The big 18 and adult things?

[Johnny Bravo]

Don't ask people on the internet this question, step one....lol, live your life, make good decisions, make your own mistakes and learn from them.

 

[Nick87]

Trades are in demand just about everywhere and pay well generally

The biggest trade off is time. Most building trades don't give any pto. Most jobs that give you a ton of time off generally dont pay near as well. Finding that sweet spot would be my advice. I'm trying to nudge my 18 year old towards a firefighter career as we speak (actually im trying to to nudge him towrds taking his time a little and figuring out who he is first and what he wants before he jumps into anything with both feet). Decent money/ time off and it's recession proof. That last part is worth a lot more than most people give credit imo.

 

[Forkyfinder]

My best piece of advice - remember the choices you make are the most valuable now - wasted time is worse than wasted money. Money and time are the only currencies that really matter in life - the decisions you make in the next 10 years will be very formative in determining how much of both you have.

Lastly, avoid comparision of things - especially finances. The older you get the more you understand we are a family based financial soceity - even if you are an individual. A good example - home ownership - a lot of people i know receive money from their parents (i didnt) on your first home purchase. People dont often tell you the full context of their finances - and it isnt your business - but when you compare you lack that context. Run your own race and try to just be better than you were yesterday.

 

[Forkyfinder]

I'm trying to nudge my 18 year old towards a firefighter career as ae speak (actually im trying to to nufge him towrds taking his time a little and figuring out who he is first and what he wants before he jumps into anything with both feet)

Great option imo.

Otherwise - if youre willing to lie through your teeth being a lobbyist or politician appears to pay more than the value it adds to society.

 

[Nick87]

Great option imo.

If I had a do over I'd definitely look into it. I'm sure it has its downsides as well.

 

[cgasner1]

All the Roth guys are spot on. I’d tell you the same thing I told the 19 year old that started with me last week. Go home and study compound interest and learn how it works so you’ll understand why you put money in that Roth or 401k. Pay yourself first and fund those accounts. If I was starting over I’d be looking for a trade that within the next 5 years I could learn enough to have my own business. You can make a living working for someone but you’ll never get rich.

 

[cgasner1]

If I had a do over I'd definitely look into it. I'm sure it has its downsides as well.

You should push him to be a commercial airline pilot especially given how close to a major airport you are. Go look at those wages and the planes damn near fly themselves

 

[Forkyfinder]

My best piece of advice - remember the choices you make are the most valuable now - wasted time is worse than wasted money. Money and time are the only currencies that really matter in life - the decisions you make in the next 10 years will be very formative in determining how much of both you have.

Lastly, avoid comparision of things - especially finances. The older you get the more you understand we are a family based financial soceity - even if you are an individual. A good example - home ownership - a lot of people i know receive money from their parents (i didnt) on your first home purchase. People dont often tell you the full context of their finances - and it isnt your business - but when you compare you lack that context. Run your own race and try to just be better than you were yesterday.

Forgot to add:

Focus on what you can control. I might have heard that 1000 times before it started to sink in. It sounds cliche but if you are exclusively focused on the things you can do to improve your situation - and not on externalities affecting it - you are way more likely to get the change youre after.

 

[SAJ-99]

I don’t know you so everything I can say is general and the same advice I give everyone your age.
1. At 18 you have options and options have value. But every decision you make will eliminate some of those options, like moving along a decision tree. Just assume there are no re-dos and no going back. Learn yourself and choose wisely. Before you know it you will be 40 and saying “I wish I would have…”
2. Whatever you decide to do, commit to being as good as you can at that job.
3. Don't ruin something you enjoy by making it a job.

All the other stuff about saving and IRAs and choosing good friends is also very good advice.

 

[TrapperJ]

Not hunting related advice but I’ll tell you the same thing I did my little brother. Start a Roth IRA with your first real job and pick a percentage you can live with putting in it and continue it every time you get a raise (10-15%). At that age you don’t understand the possibilities you have. Sorry, it’s the accountant in me…

I like this advice and im gonna remember it and im gonna do some research about Roth IRA and see what all I can learn from it.

 

[TrapperJ]

Max out a ROTH. Seriously.

On it

 

[TrapperJ]

Roth IRA
Preference points for any hunt imaginable
Date wisely
Roth IRA
Call parents daily
Girl you’re dating isn’t necessarily the one
Connections Trump work ethic
That said, grind harder than others
Land is always cheapest in the present
Invest in futures such as water and AI
See the us and world
Roth IRA

Roth ira im gonna work on. Dating is something im not worried about. Girl im dating right now? Is she the one? Maybe but i agree alot of guys get locked in a relationship really early in age. I love the idea of investing especially in things like energy and water or as you mentioned AI.

 

[TrapperJ]

Wrap it with latex or she’ll have your paychecks!

Congrats on making it to adulthood, young man. I’m only 34, but life flew by in the blink of an eye from about 21-present…

Keep your schedule as loose as possible and you will enjoy much more when the opportunities arise. That’s not saying to ignore your commitments or responsibilities. Once you have kids and married and pets and bills up the wahzoo, time seems to be one of the things you wish could just put in your pocket and not spend….
I agree that in many cases, having connections can bring you more than a strong back and a can-do attitude will. Value those connections. Even “single serve” one-time meets with people can leave a big impact on one another and you’d be surprised what one random conversation can teach you or earn you.
Of course, bust your ass and stay positive and it will rub off on all those around you.

Much love little bro.

Thanks matey im taking and enjoying all the advice im getting and i belive first impressions is a really big thing and I try to leave a great first impression but sometimes I feel a bit slacky on it. My schedule right now is decently open just stressful. Gonna bust my ass and work as hard as I can and see everything I can

 

[TrapperJ]

These are the good old days for hunting. Full stop.

Public access will shrink. Tag prices out West for non-residents will rise faster than inflation. Draw odds for non-residents will get tougher out West. Outfitted hunt costs will go up. Private land access cost will go up.

If you can live in a state out West which has plenty of public hunting land and lots of dates to hunt then that will make hunting more affordable.

General life advice. Live below your means. If you find internal peace that you “have enough” then saving money is possible. If feel deserve more things then paycheck to paycheck living is a brutal way to go through life. I have had colleagues earn $500,000 a year and go bankrupt from lifestyle inflation of cars, travel, clubs, nannies for kids, watches, etc.

Once have a safety net of savings for emergencies then invest in buckets of stocks. Time invested in picking investments is best if kept minimal. You only need to match the overall stock market growth so don’t chase the hottest stock or sector as studies show your odds are you will not outsmart the overall stock market. Buy a big bucket of stocks such as VTI which has 1000s of publicly traded companies and the associated fees are very small. Set dividends to reinvest. Read up on Bogleheads approach to investing.

Avoid excesses whether food, booze, drugs, vaping/cigs, gambling, gaming, death-scrolling, etc. Any endorphin rush from an excess is followed by a crash in mental outlook or health or both.

Be ready to encounter things that are not “fair” such as a health issue or loss of a loved one or betrayal or your employer goes under or you see someone get what seems an undeserved career break, etc. These setbacks or hurdles are what make life a journey worth taking. Curveballs are not fun in life but resiliency and internal confidence you will emerge over these hurdles whether takes a week or decade of effort. On what seems a crappy day, there are likely a long line of people willing to trade places with you. Have that awareness.

Realize that watching a vibrant sunset or hearing a child laugh is a bargain. The wealthiest person may have less opportunity to enjoy those simple moments than you have. Wealth can flatten a lot of issues since can tap resources to make most issues in life go away which absolutely reduces stress and stress kills. What wealth does not magically dispense is happiness, loyal friends, a loving companion, health, good parenting, respect by others, etc.

I plan the work and work the plan. That covers career, budgeting, family interaction, etc. Opportunity seems to favor those with a plan. Opportunity often looks like hard work, too, so taking on a grind for a few years may reduce social interactions but jump start success.

Finally, there will be two instances in life where your inner moral compass will be tested. The day you discover you seriously have too little money on hand. And, the day you realize you have too much money on hand. The choices you make during those two moments will test your character. Be ready.

This is what everyone young kid should wanna hear and i thank you and appreciate all of this and this is some of the most understandable advice ive ever heard. I dont have excess to drown in such as drinks or vaping or anything like that so I should be good there. Stress is definitely a killer and its took a decent bit of me the last few days but im getting through it. I understand not fair things will happen in life and I understand its about seeing a brighter side to get through them.

 

[TrapperJ]

Great advice!

I will add if you’re physically able, do a stint on Active Duty in a job you think you would enjoy. I had so much fun in my early days of service. It set me up for everything I cherish today.

Whats a stint? Active duty like military?

 

[TrapperJ]

The choices you make when you are young are likely the ones you’ll have to live with the longest. Make good ones.

The retirement dollars you save when you are young are the most powerful workhorses in your portfolio. Start saving for retirement as soon as possible. Put that money to work growing.

No matter what career you choose, even if you love it, it’s going to wind up feeling like a job at some point. Nothing is going to be all fun and excitement forever. Perseverance and resilience are going to be necessary no matter what you choose to do.

Oilfield can be a fine career, and pays pretty well. But I’ve also seen some young guys with more money than sense get off in the ditch with booze and drugs, doing stupid shit and getting hurt so bad they are on permanent disability. Don’t be the dumb kid.

Have you considered utility work (power lineman or something similar?) Lots of jobs, lots of opportunity to travel with storm response and such, get to work outside, good pay. Trades are in demand just about everywhere and pay well generally.

Pick good friends, keep your feet on the ground, and make your retirement contribution for the month before you spend your fun money.

The fact that you asked the question at 18 is pretty impressive honestly. Keep asking questions. It will serve you well.

Power lineman is a big thing i wanna do but I just don't have cdl or anything to get my foot majorly in the door so I figured well try the oilfield or as I said working on a ranch would be really fun. I got some good friends I think. I always was told the dumbest questions are the questions you dont ask and it would seem dumb not to ask older people who's done a thing or 2 and knows a thing or 2 about life and being a adult

 

[Nick87]

Power lineman is a big thing i wanna do but I just don't have cdl or anything to get my foot majorly in the door so I figured well try the oilfield or as I said working on a ranch would be really fun. I got some good friends I think. I always was told the dumbest questions are the questions you dont ask and it would seem dumb not to ask older people who's done a thing or 2 and knows a thing or 2 about life and being a adult

@cgasner1

 

[cgasner1]

Power lineman is a big thing i wanna do but I just don't have cdl or anything to get my foot majorly in the door so I figured well try the oilfield or as I said working on a ranch would be really fun. I got some good friends I think. I always was told the dumbest questions are the questions you dont ask and it would seem dumb not to ask older people who's done a thing or 2 and knows a thing or 2 about life and being a adult

I’ve been in the trade for 20 years and run a crew for the utility here. If you wanna have a serious conversation about getting into line work I can send you my number. I will tell you this much if you want to do this line of work stay out of Texas. I do love my job it’s afforded me a lot of things in life but if I started over again like I said I’d look for a trade I could put my own name on the door or commercial airline pilot

 

[Redmt]

I'll give you a word of life advice. Never loan money to a friend if you actually expect to get it back. Consider it a gift and be happy if you see it back. Maybe 50 years ago, either me or my buddy loaned the other $1000.00. We have traded that money back and forth many many times. We don't know who borrowed first. We don't know if we're even or if one of us is upside down by several thousand. We laugh about it and figure we'll be even by the time one of us dies.

 

[Addicting]

Whats a stint? Active duty like military?

Yep, best decision I ever made.

I grew up, I met my wife, I started saving, I had the money to buy my first house, I went to school and had no debt, & I retired from the military at 40.

I get a pension every month on the 1st. It pays all my bills and I am free to do whatever my heart desires.