Job market for smokers?

Alright, my concern is simple and hopefully common... I'm concerned if I never stop smoking then I'll never land myself a good career... To some people a high paying career is of little concern but to me getting the things I want later in life require money. Now, I would like to state that since I started smoking I have had ZERO depression breakdowns in the last 2 years... This was something I struggled with immensely prior to smoking... Aside from that I also like the affects weed has on me (from the small things like the munchies to the big things like the affects it has on my personality). I can certainly say that if bud was legal then I would be a lifer for sure... but with the concern of a good job loomin around, and I'm 20 y/o which means I'm at that point in my life where I gotta started making decisions, I'm completely stumped.

Do I give up the thing that makes me feel "complete" (corny I know, but honest) and get a solid job or do I do what makes me happy in life and keep smokin away?

I've only been smoking for two years now and am still very young... but I fear that if I don't go back to college now then I never will (and that seems like a waste b/c I was a 4.0 college student, however, dropped out due to completely non-weed related issues, honestly) and yes I realize I can go to college and still smoke (duh) but whats the point of getting degree if I wont be clean for a random piss test anyhow? I could go on and on but don't wanna bore anyone.. Please, any advice on this subject would be greatly appreciated!

What's up man. I'm 19 (20 in a month), attend college, and also have high career goals so I can relate to what you're talking about.

My philosophy is that I'm going to smoke for the rest of my college career and just cheat on the piss tests (it's easy) or just stop a few months prior if it's something like a hair test. I think I can control myself as far as knowing when I should and shouldn't smoke and that's really what you need to make sure of if you want to smoke while trying to succeed in college. Just don't smoke immediately before, or after you study for tests or exams.

It sounds like chiefing improves your quality of life a lot so why not continue? You just need to stay on top of your shit and make sure your grades dont slip. You're a 4.0 student so I wouldn't think you'd have too much trouble with your classes.

As the exceptional physcian Dr. Dre once said.. Smoke weed every daaay.

Use not abuse


smoke in moderation and you'll be fine

im 20, and i smoke everyday, all day, and Im very good at my job, I am searching for colleges right now, I live on my own, and I believe I am a talented, smart person, even tho i smoke all the time:D:jointsmile:

like the other person said, use in moderation, that fits ur lifestyle:jointsmile:



keep on tokin:stoned:

Happiness is subjective. Remember that ranjas, and never let anyone tell you what happy is. Forget your ambitions for that 100 thou a year job, that just puts you into the next tax bracket.

Money rules everything around you. Don't let it rule you too.

Aside from me saying the cliche of "money isn't everything", i don't see why you cant continue smoking throughout college (like someone suggested) and then go clean after you graduate? That's DOUBLE the smoking experience you already have(assuming 4 yrs post secondary), so who knows, maybe it'll be easy to say 'no more!' when you have to.

I myself was kind of in the same position a few years back (turning 21 in Aug). I went through some hard times, and had to reevaluate what i was doing with my life. Irealized that what I was going to school for was not what i ultimately wanted, but what was moreso EXPECTED of me...Firstly, get TIME out of your head..im glad i did. The problem for me was i kept worrying about "falling behind" the rest of society by taking a year off university, but in all honesty, whose to say i HAVE to/SHOULD be finished a degree and starting my career by 21/22?? I dont know about you, but i plan on making my early 20's the best times of my life. The way i see it, you wont have any other time to truly be free and just live life, worry free. I know now that id rather "fall behind society" a few years, in terms of starting my career, to have unforgettable experiences/stories/friendships that will stick with me for a lifetime.

Anyways, long story short, I dropped out of business school and enrolled in chefs school. The way i saw it was taking business was my "safety net" from high school, because basically that is what I knew I could do and be successful at. After a year of pure slacking (but sooo much fun in res ahah) i realized that my heart wasn't in it, and that getting my degree in business was basically just a BIG gamble to land a job to make money, one that i did not want to invest my BEST YEARS OF MY LIFE for. I guess i realized that living THAT lifestyle is not what would make me the most happy, most fulfilled in life..This way, I can finally pursue my dream career/what makes me happy and try working as a professional dancer for a few years, while i'm still relatively young, and ill have culinary/entrepreneurship to back up onto when my body decides to give out.Clearly, money isn't my TOP priority any more, but that's not to say i am doomed to forever live a life in the bottom/mid tax brackets..You just have to figure out a way to translate that 4.0 gpa from books, to life :P

I know this is kind of long, but I think reading about my situation may help you at least approach your situation from a sightly different perspective. Anyways...just my 2 cents i guess haha

Apply for small businesses, preferably one that is growing fast and need people right away. The likelihood of them drug testing is lower because they're preference is to control costs rather than heavily scutinize their applicants. I don't think any job market is deterrent being a stoner, not all jobs drug test, especially if you have a college degree. Even if they do, quit for a few days and dilute your system and it should be good to go.

This kind of attitude is defeatist.

I would tell anyone this if I had the chance. If I had to do it all over again, I'd hit the books first.

I just have a high school degree and there's some advantages of working first. You'll have a few more experience than the college-grad counterparts and you'll have more work-related maturity as well. You also requires a bit of luck because you can work hard and it won't pay off. It requires recognizing opportunities and taking advantage of them.

However now, I'm back in school and working full-time as well. I am doing this because I hit the ceiling when I was 20, so any work promotions are lateral, you learn a new environment, or a set of skills, but you don't really move up. Trust me, this life isn't fun. Finish school, just to acquire knowledge, do the basic classes until you figure out what you'd consider to major in.

Learning never stops. Once you finish school, you learn at work and after work If you want to succeed anywhere, you have to put the time in. That's all there is to it.

Thank you so much everyone for taking the time to respond to my post!! I didn't think I'd get this many responses this quickly!

I was really happy to see no one said I should just quit smoking... then again on a site called cannabis.com I don't think I really expected anyone to, lol. I've read and reread every post that you all responded with and have gathered that its pretty much okay to feel the way I do right now? A couple people mentioned going back to school to at least see what I would like to do with my life and when its put in that context I really really like the idea of going back to school.

I suppose I was thinking I had to choices in life...

1) feel good
2) have lots of $$$

Now after reading everyone's replies I'm seeing a possibly third option which is simply combining options one and two together... I think it would be fair to say though if you're going to accomplish both it's going to take a bit of luck AND hard work. thcbongman mentioned how going straight into the work force has its advantages but without a breathe of luck you may end up at a dead end.

So am I correct to believe that enrolling back into college and just focusing on the NOW portion of my life as opposed to worrying about graduating "on time with society" then things should fall into place on their own? I would like to believe that idea and am certainly up to the challenge but fear I may find myself here again 4 years from now asking the exact same question... only with a degree in hand.

Perhaps the next person I should be talking to is a career counselor?

JohnnyZ I agree completely with what you stated... I just don't want to be working at the same restaurant 10 years from now ya know? I can honestly say that when I try to think of a career choice that would allow me to support a family AND not have to worry about piss tests I come up blank =( And that's where my real fear kicks in.

Thanks again everyone for your responses!! Any further advice is most certainly welcomed and appreciated!!

Glad you were helped by our input!

I just wanted to reinforce to you that drug tests should not dictate whether or not you smoke. When the time comes for you to get tested for a serious job after college, they will usually let you know WELL in advance. Most people get job offers before they've graduated and the test would not be administered until either right before graduation, or in the summer after.

I'm also in a similar situation. After taking a year off of school after high school, I worked for a year straight, made some money, got some neat stuff, but most importantly had lots of time to do a lot of thinking. During this time I picked up smoking weed. I'm a highly ambitious person and I've always been deterred from smoking because of the cliche associations of "wasting your life away" and being lazy and stupid, but during this year I realized how backwards this society is and therefore started to question it and all it's beliefs. The society that makes marijuana illegal and immoral, is the same society that praises conformity, materialism, and all the things that make it easy for the government to keep it's people in line. I think we all know how much more dangerous alcohol and tobacco are than marijuana to your health, and how dangerous hemp is to sustaining the money obsessed pharmaceutical, paper, oil and plastic companies and most other monopolies in the world. Weed, along with some other drugs, wakes you up to this in that it makes you think differently.

What you're experiencing is a conflict of interest. On one side you have your interests, being happy and not having to worry about irrelevant issues, being brought out from you through smoking weed. On the other side you have the interests of the corporations, to live a materialistic and money obsessed life, deeply imbedded into your way of thinking by the backwards society you were born into.

Once you really realize this, you are free to do as you feel right, without the guilt or the feeling that you're doing something wrong.

:angry3:

Hope this makes sense.
Peace.

Hey man, I just wanted to reinforce to you that drug tests should not dictate whether or not you smoke. Don't let them determine a) whether or not you smoke, or b) what kind of job you aim for. When the time comes for you to get tested for a serious job after college, they will usually let you know WELL in advance. If your place of employment says they administer random drug tests, you'll have to decide then what is more important.

Less-serious jobs, such part-time summer internships and the like, will usually only require a closed-door piss test that can easily be beaten by getting a clean buddy to pee in one of those little hotel shampoo bottles. Just wear boxer-briefs and keep the bottle tucked next to your boys to ensure the piss is the right temperature in case the container monitors temperature.

What it all boils down to is that you should do what makes you happy as long as it isn't hurting others or yourself. If, at any point during your schooling (or any other point in your life for that matter), you decide that smoking is making you lose sight of your career and life goals, it's probably time to cut back a little bit. When the time comes, you'll know when it's time to stop. Some people stop after college, some continue until they're senior citizens. You just have to do what makes you happy, while still keeping the big picture in perspective.

and my bad about posting twice

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Originally Posted by ranjas75

JohnnyZ I agree completely with what you stated... I just don't want to be working at the same restaurant 10 years from now ya know? I can honestly say that when I try to think of a career choice that would allow me to support a family AND not have to worry about piss tests I come up blank =( And that's where my real fear kicks in.

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Ranjas you may agree, but I think you may have misunderstood me. Working in a restaurant is not what I had in mind either. I work in a restaurant at the moment to, part time during school, and if I ended up like the older guys there I wouldn't be happy either.

What I meant was you need to find the happy medium between making money and being satisfied with your life. I was in my third year of commerce this year, and halfway through the term I realized I hated every class that I was in. It dawned on me one day in the middle of Financial Accounting that, "Hey.. I really do not want to make sure balance sheets add up for the rest of my life.. I'll go crazy". And if there's any accountants here, sorry to bash your profession but I'd rather stay in the restaurant.

This term I transfered into Phys Ed, and in 2.5 years from now I'll have a Bachelor of Phys Ed, and I can play basketball with high school kids for a living. That is my ideal perfect job.. stay in the gym all day and get paid for it. I'll coach football, soccer and hockey too. Maybe start a wilderness club and do a few weekend camping trips. Not to mention June, July and August..

That is my happy medium. What's yours?

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Originally Posted by JohnnyZ

Ranjas you may agree, but I think you may have misunderstood me. Working in a restaurant is not what I had in mind either. I work in a restaurant at the moment to, part time during school, and if I ended up like the older guys there I wouldn't be happy either.

What I meant was you need to find the happy medium between making money and being satisfied with your life. I was in my third year of commerce this year, and halfway through the term I realized I hated every class that I was in. It dawned on me one day in the middle of Financial Accounting that, "Hey.. I really do not want to make sure balance sheets add up for the rest of my life.. I'll go crazy". And if there's any accountants here, sorry to bash your profession but I'd rather stay in the restaurant.

This term I transfered into Phys Ed, and in 2.5 years from now I'll have a Bachelor of Phys Ed, and I can play basketball with high school kids for a living. That is my ideal perfect job.. stay in the gym all day and get paid for it. I'll coach football, soccer and hockey too. Maybe start a wilderness club and do a few weekend camping trips. Not to mention June, July and August..

That is my happy medium. What's yours?

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Sounds like you have a good life planned, as far as im concerned:thumbsup: Mines still got some "uncharted territory", but the way i feel about it right now is that's exactly how i want it to be...to quote Common, "The present is a gift, and I just wanna BE"...another quote from a song that reminds me a of this situation, in a way..."Whats wrong with my generation...We was the cream of the crop, but it seems we've been robbed. That's what happens when you trade in all your dreams for a job."

Gotsta love that REAL hip hop...Anyone with me??:D:hippy:

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Originally Posted by ranjas75

Now after reading everyone's replies I'm seeing a possibly third option which is simply combining options one and two together... I think it would be fair to say though if you're going to accomplish both it's going to take a bit of luck AND hard work. thcbongman mentioned how going straight into the work force has its advantages but without a breathe of luck you may end up at a dead end.

So am I correct to believe that enrolling back into college and just focusing on the NOW portion of my life as opposed to worrying about graduating "on time with society" then things should fall into place on their own? I would like to believe that idea and am certainly up to the challenge but fear I may find myself here again 4 years from now asking the exact same question... only with a degree in hand.

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It does take some work, but it's entirely possible to get promoted even though you don't have a degree. It's just much harder without solid credentials that include your educational background.

Everyone has their own path to take. Don't worry about what society think because success can be found in so many ways.

I have to completely agree with JohnnyZ. Having a lucrative job doesn't make you happy at all. It's kinda funny you mention accounting, I'm a living example of the wrong path to take. Everyday, making sure numbers match up between reports, hunting down discrepancies for a goddamn mistake, it pays well but it's not life. The irony of that post is that's what I'd rather be doing, being at a gym all day teaching people how to exercise. Or playing piano for a crazy experimental band, or working at a spa and massaging women all day. Chase happiness before having a lot of money corrupts you from the inside out. Just remember to work hard and smart at it!

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Originally Posted by ranjas75

So am I correct to believe that enrolling back into college and just focusing on the NOW portion of my life as opposed to worrying about graduating "on time with society" then things should fall into place on their own? I would like to believe that idea and am certainly up to the challenge but fear I may find myself here again 4 years from now asking the exact same question... only with a degree in hand.

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That is basically the path I have decided to walk down..I was basically in the same situation as you are, and also feared that id waste 4 years for a piece of paper, and be back where i started, even more lost than before..But i believe this fear is a totally different issue. Are you sure you want to go back to school/sure of the subject? Because I'm thinking that if you're having these thoughts, then you should really take some time and consider what you want to do in school/life, and if it is the path you want to ultimately choose, then go for it. If it is, then coming out with a degree in a field that you TRULY LIKE, with no job, shouldn't be TOO much of a problem. I mean, jobs don't necessarily come knocking for graduates with degrees..that's a HUGEEE misconception a lot of people have. BUT if you truly loved what you studied, then shouldn't being adept in that subject be ALL you need when you look down at your degree? If not, you should try and figure out how much money really means to you in terms of life goals/happiness.

Don't take this the wrong way, as I'm sure NOBODY wants to work their asses off for a degree, and not be rewarded with a job. That being said, I personally am planning on taking a few years off from fine dining to explore other career opportunities that may arise/meet new people/travel/LIVE LIFE! I know "financially" and "career-wise"as a chef, i could be making a bad decision, but I just have this feeling that those years off are going to be some of the most important of my life; personally, mentally, and hopefully career wise as well (as you never know what could arise when your free!). I know how grueling working my way up in a fine dining kitchen really is (60+ hour weeks, shittty pay, shittttttty hours, physically and mentally demanding, etc) and i know that if I pursued my career as a Chef straight out of the graduation gates, that id have to literally give up my life (no time for ANYTHING) and as it stands right now, i can't give up my bboying...there's virtually NOTHING in this world that can make me quit at this point...especially a career (where i should be able to "stage" anywhere for a day and be right back on board)

Anyways...I guess what i was getting at with the last half was it's all a JOURNEY..YOUR journey. So what if you dont get a job straight out of the gates? You should try to ENJOY being free from all the ties you've been born into thinking is your LIFE (SCHOOL to JOB to WIFE and KIDS, etc.) If it happens, take the time to reflect, try something TOTALLY new that you never had the time to do, but always wanted to...whatever it is.

I guess i realized that my "life-timeline" is A LOT more flexible, than they all made it seem, and i realized what I consider to be imporant to ME in MY life..




EDIT:

THCBONGMAN...right on the nose, my man.:hippy:

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Originally Posted by BBoyShotty

and also feared that id waste 4 years for a piece of paper, and be back where i started, even more lost than before..

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Time is never wasted, it is always an experience. The only thing that varies is the value of those experiences :p. Some, such as doing nothing and laying around the house all day, aren't as mentally stimulating, but at least you know you're capable of doing nothing. Some people have no perception of "nothing". To them it's a tough concept to grasp because every minute of every day of their life has been planned, so they feel like they always need to be keeping active. You don't always have to be doing something to be productive..

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Originally Posted by thcbongman

I have to completely agree with JohnnyZ. Having a lucrative job doesn't make you happy at all. It's kinda funny you mention accounting, I'm a living example of the wrong path to take. Everyday, making sure numbers match up between reports, hunting down discrepancies for a goddamn mistake, it pays well but it's not life. The irony of that post is that's what I'd rather be doing, being at a gym all day teaching people how to exercise. Or playing piano for a crazy experimental band, or working at a spa and massaging women all day. Chase happiness before having a lot of money corrupts you from the inside out. Just remember to work hard and smart at it!

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You know man, I gotta say I really didn't like you after the No Shave November thread. But my heart's going out to you right now man, cause your situation is the exact type I envisioned myself in if I didn't drop out of business school. It's never too late man, you can always take night classes or something. You should never accept a situation the way it is, there is always something you can do. If you are really that corrupted by money, try donating a bit of money to a local charity. I'm sure that might break your Scrooge-like lock on finances.

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Originally Posted by JohnnyZ

Time is never wasted, it is always an experience....

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Didn't bother reading the whole post, i take it lol.:cool: But yeah, definitely figured that one out after fucking up my first year from an academic standpoint, but at the same time growing soo much mentally in that one year.

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Originally Posted by BBoyShotty

Didn't bother reading the whole post, i take it lol.:cool: But yeah, definitely figured that one out after fucking up my first year from an academic standpoint, but at the same time growing soo much mentally in that one year.

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Exactly. You might be at the same point more than once in your life, but you will never be the same person. Everything you do becomes a part of you.

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Originally Posted by JohnnyZ

Time is never wasted, it is always an experience. The only thing that varies is the value of those experiences :p. Some, such as doing nothing and laying around the house all day, aren't as mentally stimulating, but at least you know you're capable of doing nothing. Some people have no perception of "nothing". To them it's a tough concept to grasp because every minute of every day of their life has been planned, so they feel like they always need to be keeping active. You don't always have to be doing something to be productive..



You know man, I gotta say I really didn't like you after the No Shave November thread. But my heart's going out to you right now man, cause your situation is the exact type I envisioned myself in if I didn't drop out of business school. It's never too late man, you can always take night classes or something. You should never accept a situation the way it is, there is always something you can do. If you are really that corrupted by money, try donating a bit of money to a local charity. I'm sure that might break your Scrooge-like lock on finances.

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Hey, I don't blame you for not liking me or anyone else for that matter. I sensed that vibe with a few of ya, don't worry, in truth I deserve it. As you saw, I can have a vicious temper and sound like a complete asshole. I was that day. I have nothing against BA, infact I respect him highly. It's when he said that, I misunderstood his sarcasm. I wasn't thinking about my experience with cancer so much, but those younger than me that are afflicted, them that are suffering, so I hope you understand where I came from, as wrong as I was. Just think about them suffering brings so much sadness inside. For that I do donate to a couple of charities that help them. I also tried to help start a non-profit organization with a few people to help children with cancer connect with each other, but it failed the ringleader didn't have many connections.

I do attend night classes and I'm still chasing a degree in finance. I don't really enjoy it, all I'm thinking is about survival, I can do what I love after work. As highly energetic as I am, life is starting to wear me down, it's not what I want to do. There are some parts of me that just isn't me. But I just been thinking lately of change, your right, it's time to stop accepting this like another day because that's what it will be. I don't really care having a little money, it's I been so use to having the capital to pay for expenses and still have plenty of discretionary income, it's hard to envision making a sacrifice. That's what's holding me back.

Don't know if this has already been said....

Just keep smokin til you need a job then stop. Once you get said job, continue.

I'm gonna give being a comedian a go, that's the only job i can think of besides working in a coffeeshop that will allow me to stay true to myself and not be a slave to the man. I'd rather create my own essence, to know oneself, one must assert oneself. Plus, no one will tell me not to smoke weed :D

Many of the older people I know (ages 40+) have decent jobs, but are part time musicians as well. I play bass and I want to be a bass playing pediatric dentist and like if little kid patients were ever being douches to me and crying I would play them a song to shut them up xD. In high school my mom was always like "Oh you just want to be a dentist for the free gas" because she knows I smoke.
Idk why, one day I just decided I wanted to be a dentist. I really hope they don't drug test also :( but hey if anyone knows any good dental schools tell me and I'll search em, I really wanted to go to Hawaii for dental school but I don't think it'll happen D:

srry for ranting :jointsmile::jointsmile::hippy: