What do you all think about this situation?

[LuvingLife]

After months of continuous deliberation, (with tons of questions and mind changing lol!) I have decided that what God wanted me to do was something that never even would have crossed my mind! I am not going to go to university, but a local CC, maybe learn a trade of some sort (preferably medical, i.e. medical assisting) take time to do mission work, and one day soon I hope to own my own bake shop or small buisness. But so many people are trying to put me down, trying to deter me from what God has planned out for me. I just don't understand why they do, sometimes these people hurt my feelings, other times they make me extremely upset with the way they talk to me as if I am a small child! (I know I am a young adult, but I despise being treated as if I am of toddler age!:glare:)

 

I know with today's economy that many people think a college degree is the only way, and I plan on getting my associate's in a trade to pay the bills, owning my own buisness is just something I want do, and mission work is where God has really placed a big piece of my heart to go. Now not everyone has faith and I understand from different points of views it looks odd to todays society of everyone must have a career. But I feel otherwise, and when people think I am giving up my life to raise babies, it's just dispicable!? (One day I do hope to have a family, this is not meant to be an insult at all, but some people, after they have learned about my background believe I am just going to dedicate my life to becoming a Michelle Duggar, again not an insult!! She is a great woman, but do you kind of understnad where I am going with this?;))

 

Anyways, to make a super long story short, I am just so sick of the nasty comments that come out of people's mouths, but it just makes me that much stronger to fight for what I believe in. What do you all think about my situation? How would you react to certain comments made by "certain" people? Do my goals really sound so I don't know, bleh?:bigear:

 

This is just a huge vent that I really needed to get off my shoulders, and writing it out is the best way I do it.:D

[deeinfl]

Cheyenne, ignore the naysayers--there will always be enough of them wherever you go and whatever you do. I think you are way ahead of the game in knowing what you want to do. That is half the battle right there. Statistically it has already been proven that many teens enter college only to waste years jumping from major to major not really knowing what they want to do. Many of them waste a lot of money only to drop out because of lack of vision. You have vision, goals, and the faith in a mighty God to see you through! Kudos to you!!!!! Don't ever change!

 

One of my very good friends got a 100 thousand dollar education. She is a cable woman making lots of money. She laughs and says that it took her a fancy education to make her realize that counseling was not something she wanted to do. She did work in a school for awhile, but it was unfulfilling and didn't pay her bills. By the way, she's still owes money on that education.

 

Dee in Sunny FL! :)

 

ps My daughter loves to bake (is thinking of cooking school) has refused to go to college until she is 100 percent sure of what it is that she wants to do.

[LuvingLife]

Cheyenne, ignore the naysayers--there will always be enough of them wherever you go and whatever you do. I think you are way ahead of the game in knowing what you want to do. That is half the battle right there. Statistically it has already been proven that many teens enter college only to waste years jumping from major to major not really knowing what they want to do. Many of them waste a lot of money only to drop out because of lack of vision. You have vision, goals, and the faith in a mighty God to see you through! Kudos to you!!!!! Don't ever change!

 

One of my very good friends got a 100 thousand dollar education. She is a cable woman making lots of money. She laughs and says that it took her a fancy education to make her realize that counseling was not something she wanted to do. She did work in a school for awhile, but it was unfulfilling and didn't pay her bills. By the way, she's still owes money on that education.

 

Dee in Sunny FL! :)

 

ps My daughter loves to bake (is thinking of cooking school) has refused to go to college until she is 100 percent sure of what it is that she wants to do.

 

Dee, you reply literally brought tears to my eyes, I am very grateful to you for your kind words. I love what you posted and appreciate that you agree with my plans as it encourages me to move forward. I am almost done with my education (hopefully I will graduate by the end of this year!) and I am working towards entering CC by next Spring! My plans of owning a bake shop/buisness are slowly coming to life, and I encourage your daughter to follow her interests as well, baking is such a joy and a comfort to me! Thank you so much again Dee, I feel empowered to keep moving forward.:001_smile:

[Amy loves Bud]

I think you should discuss this with your parents and other trusted adults who know you well. It is good to have a plan, but also very difficult to know exactly what you want from life at 17. Explain to the people in your life who love younmost what you are thinking, and listen to their feedback. Good luck to you!

[AK_Mom4]

I think you should tell them to put beans up their nose. Oops, guess I got that wrong - Tell them to pass the bean dip!

 

I think your plan sounds fine. Learning a trade, giving time to others, maybe being an entrepreneur? Nothing to be negative about that I can see! And the best thing about it? You can always change the plan later if needed!

[memphispeg]

Cheyenne;

Dive right in an have a great time learning what you want to learn. You are just 17 and nothing is set in stone. Follow your gut (oops, cooking pun?) and you'll be all right.

College is just sometimes not the right choice, and do remember that you can always go later on. Older students are more focussed and sometimes the most interesting to teach.

You've really worked your choice out....give it a whirl and see how it goes!!!

[Rosie_0801]

Tell them they can say "I told you so" after you've filed for bankruptcy and not a moment before. :glare:

 

Rosie

[aggieamy]

I think you should discuss this with your parents and other trusted adults who know you well. It is good to have a plan, but also very difficult to know exactly what you want from life at 17. Explain to the people in your life who love younmost what you are thinking, and listen to their feedback. Good luck to you!

 

:iagree:

 

What do your parents think of your plan?

 

ETA: I own my own business (engineering) so I'm 100% supportive of small business owners. That said, I'm taking a break right now from work at 10:30 on a Sunday evening. I've worked 20 plus hours this weekend alone! That's 10 hours on Saturday and 10 hours today with probably another two or three to go. If that's your dream then start talking to some other small business owners that do what you want to do. Start figuring out classes to take. I'm a fantastic engineer but I didn't know anything about invoicing or accounts recievable until I started my business. I really wish I had gotten one or two accounting classes under my belt in college. If it's going to be your full time employment (which to be sucessful it really needs to be) then figure out how much you need to live on for a year and how much you need to start the business and then double that amount. That's what you want to have sitting in your savings account when you get started.

Edited April 23, 2012 by aggieamy

[Candid]

I'm with everyone else, maybe you should let them read this thread: http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=372349

[Tarreymere]

When I was a young adult it seemed like the whole world was focused on how important it was to go to college, get a college degree....blah blah blah. I went in the the Army for the college benefits since my parents were not supportive of college (and wouldn't give me their financial info so I could apply for student loans!).

 

I did go to college ten years later and I'm sure I did much better academically and had more sense in choosing a major I could get a job in, but honestly I was never really happy doing that work. I just didn't let my self consider other possiblities.

 

Then I had kids. I figured with the first ones that the thing to do was to encourage THEM to go to college. Well, now I have six adult kids who are much more stubborn than I was and none of them has a college degree. One is an LPN with a one year vocational program and very happy with that and another is going to start that same program after being a medic in the Army in Iraq. Another is a nurse's aid who started her own small business hiring out her friends to do basic care for the elderly. Another started as a cocktail waitress and is now a team leader/bartender in line for a manager position in a successful locally owned restaurant. My stepson is an electrician who dabbles in alternative fuel technology with his own group of investors. The youngest adult has some challenges mentally and physically but he lives independently and enjoys working with disabled people. They are all happy and make good money for our area. Three own their own homes, all but the youngest are married with kids.

 

It has been their example, plus my own experience of college not being the transformative experience I had been told it was, that has caused me to rethink my ideas about what young adults should or shouldn't do after graduation. I'm no longer all about college. If you don't have a passion for something that you need to go to college to get a credential in, then it isn't worth the cost. It is true that usually you need a degree if you are interested in living a certain expensive lifestyle, but the degree itself doesn't guarantee that you will get there even if you DO grit your teeth and major in engineering. Personally, I'd like to have a little more money (for books!) but I'm happy with my standard of living and my expectations aren't what they would be if I did have a greater income. It seemed like the more money I made back when I was working the more 'stuff' it seemed I really needed. I've found it is easier to focus on the people in my life when I'm not thinking so much about 'stuff'. This works for me, it may not work for other people.

 

I think you have the right idea. I think you just may be at the beginning of a new trend. Good luck and don't forget to have fun!

[Teachin'Mine]

Why share your plans with those who won't support you? Be selective and you won't have to "fight". Also, for what it's worth, I'd not worry so much about knowing the whole plan right now. If you're all set with community college, then for now that's all you really need to know. When you get closer to registration for next spring, spend some time with an adviser and come up with a plan for your classes. Most AA degrees will require the same general classes, so you don't even have to absolutely know then what you plan to do. The exception would be if you want to get into a special program at the cc. Put your efforts into your current high school work as everything you learn now will help you in your college classes and affect your placement in them.

[aggieamy]

My plans of owning a bake shop/buisness are slowly coming to life, and I encourage your daughter to follow her interests as well, baking is such a joy and a comfort to me!

 

All my advice is centered around owning a business since that's what I know. Have you worked in a bakery? If you haven't then I suggest looking into getting a part-time job at one for the time being to get an idea of how it works. One thing many people don't realize is that once your passion becomes your job then it's a different feeling at that point because it is a J-O-B. The classic example of that is the man who loves brewing beer - it's his passion, his hobby, his joy so he decides to open a brewery. It's no longer a joy because it's something he has to do to keep his bills paid.

 

What is your timeline on starting this business? Is your family supportive of the idea? How do you plan to fund it? What is going to make you special/different/better than all the other bakeries out there?

 

The last question is always the hardest but it's the most important. It's one that DH and I spent a lot of time thinking about before we started our company. You should read Dave Ramsey's Entreleadership book and The Millionaire Next Door. I highly recommend both of them. The first is a good business book and the second is inspiring.

Edited April 23, 2012 by aggieamy

[Sebastian (a lady)]

After months of continuous deliberation, (with tons of questions and mind changing lol!) I have decided that what God wanted me to do was something that never even would have crossed my mind! I am not going to go to university, but a local CC, maybe learn a trade of some sort (preferably medical, i.e. medical assisting) take time to do mission work, and one day soon I hope to own my own bake shop or small buisness. But so many people are trying to put me down, trying to deter me from what God has planned out for me. I just don't understand why they do, sometimes these people hurt my feelings, other times they make me extremely upset with the way they talk to me as if I am a small child! (I know I am a young adult, but I despise being treated as if I am of toddler age!:glare:)

 

I know with today's economy that many people think a college degree is the only way, and I plan on getting my associate's in a trade to pay the bills, owning my own buisness is just something I want do, and mission work is where God has really placed a big piece of my heart to go. Now not everyone has faith and I understand from different points of views it looks odd to todays society of everyone must have a career. But I feel otherwise, and when people think I am giving up my life to raise babies, it's just dispicable!? (One day I do hope to have a family, this is not meant to be an insult at all, but some people, after they have learned about my background believe I am just going to dedicate my life to becoming a Michelle Duggar, again not an insult!! She is a great woman, but do you kind of understnad where I am going with this?;))

 

Anyways, to make a super long story short, I am just so sick of the nasty comments that come out of people's mouths, but it just makes me that much stronger to fight for what I believe in. What do you all think about my situation? How would you react to certain comments made by "certain" people? Do my goals really sound so I don't know, bleh?:bigear:

 

This is just a huge vent that I really needed to get off my shoulders, and writing it out is the best way I do it.:D

 

It's good that you are able to keep in mind that most people are making comments because they want what is good for you in life and are probably trying to help you avoid some of the pitfalls that they know about.

 

I might be a little concerned that someone in your position was being a little naive about the struggles of a small business owner. I remember chatting once with a sucessful bed and breakfast owner. She had weekends where she would allow a couple to come and assist with running the hotel for the weekend in order to get a feel for the business. She said that many were very excited about the idea, but afterward realized that it was far more work and far less glamorous than they'd imagined.

 

My MIL is a business owner and has been for over 40 years. She not only runs her dance studio, but also sweeps her own floor and scrubs her own bathrooms, because if she hired someone, she would eat through her profits.

 

You might try to find ways of turning people's concern into networking. Do they know someone you could job shadow? Someone in a trade that you could go and speak with? Anyone who is in or has been in medical missions that you to could meet? Could they help you with internships?

 

Won't always work, but it might occasionally. And it helps to get them invested in the sucess of your intentions.

[LuvingLife]

Thank you all for the advice and especially the honest opinions as I was looking for that. Many people ask me what I plan on doing after high school, so that is when I tell them.;)

 

But like many of you stated, I can certainly enter college at a later time in life if I see the necessity of it, and maybe I will enter. But the local CC fits my needs perfectly, and I do not plan on owning a buisness until after I graduate CC so that I will have a job that I can fall back on. I am short on time so will probably edit later, but I do appreciate all of the great feedback!!

[aggieamy]

It's good that you are able to keep in mind that most people are making comments because they want what is good for you in life and are probably trying to help you avoid some of the pitfalls that they know about.

 

I might be a little concerned that someone in your position was being a little naive about the struggles of a small business owner. I remember chatting once with a sucessful bed and breakfast owner. She had weekends where she would allow a couple to come and assist with running the hotel for the weekend in order to get a feel for the business. She said that many were very excited about the idea, but afterward realized that it was far more work and far less glamorous than they'd imagined.

 

My MIL is a business owner and has been for over 40 years. She not only runs her dance studio, but also sweeps her own floor and scrubs her own bathrooms, because if she hired someone, she would eat through her profits.

 

You might try to find ways of turning people's concern into networking. Do they know someone you could job shadow? Someone in a trade that you could go and speak with? Anyone who is in or has been in medical missions that you to could meet? Could they help you with internships?

 

Won't always work, but it might occasionally. And it helps to get them invested in the sucess of your intentions.

 

:iagree:. I had to laugh at the glamor part. There is no glamor in business. There is work, work, and more work. There is work you don't want to do at times like accounting, taxes, and marketing. Like your MIL we can't hire those out because it eats into profit. Sometimes you're up until the wee hours of the morning working on business stuff (taxes, cleaning, answering emails, invoices, paying the bills) because during working hours you are actually doing the work. If something goes wrong then you as the owner are the one that gets to deal with the call and you are the one that has to answer for it.

 

Another recommendation I have is to start making a business plan. There are lots of examples on the internet to get you started.

 

However, it's been a heckuva ride for us and I wouldn't trade it for anything. :lol:

[ThisIsTheDay]

After months of continuous deliberation, (with tons of questions and mind changing lol!) I have decided that what God wanted me to do was something that never even would have crossed my mind! I am not going to go to university, but a local CC, maybe learn a trade of some sort (preferably medical, i.e. medical assisting) take time to do mission work, and one day soon I hope to own my own bake shop or small buisness. But so many people are trying to put me down, trying to deter me from what God has planned out for me.

 

(((Cheyenne)))

 

Of course satan will try to deter you from God's plan. Don't be discouraged; just continue to follow what He has shown. (I think your plan sounds awesome, but) no one else's opinion on your choice really matters. Are you comfortable in saying something like, "This didn't come from me, this is definitely what God wants me to do"? It may be harder for others to argue with that.

 

I am thrilled for you!! It's been wonderful to watch you grow up on these boards, and I'm taking the opportunity to pray for you right now.:001_smile::001_smile::001_smile:

[Hope in God]

Can you bake gluten free?? If you can, mama mia, you will be just ahead of the new demand. If you do gluten, dairy, egg free- even better.

 

Go for your dreams. You have to take the first step not really knowing what the next step is. I guess that is walking by faith. Your goals might not be the same as the general public but I think you are in good company here on this board with those who also choose the the path less taken.

[LisaKinVA]

I don't care if my kids go to college or not...as long as they have a plan, and are working towards a goal. Of course, at this stage of their lives, I can't imagine my oldest 3 NOT going to college, either ;).

 

When you have a lot of "maybes" CC is a great idea. It gives you time to explore, research, and find out what you enjoy/do not enjoy. Please keep in mind that there is usually work that goes into preparing to be a missionary (languages, some mission groups require specific course studies, etc.), and even after all of that, you may have to raise support money (or at least have enough saved for the time you're away). And, being a small business owner is a LOT (even if it's a side-business you plan to do while you're a mom with kids). There are courses in marketing, accounting, communication, design, not to mention culinary classes, research needed on health regulations, business licenses, how to fund the business...(SBA?) probably some graphic design (someone is going to need to make the brochures, etc.). So the paths you are looking into have their own learning curve.

 

Best wishes as you pursue your dreams.

[Kristin in Hawaii]

... I smiled when I read your post. I worked as a firefighter/EMT, camp cook in an Alaskan logging float-camp, waitressed, worked in national parks, sold guns and satellite TV systems and had several more occupations before I finally finished school and became a nurse. I became a mom at 30. It took me 6 years to complete an Associate's Degree in Science -- RN -- I was a new mom, working full time to make ends meet and it.just.took.longer.

 

I do agree with following your heart and I truly do not regret any of the experiences I encountered. But, if you CAN figure out a practical 2-yr degree (like RN??) to get out of the way early on it sure can open doors for you -- especially in that mission work you say you want ;)

 

 

Keep on luvin life ;)

[mumto2]

I think your plan sounds fine. If you have never worked in a food preparation business that is a small single business I would. Call it an internship.

 

At your age I had two different ones. I was studying accounting. One was in a corporate setting, my own desk, definately monthly routine, familiar surroundings. Loved that one. The other was auditing. The work was fine but the physical act of moving work locations on a frequent basis drove me nuts. Constantly working in awful locations --my opinion, I always got lost on my way to work, so did the rest of the staff, it upset my whole day not theirs--with just a couple of briefcases was torture for me--my best friend thrived on it. I had planned on a career as a CPA doing audits. I quickly changed to corporate accounting. Then to helping dh with his business. It all worked out fine. My internship saved me a lot time and unhappiness.

 

Take advantage of any learning experiences offered!:grouphug:

[LuvingLife]

Thank you all for your kindhearted and honest replies, they are wonderful to read and a good way to gain great knowledge about the outside world. This is what God has told me to do, and I plan on following it through until He says otherwise.

 

Thank you for allowing me to vent my frustrations , I feel better and will keep working towards my goal while keeping in mind all that you have posted.:D

[Mom22ns]

Why share your plans with those who won't support you? Be selective and you won't have to "fight". Also' date=' for what it's worth, I'd not worry so much about knowing the whole plan right now. [/quote']

 

:iagree:

 

I understand that many people ask seniors what their plans are. Don't be afraid to be vague. Only your parents and those really close to you need details. I've seen you change your mind several times and probably too many other have too;). That is okay. It may still happen again. Just let your plans be your own and take one step at a time.