Lovelyish

Downhill from 21? It’s uphill from 21. That’s the very beginning of your long drinking career.

no one does. people in their 50′s don’t. it’s ok.

Where do you go that it costs more than a house? My university is 5-7k per year. I stayed in state though and it’s a state university, so maybe that’s why. 

Definitely confused about what I want to do though. I’ve been going to school for pre-nursing for like three years and I didn’t get into any programs when I applied this semester so I have to figure out what to do now. Definitely not fun. 

Most people don’t know what they want to do with there life. There are people who get into there late 20′s and early 30′s that still don’t know. Sometimes people never know.

No need to act like a drama queen.

I have no clue what I want to be. I’m 23, just barely sliding by at a job that doesn’t exactly make me happy. The biggest thing is that you continue to do something and make efforts for personal growth.

I’m almost 30 and I still don’t know!

I’m 26 & still haven’t a clue. I have a good job, I make money, I pay bills, I am relatively happy. But that doesn’t mean I’m doing what I want, or even that I know what that would be!

We are in the same boat. My birthday is in a few weeks too! What day is yours? No, but seriously. I spaz all of the time because it seems like everyone else my age has it all together when I have no clue what I could be happy doing for the rest of my life!

life is about discovery

You’ll find out as you keep growing. Don’t rush yourself so much.

I have the next 10 years of my life planned out and I’m only 18. =/

People switch up their careers well into their later years… it’s just the nature of today. I worry as you are, but I’m just going to keep up with my writing and when something clicks, and I find a way to work in a field that really engages my passion and which doesn’t need years of extra qualifications and loads of student debt, then I’ll sort it out.

I think we shouldn’t concentrate on age, what age we should be by the time we are fully done with school and are in our “dream job”. I always thought I had to have the whole cookie-cutter life down pat by 22, and be engaged by then to boot. All one can really do, when they realise passions or preferences for work, etc. can be so wide-ranging that it’s hard to really know where one wants to go, is take a chance, do what feels best at each point in time. Following a set path may work for some – that path of school, work, marriage, success all round – but I feel I’m more changeable… I’d rather have my life split into blocks of doing one thing I enjoy, then switching onto something new the next block… it all is so unpredictable anyway.

So I really don’t know still what I want to be when I grow up; I doubt I’ll ever be a real grown-up (I don’t mean I’ll shirk responsibility, more that I’ll just always like being a kid and I’ll do kid things when I can instead of grown-up stuff like dinner parties or whatever ).

hey don’t sweat it, you still have time to figure things out and there’s no right or wrong answer either and it could take much longer than beyond your 20′s, but just keep in mind that a job is only one part of who you are and how to live your life. more importantly is who you’re doing it with.

You’re totally not alone! There’s time…don’t beat yourself up and explore a little bit. Always remember that you’re never stuck either. Good luck!!

lol at 48 and 20 years as a machinist in the navy, owning my own house and three cars, wife of 18 years, and a daughter ready to graduate high school, and my own retirement…im back in college fer graphic design so lol go figure…
so.. define grown up?

just a tad

In Journalism and am definitely feeling pangs of regret. That’s why I’m considering pursuing a Masters in Fine Art ) 

I got a BA in Communication because I wanted the diversity that that particular major could provide. I could go into counseling, HR, therapy, marketing, advertising, public relations, community relations, law, journalism, policy, etc etc.

Now my main problem is that I have no idea where I should concentrate my job search because there are so many fields open to me. Law and counseling/therapy are currently closed to me because I don’t have the additional training or degrees required to practice it, but everything else is still open. So there are others in the same boat, don’t worry, lol.

Wait. Are you me? Those are my majors and I’m gonna be 21! Lol!

I’ve also considered teaching as a career. Weird.

I don’t wanna grow up either. Can’t I just make 8 dollars an hour as a cashier and work 25 hour weeks forever?

I’m turning 21 a week from today. I barely just figured out what I wanted to do with my life 3 weeks ago. And now I regret never figuring this ish out 2 years ago. I’m majoring in Business Administration, but I really want to be a professional custom cake baker. =)  I still have all of my twenties to learn and own my own shop, but I feel behind and old. Dx

I just graduated with my bachelors yesterday, and I still don’t really know what I want to do with myself! Don’t fret though, we’ll all get it sorted out eventually

I’m 25 and I still really have no idea what I want to do with my life.  I’ve at least come to the realization that I don’t have to just pick one path and go with it.  I’m on my third degree now… bachelor’s in music, then a bachelor’s in IT, and I’m getting my MBA now.  Hopefully all of those should cover my bases since I still have 2 years of school left before student loan collectors start blowing up my cell phone and I have to start looking for a different job.

One phrase in here really hit home: “sometimes what you’re good at may not always lead to the perfect career”….SO TRUE.  What I’m good at: music and art.  What doesn’t make you any money and, if it does, not steady and reliable income….music and art.  When I was 19 I had this idealistic plan for my life and while I don’t regret a single moment of my music education, I now realize that it’s really tough to make a profitable career out of it, especially in a non-urban area in the midwest.

Good luck figuring it all out…don’t get too stressed if you don’t know what exactly you want to do.  This phrase is incredibly cliche, but I think it’s true that life really is about the journey and not the destination.  Don’t get so caught up in planning for the future and choosing the “right” way to go that you don’t enjoy the now for all it’s worth

This strengthens my case for waiting to do college until you’re at least 22. I think people would have a better idea of how to spend that money if they work for a while first, without jumping right into college.

And… liberal arts degrees are fun, but not usually what you end up going into.

My best advice is to go with a job that you will enjoy and make money with. Don’t worry about whether it fulfills you, because that’s a myth. And you can always make a career change later. Worry about developing your character and figuring out your core values and beliefs. That and family will be what brings you happiness and what you’re remembered for.

If turning 21 is “all down hill from there,” I didn’t see it. I’m 22, going on 23 and finishing my first year of medical school. Some people KNOW, even as a child, what they are destined for…others go back to school at 40, 50, even 60 to try again…It’s about the journey, not the destination. As long as you can be happy and support yourself somehow, it’s all good!

You can always become a teacher and sponsor some extracurricular activities. One of my favorite teachers from high school was a creative writing teacher who sponsored the Forensics public speech team, because he just loved it so much. And teaching can sometimes be like social work, unfortunately enough.
Think about it, and do whatever you’d like. There’s always time to change it.

I’m an English major, 21 like you, and I think I’m going to get into the teaching field.

just do a lot of thinking about it and picture yourself doing different things. teaching was the only thing I could really picture myself doing and having fun with, so I’m sticking with it
good luck!

I’m 23 and I still have absolutely no idea what to do with my life either.

join the club :/ ive changed my majors so many times because i feel like i cant make up my mind what i want to do

I turn 21 this August, I’m still not even in college and I’ve long given up on the idea that you “do what you love for the rest of your life”. It’s bullshit. I’m thinking to just do something with computers, make money, become an obedient little monkey to the system, pay taxes, shrivel up and die.

Welcome to life. It’s short, so you don’t have the time to discover anything. Don’t worry about it, most people die without knowing what they’re naturally talented at or what they have a passion for.

21 is still way young! Don’t worry! Lots of people don’t have a plan set in stone at your age, and lots of people who do end up changing it. Flexibility can be a huge blessing! You don’t need to force yourself to be on someone else’s timetable. You can take life at your own pace, and that’s a great thing.

My story is eerily similar to yours. I started college majoring in journalism/comm arts, then decided to add English this year for a double major. I just turned 20. I still have no idea what I want to do with my degrees. So far my philosophy has been to try not to worry about it, but… eventually I have to. Hope we’ll both figure out what’s right when we need to.

I’m turning 20 soon and all I can imagine is me living in an old firehouse or an apartment with my two best friends (if they would agree) and sliding down the pole to the kitchen to have breakfast. It’s my lack of ambition that makes me so happy with this arrangement. Of course I’ll have a job that fits my college degree, but that’s just about it. I feel your pain, the quarter-life crisis is upon us. Just don’t worry about it too much. You seem smart. You’d be able to do anything you set your mind to!

I would recommend StrengthsQuest.  It uses personality traits to attempt to fit you into a career.  My honors advisor–one of the most intelligent psychology graduates I know–recommended it to me, and it’s what my college uses in their career fitting sessions for students that need some guidance.

i just turned 21 in april. Currently not in a good situation with uni… its my 4th yr in engineering and i might even be stay back for another 2 years. I might not even get a job because.. well obviously my grades arent good.

I look around and i see people my age graduating, getting engaged/married, buying houses and cars etc.

But you know what? i came across a story of a bamboo and fern. Those people i see may be so successful at a young age and make you look like you’re not moving ahead at all but when you take your time to find your passion you’ll shoot up like a bamboo and the time you took to find that passion is the time you took to grow your roots =)

“Be not afraid of growing slowly, be afraid only of standing still.”

You’re definitely not alone, I’m 19 and recently started at a college that’s quite expensive, and wonder often if this is the right decision and not just a waste

Suck it up.

@xx_ng_xx@xanga - …and then a year in, you realize you don’t want to do what you thought you wanted, or that what you thought you wanted actually has about 1000 branches that you now have to choose one of…  Maybe not. Maybe you’re one of the lucky ones…

To OP: this is a cool site: http://roadtripnation.com/.  They go out and interview successful people, and often show what non-straightforward paths these people took to their current careers.  I’m also reminded of a quote from Grey’s Anatomy: “We’re adults. When did that happen?…and how do we make it stop?”
I’m 22. I’m in graduate school for engineering.  Sometimes, I do something in my lab and feel like I’m on the best career path in existence.   Other days, I wake up and wonder why I thought this would be a good idea. But really, if I pause to think, there’s no other career path I’d be happy following, so I stick with it.  Every job has its boring/unpleasant/dull parts, as well as exhilarating ones.

I know exactly how you feel, only I’m 18 and not 21. I still have no clue what I’m going to do after University, and I’m kinda scared of adulthood too.

I like writing and I always have, it’s the only thing I’m good at without trying too hard, with everything else I have to put in extra effort. If I want to do anything it’s write for a living. But that general area is competitive so I’m not sure I’ll be able to make a decent living with that. I’m not worrying about it too much at the moment, I don’t think you should sweat it a lot either. You have some time left, you can figure it out

I’m 22 and feel EXACTLY the way you do. This post really hit home for me. Wow, it’s kind of comforting to know that other people are in the same boat. Thanks for writing this, really.

There are people who are 40 and don’t know what they want to be. It’s all right. 

@raspberryjade@xanga - What grades do you want to teach? I taught middle school and now elementary. 

@MyFaire@xanga - True.

OP:
I still don’t know what I wanna do..and I’m 21. 

Hmm, I feel like this is a double edge sword! If you don’t do what you love you’ll have a mid life crisis… if you do what you love you won’t make enough money… Best solution is to find a job where you can have a steady income and work on your hobby until you can make enough on that hobby! That’s what you should do so then you’ll be financially set on what you’re destined to do! I hope that makes sense and you won’t regret on not trying to do what you love! 

I’ve wanted to teach, ever since Kindergarten. This week is my last week of college and in two weeks I graduate. The problem? I’ve been student teaching this semester and I absolutely hate it! I can’t stand teenagers and I know I’d get bored and drained from being with little children day after day. I was so definite in my plans not even a year ago and now, I don’t know what I want to do.

So many people in my seminar class are older than me and going through career changes. They are telling me it’s alright to not stick to something; I’m still young. I’m worried about there being no security in a job if you keep changing it >_<;

@mycontinuity@xanga - preferably 2nd or 3rd grade! I used to think I wanted to teach high school, but I changed my mind – elementary school is just such a wonderful time!

Amen to your whole post. I’m 19 and feeling exactly the same.