In a slump

I don’t have the creativity to be a designer, nor the math skills to be an engineer. I’m too meticulous to be a technician, and too slow to be a specialist. I have complete apathy towards anything if it doesn’t have to do with my passion, and little sympathy for others. I have no ambitions, nor motivations. I tend to simply shut down when I encounter something I don’t like or can’t comprehend. I don’t typically have the energy to do my best, but when I do, I don’t want to do anything. All I want to do in life is dick about with cars. Is that so wrong?

Beautifully written...you should write a book... about cars

NordicSaab wrote: Beautifully written...you should write a book... about cars

I just might.

You have described most of my life.

Join the Air Force. If I could go back in time to your age and do it all over again I'd be Air Force career. Take every school offered (they pay for it), move every 2-3 years to somewhere interesting and cool (Italy anyone), and retire at 38-40 drawing a nice retirement check while you move on to whatever passion you have developed during your time in.

Deciding now what you want to do with the rest of your life is beyond absurd, so don't even try.

In reply to KyAllroad:

I did that essentially, except did my 20 years in the Navy.

You're are apparently a pretty good writer.

I'd consider going into a trade such as being an electrician. Tons of people in the trades are retiring and there is going to be a shortage.

G_Body_Man wrote: I don’t have the creativity to be a designer... All I want to do in life is dick about with cars. Is that so wrong?

Have you seen the cars they are designing these days? Surely you can be a designer.
Art Center Pasadena CA, boom done. Will put your parents back about $50k/year, but worth it in the long run.

KyAllroad wrote: Join the Air Force. If I could go back in time to your age and do it all over again I'd be Air Force career. Take every school offered (they pay for it), move every 2-3 years to somewhere interesting and cool (Italy anyone), and retire at 38-40 drawing a nice retirement check while you move on to whatever passion you have developed during your time in. Deciding now what you want to do with the rest of your life is beyond absurd, so don't even try.

same for me … but I'd go through the Navy way … AF ok … Navy ok ...

Adventure! Go places, meet girls, drive fast cars.

You've described me as well. I just said Berkeley it and here I am pretending to be good at math so that I can graduate and... do something with cars?

Try being 33 and still feeling that way.

"Too meticulous to be a technician?!?!?!" In most technical fields, meticulousness is the be all and end all of the game.

To those recommending the military: G_Body_Man is one of our northern neighbors.

In reply to Hal:

RCAF then

In reply to travellering:

Yes and no. Too meticulous tends to mean you take to long. Being too meticulous can upset customers, annoy bosses and get you on the wrong side of your co workers.

Take heart g body man, there's plenty of us who feel like you do.

Sounds like your dream job would be to have your own shop where a customer drops a project in your lap, gives you a brief and an open checkbook and timeframe and in return you give them a perfect finished project that blows all their expectations. ....wait, maybe that's my dream job.

You are 16...

You have plenty of time to figure out what you want to do. Go forth, find things that interest you. Do those things. Try things out of your comfort zone.

Just because you can't/ don't like to do things now, doesn't mean you never can/ will. Most people develop beyond 16.

If I did only what I wanted at 16, I would be a English major (doing whatever they do) driving a fwd turbo first gen DSM. I wouldn't be married and I wouldn't have kids.

You are exceptionally well spoken, objective and pragmatic for someone of only 15 years of age. I'd suggest following in Leslie's footsteps; become an automotive journalist.

Have you tried your hand at machining? You could take some machining courses and maybe land an apprenticeship at a job shop, preferrably with lots of manual lathes, mills, grinders and presses. You can make a very decent living in the right shop.

The_Jed wrote: You are exceptionally well spoken, objective and pragmatic for someone of only 15 years of age. I'd suggest following in Leslie's footsteps; become an automotive journalist.

Thanks. I have a contact at driving.ca but I have no idea how to get into automotive journalism.

G_Body_Man wrote:

The_Jed wrote: You are exceptionally well spoken, objective and pragmatic for someone of only 15 years of age. I'd suggest following in Leslie's footsteps; become an automotive journalist.

Thanks. I have a contact at driving.ca but I have no idea how to get into automotive journalism.

From what I've heard, you start by writing. Then write some more. Then send the writing to every conceivable automotive related site until someone says they'll publish it. Rinse and repeat until someone offers to pay you to do it.

G_Body_Man wrote: I don’t have the creativity to be a designer, nor the math skills to be an engineer. I’m too meticulous to be a technician, and too slow to be a specialist. I have complete apathy towards anything if it doesn’t have to do with my passion, and little sympathy for others. I have no ambitions, nor motivations. I tend to simply shut down when I encounter something I don’t like or can’t comprehend. I don’t typically have the energy to do my best, but when I do, I don’t want to do anything. All I want to do in life is dick about with cars. Is that so wrong?

Hello Kettle, nice to meet you.

What are you considering for post-secondary education?

No such thing as too meticulous. Maybe too meticulous for a dealer or general repair shop. Some areas of the automotive trade value attention to detail.

Trans_Maro wrote:

G_Body_Man wrote: I don’t have the creativity to be a designer, nor the math skills to be an engineer. I’m too meticulous to be a technician, and too slow to be a specialist. I have complete apathy towards anything if it doesn’t have to do with my passion, and little sympathy for others. I have no ambitions, nor motivations. I tend to simply shut down when I encounter something I don’t like or can’t comprehend. I don’t typically have the energy to do my best, but when I do, I don’t want to do anything. All I want to do in life is dick about with cars. Is that so wrong?

Hello Kettle, nice to meet you. What are you considering for post-secondary education? No such thing as too meticulous. Maybe too meticulous for a dealer or general repair shop. Some areas of the automotive trade value attention to detail.

I'm planning on going into auto sales, simply because it's something I enjoy and am good at.

Jesus Christ. Get to work. Get a good degree so you can enjoy a few days a week with your cars.

G_Body_Man wrote:

Trans_Maro wrote:

G_Body_Man wrote: I don’t have the creativity to be a designer, nor the math skills to be an engineer. I’m too meticulous to be a technician, and too slow to be a specialist. I have complete apathy towards anything if it doesn’t have to do with my passion, and little sympathy for others. I have no ambitions, nor motivations. I tend to simply shut down when I encounter something I don’t like or can’t comprehend. I don’t typically have the energy to do my best, but when I do, I don’t want to do anything. All I want to do in life is dick about with cars. Is that so wrong?

Hello Kettle, nice to meet you. What are you considering for post-secondary education? No such thing as too meticulous. Maybe too meticulous for a dealer or general repair shop. Some areas of the automotive trade value attention to detail.

I'm planning on going into auto sales, simply because it's something I enjoy and am good at.

Holy Hell boy!!! For the love of the FSM whatever you do, no matter how hungry you get DO NOT go into car sales!! I love cars, I enjoy talking to people. Three months selling cars made me want to strangle everyone. The hours suck, the pay was low, the co-workers are cut throat burnouts.

And yes I understand you are a ferriner , but that doesn't stop anyone from enlisting. Or join your home military, I hear the Canadian AF has a couple of really nice Cessnas.

But seriously, everything that has been suggested (except sales and berkeley sales) is an option in the military. But without all that pesky "paying tuition" or "years of apprenticeship". Want to write? Do that. Want to work in a machine shop? Fantastic, they can have you making parts for the highest tech airplanes on the planet by the time you are 19.

Lack direction? Trust me when I say that the military is good at giving young people "direction".