22 y/o stumped on where to go from here job-wise

[PortaParty911]

First post here, so greetings MMM community. I'm currently working as a barista for Starbucks making ~15/hour and working full time. I can't say I hate where I'm at in life; I'm in a fulfilling relationship, I have a good group of friends, and my family life is healthy. With that being said, I have no interest in climbing the ladder at Starbucks. I've been with the company for a few years and I feel as though staying for much longer would just be stagnating.

I've got my Associates in Business Admin, but dropped out of my first semester at a 4-year because I couldn't rationalize incurring a significant amount of debt for a degree in an oversaturated field, especially due to the tanking quality of the classes because of COVID. Also, my monthly expenses outside of food are virtually zero because I live rent-free with family, so I've got that going for me.

Anybody have any guidance on what kind of jobs I could pivot to and any potential hustles that I could start. I can't help but feel directionless in this regard. Any kind of insight would be appreciated. :)

[fell-like-rain]

It's hard to give advice without knowing more specifically what direction or interests you have. I'd recommend browsing a job site like Indeed or similar, and seeing what's in your area that looks interesting. Machinist? Accountant? Gardener? Dog walker? Amazon driver? Bartender? Librarian? Keep a list, and look out for requirements as well. Some of these may be things you could apply for right now, some might require certifications, and some might require trade school or college.

Regarding the associate's, are you interested in general office-type jobs? Admin, HR, marketing, what have you? Given that that's your only formal education beyond high school, there'd be a bit of a leg up there.

[Paul der Krake]

Get an office job, any office job. Doesn't matter what it is so long as you're pushing paper around. Have you noticed how many people really suck at their office job? That's your competition. Don't be them. Kick ass at your pushing paper around, then get promoted or jump to another office job. You will slowly but surely start building operational expertise. Keep doing this for a while and you can easily get to $30-40+ an hour, essentially still doing the same paper pushing, just better.

This is basically what my wife did. Started in 2013 for, IIRC, $35k/year. Should be close to breaking $100k this year despite taking multiple hiatuses from paper pushing to try a bunch of other things.

Paper pushing: it runs the world.

[Sibley]

Well, whatever you decide to do, a good resume will probably help. askamanager.org has excellent resume, cover letter, interview, and general all things work advice.

[Joel]

Figure out what you want to do and finish the bachelors degree as a way to get there. An associates degree means nothing.

[Archipelago]

Any interest in starting a business? https://sweatystartup.com/start-here/

I started a business while working full-time when I was your age. As of September 2021, I have since become fully self-employed 4 years later (I'm now 27) doing a combination of e-commerce, real estate, and a bit of music (latter of which is a true side hustle, doesn't feel like work). I didn't take the route Sweaty Startup talks about (small local business), but I completely agree with its basic principles. If I could do it again at your age, I would do everything in my power to skip working for someone else and completely double down on starting a business (especially a local service-based business).

Business ownership is exceptionally compatible with FIRE in terms of saving $ and flexibility of lifestyle. It's a ton of hard work, but the payoffs are immense. My goal is to be self-employed until FIRE. Time and family are more important than anything.

[Fishindude]

Lots of skilled trades opportunities if you like working with your hands.

[TheAnonOne]

Get an office job, any office job. Doesn't matter what it is so long as you're pushing paper around. Have you noticed how many people really suck at their office job? That's your competition. Don't be them. Kick ass at your pushing paper around, then get promoted or jump to another office job. You will slowly but surely start building operational expertise. Keep doing this for a while and you can easily get to $30-40+ an hour, essentially still doing the same paper pushing, just better.

This is basically what my wife did. Started in 2013 for, IIRC, $35k/year. Should be close to breaking $100k this year despite taking multiple hiatuses from paper pushing to try a bunch of other things.

Paper pushing: it runs the world.

^

or learn to code, or learn to run teams that code, or learn to report progress of people that code (PMP cert).

[Samuel]

Doesn't Starbucks have a program to pay the full tuition for an online degree from ASU? Have you at least been using that to chip away at the degree? I'd consider staying there another year or two and walk away with a nearly free degree. That would open a lot of doors.

[Archipelago]

Get an office job, any office job. Doesn't matter what it is so long as you're pushing paper around. Have you noticed how many people really suck at their office job? That's your competition. Don't be them. Kick ass at your pushing paper around, then get promoted or jump to another office job. You will slowly but surely start building operational expertise. Keep doing this for a while and you can easily get to $30-40+ an hour, essentially still doing the same paper pushing, just better.

This is basically what my wife did. Started in 2013 for, IIRC, $35k/year. Should be close to breaking $100k this year despite taking multiple hiatuses from paper pushing to try a bunch of other things.

Paper pushing: it runs the world.

^

or learn to code, or learn to run teams that code, or learn to report progress of people that code (PMP cert).

And if you go that route, there are free options out there. For example:

https://www.freecodecamp.org/

[bryan995]

Tech is insanely hot right now. And is a fantastic career path.  At least explore and see if it is something you find interesting and or could learn.  Believe it or not, there are not enough competent folks out there to fill the thousands and thousands of empty roles right now. With 2-4 years of training/studying, anyone could land a job.

It would be worth incurring additional debt via bachelors / masters imo. Assuming one fully commits.

Software engineer
Product manager
Technical product owner
Product designer
Data scientist

https://www.levels.fyi/?compare=Google,Facebook,Microsoft&track=Software%20Engineer

[LightStache]

Doesn't Starbucks have a program to pay the full tuition for an online degree from ASU? Have you at least been using that to chip away at the degree? I'd consider staying there another year or two and walk away with a nearly free degree. That would open a lot of doors.

+1 I'd finish a bachelor's degree in anything that you're interested in. It's not necessarily how things should be, but a BA/BS is a basic barrier to entry for most high paying jobs in the US. If you're indifferent, I'd chose CS like @bryan995 suggests and go into tech for the highest earning potential.

[Anon-E-Mouze]

I think you should spend time figuring out a) what motivates you; b) where your aptitudes and interests lie; and c) where there are opportunities for relatively well-paid work (ideally without soul-sucking hours); and d) what's the right prioritization for you among a), b) and c).

You can find free or very cheap resources (including self-assessment tools, courses etc) that allow you to get a taste of different subjects and potential careers. Check out LinkedIn Learning (you can usually get a free trial membership for a month or free access through a library) and Coursera.

Set yourself a couple of career exploration goals, such as a) speaking to someone at least once a month about their career path (what they studied, what they like about their work, what they don't like), b) finding a video or other online source to watch that gives you some insight into different options; and c) doing some follow-up research on what kind of education or other training would be required to pursue any of the options that seem interesting to you based on (a) and (b).

Keep in mind that HOW you do something (what you like doing) is as important, or even more important, than the category of work you're interested in.

For example, I'm a business lawyer - but I would hate to be the kind of lawyer who helps clients put deals together. I love the subject of business law, and I realized early on that what I like is the research, policy development and knowledge management side of law. I've had a very different career (and generally much happier career) than most of the peers with whom I started my legal career.

[sonofsven]

Maybe a job coming up with excellent user names? I love yours!

[cupcakery]

I would contact your network of local friends and family and let them know that you are looking for a career path.  I personally know two young men your age who just started jobs that they found through networking.  One has a BA and one a HS diploma, but both got good entry level jobs with growth potential. 

[Dreamer40]

I know someone who started as a Starbucks barista, worked her way into store management, then got a degree in HR through their tuition reimbursement program. Then she worked her way up the Starbucks HR ladder into some great roles. She’s been working at Starbucks now for like 20 years.

But you can honestly still do absolutely anything you want. All careers are open to you.

[ChpBstrd]

1) Use https://www.16personalities.com/ to understand more about yourself, your interests, and your strengths/weaknesses. For example, some people are nurturing types that make great nurses. Others are technically focused and make great programmers. Still others work with their hands and make great contractors. Some like influencing others and make great teachers, salespeople, and mangers. Some are artistic and will go far as graphic designers, etc. You need to know who you are to make a decision.

2) Using the above information, hone in on a dozen or so common jobs that might be in alignment.

3) From that list, eliminate any that do not have at least 5 openings within 30 miles of you right now on Indeed.com. Make it 10 if you are in a large metro area. This may eliminate a "dream job" for some people, but you generally have to work your way into such roles from the periphery anyway, and this step reduces the risk that your scope is too narrow and you can't find the dream job.

4) Assemble data on the remaining roles, using resources such as salary.com and https://www.bls.gov/ooh/occupation-finder.htm.

5) Narrow the list down to 3.

6) Now, and only now, consider the educational implications. If you'd like to be a carpenter, you can probably get started right now as an entry-level laborer on jobs involving carpentry. If you'd like to be an electrician, some unions or companies have journeyman programs. If you'd like to be a software developer, it's time to devote your evenings to freecodecamp or similar, aim for a help desk certification, and then leap into junior roles. If you'd like to do something that requires a degree, but don't want to get on a debt treadmill, look outside your immediate area. College is still cheap in many areas of the country, even for out-of-state students, so don't let the outrageous local prices or bullshit about "prestige" deter you. Look at public universities in the Midwest and South where you could pay your tuition and expenses with a night job and a couple of roommates and graduate debt-free if desired. Any one of these paths could change your life and double your income in 2 years!