No idea what I want to do.

[Ziast]

Here's another lost puppy INTP who has no idea what to do with their life.

I'm 20 years old, graduated from a polytechnic school last spring and currently I have a job working in the lab at a hospital. This job is not what I want to do for life, never mind 5+ years. Too much patient interaction, I hate drawing blood, I work with too many people and they are a bunch of ESJs. Working night shifts is the best as I'm the only person working and do things my way, but it sucks since I have to deal with the emergency patients and that stresses me out too much. I'm good at what I do, but I'm not happy doing it. It doesn't engage me.

But it makes me a shit tonne of money so it's worth it right now.

I've been looking for something else to do with my life. I know I'll likely need a degree for what ever I decide on so I figure I'd like to get that started as soon as possible.

I've got several fields I've looked in to, but each time I think something would be cool I find a deal breaker. I love archeology, but the job prospects suck and there are no jobs on the cool digs in the middle east and Africa. Then I thought about IT /CS. While it does tick all the boxes, I just don't know if I can get exciting about coding. I've started teaching myself some python and a bit of JS, I've actually done a small program in python. I end up getting too frustrated with how picky codes are. One capital or space in the wrong place and the whole thing is a flop. Plus I am terribad at math.

From there I've investigate architecture, it sounded pretty great, but it seems like it'd get very monotonous drawing detailed blueprints, and add in all the building codes etc. Sounds like the creative design jobs are hard to come by and are highly competitive. The next I had in mind was Industrial Design. I actually quite like this idea from everything I've read and watched, despite my abysmal drawing skills.

BUT, here's the catch. I'm not in a position to pack up and move to the city for school. I don't want to take out a student loan either. I need an online program from an accredited university, preferably Canadian. The best I've found is Athabasca University. It's all online, reasonable cost, and recognized. They offer Anthropology, Computer Science, and a brand new Architecture degree, among others. I can not find any online schools for Industrial Design though.

I don't know if I should just go with the CS degree since it's always useful and hope I warm up to codes. AU does have different "streams" you can choose for programmer, graphic design, system analyst, admin, etc... Its an open admission school so I wont be held back by highschool grades, but I'd want to be confident in my math skills before I enroll.

Or is there an entirely different career I haven't thought of? I just don't want to be working this job for the next 2-3 years while I decide and then decide when I could have been 3 years into a degree by then. I also want something that pays well right out of school, comparable to what I get now($32/hour starting).

I suppose you'll want to know what I'm good at, or what I enjoy. I don't have any particular skills beyond being a walking text book. I can't do math, drawing sucks, can't code, I haven't taken any special classes or done volunteer work anywhere cool. I like trouble shooting, at work an error message came up on a computer and it really perked my interest to try and solve it. I didnt want to make the IT dpt mad so I didn't do much, but I was really intrigued by the problem. Or at Christmas time me and my family have always wrapped gifts in elaborate boxes and made them into things like houses, cows, and furniture. I love getting a bunch of material and figuring out what to make that's structurally sound, aesthetic, clever, and hides the gifts. Similarly, I loved classes where we were given tasks to build structures out of a weak material like straws, spaghetti, or balsa wood and construct a bridge or tower that can hold a lot of weight.

TLDR: Current job sucks, can't go back to a traditional university. No real skills. Coding bores me, looking for career options I can start towards..
Input?

 

[Jennywocky]

Still reading, but one reality is that you rarely will find a job without any drudgery. IOW, you're basically gonna be weighing the pro's and con's of one occupation against another's pro's and con's; nothing is all "pro's," there's always something about the job you won't like.

So it comes down to answering the most relevant questions, which can differ among people. For example, is flexibility of hours important? Is pay important? Composition of coworkers? Ability to multitask? Lots of alone time? Etc. Even among a particular MBTI type the priorities can differ depending on your particular makeup.

[I understand your point about coding; it's the reason I only stayed in coding for two years, I hate the detail work. I'm okay with details in writing, so I'm in a writing profession; I just get annoyed in coding.]

Also, you're not stuck in a certain job necessarily. It's about positioning. You don't want to get stuck in a total dead-end where change is hard and a position is something you loathe pretty uniformly; but as long as there are some positives involved and you still maintain flexibility for change, then you're okay just using a job for a few years to get somewhere else.

Just thinking out loud, strategically more than specifically.

$32/hour is pretty good for a job without a ton of experience and single at 20 years old, you'd be making $64K/year before taxes/deductions if you're full-time (although I don't know if you are or not). That's pretty much unheard of, I spent 15-18 years in the job market before I was making that much. If you hate the job or see yourself moving on, I'd be socking away as much money as possible; it buys you alternatives/flexibility later where you can take a salary hit for something you really like.

 

[Kuu]

I just don't want to be working this job for the next 2-3 years while I decide and then decide when I could have been 3 years into a degree by then. I also want something that pays well right out of school, comparable to what I get now($32/hour starting).

You and everyone else.

There's plenty of people out there with university degrees that don't have a job at all (and plenty loans to pay). $32/hour out of highschools sound quite decent.

Also you can't really study Architecture / Industrial Design online. Anyone who claims otherwise is a lying liar. You can, however, see all MIT's course materials free, if you have the discipline to do so. But if you want something that pays well out of highschool, design work is most definitely not it. Trust me.

Shitty, badly paid jobs are the norm. Life's a bitch.
I say stick to the lab, take your sweet time to think and plan and invest your savings wisely.

 

[Absurdity]

Online schools are jokes and student loan debt is easy to manage if you're smart about it. Go to a real school and study something technical.

 

[Rainer]

I would argue that you should keep on what you're doing for a year or two and save up money. It may well start to flow better for you (what my personal experience suggests). Spend as little as possible, and you should be able to put $35,000 in the bank per year, easily. That's enough to pay for 4 years of Canada university tuition plus a number of months of expenses. At that point, you could try to find a part-time lab job that you can do while in school. If not, you may need to work another year or so to save up for living costs while in school. There are quite a number of occupations out there that would be better for you than what you're doing. I think IT is a great choice for INTPs.

In the meantime, there's always kava (great INTP drug) and drink to take the edge off. If you tolerate that kind of thing. Lots of people hate their jobs, and coping mechanisms abound. When I was 20 my coping mechanisms were tiny little nubbins compared to today's fully formed fangs.

 

[computerhxr]

I thought about IT /CS. While it does tick all the boxes, I just don't know if I can get exciting about coding. I've started teaching myself some python and a bit of JS, I've actually done a small program in python. I end up getting too frustrated with how picky codes are. One capital or space in the wrong place and the whole thing is a flop. Plus I am terribad at math.

Get an IDE and it will tell you when you make a mistake. Math is only important in certain circumstances. A lot of programming work involves basic algebra at best. And you can almost always find a method or library that does the math for you.

From there I've investigate architecture, it sounded pretty great, but it seems like it'd get very monotonous drawing detailed blueprints, and add in all the building codes etc. Sounds like the creative design jobs are hard to come by and are highly competitive. The next I had in mind was Industrial Design. I actually quite like this idea from everything I've read and watched, despite my abysmal drawing skills.

Solving problems using creative design will get you more work than you could possibly do. Usability and ergonomic design is an ongoing problem in the creative industry. If you focus entirely on the creative, then it's a whole other ball-game.

I don't know if I should just go with the CS degree since it's always useful and hope I warm up to codes. AU does have different "streams" you can choose for programmer, graphic design, system analyst, admin, etc... Its an open admission school so I wont be held back by highschool grades, but I'd want to be confident in my math skills before I enroll.

You can learn to develop without a formal education. There is a lot of resources and many times stuff you find on YouTube is way easier to learn from than a university course. After you have experience, the degree means less. Many jobs don't require a degree in CS. Some do, but the majority do not. It doesn't sound like you're well suited for the corporate work style that requires a degree more often.

Or is there an entirely different career I haven't thought of? I just don't want to be working this job for the next 2-3 years while I decide and then decide when I could have been 3 years into a degree by then. I also want something that pays well right out of school, comparable to what I get now($32/hour starting).

$32/hr is really good. Not sure where you live or what the economy is like there. There are a large variety of jobs that pay in that range. Rate typically has more to do with your aptitude than field.

You could always keep the job as you slowly transition to another.

I suppose you'll want to know what I'm good at, or what I enjoy. I don't have any particular skills beyond being a walking text book. I can't do math, drawing sucks, can't code, I haven't taken any special classes or done volunteer work anywhere cool. I like trouble shooting, at work an error message came up on a computer and it really perked my interest to try and solve it. I didnt want to make the IT dpt mad so I didn't do much, but I was really intrigued by the problem. Or at Christmas time me and my family have always wrapped gifts in elaborate boxes and made them into things like houses, cows, and furniture. I love getting a bunch of material and figuring out what to make that's structurally sound, aesthetic, clever, and hides the gifts. Similarly, I loved classes where we were given tasks to build structures out of a weak material like straws, spaghetti, or balsa wood and construct a bridge or tower that can hold a lot of weight.

Debugging complicated issues pays a lot. It's shitty work but you can charge pretty much any amount that you want in the free market. Businesses are used to developers spending weeks solving issues that could be solved in 20 minutes. So if you're a quick-fixer and you actually enjoy debugging it is a lucrative business. The best thing to do is find common issues and learn to solve them. Then you already know the solution and you have experience.

Sadly, crafts aren't going to make much money. Teaching a craft can be lucrative. Russel Brunson has a product on creating a micro-continuety course. One of their students created a video series that shows how to make bows for gifts that they sold for $15. They were making about $20,000/mo selling copies. Membership sites make regular income and drip feed the content so $10/mo for 8 months earns $80 in revenue. Also, there are many upsell opportunities that could easily generate way more income than the single product.

If it's something that you're capable of, then you could slowly start developing a membership website and a course to teach people a craft. There's like a bazillion people in the world so it's not really difficult to sell online. It's easier if you have a niche and know the market but hard work and determination will result in a decent passive income stream if you can make it happen.

Just find an interest and figure out how to make money with it. Most of the advice that you read online is written by people that don't know what they are talking about. The how to make money online and quick business ideas are usually BS. The stuff that works and makes money is counter intuitive and involves a lot of work but it pays off in the end.

Good luck discovering your passion in life!

 

[QuickTwist]

One of my psychologists told me one time: a job/career should be something "sorta" like a hobby -neither strictly feels completely like "work" but requires time and dedication to do. It def should not be something you hate: obvious. It should be something that you can tolerate well and have some interest in, but at the same time is not necessarily something you would choose to do in your free time. Also interest and ability go hand in hand more often than not so the first step is to find out what interests you and narrow that down to what you are good at and you should have plenty to choose from there.

 

[Architect]

What @computerhxr says, nobody worries much about syntax errors anymore. IDE's autocorrect and autocomplete as you work, I never have to think about syntax and spelling /bushleague.

One of my psychologists told me one time: a job/career should be something "sorta" like a hobby -neither strictly feels completely like "work" but requires time and dedication to do.

OTOH I've heard the advice "do what you love, because you'll spend most of your life doing it". Dario Nardi has said that by the time you are 50 most of your brain is devoted to your career.

IMO key points are

• No job, career or work is perfect. All have imperfections, look to the one with the least
• Passion is fickle, it comes and goes. What is it you naturally find yourself doing? What can't you put down?
• Separate having a type of work you love, and having a job for that work that is less than ideal. All jobs suck, as far as INTP's are concerned, no matter how good.

Personal practical example; I was mixed up on all these issues for many years. One day I had the option of taking whatever job I wanted (had invested and saved enough). Realized it was exactly what I was doing (software engineer). Given a choice, I'll go do something on the computer. Why then he confusion? Same as OP ... I had mistaken minor issues with the workplace (magnified them), had "passions" and "dreams" that were inferior fueled bad ideas, and played the Three Little Bears game (nothing fits).

It's worth reminding yourself of all this. We seem to be designed for discontent, it keeps us moving forward, but don't let that cloud your rational judgement.

 

[Vrecknidj]

I'm 20 years old, graduated from a polytechnic school last spring and currently I have a job working in the lab at a hospital.

Take advantage of the fact that there are loads of well-educated, reasonably intelligent, reasonably well-to-do folks in your work environment. Get to know some of the folks in the higher tiers (this could be a challenge, given your age and default social skills, but, it's nothing more than a challenge). Study medicine and become a pathologist or a coroner.

 

[QuickTwist]

@OP, you should pick up jogging.

 

[Ziast]

So I had written up this big, long reply, responding to each and every one of your points. Took my a while. Only I was on a computer at work and it logged me out of the website and there was no way to recover the post, so... I'm just going to Cole's Notes this.

All of you were very helpful in talking through this with me.

I know I am very fortunate to have the job and pay that I have, especially for my age. I don't know many other jobs where a 20yr old can make my wage other than the Oil field. I'm not going to up and leave, but this is not where I want to be in 5 years. I'm only working as a casual but still only need to work 5x a month to pay for everything. I'm hoping to get a real position with benefits soon

So, coincidentally, as I was writing up my response at work, two coworkers were talking about one of their children and how they didn't know what they wanted to study. I was brought up by one of them and joined the conversation and we ended up talking about my own career options. During this I remembered a suggestion my mom gave me back in high school.

On this note:

Take advantage of the fact that there are loads of well-educated, reasonably intelligent, reasonably well-to-do folks in your work environment. Get to know some of the folks in the higher tiers (this could be a challenge, given your age and default social skills, but, it's nothing more than a challenge). Study medicine and become a pathologist or a coroner.

(I wouldn't say there are loads of intelligent people here. It's a rural hospital with like 40 beds and one doctor for the ER. Some of the Docs are pretty nice, others are terrifying.)

My mom had shown me a Pathology Assistant program that I had disregarded back then because it sounded too hard. Now looking at it and the job profiles, a PA is lookin' pretty good.

I've always been a biology geek and had actually looked into being a coroner/medical examiner/pathologist at one point was was turned off by the fact you had to go through Med school for that, and I don't think I could do Med school. I also looked at a mortuary but it didn't appeal to me. I wanna actually cut the people open! When I was still a student one of my supervisors said they were going to talk to one of the Docs who did autopsies and would allow us to watch, but they rarely ever do autopsies in this small town so the doctor retired before that happened. Dreams crushed.

Seriously, I have a large collection of animal bones and some small organs suspended in jars of alcohol. People get creeped out when they come into my room.

It's a graduate program so I'd need a BSc first, and this is the awesome part. That online university I was checking out has a credit transfer page that tells you if what you've taken elsewhere can transfer. Well, they had a tab for programs and it turns out my lab diploma can be transferred and will count for 30 credits out of the 120 for a 4year. It will count towards a Bcs with a Human Science major. I could finish that online as I keep working at the hospital, and in 3 years apply for the PA program.

While it is a very competitive program(Only two students accepted a year!) I think I'll have a chance. If I can get a 3.8 GPA in college with the famous INTP study method(none existent), I imagine I can do quite well if I were to actually try and study. Plus I'll have real world experience in a lab, which people coming out of Uni and applying wont have. On their admission requirements they actually list that you need a strong constitution, check!

As a PA the only patients I'd see would be dead or under anesthesia(no small talk!), there'd be no emergency work, lower stress(don't perforate the bowel), and I should be working with some intelligent people. Downside is I'd have to live in a city. Blech, I'm a small town kinda person.

The only thing that worries me is that it is a Thesis based program. I really don't know much about Thesis papers, but I know essays scare me. I had to write two essays during college; one was about a zombie apocalypse, the other was about the Black Death. I got really great grades on both, like 98%, but they weren't really hard essays to write. In HS I was lucky to get 60%, but those were literary essays. (I don't care about the symbolism of Hamlet's breakfast, and no I can't write three pages on it!) I'm great at researching, plus I can take some research courses in the BSc, so maybe that's a saving grace.

Plus the salary is $70-100k a year with great job prospects.

I need to do further research to make 100% these two programs would work together, and I'd need to wait a month or two until I get a bigger cushion of money.


Edit: What will jogging do for me? Is it like those Pokemon pedometers? More I jog the more school credits I get? Haha.

 

[QuickTwist]

Thesis's are more about quality over quantity, that is... if you're really good at them.