What should I do with my life? (vanity)

me

[sdk7x7]

I have an important question, so I figured I'd turn to the FR gang for advice. I'm a college student, about to enter my 2nd year. I'm very interested in national security, homeland security, terrorism, etc and I plan to mold my major around these fields.

Eventually, when I graduate, I will have a decision to make: service vs. money. By service, I mean applying for jobs with the federal government, ie FBI special agent, intelligence analyst, etc. While these jobs offer me the opportunity to serve my country--which I truly want to do--they do not offer salaries comparable to the private sector. At the absolute highest end, top executives within the federal law enforcement and intelligence agencies tend to make $150,000 per year. Not that that's any number to scoff at, but much more can be made by pursuing my interests in the private sector: consulting, corporate intelligence, etc.

I am aware that the federal gov't offers great benefits, and I really do feel an obligation to give back to my country, but I am also admittedly attracted to a higher-paying career that would make putting kids through college, having my own house, etc less of a financial strain.

I am hoping that some of you can offer some guidance, especially if you've been in a similar situation. I should note that most of my family is upper-class, so there are some familial pressures to take a high-paying job, etc.

Thanks in advance, sdk

[GeronL]

that is brookesnews.com darn it

[BigSkyFreeper]

Motivate yourself and every opportunity handed to you. Employers won't hire people who won't do "this" or "that". Start at the bottom of the paygrade scale and work your way up toward the top. Even if you hate the job, act like you're having the time of your life, that is the only way you're every going to advance up the later of success.

[JennysCool]

Degree or not you will always start out as a grunt

Amazing the number of college grads who don't understand that here in 2005, and that explains the VAST number of DU types you find complaining in bars everywhere in America.

They just don't get it that, whatever the degree, they're going to start at the bottom. Real world ain't college.

[benjaminjjones]

Depends.

If you have the guts and desire to kill America's enemies, then any branch of the Military offers many post-enlistment opportunities.

Out of 8 kids (6 sons), of a full bird Army Colonel, I was the only one that wanted to go into the military. Not out of duress, out of desire.

My ego demanded that I be the best of the best, not give up my life as a ground grunt fighting for yards, we need them, but I thought I could better serve my country killing bad guys "en masse" from above.

My father told me that the best pilots were in the Navy. So I went for the Naval Academy out of high school with the hopes of being a Naval Aviator.

I got all the required recommendations but was turned down on account of failing the color blindness test.

I wanted to fly and kill bad guys. Think about what your passion is, then go for the best Military branch that fits.

Yes, you could die, but we're all going to die sometime.

[Caesar Soze]

You still have time to enter a ROTC program or, barring that, start building a CV for an OCS packet. Even a snooty upper-class family has to appreciate an officer. (Well, once you make field grade.) Register at ArmyOCS (or whatever service branch you prefer) and start reading.

[k2blader]

Stupid vanities belong in chat. Folks who've been here 2.5 years should know that.

[GeronL]

gee, I'm weak. Like I'm going to submit it somewhere when I don't want to post it as a vanity here. ha.

[MIT-Elephant]

"we don't need more government employees, we need about 80% less. That ain't the kind of service this country needs."

That should be a qualified statement. We DO need more/better government employees in human intelligence, research projects, policy analysis and those sorts of civil service.

As far as regulatory bureaucrats, I'm a bit more skeptical that we need swaths of those.

[GeronL]

we need openings for Leftist Eradicators

[JennysCool]

Yo, blader:

It's a good thread.

Try to deal with it.

[k2blader]

Yo, Cool:

You're right.

This is absolutely what the news/activism forum is for.

How could I have been so forgetful.

[MIT-Elephant]

"Also - don't forget that a 3-year stint as an officer might enable you to pull a much better civilian job than you could otherwise find."

Great point. As long as you don't screw up, officer experience is a big plus on the resume, unless you apply to work for hardcore leftists.

(On the other hand, if you want to run for President as a Democrat, being a junior officer can help get you nominated...not that it has anything to do with being Commander-in-chief.)

[Rockingham]

Here are a few things to keep in mind:

Assuming that you have the grades and can pass the background check, federal agencies often provide scholarships for graduate degrees in specialties of use in intelligence analysis and agency support. Some lines of study that might seem remote are of interest to the feds: mathematics; computer software; electronics; technical and scientific specialties; history; psychology; foreign languages; and so on.

Pick a field or fields that you like and have some aptitude for, then develop a career strategy that assumes devoting about five or ten years of your life to it. A scholarship, advanced degrees, and work for the feds in a prestige agency might not be your family's preference, but it would be hard to see it as a waste of your time and talents.

You might decide to make it your lifetime work, but you would not have to. Several years on, you might bail out and get a law degree or an MBA, for example, or go directly to the private sector.

As a career goal, forget the top government civil service positions and the attractive salaries. Those jobs tend to be hard to get, take lots of time, and involve petty internal agency politics, personalities, and cliques. Canny job hopping is usually better in advancing and getting better salary deals, even in federal service. There are often internal agency scholarships for further study and credentialing.

Time in federal employment can develop a valuable understanding of how government works -- and often does not. You can also develop useful skills and contacts if you are in the right kind of job, and federal agency work can be a valuable credential that jumps you ahead of contemporaries who went directly to the private sector after college.

Above all, be adaptable, and recognize that your life is going to have a lot more zig-zags and reverses in it than you presently imagine. Get Ben Stein's "Bunkhouse Logic" for a sense of how to navigate through life. For your sake, I would command that of you if I could.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0380785439/002-4281202-5359224?v=glance

[doc]

The way things are going you'll always have a job in busines/residential security.

[MIT-Elephant]

I would add: Never underestimate the scope and complexity of the federal bureaucracy. It is like the pop tart, it can be used for good or evil.

It is horrendously petty and political, but at the same time it can be worked like a charm for someone who knows the system. That's one reason officer experience can be so valuable, you learn to navigate those sorts of channels and you might make friends in Washington D.C.

A stint in uniform could go a long way towards revealing whether you would like a career under so much political machinery.

[de Buillion]

I am 60 years old, and a military vet. I advise you to do a stint in the service branch of your choice, as an officer, for the career building experience that you will gain there. Depart whenever you wish. You might then be in a better position to make a life-long decision.

[Gunrunner2]

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Prescott , AZ has the an excellent degree program: Global Security and Intelligence Studies. Check it out.

[chuckles]

The problem with your post is that everyone is different. There is no way to tell your personal makeup on the internet. As for me, my father always told me, "Son, if it ain't nuthin but a peanut stand,....OWN IT! I worked all my life for somebody else,......and was never happy. I can't see how working for the gubmint would be any better,....and probably worse. You also seem to believe that you could automatically go into the private sector and make 150K or more. Maybe so, but maybe not. I think owning your own business is as patriotic as anything else you can do. You hire people and build the strongest economy in the world. If someone can come from India, buy a store and drive a Hummer to their house in suburbia, then why can't Americans? When you are young, the military is a fine thing, but it sure takes its toll on the older folks. Alcoholism, divorce, drugs, and disability are higher for the "Lifers".

My personal feeling is to shoot for your own business, maybe not right now, but somewhere down the road.

[gpapa]

Get a job. Get married. Have kids. Have grandkids. Die.
Whatever ever career you choose, you and your family should be a priority. Have faith and do your best.

[TomasUSMC]

WAS NOT YOUR COUNTRY ATTACKED ON 9/11?

IS YOUR COUNTRY NOT NOW AT WAR ?






U S M C

NOW.