“I Don’t Know What I Want To Do!”
Guest Post by Dennis Miller at Miller On The Money
I asked my 18-year-old grandson Braidyn about college. He was visibly frustrated; “Grandpa, I don’t know what I want to do, or where I want to go.”
He’s college material, National Honor Society, excellent people skills, and a great work ethic. He’s an accomplished welder, with an excellent-paying job waiting for him upon graduation – should he want it.
Part of his frustration is most all of his friends picked their respective colleges, exuding confidence, and seem comfortable with their decisions.
Braidyn is probably more typical than most people realize. While parents, grandparents and guidance counselors try to help, these choices are big challenges for an 18-year-old. His friends may exude confidence, but they don’t know, what they don’t know – and that’s OK.
What is misunderstood?
Expecting an 18-year-old to know what they want to do for the rest of their life is unrealistic. Why?
- They don’t have enough life experience to know the opportunities/pitfalls in the world.
- The majority of jobs available during their lifetime don’t exist today. If only a small portion of Bill Gates Artificial Intelligence predictions come true, the entire work landscape will change rapidly through their adult life.
- What sounds like fun, might not be what you expect.
My high school guidance counselor, told me, “Dennis you are good at math, you should be an accountant.” My mother, a bookkeeper, thought it was a great idea.
So off I went, full of confidence…. I was a good accountant and soon realized I hated it. Once you learn how to balance the books, it became terribly repetitious, it was boring as hell. I called it a “scorekeeper” job.
My life changed when my boss told me, I was great and in 20 years I could have his job. I did the payroll; he didn’t make that much more than I did. Forget that, I wanted to be a player, let someone else keep score!
If he’s white and straight tell him he’d be better off doing construction , or another trade.
And change his nickname to Brad.
You’re never the same after that first field trip to the sausage factory.
Don’t feel bad children. If you live to be 120 life will STILL be more fucked up than you could possibly imagine.
my 18-year-old grandson Braidyn
I wasn’t going to say it.
This reminded me of one of our granddaughter’s new husband’s name. I never can remember it, and have no idea how it’s spelled- depending on Facebook when I need it.
One nephew son’s name: Brooks. Very popular.
Desiderata: Original Text
This is the original text from the book where Desiderata was first published.
Go placidly amid the noise and the haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even to the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons; they are vexatious to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter, for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment, it is as perennial as the grass.
Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be. And whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul. With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.
by Max Ehrmann ©1927
The more the fields of ‘expertise’*, the merrier.
*”Years of ‘experience’ actually usually means how many years one has gotten paid under that tittle.
“The proof is in the pudding”
https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/origin-of-the-proof-is-in-the-pudding-meaning
Could be worse. His name could have been Aidan or some other female name backwards. Or a unisex name.
ZFG, out.
P.S. college is for people that want to get dumb. Get a trade.
Let the young man weld. If he wants to sniff tail,all he has to do is take one class a semester to belong on campus.
Correct and a 1 hour pe class got me basically free access to the golf course, pool and weight room back in the day. Supposedly to the computer lab and library, but didn’t need it at the time
I’m 62 and have a small engine and atv shop I’d love to find someone that would like to take over the business in a couple of years.
Heres the problem I’ve been looking for help for 3 years can’t find any
Second the ones who come in that fixed a lawnmower once claim they know more than me.
I’ll probably close the shop and rent it out for storage.
So you tell me what’s going on out there
THE ONCE GREAT AMERICAN WORK ETHIC HAS DIED OVER THE DECADES, IT STARTED WHEN CARTER INSTITUTED THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT IN DC AND IT’S BEEN DOWN HILL EVER SINCE.
SGT ALL CAPS REPORTING FOR DUTY !
SNUFFY IS AN ICONSIDERATE CUNT.
STOP YELLING YOU FUCKING ASSHOLE!
Aw fer shit sakes.
The man is just typing in caps. Do you REALLY hear screaming in your head when you read his posts? If you do, something’s wrong with you, not NCO Sniffy.
Snuffy generally has a sensible comment.
IT IS SIMPLE NET ETIQUETTE. CAPS IS YELLING.
BUT HEY FINE. ALL CAPS IT IS. GET USED TO IT.
APPARENTLY YOU DON’T MIND.
…Instructor?
Burgeoning field.
They think down votes are somehow meaningful, too.
Back off on yer meds a little. I read his post and didn’t hear a thing.
It started in earnest with the Warfare-Welfare State. LBJ
protesting the protestant ethic formerly known as work. since it does not, in apparent fact, get the meat-bots into heaven, nor does it pay the keeping-up-with-the-consumers bills anymore.
but, oops, there goes pride in work, too. so what’s a pride of lyins to do? gotta have pride.
turns out pride’s easier to replace than once more commonly thought.
I saw a twenty something begging on the street corner, yesterday. Maybe he’s looking.
ICE engines in small equipment and recreational vehicles are going away , just like most two stroke engines, sorry that is a dying trade. Battery everything is coming, I’m not happy about that either. Another dying trade close to my heart are people that can work on tube amplifiers. Hell, vacuum tubes are getting super expensive and hard to find because Russia and China make almost all of them now.
used to love the smell of 2-stroke premix exhaust in the morning … assault & battery’s here to stay, but battery motocross?
Can work for short races.
When a battery powered car wins the 24 Hours of Le Mans, they MAY be ready for prime time.
Not just the tubes, but the transformers are really expensive if they’re any good … silver wire and all …
Love the sound of my 2A3 integrated amplifier … clean design inside the box … great sound through high-efficiency speaker (mine are, IIRC, 102dB/watt) …
Battery some things are coming. There simply is not enough power or materials to replace all ICE.
Total electric is simply not feasible from what I see. No way I can see a D12 or Terex dumper run by battery, ever. And those are what mine the battery materials.
The rich are not going to give up their classic Aston, Ferrari, Zonda, etc. either.
ICEs will be around for a very long time to come. Without them, the modern world would grind to a halt.
In 2023, blue collar all the way. Learn a trade, you’ll never starve.
“Learn a trade, you’ll never starve.”
get certified in at least 1 trade,possibly 2,but learn them all–
you will never be out of work except by choice & some trades might be obsolete in a few years —
also learn spanish & possibly a few words of mandarin —
edit–i can’t count the # of skilled tradesmen i have seen who knew hardly anything about electricity–
if you only learn 1 trade,learn electrical —
I know! We have a constr/contractor friend who is really good – except electrical.
I’ll never forget this young couple we knew (we were young then too) whose husband built them a house in this gorgeous spot but never got around to to putting in the electrical (working on other houses).
Well she did it, with 3 little ones, too. This before YouTube vids, and no codes in Montana. She has red hair. I was totally impressed but motivation is a great force.
Plumbing, too … and repair of anything and everything is a must … I cannot believe the prices the trades are charging today.
Woman I take care of lives in a house that’s less than 5 years old and the hose bib on the side of the house went out. It was a cheap POS from china … and, of course, it’s connected to PEX … for which I don’t have the proper tool(s).
So … to replace a hose bib that retails for $26 at AMZN — and that took their D-team a combined 30 minutes — was $418 and change …
I told them to tell their boss to at least go out and buy the gun … have at least some skin in the game and also don’t insult people by not putting some real effort into his robbery …
ADVISE HIM TO GO INTO THE TRADES, THEY PAY MORE AND HE’LL BE WAY MORE SATISFIED WITH A JOB WELL DONE INSTEAD OF WASTING 4 TO 8 YEARS TRYING FOR SOME WORTHLESS DEGREE. WELDING IS A GOOD START YOU CAN MAKE GOOD CASH AS A WELDER ESPECIALLY IF YOU’RE GOOD AT THE MULTIPLE TYPES OF WELDING NOWADAYS. YOU DON’T NEED A SUPER DUPER COLLEGE DEGREE TO GET A GOOD PAYING JOB AS LONG AS YOU HAVE A TRADE.
You’re also much more likely to be able to barter with a trade or 2 or 3 … try barter if you’re a stock broker … or a lawyer … or a — gasp — politician or government employee …
I was a little shocked about ten years ago when I talked to some parents and some kids, including my own, about 18 years old about their future. They were all scared shitless of the future. I thought that was not me at all. The future is something to look forward to. The world is yours at that age, and I did not come from a privileged family. I worked menial jobs. But I got some skills. I wasn’t scared of anything. I think it is even worse now. It’s the I am a victim mentality has taken over. We create are own reality. A couple of great books are, “As a Man Thinketh,” and “The Flute of God.” The first book is only about 20 pages and gives you an introduction. The Flute of God is the graduate book. We create our own reality by the way we think is the theme of the first book. As Souls made in the image of God, we are the creators of our own universe is the theme of the second book. God is the macrocosm, creator of all universes. As Souls, we are the microcosm, creators of our own little universe.
As everyone who is on TBP knows, we are in a time of tyranny those of us born in the USA have never experienced. Living with fear is living on the Global Cabal terms. Spend sometime each day doing what you like to do, and being thankful for what we have is living on Gods terms.
I want to hear God rock out on that flute like Jethro Tull.
And just Who do you think taught Tull?
1 Thess. 4
But we urge you, brethren, that you increase more and more; 11 that you also aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you, 12 that you may walk properly toward those who are outside, and that you may lack nothing.
If only everyone would mind their own business, and learn a skill!
20% of Gen. Z doesn’t even know what sex they want to be.
TRUTH.
What a hot mess.
4-6 years college=
Down $100,000-$250,000.
5 years electrician apprentice=
Up $240,000
I would push for welding, this bs clusterfuck is going down, better to have actual usable skills. The gender studies not useful in the hunger games