A chat with my uncle about his old truck made me rethink my whole career plan

I was set on going to a big university for business, thinking it was the only real path. Last summer, my uncle was fixing up his 1972 Chevy pickup and asked me to help. He said, 'You know, I learned more from rebuilding this engine than I ever did in a classroom. The good jobs aren't always the ones you have to pay for.' That stuck with me. I spent the next month looking into trade programs and found a welding apprenticeship that starts next fall. It feels like a much better fit for how I learn. Has anyone else had a simple conversation completely flip their plans like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

michael66913d ago

The good jobs aren't always the ones you have to pay for" is so true. I had a similar talk with a mechanic cousin that made me switch from marketing to auto repair. Best choice I ever made.

the_simon13d ago

Used to believe you needed a fancy degree for a real career. Hearing stories like yours totally flipped that idea for me. It's wild how many solid, good paying jobs are out there that don't require drowning in student debt. Really makes you question what we're all told about success.

pat_jenkins13d ago

Honestly, I bought into the whole college equals success thing for years. Seeing more people make that switch, like you did from marketing, really opened my eyes. It's not just about the money you save on loans, it's about doing work that actually means something at the end of the day. That seems way more solid than pushing paper in some office. The whole system feels a bit broken when you look at it that way.