I am having trouble trying to decide on a career

[coloredflowers]

I am entering my last year in highschool, and still have not found what I am passionate for/what job I would like to do for the rest of my life.

It sounds plain scary for me to think of myself waking up every day to the same schedule.

I am talented in math, and reading, and several other subjects (I am sure I could succeed in any carreer I wanted to) - but I havent a clue about what job I wish to pursue in life.

So now I am frustrated, my father reccomends I be a dentist because it is not as difficult as other medical fields and there is much money to be made; my grandmother wants a lawyer, or a brain surgeon to make a lot of money.
Now that I have all the pressure and expectations from my family, I dont know what else to do, where to look, or how to think about the solution to my situation.

When I was small I wanted ot become an astronaut and then an artist - but both were shot down by my familly. I gave up on both and now that I turn back to see them, I find no passion. I have litlerally been living as a slave after my studies, getting good grades all the time, but never thinking about what I will use them for.

My great dillema.

I feel as if I should pick a career that will leave me financially secure.
But then again, is money everything?

Is it okay to pick a career I probably wont enjoy for an economical reason, and wait until what I really want to do - until I discover my passion, to move on? Will I end up like a miserable robot, dreading rubbing the dust from my eyes every morning for the same schedule?

Or should I wait for my passion?

What I want most - is to be happy.
I just don't know how.

[Restrikted]

Originally Posted by coloredflowers

What I want most - is to be happy.

Then no, money shouldn't matter. You said you are talented at math and reading...But do you enjoy them? The only way to find out what you want to do is by trying many different things, and find out what you LOVE to do. It sounds like being an astronaut is up your alley if you would love to do it, plus you're good at math. I say try being an artist also. Paint on the side and see how you like it.

P.S. I'm entering my second year at college, and I still have no idea what I want to be. But I've come to the realization that I won't find what I love in college, so I'm just getting a degree to fall back on, in case I don't find my true passion or my true passion yields me no money...Everyone's gotta eat.

[Playlife]

Judging by your name, I think you would make an excellent gardener.

[coloredflowers]

Thanks to both of you.

Maybe I should try gardening! Haha.

I guess I'll get a degree in something I can make money on and do what I love when I get to it.

It sounds so simple and yet too good to be true.

Thank you guys again.

[1000feet]

It's not unsual to not know what you want to do for the rest of your life. I'm not sure myself, but I know that if I do my best at what I've chosen for now it make things easier if I change my mind later on. Lots of people have chosen to "do what they love when they get to it" and found that it takes a lifetime, but that doesn't mean you should ignore earning potential.

You need to consider what's interesting to you, what's fun to you, what other people will pay you for, and what you need money for (which may include supporting other people). Being forced to do something "fun" often changes it, but many challenges are interesting - and helping someone overcome a challenge can be worth a lot. If you look around you should be able to find several ways to balance these 4 things in a way that you like.

Looking at your whole life can make it hard to decide what to do; picking something that you're ready to dedicate yourself to for the next 5 years is a lot easier. That's enough time for you to do well at it and decide if you want to continue down that path or try something new. There are people who take 10 or 20 or 30 years to reach their goal, but if you're even considering other options that may not be what you really want.

[geekchic9]

Originally Posted by coloredflowers

I am entering my last year in highschool, and still have not found what I am passionate for/what job I would like to do for the rest of my life.

Well, that's your problem right there. You haven't lived long enough to figure out your passion. Now, don't get me wrong. Some people know their passion by your age. Others, like me, have a passion by that time but take a while to figure that its is actually their passion. (My passion is the English language.) A career counselor once told me that a lot of people don't figure out their passion or career till they're about 28. So, you've got roughly about 10 years, right? So, the question is, what do you do until you've figured out your passion?

I would start, if I were you, by doing some research. You'd like to be an astronaut or an artist. Well, I'd figure out what the skills and knowledge are to be each of those things, which skills and knowledge you already have, and which ones you need to get to get established in those careers. If you don't want to or can't acquire those skills and knowledge for whatever reason, you know that, at least for now, that career path is not right for you. This advice is borrowed from What Color is Your Parachute about starting a business if that sounds familiar, but it can be easily applied to a career.

Originally Posted by coloredflowers

Is it okay to pick a career I probably wont enjoy for an economical reason, and wait until what I really want to do - until I discover my passion, to move on? Will I end up like a miserable robot, dreading rubbing the dust from my eyes every morning for the same schedule?

Or should I wait for my passion?

About going after money or going after what you want: You'll make more money in the long run going after what you want. However, there's nothing wrong with short-term work in an honest job that pays the bills. I'm doing that right now while getting my English tutoring business off the ground. Whatever you do, don't "wait" for your passion to miraculously appear. It will take work to figure out what it is, but I assure you that it will be worth it. It was for me.

[pianoperformer]

No! Do not get your degree from college in something you are not passionate in. That is, don't just treat it like an intermediate step that doesn't really matter. That's a waste of money and time. I don't know why some people tend to discount college as unimportant, but it is important, and you should find what you want to do, and get a degree in that.

You may not know for the first year or two. That's fine. In college, you can take a wide array of classes in different subjects. Perhaps go undecided at first, if the option is available.

Never do something because you think it is what you should do. Forget what your family wants. Forget what makes a lot of money. Find that thing which really makes you excited. Look more into it, and see if that excitement holds, and whether it is realistic (e.g., you probably shouldn't go into science if you're bad at math).

You might go into something you would never expect right now. When I was in your position, I thought i'd be a programmer. Now I'm going into physics and math. Before that I was actually in music for a semester, but found it wasn't for me. You can change your mind. Just be careful of angry advisers that have to deal with your changes.

[Ponce]

Soon we will be living in a new world so choose something that will give you security in what is to come........a cobler or a machinist will have more security than a real state agent or a CPA.

Before I started my own company I was a machinist for fiftten years and always had a job and with the job a nice house, cars and toys.

Jobs to come, machinest because the old must work like new.....carpenter because houses fall down or leak.......doctor or nurse because people will always get sick........security guard because those with money will want to protect what they have......plumer because pipes will always break.

Even if you choose a professional career always cross trainned in something else as a backup.

[Playlife]

Originally Posted by coloredflowers

I am entering my last year in highschool, and still have not found what I am passionate for/what job I would like to do for the rest of my life.

It is indeed damn hard to know what you want to do in 40 years. Start with finding out what gives you joy and makes you feel alive right now, in the present moment. Most probably your interests/passions/careers will change along the way anyway. The biggest hurdle I think is starting your path and staying on it.

[hkalchemy]

I didn't have a clue what I wanted when I left college. Now, fifteen years later, I have some idea. But I've changed totally in this time. Over this period I have drifted along, trying things out and have ended up in a pretty good spot now.

I do believe we should have a goal, a vision, a focus, but I also believe that you should see which way the wind is blowing and sail you ship with it. Sometimes the universe has a better idea about where you should be - let go, relax and allow a greater intelligence to guide you.

You are young - there is time!

[Ponce]

Chemy? that's what I did and how I became rich in only six years.....like love, if you keep loking for it you will never find it, you must let it come to you.

Like anything else you must pull and not push and when the time is right it will be there for you.

[zhango]

As some other members have said, you're a Padawan so you don't need to know at this stage what you'll do for the rest of your life. But, you do need to explore, and develop your mental flexibility and strength.

If you like solving problems of logic, math, and technical things (like tinkering with machines, programming, etc.) then go to college and learn something broad and rigorous, like physics, biotech, math, or computer science (we're in the age of software and computation, and everything - from theoretical science to entertainment to business - is being expressed in software). You can easily get a job with such training and have flexibility to do something more specialized later (like grad school), but more importantly, your sense of what's difficult and worth doing will be permanently expanded. What seems daunting or impossible to others, you'll be equipped to handle. You'll also meet people - fellow students and academics - who are as bright as you. That's extremely important in forging your personhood. I don't know how big/small your high school is, but despite growing up in a big city, I didn't have a real group of peers until college. Your peers in college will probably be your friends for life.

At the same time, if you go to college, take liberal arts like philosophy, history, and such, where your reading and thinking skills will also be developed.

If you choose not to go to college right now, start a business! You've got no risk really - no family to support, no mortgage to pay, and no expectations from peers. If you fail, it's no big deal - just a good lesson. Many older people would love that chance to make their own way, but they're too tied down.

Anyway, you see the pattern - challenge yourself. Do hard things early. Explore the world and figure out what you enjoy. And in so doing, develop the self-confidence to stand alone and find your own way, regardless of what others think. It's your life, not theirs, no matter how concerned/loving they are, and they can't live it for you.