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Originally Posted by
y99q
'Incredible job' can mean many things. I guess you could say that doing programming for a company like Microsoft is an incredible job, but I never deluded myself into thinking that I had a realistic chance of obtaining that type of job.
What I did think is that out of school I'd find a job doing something enjoyable. I had wished for a peaceful existence where I'd go to the office every morning, do work and feel happy and satisfied, and then come home and continue feeling the same way.
That was my illusion. That's why I bothered going to college.
Most people don't much like the work they do to get the paycheque, it's pretty much a fact of life.
I worked in electronics for 35+ years, reaching the level of "Engineering Technologist" through repeated retraining and experiential learning. My first job was driving an Egg Delivery truck (really :D ) while I took the first block of training. My first job in "electronics" was cleaning and servicing electric typewriters for about 10 cents above minimum wage... By the time I fully qualified as an electronics technician, I was working in photocopiers and cash registers. From there I landed a job in "Pro-Audio" installing and servicing Club and Theatre sound systems. From there I moved on to 2 way radio service for a couple of years... finally ending up on Computers about the time the IBM Personal Computer made it's appearance. When my employer realized I had computer skills, I very quickly rose to the level of regional then national service manager for a medium sized international company, where I stayed for nearly 25 years.
The moral of the story is that you cannot expect to come straight out of school into the perfect job... It almost never happens. I started my career in electronics by driving an Egg Truck. Then it was on to a string of "drudge" jobs while I proved myself and climbed up the ladder. eventually ending up in charge of a rather interesting group of people. Basically I'm telling you that you get what you earn.
As part of my role as service manager I was in charge of computer repairs, training technicians, writing diagnostics, overseeing the programming pool, etc. It was a very challenging and interesting career. But never once did I feel happy and satisfied at work; nor did I expect to.
A job is something you do to finance the rest of your life, the happy and satsfied part comes AFTER work when you bring home that paycheque to feed your family and pay your bills. It's about family not work. In fact, in my 60 years, I've never met anyone who would gush "My job is just so incredible, I love every minute of it"... most say the exact opposite.
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It depends on what you mean by buckets of money. $75,000+ per year? No. But perhaps a job that paid somewhere in the ballpark of $50,000/year, which supposedly was the average pay for people with academic credentials similar to mine. Now perhaps I have head up my butt but in my opinion a salary of $50,000/year, for a person who graduated with honors from a competitive 4 year university, is about right.
I don't know how salaries run in your neck of the woods but 'round here, that kind of paycheque only comes after a few years of experience, which you won't get if you are rejecting the process by which you can obtain that experience.
Job skills may start in university, but they don't end there... My experience is that schooling gives you concept, work experience gives you practical knowledge.
To get the big cheque requires both.
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But then it turns out that the only jobs I could find paid $10 and $15 an hour. And then when I found the full time job (the one I got fired from) I received a yearly salary whose hourly equivalent was barely a few dollars more.
If not shooting for the bottom of the barrel is what you understand by having way too high expectations, I can't argue with you.
What I mean is very simply that you cannot reasonably expect to walk out of school and straight into a high paying job. You need to do what many many others have... start at the bottom of the barrel and climb your way to the top.
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And even though dreams of high salaries is not what motivated me to do well in school, I did spend a lot of time wondering what went wrong when the only jobs I got offered paid significantly less than the reported average salary for people with similar credentials.
Trust me on this... a university degree may get you in the door but you have to earn the rest of it.
Of course that also means you have to be WILLING to earn the rest of it, expecting it to be simply handed to you is very unrealistic.
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Bottom line.. you are mistaken in assuming that my expectations were way too high. I wanted a happy existence. Middle class life. middle class job. Go to work, come home, repeat the same drill, you know, a normal life. Now if you want to argue that it's not possible to have a satisfying job and a happy existence, then if you are right I guess I'm doomed.
Not doomed.... just expecting way too much right out of the gate.
Ok... so now you've had your first big brush with reality, what are you going to do about it. Seems to me your choices are to a) go flip burgers, b) keep being continually disappointed with yourself or c) understand how the real world works, regroup and get back in the game.
Personally, I'd recommend option C.
