Career + free time = track bliss?
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Career + free time = track bliss?
(Hello mods. I realize this may be moved to S2000 Talk, though I posted here as this is the group I am targeting with my questions)
We have a few topics related to "whats your career?" and "how much do you make?" though I couldn't find anything quite as specific to my questions as I'd like, so I thought I'd give this topic a shot and see what the general consensus amongst track lovers would be.
I'd like to know what career you have, if it pays well enough for your needs, and if it allows you enough time and freedom to pursue our rather pricey hobby?
No need to read this part, unless you have a bit of free time. A little bit about myself and the direction I'm headed (opinions and advice here would also be appreciated)
Originally thought about being some kind of engineer as I have always been an excellent problem solver and loved finding out how everything works (and why) but have been discouraged from starting down that road from what other engineers (be it mechanical, electric, chemical, etc) have said from this source:
http://www.usnews.com/articles/business/be...ineer/comments/
Granted, any career will be difficult to start with, some more than others, but I get the general idea that engineers had it good years ago, but not so much today.
Certain fields in law and healthcare became valid options. Never been a big fan of fixing peoples problems (or condemning them) so law is out. No offense to respectable professionals in law, we'd be lost without ya.
Healthcare!.......takes rediculously long! Except pays off well, and job outlook for pretty much everything healthcare related will be high for quite some time. Viable options to graduate BEFORE I'm 40?
Dentistry, Optometry, Podiatry. Don't like asking what people like to do with their free time while they have 16 ounces of spit leaking out their mouth, so thats out.
Both Optometrists and Podiatrists do about 8 years of schooling (not counting residency). Median average salary for my place, the San Francisco Bay Area, is 100,000 for Optometrist, 120,000 for Podiatrist in 2007 I believe. Most likely I will be going for Podiatrist (pretty competitive!) as it is the study of motion and movement of the body with specialty in treating the foot and ankle. I am currently a Massage Therapist, so having a general knowledge of anatomy, kinesiology, physiology, etc. and fascination on how the body works makes this the best choice. Some can afford to work 30 hours a week. Thats another big plus. But what interests me is that looking through the career topics, I don't see many doctors. Why is that? Mostly guys doing something related to computers. Havn't looked into that yet, it may be a good option too.
G.I. Bill will definately help, especially for the first 4 years (don't know if it covers private school, I'll have to look that up) and perhaps I can get a bit more from knee injury overseas (rather not do that, there's plenty more of our guys that sustained life altering injuries that need the money, I'd feel like I was stealing from my brothers, you know?)
Any and all opinions, answers welcome.
We have a few topics related to "whats your career?" and "how much do you make?" though I couldn't find anything quite as specific to my questions as I'd like, so I thought I'd give this topic a shot and see what the general consensus amongst track lovers would be.
I'd like to know what career you have, if it pays well enough for your needs, and if it allows you enough time and freedom to pursue our rather pricey hobby?
No need to read this part, unless you have a bit of free time. A little bit about myself and the direction I'm headed (opinions and advice here would also be appreciated)
Originally thought about being some kind of engineer as I have always been an excellent problem solver and loved finding out how everything works (and why) but have been discouraged from starting down that road from what other engineers (be it mechanical, electric, chemical, etc) have said from this source:
http://www.usnews.com/articles/business/be...ineer/comments/
Granted, any career will be difficult to start with, some more than others, but I get the general idea that engineers had it good years ago, but not so much today.
Certain fields in law and healthcare became valid options. Never been a big fan of fixing peoples problems (or condemning them) so law is out. No offense to respectable professionals in law, we'd be lost without ya.
Healthcare!.......takes rediculously long! Except pays off well, and job outlook for pretty much everything healthcare related will be high for quite some time. Viable options to graduate BEFORE I'm 40?
Dentistry, Optometry, Podiatry. Don't like asking what people like to do with their free time while they have 16 ounces of spit leaking out their mouth, so thats out.
Both Optometrists and Podiatrists do about 8 years of schooling (not counting residency). Median average salary for my place, the San Francisco Bay Area, is 100,000 for Optometrist, 120,000 for Podiatrist in 2007 I believe. Most likely I will be going for Podiatrist (pretty competitive!) as it is the study of motion and movement of the body with specialty in treating the foot and ankle. I am currently a Massage Therapist, so having a general knowledge of anatomy, kinesiology, physiology, etc. and fascination on how the body works makes this the best choice. Some can afford to work 30 hours a week. Thats another big plus. But what interests me is that looking through the career topics, I don't see many doctors. Why is that? Mostly guys doing something related to computers. Havn't looked into that yet, it may be a good option too.
G.I. Bill will definately help, especially for the first 4 years (don't know if it covers private school, I'll have to look that up) and perhaps I can get a bit more from knee injury overseas (rather not do that, there's plenty more of our guys that sustained life altering injuries that need the money, I'd feel like I was stealing from my brothers, you know?)
Any and all opinions, answers welcome.
Joined: Nov 2006
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Most jobs that pay well enough to allow you to fund this hobby also require many hours of work especially when you are younger. Others may pay well but your income will be more volatile so it's best to save a lot. U have both those problems. Working 60-70 hours a week and needing to save a lot precludes going too overboard on car expenses.
As far as health care professional go you should probably think about what the wages there will be like 10 years from now, not what they are today. Doctors in Europe are paid much less, and it seems like we are heading toward that system.
As far as health care professional go you should probably think about what the wages there will be like 10 years from now, not what they are today. Doctors in Europe are paid much less, and it seems like we are heading toward that system.
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From: Covington WA, USA
There do seem to be a lot of dentists who show up to track days.
But first of all, you don't have to be astoundingly rich to do this stuff -- just dedicated to it. You may have a miata or an E30 or even an S2000 instead of a 997 GT3 or C6 Z06, but that's the way life works.
Any job you do just because it's a source of money will drag on you, eventually. It's far better to find something you like to do if you can.
Engineering is particularly sensitive to that -- some people are really good at it, some people really like it, some people are both, and some people are neither. It's the most boring job in the world if you don't like it, and you won't last long in engineering if you aren't good at it.
Plus, while it has a much better income than flipping burgers, very few people really get rich doing it. Dentists generally drive much better cars than engineers. The engineers who really get rich tend to be people who go into business for themselves, not people who work for someone else. But of course they have to have an idea for a business that actually works.
Your best option, actually, would be to have a very rich mother and father who give you all the money you want to just spend on your hobby.
But first of all, you don't have to be astoundingly rich to do this stuff -- just dedicated to it. You may have a miata or an E30 or even an S2000 instead of a 997 GT3 or C6 Z06, but that's the way life works.
Any job you do just because it's a source of money will drag on you, eventually. It's far better to find something you like to do if you can.
Engineering is particularly sensitive to that -- some people are really good at it, some people really like it, some people are both, and some people are neither. It's the most boring job in the world if you don't like it, and you won't last long in engineering if you aren't good at it.
Plus, while it has a much better income than flipping burgers, very few people really get rich doing it. Dentists generally drive much better cars than engineers. The engineers who really get rich tend to be people who go into business for themselves, not people who work for someone else. But of course they have to have an idea for a business that actually works.
Your best option, actually, would be to have a very rich mother and father who give you all the money you want to just spend on your hobby.
Joined: Apr 2008
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From: Salt Lake City, UT
^ I agree. You don't have to be rich to track your car, and it's far better to pursue a job because you like it, not just because you want to make a lot of money. Besides, even if you are busy, you can always find the time to take a weekend off to track your car.
Even as a full-time professional student with a part time job, I am able to track my car about once a month, and I estimate my yearly expenses to be approximately $6,000 (all inclusive--track fees, gas, lodging, brake pads, rotors, etc). You don't have to drive a Nissan GTR or a super-modified S2000 to have fun out at the track.
EDIT: that said, I think there's a relatively young plastic surgeon that attends a lot of track events in his Lotus. I guess it works out pretty good for him.
Even as a full-time professional student with a part time job, I am able to track my car about once a month, and I estimate my yearly expenses to be approximately $6,000 (all inclusive--track fees, gas, lodging, brake pads, rotors, etc). You don't have to drive a Nissan GTR or a super-modified S2000 to have fun out at the track.
EDIT: that said, I think there's a relatively young plastic surgeon that attends a lot of track events in his Lotus. I guess it works out pretty good for him.
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Originally Posted by BionicElite,Apr 5 2009, 11:23 AM
Certain fields in law and healthcare became valid options. Never been a big fan of fixing peoples problems (or condemning them) so law is out.
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Tracking for fun is very doable at even moderate wage levels. All depends on how competitive you want to be. You also have to prepare for the what if expenses. Some people that track a lot that I know would be out of the game for quite awhile if they blew a motor.
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From: Victorville
I'm a waiter part time.. part time mechanic and full time student and I track my s2k and pay for it. But I don't spend much money on anything else instead of moving I stay at home and commute =]
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From: Lindehurst, NY
as an engineer from one of the higher ranked schools in the US i would advise you to think twice before choosing engineering. even in this financial system meltdown most of the job postings on my school's career site are still in the financials. i, myself, am going into consulting after not being able to find an internship relevant to my field last summer. you'll enjoy college more too.
my 0.02
my 0.02