THE FORUMS

Hello everyone,

After a failed business venture that I have worked for day and night for the last four years, I am actually considering pursuing a completely new career or education next fall. I will spend the next year saving up money, figuring out my next step and keep working on my prior failed business, which I am sure I will succeed with on the next attempt.

However, it does not exclude choosing a new career or main vocation which I`m seriously considering. There are people who have really meaningful jobs that they love doing and actually adds to their lives. It would not hurt if a potential job allows me to travel the world and earn good money as well. My father worked as a dentist and he truly loved going to work every day and worked well beyond the normal retirement age because he enjoyed it. I don`t think it is an option for me, but he is still an inspiration.

So, any good suggestions? What are you currently pursuing yourself?

The only two (three) options that I`m considering at this point is:

1) A Bachelor In Nautical Science

This will give me the license to navigate a ship and opens up a myriad of job opportunities. I can work "normal" hours locally or the most normal practice here in Norway which is to work for 3-4 weeks out on the open sea and then be completely free for 3-4 weeks. The drawback is that I`m stuck in a male dominated environment for almost a month at a time, but it may not be that much of an issue really. At best, I will be able to see the world and I can even become a navigator on a cruise ship eventually. The salary is also pretty good, I can live pretty much where I want to when I`m off and I have 3-4 weeks off every other month. Some shipping companies here in Norway with offshore operations even offers a 2-4  rotation, working 2 weeks and then having 4 weeks off.

The education is three years and then a 12-month internship before I have my complete license. The education is also FREE, minus study materials and living expenses.

2) Commercial Airline Pilot

This one have always been a dream of mine. It seems like an awesome job and I will be able to travel the world and live a very nomadic lifestyle if I want to. I talked to a pilot (a total player that I met in the game) a few years back and he urged me to go forward with it. I had other plans then, so I postponed it, but that was also much because of the cost of the education which is SUPER EXPENSIVE here in Norway compared to the virtually free bachelor in nautical science. Another problem is that it is a very tough job market which is very cyclical. At least here in Norway. I also must expect to be working a lot of less attractive jobs before I can finally apply with a commercial airline. I`m still doing research on this though. I`ve heard that it is possible to get an internship with a commercial airline and jump ahead that way.

The cost is however a big issue and I don`t even know if I can finance it as of today or even next year. It may simply not be worth it, since I`m probably not passionate enough about it.

3) Building On My Education As A Carpenter

I am considering going independent as a carpenter, which is my original trade. I blessed the day I quit my job last year, but I actually miss it. The drawback is that it is very taxing, male dominated and not a lot of hot girls to meet. Incidentally, I hooked up with a girl I built a house for a few years back, but that`s another story and she was pretty much the only girl I saw for most of my career. I always hated my co-workers, so I wonder if that may have influenced my decision. For lifestyle purposes and growing old, I don`t think I have a future as a carpenter though, but I could eventually be employing other people and running my own business.

An option could be to become a civil engineer specializing on construction or even an architect, but I`m not sure if I`m passionate enough about it.

It seems like this year, I will build a house independently with a friend as a financial partner. If I can earn a buck on that, maybe I`m tempted to pursue it for a while.

Appreciate all input on this and most of all, I`m interested in new suggestions that I have not thought of. Hopefully, this thread can be valuable to other guys who are also uncertain about what to do with their future.

Thanks in advance,

Yoda