Trucking Vs. Software Developer

I'm going to say what I always say when it comes to choosing a career - go with something you love and forget about the money, especially when you're young. If you love doing something you'll want to do it all the time. If you do something all the time you can become good enough at almost anything to find a way to make a living doing it. If you're making a living doing something you love you'll be far happier than 95% of the people out there.

I'll say this about pursuing an IT degree.....if you're not 100% obsessed with sitting in front of a computer 18 hours a day and challenging yourself with things like learning code, building websites, writing software, doing graphic arts or film, and other computer adventures then don't waste your time.

IT is not a field you want to go into unless you're really, really cut out for it. It's not something you decide to do because it sounds like a reasonable career pursuit. Doing any sort of IT work at a high level is going to require a certain type of person and thousands and thousands of hours of work. In other words, easily 5 - 10 years of full time work will have to go into it before you're able to do much of anything of value for anyone. The world is full of people who were blessed at birth with rocket scientist brains and will gladly sit in front of a computer 12 - 16 hours a day pounding away at that stuff. You'll never be able to compete unless you're that type yourself. Every parent wants their kid to go into IT today, just like when I was a kid every parent wanted their kids to be doctors and lawyers. Still do I'm sure.

I could have been a rocket scientist or a brain surgeon but I chose truck driving at 21 years old and it was a fantastic choice for me. So my theory is to find something you love to do and spend all of your time doing it. That's how you'll get good enough at something to make a great living doing it. There is no shortage of people making millions golfing, fishing, and playing video games. How good do you have to be to make a good living that way? One of the best. So pursue something you feel you might put enough time into to become one of the best. The money will follow in due time.

Theyre saying that they will pay for it and get me graduated from college.

I spent 20 years as an IT Project Manager. I drive a truck. You've got a no-win situation. Being a software developer isn't what it used to be. Caterpillar, Disney, Hertz, Southern California Edison and the University of California are just a handful of HUNDREDS of organizations who have laid off their IT departments and replaced them with cheaper workers from overseas with H-1B visas. Not only will you be competing with developers from overseas willing to do the same job for <$30k/yr., you'll be competing for the remaining jobs with the seasoned IT workers who were laid off after decades of service. There are more than 800,000 H-1B visa workers in the U.S. today and most of them work in IT.

Not all degrees are created equal. The old paradigm of having a B.A. in anything guaranteeing a middle-class life is long gone. Too often a degree only means years of debt and a low-paying service job. Thousands of degrees in Journalism are issued every year for a handful of jobs. Unless you really have the ambition to get a degree in a chosen field and that field has a shortage of workers and a high average salary college is a waste of money. Yes, you can say your read the classics and woke up naked on a stranger's lawn, but it's possible to do those things without $40k+ in loans. Much like drivers, a lot of college students don't make it past their first year.

Are your parents offering to pay for your degree or would you be taking out loans? Why do they think software is the way to go?

Thank you so much for all the quick responses and the honest opinions. I believe that I will do trucking when I'm 21 yrs old and that's what makes me happy. I'm sure being in front of a laptop from 9-6 isn't gonna be fun at all. Again thank you alot for all the opinions, be safe all of you.

IT is not a field you want to go into unless you're really, really cut out for it. It's not something you decide to do because it sounds like a reasonable career pursuit.

This is funny - because we pretty much say the same thing about trucking - or really any career endeavor that can demand total immersion.

They're saying that they will pay for it and get me graduated from college.

Cool - wish I had an offer for a free ride at your age. Wish I wasn't a screwup-hippie-weedhead at your age too - because I could have gotten a ride.

See if your HS guidance counselor can set you up for an Aptitude Battery - or go down to an Air Force/Navy recruiting office, and tell them you want to take the ASVAB (Armed Forces Vocational Aptitude Battery). It's a pretty good indicator of what might actually be a good fit for you.

Whatever you decide, should be whatever works for you long-term. I don't know what kind of student you are - or what kind of SAT scores you have. My son tested high 2,200's - but he was a screwup (like father/like son) and now he has to work for a living to support himself.

If your parents will stake you to a 4 year degree - GO FOR IT. Even college athletes (with half a brain) take their "ride" and get a degree for "life after sports" because not everyone gets to "go pro".

Again - you have plenty of time.

Rick