So as I type this, I'm stuck at the high school, waiting for my friend to finish up play practice so he can give me a ride home. School ended almost 2 hours ago.

Being a senior in high school, I have some decisions to make. Where do I want to be in five years? I'll obviously need a steady job once I get out of school. University is out of the question (that's boring!). My thoughts are towards tech school. I kind of like the idea of taking the CDL classes and driving truck, but I'm not sure where that will take me in life. It's a job I've always wanted to do as a kid. Honestly, I think it's a deep seeded craving to honk at things with an air horn, but that's just my opinion.

The CDL courses have no prerequisites, so I can go right into them from high school. The more I think about it, the more appealing that sounds.

Anywho, waiting for friends sucks, and I really wish I had a working vehicle right now (Outback has a broken radiator/condenser/power steering belt/serpentine belt, Explorer's front bearing preload nuts got blown out at the same time). I REALLY need to drive myself to and from school again...  

can you weld? i took a high school weld class which led to getting a welding job in between my junior and senior year of high school. five years later i'm still doing it, making a healthy living and having money for my toys. I'm lead welder at work and have had guys in their 40s to 50s as helpers. You could take a community college course but will only learn the basics, or could go to a welding school and learn a lot, but they are exspensive. There is a huge demand for welding pretty much everywhere, and you'll never have to go without a job.  

Why not college?  

no doubt, college... truck driving is hard on families especialy kids and relationships, some drivers never which end of the country they'll be on from week to week.

I ended up driving mostly cause it's easy and at one point took me away from financial and problems at home,

at least look into a tech school be for ya jump on a truck to nowhere special.

I feel kinda stuck in the trucking (car hauling) industry, everything I can do well has no merrit cause i have no certificate saying I know anything automotive related, plus no recent references.... so even though theres very little i can't fix wihtout just changing parts, no one will consider me for any kind of automotive repair/welding/fabrication/installation type jobs, which is what I grew up around thanks to pappa,so I'm kinda stuck watching the kids grow up from behind a windshield. now that stinks.

I couldn't even get a job a couple months back at a 4x4 accesories shop spraying line-x cause of no recent proof of experience. I'm not in need of a job at all, I just wanna be home more and be able to do things we used to do.

consider this before ya jump into a truck at a young age.  

Well, the reason I really like the idea of trucking is because I basically can have a job lined up for me right after I get my CDL, and I'll be making good money, I'll be driving a truck that's not even 10 years old, and it'll be pretty local. The longest trip will be from way up here in NW Washington down to about half way down the Washington coast. It seems like a winning deal.

Oh, and I really can't weld to save my life. I've tried in the past and didn't get very far.  

Hey Jg. This is a heart to heart from a hand that put in my Million plus behind the wheel...Its nothing to brag about. I drove for 20 years and all ive got to show for it is a broke back and memories. thats it. the money will be great for the first year or two, then what?
please look into school first. i had no intrest at all years ago, ime 41 now and wish i had made better choices. ya the money was great,for a 15 year old starting out,you know what? it was all about bragging rights, showing off to my friends my 500 a week paycheck. then the 1000 a week pay days, then the 2000 a week paydays... all at 100 plus hours a week hauling stuff thatv is going to kill me sooner than later,hazmat will do that to ya. and missing the 90's literally! i was on the road 7 days a week 2-3 months at a time, i missed out on a whole bunch of livin coz it gets in your blood. then one day your out in some city,in the cold and wondering what your doin there.
I love the driving, but it was an escape from real life, and responsibilitys. My friends now make more than i ever did and they have their health.
Life is going to be wonderful to ya, and take the chances you get while your young ,coz after a while your not given anymore. just because you tried and failed once...dont mean you will again, its part of the learning curve.
If your hearts set though, give er a try and see, but have an escape plan. the economy is driving many trucking businesses out of the market,and the newbys are the first to go. fuel prices,bad dollar,all drive the pay down. Idiot car drivers who will NEVER KNOW ANY BETTER will run out in front of you and you may kill them, or get your self in the hospital.
your young, use the energy you've got to your advantage!
there is so much to see and do!
school isnt as bad as it sounds, Ime getting an associats pretty soon. a first step to a better future in law. step by step!
good luck to ya. always do what you love and do it well and maybe you can make some money right?
there is time to think now, coz your young and allowed to make the mistakes. but one day you will be 21 then 31 what then? serving your fellow man is noble and it will get you remembered. to be served you have to serve man better. Ime gonna be the boss" of me soon.thats whats its really about. and school is going to get me there.
i could have been a cop, an emt, but i chose the road and it broke me.
luck to ya
Naughtydodge04  

Holy crap, man, that's deep. It definitely something now that I realize I'm going to have to give a lot of thought to. Like I said, I've always wanted to drive truck, but now I'm seeing downsides that I never thought about.  

jg, i'm gonna jump on the band wagon too. i spent 20+ years behind the wheel. i missed my children growing up, and the money i made was pretty much spent before i had it. now i work a crap job, washing out food grade tankers, but at least i'm home. i plan to get back into trucking later, but for now i'll settle for a steady paycheck and time at home. i hauled harleys to florida and back hauled produce, i was clearing $1000 a week from dec to aug.......then comes to slow time, looking for loads, taking junk that you don't want to, just to get some bill money together. i could of went to west point when i was in the army, but i wanted to drive........so here i am, 41 years old and in a crap dead end job. not trying to sound preachy, but get that education, it's the best thing you can do for yourself.  

As an update, I've been looking around at what it takes to become an animal control officer in this area and things are looking good for my case. I'll keep you guys updated with how things go as soon as I get more info.  

Good for you on getting a job with the city! then ya can go to school at night git a masters eventually and then be able to build a HUGE monster of a four wheeler with all the money you now make as a person with the sheepskin! and now your tha "Playa!" whos got all the mad skills and money that all the wanna-bees only wish they had. All it takes... is ...some.... want to.  

That'll be good gettin a Job for the local govrnment, and like Naughty says go to school at night. It'll be worth it, especially if you can stay closer to home. I drove trucks for a couple of years after the military. Then went to sea for better part of ten years, and it is really hard on family. One these days you gonna want some youngans and it sucks when you come home and your children ask who you are.  

dang jungle, that happened to me on a few occasions. kinda like a knife in the heart. jg, working for local government ain't too bad, the pay might suck (depending on what you do) but the benifits packages are outstanding. and it's a guarenteed pay check.......just remember us little pee ons out here footing the bill tho......lol  

I also drove OTR for several years before I got an even crappier (although very lucrative) factory job.
I believe you still have to be 21 to get a CDL, right???
Have you ever thought about the military? That would be an awesome way to get some vocational training(welding, electrical, automotive, etc) and earn some scratch for college if ya change yer mind later. Plus, you could travel the world and see places you may never get to see otherwise.  

As far as military goes, I'm not really that type. It goes against a lot of what I believe in (that's a whole other subject, though, that I won't get into). I've been looking more and more at what I need to be an animal control officer and I really fit the bill for it. I guess the next thing to do is go into the animal control headquarters over here and talk to someone face to face about it.  

chariotofmanliness:
dang jungle, that happened to me on a few occasions. kinda like a knife in the heart. jg, working for local government ain't too bad, the pay might suck (depending on what you do) but the benifits packages are outstanding. and it's a guarenteed pay check.......just remember us little pee ons out here footing the bill tho......lol

Yup, more like having your heart ripped out. I came home after a 8 month hitch at sea and my daughter ask my wife who's that man. That really sucked.