# Life preparation



## charlotta (Sep 9, 2014)

It is my worry that older women in the U.S have more of a problem than men with earning money.  I am distressed that this may be true.  Please stress to your grand children that they have got to have more than an education  with  a college degree.  I see that technical knowledge is a great way to always have a job.  There should be jobs available that use to be for men only. 

 I urge my young people to research and find out what your abilities are. Be wary of being just a computer wiz . Expand.   It is very good to have this under your belt, but be able to be a contractor or being a mechanic. There will always be a need for doctors, especially in geriatrics or anything in the medical field. If you aren't interested in any of these, find out what you are.  DO NOT DEPEND ON MARRIAGE TO TAKE CARE OF YOU.  Prepare for the future as we do not know what is that is.

Please write your comments and disagreements with my feelings .  I know you already are aware of this, but we need to make our girl children aware.


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## Lon (Sep 9, 2014)

Without going into a lot of detail about my two major careers let me say that they were decided on when I was 14 years old and in Junior High School. I picked up a book in the school library that had a huge list of occupations and careers and what there chances were for long term employment and need.  Thank you Westlake Junior High, Oakland California. I have never been sorry.


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## ClassicRockr (Sep 9, 2014)

I knew, sometime during my work years, that a career involving Clerical was for me...........why? After taking 3 years of typing in high school (Sophomore thru Senior) and learning how to use a computer at work in areas of Shipping, Receiving, Stockroom, Warehouse, Purchasing and Inventory Control and Management, I sure didn't do the old "hunt and peck" thing on the computer keyboard. As far as trying other types of work, like running a drill press, steel cutting saw, working 4 hours for a fence building company, putting up dry wall for a couple of hours......I absolutely knew hard labor/those kinds of jobs were definitely *NOT* for me! Working in a warehouse, driving a forklift and wrapping up pallets of merchandise was the hardest labor this old boy wanted to do. Also, spent a couple of years in Emergency Medical. Going down streets with lights and sirens on was pretty cool, but could only take so much blood! When I finally started working for manufacturing/production companies, I learned very fast how nice it was to have my weekends FREE to Party! 

One thing is for sure, not everyone wants to become a lawyer, doctor, engineer or the such. Those careers take money for the education those careers require. Just ask my wife how long it took her to pay off her college loans so she could got to college full-time and get her Bachelor's in Business/Accounting? She got the degree when she was 49 b/c she knew that the salary w/a degree would be much better than without. She wound up being right!


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## GeorgiaXplant (Sep 9, 2014)

From chatting with women in the neighborhood who are mostly at least 20-30 years younger than I am and chatting with DGD and her friends, I can tell you that girls are way ahead of you Charlotta. Not a one of them, the mothers or the daughters, had or have any intention of finding themselves a meal ticket. The mothers are already educated in what they wanted to do and DGD and her friends are in the exploring/planning mode for where they'll go to college and what they'll study. DGD is 14. These kids are savvy and forward looking and excited to learn and do and want to have their own careers/jobs/money and independence.


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## LogicsHere (Sep 11, 2014)

Some kids never learn. My 43 year nephew who has been looking for work for a year says if he ends up making "good" money (no definition as to what he thinks is good money), his 31 year old wife (no kids) can quit her job and become a "housewife".  Is there such a thing any more as a "housewife"?  Some unfortunately never learn.


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## Debby (Sep 22, 2014)

LogicsHere said:


> Some kids never learn. My 43 year nephew who has been looking for work for a year says if he ends up making "good" money (no definition as to what he thinks is good money), his 31 year old wife (no kids) can quit her job and become a "housewife".  Is there such a thing any more as a "housewife"?  Some unfortunately never learn.




My daughter is a stay at home mom (two kids) and they just barely make ends meet.  Maybe your nephew hasn't thought through what kind of things he might have to give up.  Some couples are happy to live very simply, but nowadays I think that's rarer don't you?


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## oldman (Sep 23, 2014)

In my opinion, I believe that it is equally important for both males and females to garner all of the education that they can for the occupation that they will be seeking in life. However, not everyone wants or needs to be a doctor or a nuclear physicist. The world will still need plumbers, machinists and auto mechanics and if today's young people are happy to be in those positions, then I think this is great. I have both read and seen with my own eyes that some young people prefer to remain in school for years and become known as 'career scholars.' These people keep applying for grants to do studies on stuff that has no value to man-kind like; do frogs have flatulence like humans? Yes, there was an actual person here in the U.S. that received a $300,000.00 grant to research this idiotic subject. On the other side of the coin, there's my neighbor's son who lives in Canada and builds houses and says he wouldn't do anything else. 

I have also seen people that are a genius at what they do, but don't like their job. When I first started engineering, I worked along side a senior engineer that could do calculus in his head. It floored me that he could do calculus formulas without the use of a calculator. However, he often would ask himself why did he ever get into this work. I asked him what else would he like to do. He said he always wanted to be a fireman. I asked him why he didn't, He responded by saying, "Firemen only make $9,000 a year." (This was back in 1969.) So, my point here is; that not only does education matter, but also being in a job that satisfies and that is enjoyable to the person is also important. I switched vocations because I was bored with designing widgets. I always wanted to fly. My parents backed me and I went to flight school. I was never happier than when I was flying. 

When I was a pilot and a First Officer, I occasionally flew with a certain female Captain. She flew in the Air Force prior to coming to where we worked. She was as good as any male Captain that I had flown with. She taught me one very important lesson. Play close attention to detail. DO NOT do the pre-flight check list like you were reading the comics. Take each item seriously. They are on the list for a reason. How true I found that to be on a few occasions.


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## Jackie22 (Sep 23, 2014)

I too think the younger generation is much more savvy than when I was a teenager, I don't know really what contributes to this, I guess a combination of things....school systems, computers, teachers and parents...anyway I have a good feeling about my grandchildren's future.  I think the biggest worry I have for their future is climate change.


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## JustBonee (Sep 23, 2014)

I see the same,  Jackie.  .. Kids are more informed today and more is expected of them.  They are forced to learn things faster at younger ages.


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## QuickSilver (Sep 23, 2014)

Like grandma said..  Handle the money... pay the bills... and  ALWAYS tuck a little away for yourself..    Whether married, or single..  working or stay at home.. the advise applies.


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