Thinking With a Purpose

For all of the jobs I've had across my career, I can definitively point out the major dislike of all of them. While it seems to be a highly technical job, drafting is largely a regurgitation of basic ideas and techniques.

Take, for instance, CAD drafting. There are a variety of commands to input, repitition of keystrokes or mouse clicks that get things done. There's even a geometric ability required to figure out not only how to draw certain objects, but how to "CAD" them in the fastest possible way. A drafting style, if you will. Now, while I may be fast, none of these things require me to think beyond a certain level. It's all done automagically. I'm familiar enough with ways of drawing lines, modifying them, measuring distances, converting distances or what have you, that it comes second nature. The ability to sketch out what something will look like from a different angle is not really difficult, only time consuming to figure out what will be seen, not seen, or be seen beyond the current section.

At the moment, my current job is at the same time the most basic (sketching out already designed ideas) and the most lucrative I've ever had. It involves nearly no design work, very little interaction with ongoing problems in the real world or communication with those outside using the products I create. I've had more complex jobs before, with lesser timetables and lesser pay.

What should seem obvious by now, is that I've been bored. And have been for quite some time.

And now I'm back to the same question of what do I do, and where do I go, from here? Can I ever afford to go back to school to enable me to do something more complex? What should I go for? Maybe I should be in an artistic field, with somewhat free reign to do what I want. I don't think I would be happy with the complexity without freedom that engineering (while lucrative and technical) would provide. I can similarly see issues with computer programming or system management.

Maybe I should ask my dad. He'll probably tell me he knows me better than I know myself, and knew I was on the right track 5 years ago (going to college), but didn't have the ambition at the time. I've certainly grown since then, and yet feel stagnated.

I wish I had the time to sort it all out.

Where Can I Go From Here

I'm not sure if it's just because I've heard it so often said, or if it's something most people actually believe or experience in their life, but I'm going to say it myself:

"As I'm growing older...." I've gained the ability to see more of myself and apply critical thinking to my actions, experiences, and knowledge. I have a thirst for knowledge and guidance, so naturally, I have questions about these things. I'm barely not quite 25 years old, and approaching my first wedding anniversary. It makes me feel old.

The meat and potatoes. I've acquired a lot of skills in my life, and have lots of interests that always seem to commingle with each other. I'll make a not-quite-exhaustive list of skills and interests I have:

• Web Design
• Graphic Design
• 3D Modeling
• Programming
• Manual/CAD Drafting
• Computer Hardware Installation
• Computer Software Installation/Setup/Troubleshooting
• Video Games
• Game Design
• Fiction Writing
• Linux
• Office Productivity Applications (MS Office, Excel, etc.)
• Sound Editing
• Digital Video Editing
• Anime
• Martial Arts (specifically Aikido)
• Science Fiction

I'm a fairly smart guy, and I have good problem-solving skills (I pride myself on not only thinking outside the box, but being able to look at all 12 sides of it before making decisions). However, with the exception of CAD Drafting, I can't call myself an expert at anything (and that's probably pushing my luck saying that for CAD, though I have about 7 years experience). I learn quickly, and I'm able to transfer my skill sets from one kind of task to another, but I'm not any more proficient than someone who has specialized in only a few of these things. Yes, some of them are hobbies, but I would love to find a way to converge one or more of the actual skill-based techniques with my hobbies, and make a living doing it.

So where does someone that is a jack-of-all-trades go? I can stick it out in my current profession, but to be honest my left-brain hurts. CAD is a fairly intensive continual set of procedures with calculations always running through my head. At the same time, it's what most people might say "mindless." Doing it feels more like being in a factory line repeating the same movements, on a different scale. I have a keyboard and mouse, and different construction projects come my way, but at the end of the day they're all so similar and the standards of drawing are created for efficiency, so it's no surprise that every day feels the same. I'm not an engineer, so I'm not the one actually problem solving, either.

My current commute doesn't help this any:

1. Wake up at 6:30am. Leave at 7am.
2. Drive 5 miles to the train station.
3. Ride train for 90 minutes or so. Watch DVDs on portable player.
4. Walk 5 minutes to metro rail.
5. Ride metro for 15 minutes. Try to nap.
6. Walk 1 mile (15 minutes) to work.
7. Work.
8. Repeat 1-5, backwards.
9. Get home at about 7:30. If the train doesn't have delays.

There isn't enough time in my day, and I don't quite make enough money to move near to the city in which I work. I've been considering moving to a smaller community and finding a job there, assuming the cost of living is low enough to justify the wage cut. It's a low tech area, with a high-tech college right in the heart of it, so can I compete against all 20k+ college kids for a job that I can't specialize in? Why pay me a living wage when you can pay a college kid living on loans 2/3 as much, when it's sincerely worth it to find a new guy in 4 years when the kid leaves?

So where do I go? Where can I go?