Advice for your 21 yo self?

[Koolau]

Awesome list FLSUnFIRE. Some of the nuggets are useful at any stage in life. Hope more 21yr olds read and practice these words of wisdom.

Yeah, my 21 year old self was itching to get a real j*b so I could afford to buy a Corvette. That whole thing soured by the time I was 23 (and married.) But, my mom really enjoyed being driven to the hair dresser in that "cute little car." It was fun for a few months and then it was more pain than it was worth.

And DW never could figure out how to drive that car without laying a patch in first gear.

After all the issues I had with that car, I finally realized that saving was much more fun than spending (for the most part.) YMMV

 

[PlayinwithFIRE]

Use your 401K .

Avoid direct investing in HOT stocks. Stick to a diversified portfolio.

Be positive at work, be the guy willing to jump in and lend a hand. Don't be the guy that says "not my job description" - he goes nowhere. This pays dividends in raises, promotions and stock options-all which will move you along your path to FIRE quicker.

In engineering, you will be placed in many situations where your product path is determined by scientific basis or best estimates as the full answer is not yet available. Its amazing how many theories come out to support one direction or another-all seemingly valid heh.

Be careful not to fall into the trap of entrenching yourself on a side because of your own contribution to it. Realize that Not-Invented-Here syndrome is an impediment to solid scientific judgement and product development. It is your EGO talking, not the science.

The engineering world of chock full of ego's...don't be them. They will be clawing over your back to get ahead. Don't be them. They will be fretting everytime someone other than themselves makes a contribution. Don't be them.

Do not assume good work and solid contributions alone will promote you. You need to be willing to do some self promotion- this is a tricky balance you'll have to find for yourself.

Pay attention to stuff outside your realm...marketing, business, finance guys all have a view of the company you don't get from your desk. Have friends in various places in the organization, keep conversations going with them.

Don't forget that science is fun.

Don't forget that science is hard and explaining science is even harder. Learn how to assess the level of your target audience on the fly and modify your words to that level of understanding. Dumping a bunch of science jargon on C-levels does not tilt them in your favor.

Don't forget that science is fun.


Good luck !

 

[aaronc879]

If I could start over I would go into something with a government pension so that would be my advice to my 21 year old self. Probably something like a police officer or fire fighter to get a 50 and out pension. That is hard to beat.

 

[Gumby]

If I could start over I would go into something with a government pension so that would be my advice to my 21 year old self. Probably something like a police officer or fire fighter to get a 50 and out pension. That is hard to beat.

This is the way to do it in Connecticut: Join the Army at 18 and become an MP. Get out after your four year hitch is up. Go to UConn or one of the Connecticut state universities tuition free and use your federal GI bill to pay for living expenses. Major in criminal justice. Become a state trooper. Make over $100k per year. Retire after 20 years (age 46) to a full pension and retiree health care. If you want to, get another job at a local police department after that, but you probably won't need to.

 

[TickTock]

Yeah, my 21 year old self was itching to get a real j*b so I could afford to buy a Corvette. That whole thing soured by the time I was 23 (and married.)

In college, my dream car was a Ferrari Testarossa. By the time I could even *think* about realistically buying one, I wasn't willing to spend the money. Thank goodness I didn't have the money at the time, or my first $50k of savings would have gone into that car...

 

[Markola]

^^^^ Ha, ha. Yeah, I had a big poster of a Lamborghini Countach on my 1980s bedroom wall. It seems they are holding their value reasonably well!

https://www.dupontregistry.com/autos/results/lamborghini/countach

 

[ncbill]

This is the way to do it in Connecticut: Join the Army at 18 and become an MP. Get out after your four year hitch is up. Go to UConn or one of the Connecticut state universities tuition free and use your federal GI bill to pay for living expenses. Major in criminal justice. Become a state trooper. Make over $100k per year. Retire after 20 years (age 46) to a full pension and retiree health care. If you want to, get another job at a local police department after that, but you probably won't need to.

My kids used the military to pay for college...one is an active duty pilot & one a local LEO & in the National Guard.

The former could military retire in his 40s assuming he goes career or switch to Reserves for a later retirement.

The latter hopes to move to federal LEO...20 years to full retirement, plus military retirement.

 

[1242Vintage]

Congratulations on your upcoming degree. That’s awesome!!! Got my Engineering degree when I was 22 year old. Took me five years to get through.

Before I FIRED @ age 56 I was the principal engineer of a large engineering firm. My lower level engineer ranks were full of hardworking folks with only a bachelors degree … and those employees stayed at that level! Rarely promoted anyone with only a Bachelors degree to higher level positions with increased responsibility and significantly more money.

Quite frankly, I wouldn’t win the engineering work on many projects if my core team members didn’t have multiple engineering licenses, advanced degrees and other technical credentials.

My best advice. After you get settled in a new job as an engineer and get some time learning your new profession, get your engineer license (P.E.). And other credentials (project management professional, etc). And at some point an MBA or graduate degree. Believe me engineers with education and credentials beyond a bachelors degree will see much better career opportunities and significant pay increases giving you the financial freedom later in life that you desire.

And one other and more important thing. The men and women who worked for me and had additional education and credentials beyond the basic bachelors degree got the opportunity to work on very high profile fun and interesting projects … where sadly … those with only a bachelors degree were assigned basic and boring roadway repair, asphalt concrete overlays, pump station rehabs and standard plan structural seismic retrofits. While this basic engineering work is necessary, it’s not challenging nor interesting and you don’t want to spend a career doing it.

Good luck and best wishes on your career.