2 answers
izaiah
Student
8
Questions
Asked
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How long did it take yourself to know "ok this is what I want to do"
Hi Im Izaiah and IM struggle to figure our what I will be in the future. #Confused
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2 answers
Julio Lopez
IT Analyst
34
Answers
Houston, Texas
Updated
Julio’s Answer
Hey Izaiah!
Great Question! I am a senior in college and I JUST really figured out what I wanted to do. I won't bore you with my entire life story, but let me tell you about the struggle I also went through to find my "passion".
In high school I wanted to be an Astrophysicist because I loved space and science, but my advisor in college told me I could never do it because my high school failed to properly teach me any math over Algebra 2, which was necessary to study any kind of STEM. The next two semesters were filled with core courses (Math, English, History, Etc.), which are courses every major has to take; I took these so I could have time to think about what I wanted to do. I researched hundreds of career paths, stayed up many late nights to find a major in my school that would be "valuable" and "good", but I couldn't stick to one, no matter how hard I tried. I ended up choosing Business Administration, which one of the most chosen majors in my school because it is so general and vague that you can't really go wrong with it.
Fast-forward to where I am now, I hate my major and I don't want to go into any kind of career involving my major, I always knew this would come, but I also knew this major would make me good money and give me a decent lifestyle, but the other day I was thinking about what I would really want to do, regardless of the pay or the hours. Instead of thinking inside the box and worrying about pay, the social norms, benefits, etc., I thought about what means the most to me in life and after a long night of thinking, I ended up with 'time'. Time means more to me than anything, I love spending time with my family, friends, and significant other, I love my days off where I can sleep in a healthy amount and have no worries for the rest of the day or week; in reality, many people called me lazy or unmotivated and told me that I would never land a good job with my mindset, but a "good job" to them meant working 50-80 hours a week, no time off, grinding overtime, and never seeing anyone but their coworkers. I hated the idea of working every day and all year round, never spending time with loved ones and being at a computer all day processing things for other people, I wanted I career where I could help people, where I could have fun, but also be a mentor or someone to come to for help.
I landed on teacher. My time means more to me than anything, but that doesn't mean I only chose this job because of the summers off and breaks throughout the year, although I will admit it was my top 3 reasons. I didn't have a life-changing event or a mentor to help guide me, instead, for the first time in my life I was selfish and thought about what I wanted instead of the social norms that everyone tries to put on you throughout your life. I'm going to become a teacher to ensure students get a good education, but also to help them realize what means most to them and help them find their values in life so they can decide on a career path as soon as possible to ensure they don't make the same mistakes I did. The main question you should ask yourself is, "What means most to me in life?" and "What makes me happy?". Once you find the answers for these, use those answers to find a career that you can be happy with and that will give you the lifestyle you hope to have in the future, instead of focusing on what everyone else tells you to (ie. pay, comfortable job, good hours, etc.).
I hope you find what you want to do! Even if there isn't anything you are passionate about career-wise, find the things/values you are passionate about and want to maintain and find a path that fulfills those values instead.
Good Luck!
Great Question! I am a senior in college and I JUST really figured out what I wanted to do. I won't bore you with my entire life story, but let me tell you about the struggle I also went through to find my "passion".
In high school I wanted to be an Astrophysicist because I loved space and science, but my advisor in college told me I could never do it because my high school failed to properly teach me any math over Algebra 2, which was necessary to study any kind of STEM. The next two semesters were filled with core courses (Math, English, History, Etc.), which are courses every major has to take; I took these so I could have time to think about what I wanted to do. I researched hundreds of career paths, stayed up many late nights to find a major in my school that would be "valuable" and "good", but I couldn't stick to one, no matter how hard I tried. I ended up choosing Business Administration, which one of the most chosen majors in my school because it is so general and vague that you can't really go wrong with it.
Fast-forward to where I am now, I hate my major and I don't want to go into any kind of career involving my major, I always knew this would come, but I also knew this major would make me good money and give me a decent lifestyle, but the other day I was thinking about what I would really want to do, regardless of the pay or the hours. Instead of thinking inside the box and worrying about pay, the social norms, benefits, etc., I thought about what means the most to me in life and after a long night of thinking, I ended up with 'time'. Time means more to me than anything, I love spending time with my family, friends, and significant other, I love my days off where I can sleep in a healthy amount and have no worries for the rest of the day or week; in reality, many people called me lazy or unmotivated and told me that I would never land a good job with my mindset, but a "good job" to them meant working 50-80 hours a week, no time off, grinding overtime, and never seeing anyone but their coworkers. I hated the idea of working every day and all year round, never spending time with loved ones and being at a computer all day processing things for other people, I wanted I career where I could help people, where I could have fun, but also be a mentor or someone to come to for help.
I landed on teacher. My time means more to me than anything, but that doesn't mean I only chose this job because of the summers off and breaks throughout the year, although I will admit it was my top 3 reasons. I didn't have a life-changing event or a mentor to help guide me, instead, for the first time in my life I was selfish and thought about what I wanted instead of the social norms that everyone tries to put on you throughout your life. I'm going to become a teacher to ensure students get a good education, but also to help them realize what means most to them and help them find their values in life so they can decide on a career path as soon as possible to ensure they don't make the same mistakes I did. The main question you should ask yourself is, "What means most to me in life?" and "What makes me happy?". Once you find the answers for these, use those answers to find a career that you can be happy with and that will give you the lifestyle you hope to have in the future, instead of focusing on what everyone else tells you to (ie. pay, comfortable job, good hours, etc.).
I hope you find what you want to do! Even if there isn't anything you are passionate about career-wise, find the things/values you are passionate about and want to maintain and find a path that fulfills those values instead.
Good Luck!
Darrin Yun
Product Manager
3
Answers
Dublin, California
Updated
Darrin’s Answer
Real answer: I'm 36 years old and I'm still learning about what I want to do everyday.
Hi Izaiah,
It is natural to have no idea what you want to do or "be" for your life and career. My advice is to put yourself out there, try new things, make mistakes, and learn what you like/dislike. I wouldn't have been able to predict who or where I am now when I was back in high school or college. However, it was very useful to have a general direction and work towards that goal. Now, I'm a product manager at a big technology company building products that millions of people use every day.
1. High school goal: Go to college
2. College goal: Maybe I want to be a doctor? Went into mechanical engineering...but hated physics. Changed to Chemical Engineering
3. College internships: Started at Clorox - automotive department (worked in labs) then went to Genentech - pharmaceutical (worked in labs)
4. Changed my mind about chemistry + engineering - didn't like laboratory work: too much repetitive work, slow paced, not social enough
5. Graduated college with Chem eng degree....but went into technology consulting (fast paced, cool industry, opportunity to learn a lot)
6. Found my "passion" on one project building cool websites + experiences for travelers
7. Left consulting to open a coffee shop --> found my passion for cooking
8. Coffee shop and restaurant business was too hard so I went back into technology
9. Became a product manager of a travel tech company --> now I'm still in technology as a product manager (I LOVE IT!)
You can see that I changed my mind many times on my path towards my passion and career goals. I will probably get bored and discover new things to do as I come across people and trends. I think you should think of discovering passion as a fun challenge...learn what excites you or bores you...learn what you are good at and what makes you tear your hair out...learn what you can work on for hours and forget about the time. Just remember that nothing is ever permanent! I may be career focused now, but in a couple years...maybe I want to be an awesome husband...or maybe even a dad. I encourage you to keep an open mind and be brave! The world is yours to explore!
Hi Izaiah,
It is natural to have no idea what you want to do or "be" for your life and career. My advice is to put yourself out there, try new things, make mistakes, and learn what you like/dislike. I wouldn't have been able to predict who or where I am now when I was back in high school or college. However, it was very useful to have a general direction and work towards that goal. Now, I'm a product manager at a big technology company building products that millions of people use every day.
1. High school goal: Go to college
2. College goal: Maybe I want to be a doctor? Went into mechanical engineering...but hated physics. Changed to Chemical Engineering
3. College internships: Started at Clorox - automotive department (worked in labs) then went to Genentech - pharmaceutical (worked in labs)
4. Changed my mind about chemistry + engineering - didn't like laboratory work: too much repetitive work, slow paced, not social enough
5. Graduated college with Chem eng degree....but went into technology consulting (fast paced, cool industry, opportunity to learn a lot)
6. Found my "passion" on one project building cool websites + experiences for travelers
7. Left consulting to open a coffee shop --> found my passion for cooking
8. Coffee shop and restaurant business was too hard so I went back into technology
9. Became a product manager of a travel tech company --> now I'm still in technology as a product manager (I LOVE IT!)
You can see that I changed my mind many times on my path towards my passion and career goals. I will probably get bored and discover new things to do as I come across people and trends. I think you should think of discovering passion as a fun challenge...learn what excites you or bores you...learn what you are good at and what makes you tear your hair out...learn what you can work on for hours and forget about the time. Just remember that nothing is ever permanent! I may be career focused now, but in a couple years...maybe I want to be an awesome husband...or maybe even a dad. I encourage you to keep an open mind and be brave! The world is yours to explore!