If you were 18 years old and...

[Jack_Pine]

Probably would have gotten an engineering degree. Easier to consult after retiring.

But who knows? I have a marketing degree and am now running an IT department.

BTW, They just stopped the draft in time. We had to get numbers and I drew 6.

 

[HFWR]

Buy MO...

 

[38Chevy454]

Would go down same path as I am: BS Engineering; although now it seems wise to go on to MS or even PhD if you can afford to keep going. Have to be able to handle the math and science for engineering.

Alternatively, go into medical, nursing is good way to always be in demand and can live anywhere you want. Nursing jobs are everywhere. If you can do the further schooling, become an MD.

Going into military as officer is a good path. If you can get into one of the military colleges, then come out with officer rank and move up. Put in 20 years and get reasonable pension and have enough time for another career choice. Military will give lot of opportunities for leadership that can be used on outside. Plus you can get the education paid for. Current military pay for officers is close to civilian side, not as far below as used to be. One drawback is have to be willing to move around during those 20 years for change of assignments.

 

[Meadbh]

Would go down same path as I am: BS Engineering; although now it seems wise to go on to MS or even PhD if you can afford to keep going. Have to be able to handle the math and science for engineering.

Alternatively, go into medical, nursing is good way to always be in demand and can live anywhere you want. Nursing jobs are everywhere. If you can do the further schooling, become an MD.

I'm an MD and would rather have been an engineer. The MD lifestyle is a killer unless you are a dermatologist.

 

[redduck]

Simple decision: I find a field where there was a predicted shortage of skilled labor. So...

If I were 18, and knowing what I know today, (actually, I learned of this yesterday on another thread started by MasterBlaster):

Modern Problems - Clown Shortage Looms

"Oh no !

As if we don't have enough to worry about. A Looming Clown Shortage may affect us all !

As the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus returns to Brooklyn Thursday, membership at the country's largest clown organizations has plunged over the past decade."

 

[imoldernu]

If I was 18 and know what I know now, I would have majored in Psychology going on to a PhD.

Neat!!!That was my original plan, and I DID major in Abnormal Psych. The
Army, and marrying the love of my life (since age 7) put a small crimp into the original plans... no regrets...

and... as mentioned inthe OP... my grandson will go his own way, without my counsel... He's in IMSA now and will likely be able to pick and choose... (but I hope he'll include some of the humanities in his plans).....

 

[marko]

I'd tell a youngster today to look into the physical therapy field. Huge growth potential from the boomers. DW needed PT last month and it was quite a scramble to find someone who had a slot.

Back in 1970, I wish I had heeded the advice of a lot of buddies to avoid "the dreaded private sector" and to jump on the MBTA, RMV or court system train. Many of them retired well before 50 with full pension and medical.

 

[Act2]

My path was right for me then. Liberal arts undergrad in 3 years, law school, eventual MBA. But today I'd suggest an 18 year old like me take college credit classes while still in high school, go to community college and live at home to complete those first two years, go to a state school instead of a pricey private one, and double major -- with one major being either engineering or computer science and the other being whatever
I think my passion is.

I am happy my choices panned out for me. I'm not sure I'd be so lucky if starting out today.

 

[Pleeplus]

This is actually something I have thought of in the past. For me it is less about the degree and more about the college experience. Having chosen the working path over college right out of high school I feel like I missed out on the true college experience. The lifelong friendships that are formed, the events (good and bad), stepping away from the safety of home for the first time with others that are going through the same event and growing into a young adult while bettering myself with an education.

Growing up on the east coast I would pick a school somewhere in the south to complete the unique experience and to feel like I truly stepped out of my comfort zone and into another phase of my life.

Regarding degrees, I would choose the same degrees I currently have (undergrad in IT, and masters in business) which have allowed me to be successful by walking the fine line between true business yet having the ability to communicate with the technical side.

......but again for me it is less about the degree and more about the experience of growing up in school.

 

[Rustic23]

I would go to the easiest college I could find with an Air Force ROTC. I would not worry about the degree, as I would plan on retiring after the AF. However, looking at the need for airline pilots currently and in the next five to ten years, I would try to fly. At any rate become an Air Force Officer and do pretty much the same thin I did.

If you check the trends on this board. Retired military officers do quite well in the early retirement since. Will it be that way in the future. Who Knows! But it has been that way for at least the last fifty years.

 

[Socal Tom]

It depends on the kid. If he is motivated and ready for college, then send him. If he's not sure, then have him work or volunteer for the year, maybe through in some travel to 3rd world. As a Manager, I found many smart graduates that thought that after college, they should be promoted to CEO after they had been working for a year, so getting the understanding the call it work for a reason, and that manual labor can get old fast is something that might help keep him motivated for college.
Tom

 

[Lucantes]

I wouldn't change a thing.
Not that everything has been perfect throughout my last 29 years (age 18 to 47) but if I went back and changed something then I wouldn't be who I am now, and I kinda like me and my life as it is.
If I followed a different path then I wouldn't have ended up in the USAF after a failed attempt at college, wouldn't have learned the discipline that I needed or the technical trade that led me overseas, wouldn't have married my wife in 2012 and wouldn't be on our current path of ER in 2017 at age 50.
No, I wouldn't change a thing....life is good!

 

[Gumby]

At 18, three weeks after graduating from high school, I left home with $20 in my pocket and the clothes I was wearing on my back to join the Navy. At the time, it was the one and only chance a poor kid had of getting away from a sleepy little Midwestern town. Looking back, I have occasionally thought about how I might have done things differently, and I have always concluded that I would do the same thing again. The Navy was good for me; it made me grow up and gave me the idea that, with hard work and smart decisions, I might just make something of myself. I particularly appreciated the idea that I didn't need to guess what it would take to be successful in that environment. They said "do this, and the better you do it, the more successful you will be." I took to that like a duck to water. I feel sorry sometimes for kids today, who must grapple with what the world demands, and figure out for themselves how to be successful.

The Navy gave me a college education, a challenging job, and a skill that I then put to good use when I left to return to civilian life. The discipline that I learned in the service later helped me complete law school and then helped me prepare for early retirement. I will be forever grateful for the opportunity that they gave a young, dumb kid long ago.

So, for my money, if you're 18, you can't go far wrong serving our country.

 

[SVHoper]

I am an Electrical Engineer, with an MBA much later. This has been very enjoyable and interesting, with a huge amount of variety. However, with lots multi-year part-time and breaks for kids... it has not been an outrageous career success.

I would tell my 18 year old self to suck up the extra workload and add computer science degree (I could have had the extra degree with one extra year and a bunch more work), and this would have weighted me to programming projects and management.

Instead now in partial retirement, I will learn to program for fun... at least that is the plan.

 

[photoguy]

Go into firefighting.

 

[jollystomper]

I would not have changed much. I was good in math, and was encouraged by my parents and several other influential adults to go into the computer field (before it "officially' evolved to Information Technology) when it was still relatively new in the late 70's. Being in that field is why I am FI and can consider RE. Perhaps I should have gone back to school to get an MBA and increased my marketability. But that was in the days of double digit raises and frequent bonuses from Megacorp, and I didn't want to miss out on that fun.

 

[Idnar7]

Find a trade or craft you like doing. Become a master at it. Start your own business. Not everyone should necessarily follow the college blueprint for success.

 

[InParadise]

It depends on the kid. If he is motivated and ready for college, then send him. If he's not sure, then have him work or volunteer for the year, maybe through in some travel to 3rd world. As a Manager, I found many smart graduates that thought that after college, they should be promoted to CEO after they had been working for a year, so getting the understanding the call it work for a reason, and that manual labor can get old fast is something that might help keep him motivated for college.
Tom

This is the reason why we insist on our guys going to a school that does internships and coops well. Eldest got a real eyeful about what it was to work a 40 hour week this past summer, paying for gas, tolls, and insurance on the car he borrowed from MIL. Since he went in to college at a pretty young age, we have encouraged him to take as many paid quality internships as he can. This will set him up well for seed money when he graduates and needs that apartment, the car, as well as have a 18-24 months of real work experience that demonstrates his ability to function as an adult even at his young age. It will also confirm whether or not he likes the work or not, giving him the chance to change his major before it is too late.

Often, one of the companies you have worked for will offer a job after graduation. Even if you don't want that job, the confidence you have at other interviews, knowing that you have a fall back position, is huge. For us, coop/internship school is a must, and most schools do it to varying degrees. Some are much better than others at helping the kids get the position.

 

[Walt34]

So, for my money, if you're 18, you can't go far wrong serving our country.

We know a young lady, we consider her a niece although she's not directly related, who has had a very rough time growing up. Put herself through community college working in a pizza shop. I was just thrilled for her when she enlisted in the U.S. Navy. That will open a lot of doors for her.

 

[jerome len]

I'd do exactly what I did........turned a newspaper boy job into a job at the newspaper......work hard, get promoted selling advertising to small retailers.....saw which one made money that I would like to do .......started a business......worked hard made money......FI today. Today with an 18 year old? I'd ask them to think about the 3 jobs or businesses they would like best, choose the one that pays the most.....go for it and if I were the parents or grandparents I'd support them as best I can. Goal should be happy in career, not like the folks who feel the HAVE to retire because they hate their job.....even if you make a ton of money but you hate each day, I call that the golden handcuffs. Good luck to your grandson.

 

[redduck]

I would think, if someone had the aptitude, that a job in the medical profession might be a good way to go. I usually chat with the various technicians at the MD's office and most of them like their jobs. There seems to be decent-to-good money. But, the ones who seem to really do well are the x-ray technicians who advance to doing CAT scans and MRIs. They tell me the are very well paid and the job is not really that demanding (once they master the equipment). And, the docs (or the imaging center) will pay for any additional training that is needed.

 

[sailor]

However, looking at the need for airline pilots currently and in the next five to ten years, I would try to fly.

Rustic,
you got me curious.
As they bumped bumped requirements from 250 hours to 1500 hours you are advocating a pilot job?
It takes longer to get to a good salary as a pilot than MD finishing his degree, residency and fellowship.
I was under the impression we have a lot of pilots. Just not a lot of them want to be stuck for 10 years earning 20k per year.
They are really earning piddly squat when flying commercial or cargo, later getting a small salary bump when moving up to regionals and subsidiaries and finally emerging from pupa stage when joining a major airline.

sailor,
with about 500 TT, who at one time was considering getting a commercial ticket and an IFR rating as one of his "plan B" (plan F maybe?)

 

[LitGal]

Ditto

Easy. I'd also choose a liberal arts degree at a small college--just what I did. I have not regretted my literature degree one bit; in fact, it has enormously enhanced my life. Of course I did go on to get a Ph.D. in it and have had a very satisfying career as a university professor.

I would tell young people (and I do tell young people) to follow the direction their heart is pointing. The hardest advising cases I have are young people with no real interests or drive. ..

+1 Though I attended large universities and stopped at the M.A.(My choice wasn't popular with peers who wanted to make more money, etc.; but the degree provided a "tool box" for grappling with so many of the $10,000 questions about life: "What does it mean to be human?" "If I should help humanity........why? And how will I do that?" "How can one help facilitate a moral compass in the next generation?")

I chose the field from my "gut," what I really wanted to learn about. Literary studies led to 34 years of helping young people question their own values and those to which they might aspire.

It was a great way to spend one's days.

 

[jjquantz]

This is tough. I've been pretty happy how my life has turned out with the exception of always having found it difficult to make friends and develop a social life. So I could see myself telling the 18 year me "Go out and make friends" but since I still don't really have the ability to tell the 18 year old me HOW to do that, I don't think that it would do much good.

 

[MichaelB]

My view hasn't changed since the last time I was asked that question http://www.early-retirement.org/forums/f28/advice-youd-give-your-25-year-old-self-60672.html

My one piece of advice to my younger self (or my children) would be - Don't forget to keep balance in life.

Most of us are here because we had lots of good fortune and made some decent choices. It's too easy to look back, knowing where the paths lead, and choose again. My younger self already had lots of people giving advice and telling him what to do. The only other thing I would tell him would be to continue to believe in himself.