What if I don't actually wanna be something..:\

[debilorrah]

Honestly? I would focus the paper around "when you decide what you want to do". My son is 22 and JUST figure out where he wants to go college wise. Also, maybe remind your parents that not everyone is born wanting a certain career.

You have plenty of time to decide what you want to do in life, and sometimes it even changes mid life!!!! My best friend spent her life in the medical consulting field and recently obtained her masters in marriage and family therapy. She is 55.

It is never too late to decide what you want to "be". "Be" the best you can. The rest will come with time.

 

[punk-a-doodle]

Career is something of a joke to me. Going by personal experience, if I like something, I really don't want upper management around as I will learn to hate that something. XD Currently working towards a self-employed/private practice job, but that would still just be something that would support my real desires and interest (own land/animals). I'd focus on how much things cost and how you plan to budget. Honestly, not having a set career plan in line seems to make most people happier, more flexible, and better able to adapt. You can plan out every little bit of minutia, but it doesn't mean life has any interest in letting you follow that.

 

[Chickerdoodle13]

I'll be graduating college in december and I still don't really know what I want to do. It's not easy and sometimes there just isn't much of a choice. I'm pretty sure I would like to work with animals though. It took me a long time and a lot of dead ends to come to that conclusion though! I started out as a crim justice major, then changed to bio thinking I'd go on to med school, then thought maybe I'd get into DNA research, but I've sort of swung back around to vet.

Really, most people don't know what they want to do. I do suggest college though. Do a major you'll enjoy because unless you wish to go onto a professional school like med or law or vet school, you can get an undergrad degree in just about anything and still get a pretty decent job in any other field. The trick is to find your passion, and I can tell you it's definitely not easy.

 

[cafarmgirl]

Quote:
X2! Not everybody knows right off the bat what they want to do for the rest of their lives. I'm 44 and just figured out recently what I should have done as a career. I never knew what I wanted to "be", had very little guidance or direction from my parents so I ended up "just working" at a job I hated and for 22 years none the less. It became a well enough paying job and it paid the bills but I never enjoyed a single day of it. It wasn't until the last few years that I found where I belonged.

OP, I suspect you are correct that what your dad really wants from you is some kind of plan, whether it be college, technical school or finding a job. I think he is trying to convey to you his expectations that you have some kind of plan and that you keep on moving up and, eventually, out!

 

[Chick1043]

Thanks for your input, everyone!

 

[chickened]

Whatever you do do not be afraid to step outside your comfort zones. Tell Dad you will want to live off the government that will get his blood pressure up. (just kidding). We learn from our mistakes so if you make few mistakes you really don't learn much. There is nothing wrong with setting goals to work for which might be what your father is prompting you for. Good luck

 

[SillyChicken]

Quote:
err, major pet peeve of mine.... cosmetology won't make you very much money.. next time you get your hair cut, ask them how much they make and if they could make a living of it on their own. You're not always going to want to live with your DS. You need to be thinking beyond the next couple years. What do you see yourself doing to retire? You will not retire doing cosmetology unless you make it big in hollywood or own a ritzy boutique or something... and the chances of that are one in a million.

I shouldn't tell you what I told my DD when she said she wanted to go to cosmetology school...

Think about the things you are good at, what you have interest in. You like chickens?... what about poultry studies, animal husbandry... an avian veternarian, biologist, zoologist?

ALWAYS AIM HIGHER than you think you can achieve, always try to be better than the person you think you are today. I think you'll surprise yourself.
You're young, and you have NO idea how short life really is until your already half way done with it!

I think what your dad is trying to do for you is a good idea. Take it seriously and really think about it. He also needs to figure out his options on how he can help you, if he can.

 

[Dar]

Quote:
err.... cosmetology won't make you very much money.. next time you get your hair cut, ask them how much they make and if they could make a living of it on their own. You're not always going to want to live with your DS. You need to be thinking beyond the next couple years. What do you see yourself doing to retire? You will not retire doing cosmetology unless you make it big in hollywood or own a ritzy boutique or something... and the chances of that are one in a million.

I won't tell you what I told my DD when she said she wanted to go to cosmetology school......

Think about the things you are good at, what you have interest in. You like chickens... what about poultry studies, animal husbandry... an avian veternarian?

ALWAYS AIM HIGHER than you think you can achieve, always try to be better than the person you think you are today. Your young, and you have NO idea how short life really is until your already half way or more done with it!

I have to disagree for the most part you are right... BUT there are the few that make great money at it... my sister own 3 salons and makes a great living at it... 2 of the women in her salon are award winning stylists and have just finished contracts with the Toronto International Film Festival...

 

[SillyChicken]

for the most part, and the majority of girls, I am right............ and I made the exception for the few that can make something in it. Unfortunatly I think those options for girls are few and far between, and they probably had more desire to do something, than just get a job.

 

[sheaviance1]

When I was in high school, our class had to write a paper on the same subject for our economics class. Economics was a requirement for graduation. One of the girls in our class wrote about wanting to be a stay at home Mom. She was referred to the guidance counselor.

I had the opposite problem that you have when I was on the cusp of becoming an adult. I had too many interests to nail one down. Forensics, drug/alcohol rehabilitation, genetics, neuroscience, my list could go on forever. I became a Mom very early in my life. For a extremely short period of time, I was a stay at home Mom. I loved it. When my ex refused to go to work after he got out of the military, I had to go and get a job in order to support a family of four. I took whatever job I could find, and worked my way up. I moved from job to job until I found one, finally, that I enjoyed and that was perfect for a now single parent. I don't make the money I could have doing any one of the things that were on my list, but I love my job and have been there for 17 years now. They have been very good to me through the years. But, it has definitely been a struggle. Not knowing how you are going to put your next meal on the table is a very agonizing feeling. I think your Dad is trying to make you think about your life preparations. After all, it is your life we are talking about. Nothing is more personal than that.