Any other college grads with no desire to settle for corp. America?

[technologic]

lol @ complaining about 9-5

[b_jerkins]

OP,

It feels like I wrote this post, even with respect to the job fairs and college situation. I don't particularly care about making it big time, just making enough money so that I'm comfortable.

I had my first real internship this summer, 40 hours a week. Granted, what I did was incredibly boring and trivial work, but I don't think I'd be happy with myself if I really did work 40 hours a week for the rest of my life. At this point I'd like to think that working for myself would be bearable, but I'm not positive.

I'd honestly rather live in like Costa Rica off of 10 grand/yr than grind it out and retire wealthy when I'm 65. As I say that, I have some sort of mental block from actually doing something like that due to what my family would say.

[tommo]

[ QUOTE ]
OP,

It feels like I wrote this post, even with respect to the job fairs and college situation. I don't particularly care about making it big time, just making enough money so that I'm comfortable.

I had my first real internship this summer, 40 hours a week. Granted, what I did was incredibly boring and trivial work, but I don't think I'd be happy with myself if I really did work 40 hours a week for the rest of my life. At this point I'd like to think that working for myself would be bearable, but I'm not positive.

I'd honestly rather live in like Costa Rica off of 10 grand/yr than grind it out and retire wealthy when I'm 65. As I say that, I have some sort of mental block from actually doing something like that due to what my family would say.

[/ QUOTE ]

yeah, that mental block really really sucks.

[T50_Omaha8]

OP, it's probably good that you're thinking these thoughts BEFORE you graduate.

I graduated in May and have been working full time for my dad doing consulting work. The job is actually much cooler than anything else I could do: I do everything from real estate research to budget analysis to construction management to conceptual planning, and I even get to do my own consulting projects for clients, which is way more responsibility than anyone else would be willing to give me at this age.

I'm getting paid a normal salary--equal to other offers I got when I graduated.

And I'm realizing that this life is not sufficent. I simply don't enjoy being in an office 8-10 hours a day, then commuting 30 minutes back and forth. I apparently don't care that much about money; it's nice to see my bank account balance going up, but I hate spending it. The only thing I want from money is to be able to do something drastically different with my life someday.

I have traveled a lot and have lots of great memories from that, and I am disgusted now that whole months go by where I don't really do anything worth remembering. Seriously, the only thing I did worth remembering from the last 6 months is a hiking trip I went on with my friends.

As a result, my motivation at work has diminished greatly. I'm finding it hard to focus for extended periods of time, and the only thing that motivates me to work faster is that I'll be more likely to get out of the office by 6.

I wouldn't say I'm depressed, which is good, but is the qualifier for a worthwhile existance the lack of depression? Is that what I should settle for?

I'm currently planning on either getting a teaching certificate so I can teach economics or math, or taking 18 months to travel the world before getting an econ PhD or something (I'll probably go plan B; no sense wasting my GPA on being a teacher). Then I'll be able to live wherever and however I want.

I guess the theme of my post, OP, is that it won't just go away. It gets worse unless you do something about it.

[GoblinMason (Craig)]

This feeling won't go away. I felt the same way a year ago before I started my job. I was set to forge my own path and my family talked me out of it.

I don't regret it, but I'm sure would have been fine had I taken the road less traveled. I cannot stay in corporate America forever, but in the mean time, it's giving me some good experience.

Nothing scares me more than the idea that I will settle for the 9-5. If I look back in 30 years and that's what I did, I will be disappointed with myself.

This speech by Steve Jobs kind of sums up that feeling, and I try to watch it every so often to remind me of it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1R-jKKp3NA

-Craig

[MrBlue]

Craig,

I read Job's transcript every few weeks too. I prefer the transcript over the video. Even though he's great at the Reality Distortion Field(tm) with Apple products, I feel he doesn't really add much to the already excellent speech. It may not have the same effect on some of the more seasoned posters here, but it sure did on me and my friends.

[spider]

OP, do you have at least 2 of the following 3 things:
1 enough money to get by for a year or two
2 a somewhat specific/concrete idea or plan of what you want to do (not wanting to get a job is not a plan)
3 real life experience/perspective (um no, college doesn't count. no summer in europe doesn't count either)

Jobs suck but w/o 2 of those (unless #2 is super awesome), I think you might regret taking a job when the taking was good. But do what you gotta do. Just keep your options open if you can.

[BuddyQ]

[ QUOTE ]
my dad always had a saying:
"do what you love in life. the money will follow. if it doesn't, at least you had a great life."
Barron

[/ QUOTE ]

Barron, these twenty words are better than the millions (billions?) of words Al Gore has bloviated in the past twenty years, I'm nominating your dad for the next Nobel.

[newcool]

Wow guys thanks for all of the interesting replies.

In response to spider: When I graduate I won't have much money(a few thousand) but I will have tons of student loans. No specific plan either, but I do have some potential ideas, that I could try to turn into something solid. I will have some perspective though from various college experiences(real field stuff, not from inclass learning). My main asset will be perspective and a sheer passion to build up a company from scratch into something big.

In response to someone who asked what I would like to do if I had a million in the bank, I would have to say I would honestly want to be leading my own company, making decisions, and growing it. This is what my passion basically is. Just as long as I am working on it, and not in it. I think the ride is a lot more important then any possible money.

Its the perennial fear that a 9-5 job will result in a mediocore quality of life such as described by above posters, and that it will inevitably delay for a few years any ideas of entrepreneurship. Also as GoblinMason said the feeling of settling the standard will always remain by taking a job.

I dont know, but I am considering taking a job at a small startup company because of the unusually innovative culture.