Being young making decisions would you do it all over again.

[wthunter]

You have already received a ton of sound advice here. I guess I would do the opposite of what many are suggesting. I went the education, hard working, corporate america, busting my ass route in my 20's and early 30's. Sure, I am set up well now but I wasted my youth....working. I would also delay marriage/kids until I was older. There is plenty of time to be an 'adult' later and oooo boy do kids change things in a hurry.

The bottom line is there are advantages and disadvantages to both. If I could give some advice, start putting in for points for any kind of hunts you want now. If you decide to go the more responsible (for lack of a better word), you will thank me later. You will want to have those points built up so by the time you can afford those hunts, you will be ready to draw and you will be young enough that you should be physically able to still go on challenging hunts.

Only you can choose what will make you happy. Good luck in whatever you decide to do.

 

[jspradley]

Only things I can think of changing would be getting out into nature more while younger, learning delayed gratification and not running up debt!!!

Other than that I'm pretty happy with the decisions I've made.

 

[Still Hunter]

Definitely finish your electrical license. You can travel and work as an apprentice too with the IBEW. The old timers are retiring , 50-60 yr olds make up 48% of working electricians and 18 to 25 yr olds make up less than 3% of electricians. In 10 years you will name your own price. http://where2bro.com/hot_spots go look at the Union Electricians scales in different areas and the amount of work they have. Lot of areas are paying overtime and as much as $150.00 dollars a day per diem above payroll ,just to get electricians.

 

[Moose2367]

From an Aussie, i'd get your trade qualifications now while you are young. You always have something to fall back on if you are stuck out of a job wherever you are for some unforeseen circumstances.
I never did a trade, wish i did, i have a lot of experience in various fields but no quals.
As others have said, relationships and kids can change things, be careful what you stick things in!
I have 1 kid i don't know(didn't know about her at the beginning and her mother wasn't exactly helpful), she's nearly 19 and it's been something that's stuffed me around that whole time.

 

[Rich M]

I didn't read all the posts but want to chime in:

You are young. 22 is a great age. I graduated college and got married at 23, which was a mistake as it wasn't time or the right girl. If I was gonna do it all over again, I'd skip the woman/women chasing and focus more on doing stuff - which it seems you are doing.

Had an opportunity to go to AK and didn't really understand what that opportunity was. 25 years later, still trying to get myself up there to sample the fishing.

So - here's my take - get your electrician's license. Stick with it. By the time you get the license you'll see life differently. AND have the ability to work just about anywhere - welding and electrician should cover a lot of future work for you. With the hands-on aptitude you seem to be showing, engineering may not be your best choice. But it is the best choice for future job opportunities - if you can handle the math and sitting at a desk, engineers get good pay and pretty much have job security.

Working in Alaska or some other state that has the outdoors opportunities for a few years is a good idea. You might be able to get good pay in the oil industry as either, otherwise you'll have to look to the cities for higher salaries and more opportunities.

 

[Jon Boy]

Never really thought about it. Is that what you do?

I've worked wildland fire for the last 6 seasons. Work in the woods for 5-6 months with free housing and relatively low expenses. I guided in the falls for a few seasons before hanging it up and hunting the entire fall for myself. I love the job and it allowed me to get to where I wanted to be relatively quickly. However, I'm ready to have my summers back and will be hanging it up soon.

If you have a good work ethic and half a brain it's pretty damn easy to make a good living in this country so I've never gotten too hung up on having a specific career path. And if you're financially responsible and make wise investments you'll be fine at retirement age.

So with all of that in mind follow your heart. If you're enjoying your training and will for the next 4 years continue doing it. I know when I was 22 there was no way I was living in the same place or at the same job for more than 6 months and glad I didn't. The experiences i had and the relationships I made cant really have a price put on them. I made it work and put away some fairly serious money but I know a lot of people that doesnt life style doesn't work.

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[Rookie]

I also live near the cities, I am out about an hour west on a 4 acre ranch. I also don’t care for the metro but I am happy to commute every day cause I’m in the trades also, but I get to come home and shoot my bows or guns whenever I want, also hunt right behind my house so it’s not to bad to live here. I agree to get your card and before you start a family here bail as far away as you can. It’s awfully hard too once you start a family with a local girl.

 

[Eltigreblanco]

As other have said get that jw ticket. I've been with the Ibew for 10 years and it has been great for me. When you turn out the opportunity will be there to travel if you want

 

[MtnOyster]

...get your journeyman’s license I don’t care what is making you sick your just 22 years old, get that license in your hand and the sky will be the limit for you.

You can sign the books in any state you want, hunt when you want take off and do just about anything you need to and make more money than the majority of people you know....

 

[Glendon Mullins]

her name was devin, bit of a tomboy in high school, so i never paid her much mind, had a huge crush on me, i knew it, but was busy with other such girls, fast forward 15 years or so, she's now a hottie that's a certified 10!! oh wait......your talking about hunting, jobs and the outdoor life, my bad

 

[Dustin the wind]

Always Always ALWAYS do what makes you the happiest. Whether it is guiding, fishing, being an electrician, or a professional stamp appraiser. If you like the electrical line of work but just not the city, then I would suggest sticking it out. If you do not want to run cable through buildings for the next 25-30 years then do what makes you the happiest. If you want to live out in the wilderness, away from civilization, then working a full time job where most of your work happens in the city will be very difficult. It can be done, but you will be driving into the city/town a lot. Personally if I was 22 again, I would get some off grid property, build a house on it, pay it all off or pay as I build. Truck paid off, minimal bills/taxes. Then I would work seasonally or whenever I wanted. I would set myself up for the maximum amount of personal freedom I could get. Just speaking for myself of course. I do not have career ambitions, I just value my free time quite a lot.

 

[Miflatlander91]

I’d stick with the ibew I’m a Ua pipefitter/welder just like the ibew when you get your journeyman’s card you can go anywhere you want to work saying goes take off as much time as you can afford in my trade I’m sure yours is the same 4 years seems like a long time I got in when I was 21 but looking at the long term 40 years in I’ll have a pension and a 401 to retire on while being able to take off and hunt when I want seems like a fair trade to me


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[Fullfan]

You have to secure your future, A good paying job, with room for advancement, good benefits and most of all a pension. You see older ppl working, you can bet it is not because they want to, it is because they have to.

I retired at 49, my pension is more than most make, you can bet there were sacrifices along the way to be able to retire at 49. You have to line up your priority's... Good luck in the life's decisions..

 

[kiddogy]

I know there's been a couple of these so far but the thought have been on my mind to type one up and see what you guys think.
I am 22 years old born and raised in the heart of Minneapolis MN never have been much for the city for as long as i can remember. I am at a point in life where i am trying to figure out what to do next. My drive for the outdoors is strong and will be influencing this decision majorly. I have spent the last two years guiding in AK for salmon and in Idaho Montana Utah and washington for everything else. After this season i was burnt out. I am sure there are some guides on here that understand the feeling. Free time to hunt and fish yourself is far and few between working 6-7 days a week sun up to sun down for 6 months strait. So i decided that it was time to think elsewhere. I am a certified welder and did that for a year before i went guiding working in the shop every day bored the living daylights out of me. I am currently and apprentice electrician working for a shop that my friend hooked me up with here in MPLS. Great guys being an apprentice is boring they are willing to pay for my school and stick with for the next 4 years tell i get my journeyman's. living in the city again is about making me insane. So here the question stick with it for 4 years and save every penny i can , then move? Alaska is always in the back of my head calling my name strongly. The next 4 years might be a suffer for me here if i can hold onto my sanity in the city but would setup me up for a good job. Or look at becoming a welder in Alaska. Its far away and a scary thought of not knowing anyone but its Alaska! My plan after getting my journeyman's would be to move as well either to Alaska or outwest.
What would you do if you could do it again?

you are on a great path . get you journeymans and you can live pretty much anywhere you want and get work. even if you decide you hate electrical , it gives you options and opens doors, which you can later decide wether or not to walk through

 

[txhunter581]

Education is one of the most important things you can do for yourself long term. Gives you so many more options. You might regret moving now. I would bet a lot, you won't ever regret finishing your education for a better job opportunity. suck it up now, then move wherever you want to after.

 

[wisco_archer]

I’m an electrician with a Masters license in Wisconsin, did the IBEW apprenticeship program and it was a great education and will give you a leg up on other guys applying for jobs later. I’m non union now, didn’t want to deal with the travel and bs but having that license and them paying for it is huge. I’m 32 with 2 kids and am looking at relocating West as well and have talked to a few places in Montana and Colorado and was told I could have a job with them tomorrow if I made the move. For now stick it out, you have great hunting and fishing close to you now and for now you can use all your vacation to head west to get your fix like I do.

 

[Goatie]

Get your certifications and education needed then go where u want. Don’t get tied down and get comfortable with jobs, kids, or women. I’ve seen it with a lot of people with aspirations that give up on goals because they got comfortable.

 

[ELKhunter60]

When I was 16 my plan was to graduate from high school and then move to Alaska and be a guide. Then I met this girl and fell in love between on Junior and Senior year. When I graduated, I started an apprentiship (34 years ago). I didn't like the apprentiship much. The journeyman treated you like a second class citizen because they could, but I was in love with my high school sweetheart and wanted to get married and start a family - so I sucked it up. I never regretted finishing. I eventually moved on to other related things within the trade. Cost estimating, engineering, management. My career provided well for my family. My plan now is to retire when I'm 61 and become a guide or something like that.

It's hard to figure out what's the right thing to do in life when your 22 (or 52 like me). Everything is a trade off. I do know this however. Electricians are needed everywhere and they can't take a trade away from you once you have it. Bottom line is you will never hurt yourself by having a certified skillset.

 

[WannabeHunter]

I have only 2 regrets in my life.

1) I didn't meet my wife sooner.

2) I was LAZY when deciding my education path and went into pharmacy school. I should've gone to medical school.

DON'T be lazy when making the decision. Bite the built and spend an extra couple years setting yourself up for success, whatever form that takes.

 

[Kimber7man]

Live in a state where you can have good success as a resident hunter, stay the electrical route or go into Integrations & Controls/programming, IT or cybersecurity. Max out your 401k every year (don’t just settle for 5%) and take your time finding a hot country girl who is not bats#$t crazy !!