Any old timer's want to help a young buck out?

[Cabin Fever]

Wildcats160, on 19 Sept 2013 - 3:31 PM, said:

For those asking I'm a 2nd year law student.  The problem is I'm really good at this.  I'm second in my class, law review, and teach legal research and writing to both inmates in the NYSDOCS and undergrads.  I have the grades, qualifications, and work ethic to go just about anywhere around here I want to.  

 

If you're good at law and have an interest in the outdoors, have you considered doing something along the lines of Environmental Law or Environmental Engineer/Specialist? I work for a very large company as an Environmental Management Representative. I ensure my areas/buildings are in compliance with environmental regulations (Title V, MACT, RCRA, etc...), in conformance with ISO 14001 guidelines, and also in compliance with OSHA 29 CFR 1910.

 

The Environmental Engineers or Specialists stay on top of changing regulations and decipher the legal jargon. They then bring me into it to tell me what needs to be done to comply. I relay the information to management, take it to my areas/buildings, make it happen, and stay on top of it to be sure we remain in regulatory compliance or ISO 14001 conformance. My work helps ensure we will be in good shape when we are audited. Basically, I just help keep our nose clean!

 

I like what I do, as I do get a sense of satisfaction out of it. I'm not only helping to protect my employer from thousands upon thousands of dollars (/ day) in fines, but I look at it as also helping to protect the environment too, from pollution (air, water, soil, improper hazardous waste ending up in landfills, improper hauling of dangerous/hazardous across roadways, etc...). If my commute wasn't so far, I might even say I love my job!

 

Have you considered teaching Environmental Law?

[Five Seasons]

It took me a LONG time to get into a school district I worked 1 full time job as a custodian for a crappy nonprofiot organization for a few years and had 2 other part time jobs being  a substitute custodian for 2 other public schools for a few years untill I was hired full time. Now I only need this one job.... Bust you A$$ and always do the right thing and good things will come to you.

 

and that's the point of my other post. Big knock on us "millennials" is that we feel entitled and want the big bad job NOW. What's lost on most that come out of school with high debt, or who are just starting out in the work force is that you have to work hard to earn it. Work hard, get a few breaks and know the right people and eventually you'll land the job you want.

 

I'll never forget drinking keystone light and eating nothing but venison and ramen noodles in college while my buddies who went straight to work all bought motorcycles. I almost thought about dropping out. But 10 years later, I have a bike and a house and most of them had to sell theirs and still live at home.

[Dr Ignominious Death]

What kind of law do you want to practice if any at all? My brother was a big time lawyer for a big Chicago firm (corporate law) making a lot of money, made partner, but hated his job, traveled all the time, never saw his family. He quit that job and moved back home to Washington state, joined a Seattle firm, but works from SW washington near his entire family. He practices a similar type of law, but now works a few blocks form home, usually goes to work in jeans and polo shirt and travels occasionally, adjusting for cost-of-living he may actually be doing better. Essentially, law is great because if you're lucky you can find a niche that fits your lifestyle and wants and still make a decent income.

 

I am a healthcare professional myself. I'm 32 and am in my 2nd year of medical residency as an anesthesiologist. Just to recap...that's 4 years of high school, 5 years of undergraduate (microbiology major, chemistry minor, spanish minor), 4 years of medical school (50k per year in loans) and now 5 years of residency (100hrs/week + weekends, holidays for about 50k salary), I deal with tons of crap (I pronounced a 17yr old and 19yr old dead this week alone), healthcare reimbursement is going down, my loans are stacking up...not what I envisioned when I started down this path. However, there are many technical jobs in healthcare that require "little" schooling or training and if you want to work weekends/holidays/overtime, there are plenty of opportunities so you can make some pretty good money. Surgical scrub techs-about 1 year of training, radiation techs (not sure the training), cardiovascular perfusionists (not sure about the training).  All these guys make pretty good money, for not terribly stressful jobs. I'm trying to guide my wayward younger brother to one of these paths since he made poor decisions and got crappy grades in undergrad.

 

Like others before me, I don't love my job, but I like it enough that it WILL afford me to take care of my family and enjoy the time that I'm not at work. Good luck.

[jjb4900]

http://www.dec.ny.gov/press/93218.html

take a look at this

[growalot]

OK he needs at least enough income to pay off existing loans and feed himself....LOL

 

Now if you want to be outdoors...have unexpected excitement...fairly regular hours and a great retirement ...take the troopers exam...they retire in I think 25 years full pension..

 

 

Average Salary

The Associated Press reported that a "Poughkeepsie Journal" study of troopers' 2010 pay found they earned an average of $112,537 for all ranks. Although state police law enforcement officers are collectively called troopers, those who held the actual rank of "trooper" -- a front-line patrolman -- averaged $101,574. According to 2009 figures, the overall average trailed only New Jersey among the best-paying states for troopers. Further, state troopers averaged more than any other executive branch jobs in New York, except Supreme Court and New York City judges -- even more than state legislatures and state university professors.

Starting Salaries

The Associated Press reported that as of 2011, New York's state troopers started their careers earning $50,374 during the 26 weeks of police academy training, then received a raise to $66,905 upon graduation and employment. A year later, the salary for a trooper was $71,261, and after five years, pay reached $84,739, roughly 83 percent of the way toward the average trooper salary.

Additional Compensation

Some state troopers in New York were also eligible for location compensation, ranging from $1,480 to $5,300 a year, if they lived and worked in higher-cost parts of the state, according to the AP report. In addition, troopers averaged $5,700 in overtime -- roughly 6 percent of the average pay -- as of 2010. They also received a state pension of 50 percent of their salary after 20 years, and did not need to contribute to the cost. Finally, troopers also received between 15 and 28 days of paid vacation, sick time, holidays and personal days.

Employment Levels

New York State Trooper positions were highly sought-after, despite the inherent hazards of the job. Approximately 15,700 applicants passed the most recent examination, in 2008, and the state police planned to increase the ranks from approximately 3,400 to 6,200 positions after the hiring freeze ended in 2012.

Sponsored Links

 

[Elmo]

Growing up, I wanted to be either a professional baseball player, a national geographer explorer/photographer, or a jet pilot.  I was taught early on by my parents that you priorities (and what makes you happy) will change over the course of your life and left me more confused.  I stumbled around major but found out that I had a knack for computers and quick decision making.  I became a network engineer - systems administrator - help desk supervisor - and now, computer support supervisor.  I was fortunate enough that aside from technical courses, I also took a lot of project management and communication courses as well.  Oddly enough, when I first starting working, engineering was my path.  Now, I almost never touch a computer.  All my work is on the planning and administrative side.  All those project management and communication course I took on the side is what I use now.

 

I second Belo's comment about very few people are truly happy with their work.  Most people tolerate their work enough and seek their happiness else where.  Unless your job is to sip Mai Tai's on a beach in Tahiti, you probably don't love your job that much.  Ask yourself this.  If you won the powerball...would you still continue to your job?

 

When I was younger, my happiness was traveling, rooftop bars, and loose women.  My dream jobs would afford me those things.  As I got older, my happiness is more along the lines of spending time with my family, stability, and financial freedom.  I have that now.  If I want to make plans, I can.  No "I don't know if I can take off" or "Oh, I'll be out of town that day".  Nope.  I just call in and tell my boss I won't be in that day so as long as I have my work taken care of and everything is up to speed and on schedule.

 

I may not be 45+ but now I'm pass that drinking and going out stage.  I've settle down, establish some deep roots.  Do I still sometimes say to myself "man, I should became an airline pilot"?  Yes, from time to time.  But now that I'm married and with a kid on their way, I'm happy I didn't.  I can't imagine son's first baseball game and not being able to be there to see it.

 

Bottom line is that what makes you happy now most likely won't be what will make you happy in the future but you won't know what for sure will make you happy in the future.  You can only do the best to prepare yourself for whatever may come your way.  If you want to relate that to hunting - we always call some "lucky" because that huge buck came his way.  Sure he was lucky.  But let's not forget the fact that he was out in the woods with the rifle in his hand.  You can't be "lucky" sitting at home in your couch.  Be out there with as many tools as possible and you'll eventually get a chance to be "lucky".

[New York Hillbilly]

The short version of a long story. Started out in the housing projects as a child. I won't go into that saga! At 12 or so I started mowing lawns and shoveling sidewalks. Then started my own "worm business", picking at night and became pretty well known as the kid to go to when the bait shop ran out. LOL. Spent a summer on an uncles dairy farm and then several summers cleaning stalls on an area horse farm. Worked doing residential and commercial heating and boiler work, got my state certification in all position welding and worked as a pipe fitter. Then went to work in a factory where I basically bathed in toxic chemicals and ran lead and other heavy metals thought my hands every day for about eight years for a guy who became a multi millionaire while I worried about developing cancer, as several of my coworker friends did, and died. It was there I was quite an outspoken rebel as I protested the unprotected exposure to the stuff we worked with. It was there in a fit of rage one of the big bosses cornered me at my work station and yelled in very direct offensive terms filled with expletives that I was "nothing but a machine operator and that's all you'll ever be....on off on off ...click...click...click...click.. Now shut your f...n mouth and run the f... n machine". After all those years, I quit. In part because of the my being viewed as "nothing" and also out of need to take care of my then handicapped son. I became an LPN. I loved nursing! I rather make half the money and help people than poison myself for twice as much for people who viewed me as non human and all to make one man rich, and a handful of his henchmen financially comfortable. Since that time, over the past 23 years, I've worked my way through college from LPN to Masters Degree Board Certified Psych NP, and will be completing my doctorate hopefully in a little over a year. It is very long hours, huge responsibility, and very stressful most of the time. But I still love my work and the feeling of helping others! I'm very lucky to have found my niche in life. Oh, and once I finish my doctorate I would love to write a book about my experience, especially my time at the factory. In fact I would dedicate the forward to the man who said I would never be anything, and remind him of what he said to me that day, and sign my name and list after it.... A.A.S., B.S. Nursing, M.S.N., FPMHNP-BC, LPN, RN, DNP. Click.....click!!!!

Oh.....and for the record, I'm 54.

Message here is to believe in yourself even when others don't, never give up your passion or dream once you have found it no matter how hard the path, and you are NEVER too old!

Edited September 20, 2013 by New York Hillbilly

[Berniez]

Wildcat-

I am almost retired and now work out of my farm for a software developer on Electronic Health Records. I wanted to be a porno film star or a wildlife biologist but decided not to go into the film business and was told by Rutgers that I wasn’t smart enough to transfer to Rutgers to become a biologist.  By sheer serendipity my dorm friend told me to talk to the Dean of the Pharmacy School.  I did and managed to get accepted to pharmacy school. Surprisingly, I found out I have a talent for it. I went into hospital pharmacy and was a Pharmacy director for 15 years.  After getting bored with that I went back to school and got my Doctorate. I then became a clinical pharmacist, worked for a Medical school, consulted for major pharmaceutical firms and even a guest lecturer traveling all over the country (including Columbia Univ.).  Most of the past 40 years was a great time (I sometimes wondered how I got paid (good money) to do something that seems so simple to me.)   I met great people, saved lives, taught students, helped develop protocols for new drug testing and was always surrounded by a lot of willing beautiful women. (Health Care has a lot of them) Things were not always rosy (Political Intrigue and plain jealousy on that level is intense, as many of these intellectuals are anal retentive jerks. I could mess with their minds for my amusement and still do a great job for the patients) That’s what helped to make the job always amusing, messing with the unfunny and not having them know it or having them know it and me not caring.  I had more fun than any 10 people on this planet combined. I loved what I did… and I made enough to buy my farm and do my wildlife biology shtick on my own property. (Now I spend more time in habitat improvement than hunting.)

Would I do it again???? If all the parameters remain the same I’d do it again in a heartbeat. However, in todays’ politikally korrect world and with Obama care looming……. I would probably try the film industry.

Find something you are good at and make your own good times. Or  As my mother said, “Find one thing nice about what you do and enjoy that.”  I was lucky.  I found something new to enjoy every day for 40 years

 

BernieZ

[Five Seasons]

Then went to work in a factory where I basically bathed in toxic chemicals and ran lead and other heavy metals thought my hands every day for about eight years for a guy who became a multi millionaire while I worried about developing cancer, as several of my coworker friends did, and died. It was there I was quite an outspoken rebel as I protested the unprotected exposure to the stuff we worked with. It was there in a fit of rage one of the big bosses cornered me at my work station and yelled in very direct offensive terms filled with expletives that I was "nothing but a machine operator and that's all you'll ever be....on off on off ...click...click...click...click.. Now shut your f...n mouth and run the f... n machine".

 

I'm not sure how long ago this was, but OSHA's whistle blower line would have been your friend there. Not to mention a good lawyer.