Right career choice?

Question

I am currently going to be a senior in college and start classes up next week, and do not want to head back. I am majoring in marketing communications with a focus on sports marketing. I like sports aspect of marketing and advertising but I am hesitant about stuff like PR and marketing sales, stuff like that. Some of the courses I have take were fun, while others such as Developing a Marketing were quite stressful. I am 21 years old and feel quite lost with what I want to do with my life...I have always been interested in running a small business like a skateboard shop since skateboarding is what I know best in life and is what I think about even when I am not skating. I have always been interested in entrepreneurship in general. Out of a career, I just don't want get out of bed and dread going to work. Life is too short to be stressed. I know is question is out there, but I would appreciate some feedback about personal experiences & what not. Thanks for lending you ear!

Answer 1

I don't know how "girly" this one will sound, but it got me through college ok. Sell mud you find in your back yard, $25 a cup. I am serious, market as a mud mask to foolish girls who want to look pretty for their husband who does not love them, or for the prom. I have heard it thousands of times, and never failed to take their money in exchange for some dirt I found under some moss after a rainy day.

You call it cruel, I call it entrepreneurship. However, you would need some type of store, most likely, unless you only sell on summer-day beaches, so you have a nice "sophisticated" (cough) dirty place for the little lovelies to come in to buy the mud. Good luck.

Answer 2

I found out all I had to know about this on http://xil.in/6697/

Got me to 500 bucks per day fairly quickly.

Answer 3

i can relate to your dilemma... i too was once and still feel like i am in your shoes...i like you and like the millions of other people don't know what i want to do in life...you know there has been many things that i learned and i know one for sure was that don't live with regrets... number two was work work.... number three was money can't buy you happiness be happy with what you have now, because at any time it can be taken from you... and don't be afraid on fallin short on  a business venture if you want to go into biz for yourself. Don Trump went bankrupt 5 times...if you have a passion for something do it, but make sure you submerge yourself completely no matter what give it your all... because like you said life is too short don't go through it half ***. also if you can talk to a mentor and or take internships that really helped me learn what i did and didn't want to do mostly didn't ..and man live up your last year of college it will go by quick so have fun but be safe.

Answer 4

Hey!  Don't freak, whatever you pick to do after college, you don't have to do it for the rest of your life!!!  

I got a degree in consumer sciences with a major in fashion merchandising.  I've been running a (mom and pop) surf shop since i graduated from college.  (in 2004)  Have you ever worked at a skate shop before?  If you haven't, you should apply now!  What if you hate it?  What if you hate all the little punk kids that come in and try to stick decks down their pants and sneak out?  You still have to get up every morning and go to work, running a business isn't easy just because it's a skateboard shop!   Is a skateboard shop needed where you are planing on settling down?  How many are there in your town?  You gotta see if there is a market for it.

I agree life is to short to be stressed, most of the people that I graduated college with are sitting behind desks in buying offices somewhere for places like neiman marcus, and saks!  It just sounds so awful to me!!!  Of course they are probably making twice what I am making, but I don't wake up and get dressed all s****. to go to sit at my desk either!  I wake up, shower, throw on my jeans, t-shirt, and flops and get ready for all the awesome people i'm going to deal with that day!  I don't have a desk, I have a counter, it's very fulfilling to go to market see all the huge brands, pick out the stuff, and then get it all in the store and see people come in and dig it!  My co-graduates don't get to see people getting stoked about what they picked out becuase they are sitting up at their desks somewhere drinking coffee and staring at a computer.  

Whatever you decide to do, you have to like it, otherwise, what's the point in getting up in the morning?!  I get up, go to the shop, turn on the lights, get the music going, turn on the surf videos, make sure all th merchandise looks great and wait for the tourists to come strolling in, the I get to chat with them for awhile, help them pick out some awesome surf threads, take their money, tell them to have a kick butt day and then I wait for the next people to come in so I can do it all over again!  I'm not saying its easy, but i'm not saying it's difficult either, i'm just saying i'm doing what I love to do, and I would not be happier doing a different job just because it made more money.

Cons: I don't trust that the shop is running smoothly when i'm not there, I trust the people that work for me, but your not always sure they are doing their best to make you money.  Non summer seasons kinda suck, now that school has started again business has slowed way down.  Running a business is hard work, I strongly suggest you go and try and out with someone elses money first!  

Good Luck!  Don't stress, it's just a job!  Remember it's not like whatever you choose to do after college is what you will be stuck doing forever....if you hate it...quit!  It's all great experience!