what to even go to school for?

Have you considered making a living off of a farm... After all, this is "Homesteadingtoday.com"...
It's difficult to start a farm, though... Best to start small, and work your way up. Farming involves large amounts of financial juggling, physical labor, science (animal, soil, plant) and determination. If you are interested in horticulture, it is possible to grow organic vegetables and sell them; you'd need a couple acres, though...

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I'm an environmentalist, left wing, Ron Paul loving Prius driver with a farm. If you have a problem with that, kindly go take a leap.

If you want to work for yourself someday then think about starting with some basic business classes. When you have a business you will have to do some desk work especially at first.

I live in south alabama orgainics and farming is pretty much pointless.. id make more money flipping burgers

Travis91,
Some good suggestions above. I noticed you kept talking about fish and game. In Alabama, and in most states now, most of the new recruits for game wardens have bachleors degrees in wildlife biology or a related field. There are equipment operators/technicians that work on the management areas, actually doing the hands on work. But is you want to work for yourself, go into auto or diesel mechanics. Everyone is constantly looking for someone good and reasonable to repair cars, trucks and tractors. You have to do some schooling, then work under/with someone long enough to learn the ropes as said above, but then you can work for yourself.

Are your feet nailed down? Buy a suitcase and go see the world, or at least the country.

I absolutely agree. I didn't really want to college when I was 18 but my parents made me. I enjoyed studying Zoology but it didn't do me much good. If you want to do something like being a game warden you absolutely need to find out if you could get a job doing that. Why in the world should you spend money on an expensive education if you cannot get a job?

My mom gave me some good advice that I didn't take. She told me to get a 2 year education doing something like X-ray tech (was less education then than now) until I decided what I wanted to do. Should have done that!

Over the years I have learned something that you don't know at age 19. Sometimes you have to work jobs you don't love to pay the bills.

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Moms don't look at things like normal people.
-----DD

well this makes me feel good ive been thinking about doing the Xray tech thing because its medical and would always be a good fall back untill i found out what i wanted to do

Get a job on a farm. The neighbor hires a LOT of workers. Farmers to do the field work, cowboys to work the cattle, mechanics to keep the equipment going, etc.

A local CSA has interns to help with the work. I don't know how that helps the interns pocketbook, but I bet they come out of it with tons of knowledge on how to grow garden produce, take care of flocks of chickens and keep the sheep happy and healthy plus a good dose of marketing. And from the newsletters sent out, it would seem they even have some fun along with the work and learning.

Going to an ag type community college or even a university will give you more "farm" type classes. There are some really neat things to study at those schools. Check some of them out.

None of those will fill your bank account, but will get you lots of knowledge, and some basic stepping stones toward what you might chose for a career. Hummm, the local "tech" school has classes to teach you how to raise a steer, cook it and market it on a computer. Ag school that has classes to become a chef plus computer classes. Oh yes, a very good mechanics class also.

Howsabout joining the Navy? Get trained, get paid, see some of the world, have some fun, then when you get out you have a way to pay for college, VA benefits like home loans....

I had a good time doing this.....retired at age 37......

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Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons...for you are crunchy and good with ketchup!

Like to work with your hands- too vague. Sculpture, painter, hamburger flipper, mechanic, welder, carpenter, exercise coach,... Go to college and take some basic courses, like the English classes you have to have. Any curriculum is going to require a set of classes whether or not you think you need them. Also, you take classes that you want. For you, look for things that would prepare you for hands on things. Horticulture, welding, art, etc. If you want to take welding and that sort of thing, a community college will probably have those types of classes rather than a big university. While taking these classes you will be with people who enjoy the same and will encourage you. The classes will give you a little experience so you can find out if you might like a career in those fields. An associates degree never hurt anyone's chances for employment. A bachelor's degree also is not a hindrance. If you get one of those degrees it gives you a head start for when you know what you want to do. It's much easier to finish up two years of college later on than having to start your first classes when you have a family to take care of.

All I can say - as I did to my children facing the same problem- Do what you love.

If you are passionate about it you will do well. If you are passionate about it the income will be second on the list, you will do something you love everyday. To me that is better than a big paycheck any day.

You say you like mechanics, Don't know what they get paid where you are but around here a good mechanic is paid well. And always in demand.

Finish carpenter...move to Finland!

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"Those who hammer their guns into plows will plow the fields of those who don't."-Thomas Jefferson

There is some fat money in diesel engines. Go to a mechanics school. Even if you already know how to do it. the degree and certifications will give you a leg up on getting a job and pay scale. And knowing how to weld will add to that.

And the defiant kid in me says live on campus and tell mom and dad to.......

Like to work with your hands? Are you good at fine details?

Take biology and organic chemistry. Those things are the major hurdle for most medical degrees.

From there, you can be a dentist or a plastic surgeon specializing in breast implants.

Work three days a week and be able to afford a nice farm to escape to on the weekends, or travel the world.

If you have a kind heart for animals, be a veterinarian. You will never be short of business. But my friends who come from a family of vets NEVER take time off or vacations. They care too much. When their about to take time off, someone always brings in a beloved cat or dog that needs immediate care.

It's easier to tell some aging supermodel, "Sorry, we'll have take care of your nipple lift when I get back from my villa in Cozumel."

Or if you don't want to study as much, be a dental hygenist. Another job where you can make your own schedule in areas where there is a big demand.

Get a copy of the book "What Color Is Your Parachute." I don't envy you. The level of change that goes on in the marketplace these days is astounding, and the speed of that change is increasing. If you don't choose wisely, you may find that you have trained for a job that no longer exists by the time you finish your training.

My second bit of advice is NOT to spend money on college if you aren't eager to go. Too many people are walking around today with huge college loan debt and no way to pay it off.

Third, the idea of joining the Navy is a pretty good one. Depending on your aptitude, you get trained in a lot of cool stuff, learn how to work in a team, and have steady work until you decide you are ready for the private sector. It'll also get you out from the direct influence of your parents and get you thinking independently.

You may be asking for ideas, but I suspect you already have some of your own. What would your dream job be, and is there a way you can start to work towards that job?

What?!?! Diesel Mechanics can make a ton of money.

Well, I think it depends on where you live: I started out as a high school drop out. Went, earn my diploma, worked in Pizza and then worked at oil change shops. Went to regular college, dropped out after disagreement with a teacher about affirmative action and a grade and not being able to get financial aid because my parents weren't failures and I was (and still am) a white male (my advisers words, and she was a nice black woman). Went to Tech school, received an associate in Auto Tech. College was helpful and, as stated early, was a good grounding for book knowledge but no replacement for hands on. Worked on and built cars, then opened my own shop. No money in most areas these days in cars. The dealerships are offering 10 year warranties and most people are only fixing what they MUST fix and there is no money in that. Closed shop, moved to South Florida, worked in a nice shop made about 60,000 a year. But in South Florida, that's not that much.

Wife and i used our combined experience to start a dog service business. Walking, pet sitting then training. we now have quite the little enterprise going: Grooming, boutique, boarding, walking, training, concierge service...pretty good. But we are in an affluent area (that's why we choose to move here, where there is money). I spend most days outside, with dogs, on in my business, with dogs. Make a good living and love my job.

Try some jobs out, find some you like, focus there and start looking at how you can provide that service better, not cheaper.

My daughter is going to Unity College in Maine next year. I met two young men in the conservation law program who are going to be game wardens. They were very interesting to talk with. As soon as they finished manning the booth they were leaving to go hunting. If you take a look at the college's website don't let the tuition scare you. They have great financial aid.

The campus is small and down to earth. Nobody freaked out because students were walking to and from a building with rifles. It's hunting season, they were checking them in and out of the safety building. The president addressed us in jeans, blazer and hiking boots. DD visited eight campuses while making her decisions on where to apply. She spent two nights at Unity. After being there a few hours she sent a text message to me - "I feel at home here. This is where I'm going."

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Robin

travis91

I am not a well repairman but I do know how to repair wells. I would venture to say that on the internet I have helped dozens of folks with how to make their well repairs. Just monitor this site and you will see lots of folks are paranoid about well failure. There is little competition on the market for this service. The outlay for the equipment for a service only well person could be less than $10,000. A good service man should net $600 to $800 per day and still not work his butt off. If I were going to offer this service I would set up a preventative maintenance program and do a 6 month checkup for a fee just like a dentists does. I would also offer a 24 hours response guarantee. This could easily be a 6 figure income enterprise.

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Agmantoo
If they can do it,
you know you can!

If you're looking to go the college route, how about teaching? Yes, you'll never get rich, but I would think that most of us here aren't looking for that anyway. My wife is a teacher and I have my certification but decided on another line of work after college. Now that we are fully committed to achieving a homesteading lifestyle I am looking for teaching jobs as well. The hours (my wife works 6:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.) are very conducive to homesteading life not to mention the time off during the summer. The way I see it if we're both off during the summer we'll have more time to do work around the homestead than most part time farmers who have to work outside of their farm. If you're a math or science person you can get a job pretty much anywhere as those subjects are always in short supply. We have a friend who had the smarts to be a science teacher but she became a pharmacist instead chasing the big $$$. To each their own, but her and her husband both work crazy hours for big corporations in order to bring home the big checks, and are always "keeping up with the Joneses" so to speak.