<p>lol, this may take a while but if anyone is willing to lend an ear and some advice, I’d appreciate it a lot. I’ll probably get off-topic a lot and ramble about a lot of things, but here goes.</p>
<p>Although I have a strong work drive, sometimes I feel as if I lack the skills to survive in a corporate world. Not that I have anything against businessmen, but I feel that the profession requires a lot of professional elegance and talk and attitude, etc. - which is definitely not me, because I am very down to Earth. Maybe it’s because I’m still relatively young (a junior in HS) and when I continue to mature I might change my attitude… that’s not saying I act immature, however… adults can always act in different ways… compare a consultant and his client discussing an important business decision, and then compare a doctor discussing how to treat a sickness to its patient, for example. If anything, I feel I lean much closer towards the latter (or at least somewhere in between). I recall a friend who told me his father received a $30k gift as a “present” from a co-worker of his or something on a business trip. lol… seriously, people who shell out money like that… (mind you the “gift” was not a birthday present or anything)… those are not the type of people I’d like to be dealing or working with. I know not everyone in business is like that, but stereotypes are not without a grain or truth at the very least. I think the best way to put it is that business is the most likely place I’d have to work with and deal with people like that… And it seems like the more one works his way up the ladder, the more he’ll have to deal and work with those kinds of people. I’m sure you can always find a handful of doctors who had entered their profession just for the cash (and a handful of my intelligent friends are planning just that), but honestly, I doubt there are close to as many “greedy and rich” secretaries, nurses, non-profit workers, etc. out there as there are “greedy and rich” businessmen. I think being rich tends to play a huge factor, too. I grow up in a very rich area with high standards of living, and almost every smart guy who plans on going to college is materialistic, spoiled, and plans on making money in college and accomplishing little else. Hell, most of my guy friends are like that - the exceptions are most of my Korean friends (but then it’s only the ones who are active and serious in their church, lol…)</p>
<p>Something tells me I’d be crazy to enter the corporate world with this all said. Or am I being too pre-judgemental about the whole issue? I definitely am taking this too far, but then I’m pretty damn sure that once I’m at the top of the corporate ladder or anywhere close (which is what I’d be aiming for given my natural ambitious drive to succeed), I will be surrounded by a lot of the type of people whose personalities I despise. I don’t care how smart or bright or diligent the people are, nothing beats a strong moral. honest, and ethical person in my opinion. Any “fake” and professional attitudes I encounter would make things all the worse for me. </p>
<p>This doesn’t mean at all that I’m not interested in the actual subject of business - I’m very interested in accounting as well as many other business fields that might focus on critical thinking, problem solving, working with numbers, etc. in the real world. So what’s up? Is my attitude correct (to whatever extent it might be exagerrated or farfetched), or am I seriously just overly skeptical about the whole corporate world?</p>
<p>If I am correct, what else can I pursue out there that makes money and is not like being a doctor nor pharmacist (considering my lack of strength in the sciences) nor law? I’m considering working in public policy (unsure of its job growth and general salary potential but I’m captivated at the idea at working with public policy) or being an economist for the federal government (unsure of the career’s future and sometimes I doubt if I could actually handle the high-level math in graduate studies, but salary is very high, it is a very interesting subject to me, and its for a good cause if I’m trying to help the US economy). I’d also consider like an accounting job for a non-profit organization (very unsure of demand, job prospects, and salary in this industry though) orfor the federal government (also unsure of the demand and general growth in the Federal government - and what if the Fed gov’t decided to cut back on its employees?).</p>
<p>If I’m not, can anyone clarify and help me better understand what it’s like to be in the corporate world?</p>
<p>Thank you for any help and advice. As you can see, I’m still quite lost. At such a young age, I’m very aware of what I want to do in my life - to make enough money for my kids so that they can benefit from the money and education my parents had earned for me… and also preferably do something for a cause or meaning. I doubt my long-term goal of really helping out a community or people or whatnot will change, because that’s really the type of guy I am. I like to help people, lol. I’d really love to be a doctor or something with that said, but as I’ve said before, that’s really not an option for me. This is why I’m taking a liking to government/public oriented jobs or working for non-profit organizations. But career stability and salary potential is also an important factor because I’d put family first. I guess I’m feeling a slight bit of disillusionment in my life because I always felt I knew what I was going to do for my future, but I’m going crazy now, lol. Money, happiness, satisfaction, achievements in life… these are all things I’m trying to consider. I’d appreciate any help or advice anyone could give. Could a guy like me thrive in the corporate world, or do I still have a number of other options to pursue in life? Damn, and I’m only 16, lol. I wanna take things easy in my life and not worry about the future, but for a guy like me that’s easier said than done.</p>