How did you know what you wanted to be?

[Genny]

I was just thinking today how I work at Chickfila and how that's never gonna get me anywhere in life. I'm already 21 y/o and I've nevr been to college. I didn't wanna go after high school. My mom tried and tried to make me, but I didn't want to then. NOW, I have no idea what I want to do :( I know staying at Chickfila isn't gonna get me anywhere in life. I've thought about going to school-taking some classes...or either get another job. But I thought if I get another job-who knows? I might not like it and then I'd wish I was back at Chickfila. I've always thought that nursing might be good for me cause I enjoy being around people and I've had to help take care of my grandparents and so I've been around people that 'need' me. I also thought about an x-ray tech. You only gotta go to school 2 yrs. for that. I don't really wanna have to go to school a long time, ya know? Four years just seems like forever!!!! I kinda thought about photography... I love making pictures of my dogs :) I really don't know what I want. How did you know when you found out 'that's what I want to do!' Did you always know or did it just pop into your head oneday? I don't really want to go to school, but I'm afraid that if I don't I'll end up years from now w/ a job that doesn't pay enough that I really don't enjoy and I want something I enjoy...what should I do????

[Alysser]

Okay, this is coming from a 17 year old who dresses up as cartoon characters for her job - AND I LOVE IT!! I love my department and I don't dread going to work like I used to. I am also only a junior in High school and cannot wait to graduate, but my point is...I can't do this forever, I wish I could, but let's face it. $8.60 might be a good salary for a 17 year old and I'm happy with it, but I can't pay rent with that and buy food with that unfortunately. I am in the same boat as you. I have no clue what I want to do and I am so lost. :o I am going to college - probably community college, but I'm still going. I would love to be a X-ray technician, that always seemed like a cool job to me. I love anatomy. I am also in and Agriculture program at school and enjoy it, but Agriculture is such a broad field and I don't know what part of it I'd wanna be involved in.

We will see, but anyway, I wish you luck in your journey of finding a job you like and want to pursue!

[happylabs]

My sister who is 10 years older than me was a secretary in a bank and then worked for a lawyer. She was sort of my idol so I took business courses in high school. That was back in the late 70's. I am not sure whether they even give them in high school any more.

Anyway, I have worked as a legal secretary for over 20 years now and I love it. The law is interesting and always changing. I feel fortunate that I knew what I wanted to do and still enjoy doing it.

[Husky_mom]

good question.. i still don´t know..

I´ve always wanted to be a vet.. but now i don´t think i could handle the blood and all that... (and that dream got busted when my parents wouldn´t let me go to another state to study, now it´s more difficult for me, besides the bloody part)

I also wanted to be a sniper.. yeah.. weird me.. a band drummer... a bartender... a photographer...

I´ve worked in petshops, party saloons, as a trophy/plaque designer, freelance photographer (mostly family and/or family related business events)..I´ve made my own cards, shirts, etc.. but now I´m so out of date.. I need tons of upgrades..lol.. my last job was at my family´s tire dealership/mechanic shop.. now I´m self-employed.. LMAO.. doing nothing.. haha.. but i do want to start doing something here at home..I need a lil $ of my own...

hubby is a great supporter.. but i want to do something for ME.. and that my friend is what i´m still trying to figure out.. what do I want to be?....

[Casper]

Whatever you do... search, search, search until you find something you truly enjoy!
I believe everyone should have a job that they enjoy going to. I vowed to myself from a very young age that I would not end up being a middle-aged person who dreads waking up and going to work every morning.

I am almost through with my first semester of college, majoring in studio art. Its a ton more work than I thought it would be, but I am enjoying it. I had originally planned on staying in college for only a semester, but I think I am going to stick it out for the whole 4 years. At least that is what I am saying this week....


On the side, I am also training to become a dog groomer. Its my backup so I won't be a starving artist. :D

[k9krazee]

I've always wanted to do something with animals. Always. I always thought I'd be a Vet and everything would be just like I imagined. Well...first year of college ruined that dream for me. There was no way to recover my GPA and if I could go back and do it all over again I definitely wouldn't make the same mistakes. I'm still graduating in May with a pre-vet bachelors degree and vet school is still an option down the road if I choose to pursue it.

That said, I do believe through this I have found my true calling, but I'll let you know at the end of next year if I still think that ;) Next year I'll be going to school to be a funeral director. I joked about how neat it would be to be a medical examiner, and while a mortician isn't quite the same, I could always work toward that goal as well (if I'm not happy with my mortician life).

I agree with searching until you find something you enjoy. Pick out classes and see what you enjoy. I have found that I REALLY love psychology and would have loved to maybe even pursue that. It's not something I really knew I had an interest in until I took a few classes. I also think it's really hard and overwhelming to pick out what you want to do for the rest of your life when you're young.

If I could pick any job in the entire world, I would love to train dogs or teach classes. My Aunt teaches agility and I don't think it's an unrealistic goal to take over for her one day as a side thing.

[*LabLoverKEB*]

I've wanted to work with animals since I could talk. First it was a vet, but like most children, they haven't a clue as to what a veterinarian actually does, and they know it as the only job working with animals, lol.
Then it was working with marine mammals, training guide dogs, police dogs, anything dogs. Now I'm in school to become an RVT.

I actually am taking finals all this week, and the last one is on thursday.
I need PT prayers, guys! I HAVE to pass!!:o

[kokopup]

I'm Retired and I don't think I ever knew what I wanted to do when I grew up. I became a Electronics Technician in the Navy later became an Electrical Engineer and still didn't know what I wanted to do. I guess that is because I never really had a job I truly enjoyed.

I think I should have done something in the Automotive industry because Cars have alway been my hobby and I love working with Rod's and antique cars.

I would say what ever you decide to do, love your job, because if you dont it can rob you of health and wellbeing.

I don't know if they still have the peace corp or if there are volunteer ORG's that will allow you to see some of the world before you have to decide. It will require you having some college credit but the Air force or Navy will give you an opportunity to grow some and also give you an education.

[Laura's Babies]

As a little girl, I wanted to be a nurse but as an adult, I was always happiest when working in any type of food service. I never intended to be a food service manager or a cook, it just sort of fell in my lap, I enjoyed it and was good at it so that is what I do.. and how I have supported myself for over 30 years.

[Taz_Zoee]

In high school I decided to become a teacher, or day care teacher. I didn't want to be a teacher in a "real" school. So day care it was. I actually got into it because my sister-in-law was a day care teacher/director. So I went to college and got my Early Childhood Education credits. I worked in child care for 12 years. In those years I was an office manager (handling tuition and balancing the books) and assistant director (with pretty much the same duties as the office manager). That's when I discovered I liked accounting. It's actually kinda funny because my mom always told me I should take bookkeeping. But I thought that was boring. And now I am an "accountant" (not really, but that's what my title is at work) and have been for over 4 years and I finally went back to school to take accounting courses. After the fact. :)
I do like my job. I don't like how the company is ran or some of the people there, but I like what I do.

Take your time, it will come to you. But definitely take some classes. I think I will take more classes even after I get my accounting certificate. Not sure what courses, but I'll find something that intrests me.

My niece is 18 and just started college. Originally she wanted to be an interior designer when she was a senior. Now she doesn't know what she wants to be. Guess what she's taking in college?? Yup, Early Childhood Education courses. But that's because she works at the after school program and she can get more money with more ECE credits. But she isn't sure what her major is yet. And she has time to figure it out.

Good luck in what ever you do. You might have several different jobs until you find what you truly enjoy.

[caseysmom]

Nursing school is pretty competitive. I know around here the junior colleges have many two year programs, for instance xray tech. That would get you in the medical field but wouldn't be as intense as nursing school, or as long.

[Cataholic]

For any younger person, I would advise you get into a 4 year college, working towards some sort of general degree. You can spend the same 4 years pondering what you want to be when you grow up in college the same way you can while working at a fast food restaurant. The only difference will be that you have a four year degree to fall back on in the first instance.

Life only gets harder as you grow older in that you pick up commitments and responsibilities (like rent, car payments, babies, etc) that could keep you from furthering your education.

For every formal education naysayer I know- I can generally find at least 3 people with a much easier lifestyle because of a college degree. College opens up doors that often remain closed to those without a degree. At 17, 19, 21 or even 30, I would never allow myself or my child to be that limiting in life choices.

I had a Political Science degree, worked in insurance for years, and then decided I really did want to explore my high school desires of law school. Thankfully, that meant only 3 more years of school, rather than 7, at 29.

Get your schooling done early. While we all know someone that made it rich without a degree- that is the exception rather than the rule.

[JenBKR]

When I was in high school, I had no idea what I wanted to be. I went to community college after graduation and took several classes that I thought might interest me to try them out, while also taking some general education courses. I found that I LOVE psychology, so I transferred to a 4 year school and got my B.S. in psychology. I would recommend the community college route to anyone; it's a LOT cheaper than universities. Transferring was really easy too, the counselors that I worked with were wonderful.

One thing to think about, did you ever take your SATs? If not, you may have to take them depending on where you decide to go. X-Ray tech might be a good field for you if you are interested, or Ultrasound, or Medical Assisting, something like that if you are interested in the medical field. I would say do some kind of school...I don't know if anyone who has ever said that they regretted going to college, but I know lots who regret NOT going.

[Cataholic]

I don't know if anyone who has ever said that they regretted going to college, but I know lots who regret NOT going.


How true, how true, how true....

[Pinot's Mom]

JenBKR & Cataholic have excellent advice. Advanced schooling is a MUST in today's society. It's too competitive not to give yourself every advantage. That being said...

I am 49 years old and do NOT have a College Degree. I graduated from High School, ended up in a Community College, took a lot of courses and ended up with a husband (who I still have ;)), but no degree. I never did know what I wanted to be when I grew up. I told my husband 27 years ago (who has a degree), "I will always have a job, I will always support half this household, I will never have a career". He has a career. I have been in Customer Service for 25 years (the last 20 with this company, 10 or so as a Manager). It's always been a job.

When I am able to retire I will work with animals.

[IRescue452]

I'm 24 years old. I went through 4 years of college, I graduated with a 3.47 gpa and I still don't know what I want to do. I work for a cleaning service for $9.25 an hour and its a comfortable enough living that its not motivating me to find something more prestigious.

I went for a bachelor of arts in sociology, which is almost nothing without two more years of school. The problem is, I burned out of the brain work. By the time my senior year rolled around and I finally did an internship, all the actual brain work I had to do in the job scared me right out of that line of work. Who knows, one day I might actually want to do something with the degree, but it may just be that I forget all I've learned by then.

I'm $15,000 in debt and making payments that are 66% interest and 33% principal. The only thing I don't regret is the experience as a whole. I learned a ton even if I'm not applying it right now.

My advice, take a single class or a few single classes at a community college just to get a feel for things you may want to do. You don't have to commit to anything that way. I might take a French class at the YMCA when they have the next one.

[Pembroke_Corgi]

I know I want to pursue a PhD (I've wanted to for a long time, I'm not really sure why), hopefully I will get accepted into a program when I graduate with my master's in December. I guess it's just because I love learning and if I could, I'd be a student forever. This is the next best thing!

I, too, would recommend going to school. You will increase your chances for finding a better job and can figure out what you like as you take classes. I found college to be way more enjoyable than "real" work. You can take advantage of things like studying abroad and get to experience things you may not have the opportunity to do again.

[Genny]

All of you have really made me think about things and I think that I am gonna take some classes...decide what I wanna do later down the road...take the basics...and see what happens :) I'm really interested in the medical field...I think that I would be happy w/ something like that. I'd love to have another little job on the side-maybe photography..I really don't know yet but that's just what I've been thinking about...

[Freedom]

There are a wide variety of tests and books out there to help you identify things you are suited for. You could use those as a starting point, and then consider each one.

Back when I took all those tests, it was via seminars, appointments. But I think today most are on line.

Here is one, based on Myers -Briggs personality type:
http://www.careertest.net/

Google career test for a load of hits.

Books that were popular "back when" included
What Color is Your Parachute? (I loved this one!)
Do What You Love, the Money will Follow

I knew I wanted to be a lawyer from 4th grade. The teacher asked all of us one day, and got the usual: girls said teacher or nurse, boys said Indian chief, fire chief, and cowboy. And then there was me, said lawyer. Next PTA meeting, teacher told my folks, "I hope you've started a college fund for this girl."

I never considered anything else. That was my goal all along.

Then I found I hated the work. Hence, started taking the tests I've mentioned above. Yuppers, law is NOT what I am cut out for! :rolleyes:

[K9karen]

Even after high school, I had NO clue what I wanted to be. I found everything exciting. So , since I always spent time in my dad's advertising office, won awards for writing, etc, I went to an Advertising/Journalism School for a year. I spent a few months helping out my dad for no pay. Dad also had a Travel School that he insisted I attend. Found out, I LOVED it and spent 30+ years in the business.

Now that I'm not working, I remember my mom begging me to be a nurse. And hating to be told what to do, I refused.Now that I home cared my parents and am a constant visitor at nursing homes (relatives), I realize I probably missed my calling in the medical field.

If you love helping people, why don't you go to school (a jr college?) for a physician's assistant? Physical therapy is a great job and always in demand, as well as Xray tech, MRI tech, CAT scan etc. I know girls who decided to go into that field (Xray tech) and found a great, well paying job. It's hard work, but what isn't? You sound smart and dedicated enough to do it! Good Luck!:D