What should I do while in highschool to figure out what I want to do after I graduate.

Well first off, I had no idea what I wanted to do in the 9th grade. I ended up going to mechanical engeneering school and graduated fro the University of Texas and still wasn’t sure that I wanted to be a ME. I then switched gears once again to medicine. The thing about medicine is what field do you have interest in. I chose radiation oncology because it’s helps people, and the hours compared to a surgeon or emergency medicine. You just have to realize whatever you chose you will be doing for 30+ years, so make sure you enjoy it is my best advice. If you end up hating what you do, life will not be happy at all. And always remember, work to live, not live to work.

-B

It is great you are already thinking about what you would like to do after high school! From my experience, the best thing that you can do right now is to make sure you keep all of your options open and don't close any doors. For example, if you are interested in medicine and the idea of being a Doctor then you should take all of the required science classes even if that means it won't be the easiest course load. I suggest you take as wide of a variety of courses and electives that you can across your areas of interest. Also, consider electives that will give you a glimpse into a useful skill or profession. For example, I loved all of my high school business and law classes but I still tell everyone that my favorite class I've ever taken was woodshop! Not everyone has to go to university so these learning experiences are essential.

You have a lot of time to make this decision and don't feel too pressured. I suggest reaching out to family and friends and begin talking to them about what they do for a living. You can use your summers to see if you can work for any of these family or friends or see if you can shadow them for a day. Best of luck!

Look for a career! It will be very useful to find out what job you want to do, college or not.

You should also decide whether you want to go to college or not, and which one you want to go to. You get good experience and you will seem like a better choice for people who are looking to hire people.

What do you like to do? Have any ideas of jobs you might like? Post a question asking what job you should go for, and list these things. I'm sure somebody can tell you a good job fit for you.

It is great that you are thinking about your career so far in advance!  My advice to you is to research the different fields and try to find one that fits your personality.  Try to look at them all with an open mind, you never know where opportunities will take you and how your interest may change.   Take classes that may relate to some of the fields, join clubs and read about them.  Best of luck to you!!

Take a variety of classes and get involved in activities at school to begin to figure out the types of things you like to do. Then you can research jobs and careers that make use of those things. For instance, if you enjoy sports, what are jobs/careers that involve sports - newscasters, reporters, coaches, physical therapists.... Then take a class or two that involve those studies. If you figure out what you love, and how to incorporate that in your job, you never "work" a day in your life!

High school is the perfect time to figure out what you want to do with your future. If your school offers it, take a business course or join a club. You can also volunteer at hospitals (candy striper etc.), children shelters/criminal justice courts, and sports centers. Each avenue gives you the opportunity to see what the potential field you would be in looks like. If all else fails you can always talk to a counselor, they are a great asset to utilize.