Like the illusion of Wall Street, with its vast and powerful investment banks, now shuttered, China too is an illusion perpetuated by the Globalists that gave us the 15,000 mile Caesar salad, poisoned cat food and lead based paint on babies' pacifiers. Like the illusion that money would come from thin air to always push housing prices higher, China has spent a generation pursuing its illusion. Pursuing an unattainable dream to be like the West, while 6000 years of its carefully shepherded top soil blows into the sea.
Joined: Dec 27, 2004 Posts: 13191 Location: naive idiot fantasy world
Posted: Fri Aug 22, 2008 7:56 am Post subject: Re: I have a problem
I will join the voices who have mentioned not needing a college degree. I got one, but never needed it for my career. I learned by doing. Now I am one of the few people in the world who do what I do. Do what you enjoy, learn by doing. Find someone who does what you're interested in and offer to help them in their shop. If they offer to pay you, that's a bonus. _________________ "...powerdown so soft and fluffy you'll think you're living in a pillow." - jboogy
Joined: Aug 03, 2007 Posts: 4590 Location: Boston Suburbs
Posted: Fri Aug 22, 2008 9:02 am Post subject: Re: I have a problem
I think if I were 18 now I would not be looking at building the doomstead and getting locked down to an area but to live light and be able to move around, follow opportunities as they rise and fall. I would try to quickly pick up trade skills. Being a mechanic isn't just useful for gas cars. You could learn how to convert cars to electric which may become a cottage industry post peak. You could learn to be an electrician and be able to wire up solar and wind installations. You could go into construction and learn all about renovating houses for energy efficiency. (The guys who just replaced the windows in this house in new england have more work than they know what to do with.) So there are plenty of jobs that will make you feel like you are part of the solution instead of the machine. I would echo what another poster said about not getting tied down with a wife and kids. Being young and unencumbered is your biggest asset. Don't waste it. _________________ http://doomsteaddiary.blogspot.com/
Posted: Fri Aug 22, 2008 9:24 am Post subject: Re: I have a problem
1. If you dont want a career as a mechanic, dont do it. Just because you're excellent at wrenching doesn't mean you need to do that forever. To me it shows you can be great at whatever you set your mind to. A year spent in residential construction could add one more "expert" skill to your list.
2. read "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" by Robert Kiyosaki. Just because you aren't in a formal education institution atm does not mean you stop learning. Read read read. Everything you need/want to know is available for cheap or free. The main difference between school education and personal education is self motivation/discipline.
3. read "Think and Grow Rich" by Napoleon Hill. He will show you step by step how to find out what you REALLY want to do with your life. Don't settle for less. It makes ALL the difference.
4. You may find that you arent motivated to join the capitalist rat race. Good! It's a horrible system that is leaving a depleted, polluted environment for our children and future. Your parents may never understand that.
5. Live for now. We have absolutely no way to predict exactly what the next few years will bring. Determine whats important to you and live for that. We are in an amazing time of human understanding. Bridging the gap between god and science. Consider your spirit.
6. Get a year or two of food stored and do your best to convince your family of the wisdom of emergency preparedness. _________________ "The future power is manpower"
Joined: May 10, 2007 Posts: 3360 Location: Resiliency Farm
Posted: Fri Aug 22, 2008 9:32 am Post subject: Re: I have a problem
In a room full of good cops I will revel in the role of bad cop.
Show me the GED. Then I will believe that you can accomplish something.
Until then, you have only defined yourself by what you cannot do. I meet about 100 15-18 year olds a year who are experts in what they cannot do and think that the one thing they think some radical change will be the answer to all of their problems.
Most of the time it does not. The circumstances may change, and that change might be an improvement but at the end of the day you still have to stand up in adverse conditions and accomplish something.
What will it be? Are you willing to pay the price necessary to accomplish it? I guess time will tell. _________________ “It does not do to leave a live dragon out of your calculations, if you live near him.”
J.R.R. Tolkien
"The time has come for men to act like men; and for women, well, to act a lot more like men."
-Ma Cur
Posted: Fri Aug 22, 2008 9:39 am Post subject: Re: I have a problem
I'd say you need to start migrating away from your father. _________________ Massive Human Dieoff must occur as a result of Peak Oil. Many more than half will die. It will occur everywhere, including where you live. If you fail to recognize this, then your odds of living move toward the "going to die" group.
Posted: Fri Aug 22, 2008 10:03 am Post subject: Re: I have a problem
Derekj, you are doubly fortunate: you have a natural aptitude for mechanics and the means to get formal training and certification in the trade (in a relatively short time, to boot).
You are also fortunate in that a mechanic's work will still be widely needed in post-peak world.
A viable trade--especially one that can be practiced anywhere in the world--can mean the difference between poverty and sufficience. One day you may have a family that relies on you for the necessities in life. Your skills and training as a mechanic may be what keeps them alive and healthy.
When my father was fourteen, his uncle (who was also his guardian), gave him a choice: start taking your school studies seriously or learn a trade. My father chose a the trade of glazier. He went through the rigourous training and certification process common in Europe at that time.
At the age of twenty-seven, after the communist government in Yugoslavia confiscated his thriving glass business (the guy who made him sign the forms actually said to him, with a straight face, "congratulations, comrade, you now work for the people"). Six months later, my father left for Germany, immediately found work as a glazier, and then two years left came to Toronto knowing zero English and having only one acquaintance from the old country here. My dad asked his friend to drive him around and follow glass trucks back to their shops. When they got to the shops, my dad's friend would ask if they were hiring, and if the answer was yes, my dad would show them what he knew (cutting glass free-hand, etc). He was hired by the second shop he "interviewed" at, and worked steadily to last year, when he turned 75 and decided to finally retire.
My father having a trade in his hands meant that he was able to get a job quickly, was able to earn much more than a general labourer (which was the case with many of his peer immigrants at that time), and was even able to open his own business again, in a foreign land, and be his own boss.
I strongly recommend you take this courseof study for mechanics, no matter how painful the prospect is to you. It may be the wisest thing you ever do.
Posted: Fri Aug 22, 2008 10:36 am Post subject: Re: I have a problem
Heineken wrote:
Derek, you think you have a lot of money but you don't. At least, it isn't enough to finance your fantasy of living off the land. You'll end up blowing that money on that fantasy and then find that your basic situation hasn't changed that much.
True, True.
Derek, I'm sure you're sick to death of hearing the words "invest in the future", but you are well positioned to do so. Think of your savings like our petroleum heritage... do not burn it up on demands of the moment, but instead use it to invest in your future.
SKILLS will be needed in the future, much more so than solar panels, and you are perfectly positioned to pick up a skill that is not only in high-demand now, but will continue to be in high demand. Your talent is clear, and combined with an education, you will stand our at what you do, and at a very young age. You are incredibly well positioned for success.
Like myself, you're likely feeling the pressure of peak oil looming ahead, and feel an urgent need to prepare. Preparations that are done hastily will not last... Take some time to properly invest in your future.
It's hard to urge you to go to school, as you clearly aren't interested in it... If you can find it in yourself to be interested, you'll have it made.
I'm reminded by the story of two bulls, a young one and and old one, standing on a hilltop looking down on a field of cows. The young one says "Hey pops, lets RUN down that hill and grab a couple of cows and scr*w them before the herd runs away. The old one replies "How about we WALK down that hill, not scare away the herd, and scr*w as many as we want".
Posted: Fri Aug 22, 2008 10:43 am Post subject: Re: I have a problem
What do you want to do. What do you have a passion for. Find that out then find a way to make that pay. If you say you dont like to do anything but lay around, wrench on cars and wait for peak oil to hit, I cant help you.
Joined: Dec 04, 2006 Posts: 251 Location: End of the plateau
Posted: Fri Aug 22, 2008 10:47 am Post subject: Re: I have a problem
derekj wrote:
I have a problem. I'm 17, basically a drop-out and plan on getting my GED in the next month. I know my family hates this and thinks I'm crap. But the thing is im actually a quite intelligent, talented kid. My dad sees this and wants me to do something in life with this. A year and a half ago I got my first car and basically self-taught myself almost everything there is to know about a diesel powered car. I went from not knowing how to change brake pads to swapping an engine and transmission in a year. To me, its not a big deal. You just unbolt and bolt crap but apparently to my dad its a big deal. Recently my family has begun "hinting" that I need to go to school to get certified and all that crap. The last few days my dads been calling trade schools and talking to me about "oh you can do this and that and you'll be making lots of money when your through school and you can open your own shop" ect ect ect.
You sound reasonably talented, but by no means a mechanical genius. Replacing engines and trannys is easy enough. At 19 I totally stripped and rebuilt a water cooled 3 cylinder Perkins diesel engine that was to go in a small dumper for the plant hire firm I used to work for at the time. I re-seated the valves, replaced big ends, mains bearings, the block was re-bored, crank and head was skimmed, fitted new piston rings etc. All without a manual and no assistance from anyone else. When finished that baby started first touch and ran flawlessly for the remaining 18 months I worked there. The largest engine I had worked on prior to the Perkins was a 2 stroke 26cc Stihl saw. Now thats smart
You should be grateful that you are mechanically competent. Most of the idiots round here wouldn't know how to do an oil change. You could develop your skills and move into more specialised equipment other than rusty old bangers which will be far more rewarding and possibly recession proof. _________________ Machines are what distinguish modern man from the savage.
Joined: Sep 14, 2004 Posts: 6625 Location: Rural Virginia
Posted: Fri Aug 22, 2008 11:35 am Post subject: Re: I have a problem
Although it certainly can happen, my sense is that it's difficult---or lucky---to just "fall" into rewarding careers. Doing something you like, that is financially rewarding, and that confers respect generally takes planning and time. You need to have a clear vision of what you want and how you will get there. Without these, you take a big risk of ending up nowhere as a nobody. As you get into your 20s and 30s, doors start to close that were formerly open to you. _________________ "Actually, humans died out long ago."
---Abused, abandoned hunting dog
"Things have entered a stage where the only change that is possible is for things to get worse."
---Me and my brother
Posted: Fri Aug 22, 2008 12:04 pm Post subject: Re: I have a problem
You are not actually talented or intelligence. You're not a unique snowflake or ray of sunshine, nor special and bound for greatness. You're just like every other poor sod in the world trying to figure out what to do and how to get by. Once you accept that fact then you can work on becoming a cut above the rest.
Dont think you HAVE to have a H.S. diploma or college degree to be successful. HOWEVER, it makes a great fallback item. Also, theres only 2 ways to riches in the world. One is a college education and 2 is starting your own business. Thats it. You'll never be rich working for someone else without a degree. You've apparently made your choice, so now you know the road. Self employment. Its a hard road but very rewarding. You'll work far more for yourself then you ever would as a "company man" but in the end you only answer to one man.
The world WILL kick you in the balls. The world WILL NOT care if you fail, and certainly wont help you succeed. The burden is on one person. Go forth and conquer. _________________ "Battle not with monsters, lest ye become a monster, and if you gaze into the
Abyss, the Abyss gazes also into you."
Ammo at a gunfight is like bubblegum in grade school: If you havent brought enough for everyone, you're in trouble
كا&#
Last edited by Specop_007 on Fri Aug 22, 2008 1:21 pm; edited 1 time in total
Posted: Fri Aug 22, 2008 12:26 pm Post subject: Re: I have a problem
I am going to go against the grain and suggest going to college. There is no doubt that a college degree will open up MANY more doors than just a GED.
I know several people who are extremly successful that did not go to college but I know a TON of other people who did not go to college and are scraping the bottom of the barrel.
If I did not graduate from college I would have NEVER GOTTEN my current job. You might not want my job or most others that require college degrees but a degree is beyond helpful.
Posted: Fri Aug 22, 2008 12:48 pm Post subject: Re: I have a problem
joelcolorado wrote:
WHO BETTER TO INVEST IN THAN YOURSELF> think here son
Most of us don't know what we want to do or are even capable of doing for many years after high school. Get through your GED and then consider what you want. Investing in yourself IS the best approach.
I recommend traveling as one way to confirm/detect your personal path. Taking part in other cultures and surviving on the road teaches you all manner of possibilities that can't be found in any school or through formal education. Being a "parts changer" is not the same as being a mechanic. Knowing how things (mechanical) work is one of the most valuable talents you can develop so don't ignore your mechanical aptitude, just put it to work for you.
Training as a mechanic will provide you with a wonderful amount of transferrable skills, I know because that is a path I chose when I dropped out of college after putting two years toward a business degree. Diagnostics and repair skills can be applied to any number of carreers and these have always served me well.
Now in my 60s I own my business and have seven employees.... not in mechanics - but in energy efficient building technologies. We have been in the same location for over 25 years and our clientle range from homeowners, to business people to communities and governments. We offer many alternatives to ordinary building and energy approaches and depend on the applied physics of building science to develop answers to our customers challenges.
Everything I've worked at in my early years helped to define what I do now. Everything I have experienced including working in tourism, heavy construction, cutting meat, becomming a pilot, managing businesses for others to, yes, my education in equipment mechanics has enabled me to be very effective in developing my own business. NEVER stop learning!
You are certainly bright, young and hopeful but you sound a bit confused right now. Setting a goal will help you and is very important because it helps to focus your efforts. Dropping out is not helpful and only delays your opportunity for finding happiness and diminishes your ability to cope with the future.
I recommend that you first travel while it is still relatively cheap and then let your heart lead you but use your intellect to temper those urges to rush into anything that would defeat your goals. Check into the WWOOFing organization as recommended earlier by alokin. It offers travel and subsistence at an affordable cost.
Lastly, don't stop asking advice and expressing your concerns. Many of us share your concerns and most will offer sincere and thoughtful answers to your questions.
Joined: Oct 16, 2004 Posts: 1497 Location: Appalachian Foothills of Virginia
Posted: Fri Aug 22, 2008 1:37 pm Post subject: Re: I have a problem
Consider a career in renewable energy, such as wind power, solar power, or geothermal. These will burgeon in the next few years and if you are as intelligent as you say, then you'll work your way up to the level you want. It helps having enough math to run the numbers, whether you are doing site planning, capacity estimates, etc, so don't give up additional schooling altogether. Consider a associates degree at a community college (or online), so that you can bite off a little at a time. _________________ http://www.carfree.com http://ecoplan.org/carshare/cs_index.htm http://www.velomobile.de/GB/Advantages/advantages.html
Chance favors the prepared mind. -- Louis Pasteur
He that lives upon hope will die fasting. --Benjamin Franklin
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