £billions are being poured into Engineering projects in the UK alone. All of the small and large engineering companies contracted to do the work were set up by engineers.

The more you are in the sector, the more you will see the opportunities.

Dan

hanks for your response mate I’m a mechanical engineer working on busses , do you think there’s lots of opportunity doing this ? The main thing putting me off is the job I get once qualified gets me £28k a year and that’s after 4 years of £10k a year training until then it’s not giving me much hope.

 

[UK_Mike]

It's steady, rather than stratospheric. I for one presumed that when you said it was an engineering apprenticeship, it was learning how to use stuff like lathes, milling machines, design and make precision components and stuff rather than doing maintenance on buses. But, it will always be needed (well, until one of you lot gets your finger out and invents teleportation) so that makes it a useful skill.

It does at least have the advantage that, college courses apart, there's no work to be done outside of your normal hours. It's not like your manager will say "can you take these two home and work on them over the weekend", so that gives you time to work on doing something else.

 

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[Matt Lee]

I can’t see myself doing this for the rest of my life it’s just very dull.

What else would you rather be building and doing? Do you have required skills? Can you learn the skills? What is holding you back? Limiting beliefs? Low self-esteem? Not enough commitment?

You're 17. Say you want to build a certain product or service but don't have enough experience or the skill set.

Fine. Spend the time from now till you're 20, learning, consuming, and producing things that allow you to obtain the skillset necessary to do what you want to do. Matter of fact, just spend the rest of the time of this year, 12 hours a day, reading and learning about that service or product. 3 months of 12 hours a day is just a little over 1,000 hours.

I repeat, do what you want. But to do what you want, you must know what it is that you want.

If you want to be an engineer, sure. If you want to be something else though, something that haunts you every night even though you don't have the skills yet, you better bust your a$$ learning and making things happen. Because these dreads and feeling of emptiness will keep haunting you until you listen to your gut.

Life is way too short to do something you don't believe in anyways because other say it's acceptable and safe.

I fear it not working out deep down even though I know it’s possible for me.

You have fears because you don't have a clear picture of what you're capable of and what you truly want. Find what it is you really want to build, reflect on the opportunity cost of not building it NOW, and see all your fear evaporate like morning dew.

 

[Stargazer]

I can't exactly tell you what to do but in approximately 4 years time the UK is going to start seeing a problem in the motor industry.

Google '160,000 UK car technician shortage' and you will see what has been in the news recently.

This is dealing with domestic users but presumably commercial outfits, like bus companies, will have the same problem.

There will be many opportunities for you to either work in or start your own business that would more or less last your entire lifetime. It will take decades until our entire transport sector is electric.

So if you stay doing what you do but start to have a different thinking cap on when you work, reading Trade Magazines and articles around the industry, making contacts etc - after all the bus company spends millions already every year doesn't it and some of the work will be outsourced to reliable partners - then who knows what you may come up with.

If you hate the idea of being in the industry though then sure, leave.

Dan

 

[keaton_815]

What else would you rather be building and doing? Do you have required skills? Can you learn the skills? What is holding you back? Limiting beliefs? Low self-esteem? Not enough commitment?

You're 17. Say you want to build a certain product or service but don't have enough experience or the skill set.

Fine. Spend the time from now till you're 20, learning, consuming, and producing things that allow you to obtain the skillset necessary to do what you want to do. Matter of fact, just spend the rest of the time of this year, 12 hours a day, reading and learning about that service or product. 3 months of 12 hours a day is just a little over 1,000 hours.

I repeat, do what you want. But to do what you want, you must know what it is that you want.

If you want to be an engineer, sure. If you want to be something else though, something that haunts you every night even though you don't have the skills yet, you better bust your a$$ learning and making things happen. Because these dreads and feeling of emptiness will keep haunting you until you listen to your gut.

Life is way too short to do something you don't believe in anyways because other say it's acceptable and safe.

You have fears because you don't have a clear picture of what you're capable of and what you truly want. Find what it is you really want to build, reflect on the opportunity cost of not building it NOW, and see all your fear evaporate like morning dew.

Thankyou I definitely need to put more trust into myself and start working on a business I’m not sure what yet.

 

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[keaton_815]

I can't exactly tell you what to do but in approximately 4 years time the UK is going to start seeing a problem in the motor industry.

Google '160,000 UK car technician shortage' and you will see what has been in the news recently.

This is dealing with domestic users but presumably commercial outfits, like bus companies, will have the same problem.

There will be many opportunities for you to either work in or start your own business that would more or less last your entire lifetime. It will take decades until our entire transport sector is electric.

So if you stay doing what you do but start to have a different thinking cap on when you work, reading Trade Magazines and articles around the industry, making contacts etc - after all the bus company spends millions already every year doesn't it and some of the work will be outsourced to reliable partners - then who knows what you may come up with.

If you hate the idea of being in the industry though then sure, leave.

Dan

Thanks a lot for the response mate definitely something to think about I’m going to stick at it for now I think a lack of patience is my main issue at the minute but it’s a great career to be in once I’ve gained experience etc.

 

[DavidePaco00]

In some industries it takes several months of learning until you start being interested in it. You need to have some proficiency to appreciate the things you're doing.

But if in 6-12 months you feel the same way and have no intrinsic motivation for it, it's time to switch career paths. Engineering is just one of the many paths to success.

I agree. There's a fine line beetween perseviring and following the commitment bias.

@keaton_815 may I ask You what's Your motivation?

Cheers

Davide