My name is Trevor and I happened to turn to the mortgage industry before I even thought about college. I mean, I just turned 19 a month ago and already in a professional career, am I moving too quickly? The money is more than good, I just don't want to have a nervous break down in my 20's. Maybe I should get into a less advanced career, or do something that won't kill me. What do you guys think, which direction am I headed?

Trevor that's pretty difficult for us to say since we don't know you. If you feel like you are learning a lot and getting valuable experience, then I would say that you ought to stick it out for a while. If it just crushing you, then you might not be ready for the pressure yet.
A couple of things:
1) Don't leave before a year on the job, it looks bad to be a job hopper.
2) Don't leave before you have another job secured
3) Don't let the job own you, don't start using credit for a great apartment, hot car and credit cards force you to stay in a job that you can't stand.
4) Try and figure out what you would like to do, instead of what you just find yourself doing
5) The grass is always greener, etc...everyone ******* about their job, every job has its negative sides. Taking that into consideration, if the positives outweigh the negatives, stay put.
Good luck

I agree with Rockhead - we all have stress in our jobs particularly in high-performance occupations. Unless the stress keeps you awake at night and impacts negatively on your quality of life then you should ride it out (and try to last two or three years before moving on, the natural gestation period before upward movement). The only important question is "do you enjoy your work, does it interest you in the medium or long term, and can you keep all of the balls up in the air at the same time?" As far as the burn out is concerned, join a squash club or running club - make it part of your network for client marketing if you have to, but get some habits that burn off the stress.

Otherwise, have fun and put a little of the money aside for a rainy day. I bought my first house at age 23 and now 20 years later benefit from equity generated over that period of time. Back then my friends thought it was a little nerdy to buy a house, now they see its benefits.

Good Advice, thanks. I wish I could have learned to make more adequate financial decisions though. I bought myself a $35,000 car, pay too much for clothes and rent is off the hook. I have to learn to get rid of my expensive tastes if it means having the cash to do whatever, whenever.

quote:

Originally posted by Trev19:
Good Advice, thanks. I wish I could have learned to make more adequate financial decisions though. I bought myself a $35,000 car, pay too much for clothes and rent is off the hook. I have to learn to get rid of my expensive tastes if it means having the cash to do whatever, whenever.

I recommend Tobias' "The Only Investment Guide You'll Ever Need" (IIRC). It is really more than a investment guide, it's a personal finance guide, and a good one. At 19 you could be on the way to incredible wealth.

Another book you might check out is "The Millionaire Next Door".

Remember, the key to having money is spending less than you earn. Sounds simplistic, but that's all it really boils down to.