How long did it take you to figure out what you want to do in life?

[Mass_Liberal]

I'm nearly 16 and have no clue, whereas all my friends say doctor, lawyer, astronaut, etc.

[Bok_Tukalo]

1. Figuring it out is easy.

Figuring out how to do it is the trick.

[KG]

2. 45, still don't have clue.

so, just so you know, there's no hurry.

[GOPisEvil]

8. Almost 37 and no clue.

It changes week to week...

[donheld]

I too am 45

and have no clue.

[KG]

10. actually, i lied. i'm 46. but 45 seems like a cool number

so i think i'll be 45 for awhile. :)

[bigwillq]

3. Don't worry buddy, you have plenty of time to figure it out

But in case you're still worried

Write down ten things you love to do and then examine that list. Maybe then you could go into a field that consists of something that is on your list.

[Mass_Liberal]

6. erm... I fear we won't get far

1. eating
2. sleeping
3. cooking (and I know what you're thinking, but no I'm not good enough)
4. playing copious amounts of poker
5. reading books
6. hanging with friends
7. watching copious amounts of movies
8. playing board, card, and computer games
9. playing basketball
10. listening to music

[bigwillq]

9. From that list, look into

1. Being a pro poker player or working at a casino
or
author
film writer or director or something in film
Computer game engineer or graphic designer
a DJ

it may sound silly to offer these suggestions but to me, I feel you have to love the job you're in or it will be an awful experience.

[Wat_Tyler]

4. Don't worry, no-one ever does, really.

[Misunderestimator]

5. I decided when I was 5...

and did it professionally until I was 33... now I'm doing something COMPLETELY different. My answer is... I guess I never really decided. Life changes things.

[Mass_Liberal]

7. wow!

What was the first thing you did?

[Misunderestimator]

11. I was an opera singer.

:shrug:

(on edit... and I don't regret one single minute of it)

[Bok_Tukalo]

17. I knew I wanted to be an architect at a similar age

Still do. I just haven't got around to it yet.

[Misunderestimator]

20. LOL

that's cute... :)

[Wapsie B]

12. 48 and still searching.

Life is a quest for self-knowledge. Some people are given guidance and encouragement from teachers, professors, parents or friends. Others like me have had none of that. So it is a solitary pursuit for me.

[Kat45]

13. I just turned 50 and I don't have a clue.

:shrug:

[intrepid_wanderer]

14. Someone decided??

wow...


They're lucky! <I think>

:bounce: Undecided & often Clueless... but on my own trip & my own path toward my own definition of success.


I think that's a good thing, right??

[NV Whino]

15. About the 2 seconds they give you to declare your major in college

Did that for 30+ years and now I'm sort of a Jill of all trades.

[qnr]

16. I can remember sitting in a bath tub at five, zipping my toy boat

over the water, and just knowing it was a Coast Guard cutter. I have no idea where I had even heard of the Coast Guard at five years old though.

[Ramsey]

18. I knew in high school

Well, I wanted to be a veterinarian when I was in grade school, but started considering people medicine in high school, and that's what I ended up doing. And I had chosen my specialty before I finished college.

[Richard Steele]

19. I think I was 30 or so...

[amazona]

21. my dad said I knew even as a tiny kid

Just the other day when I was visiting he said, "Do you remember when you were little how you always said you wanted to be a bum when you grew up?"

I didn't remember that specifically but I've always been all about the slack. :-)

The conservation movement is a breeding ground of communists
and other subversives. We intend to clean them out,
even if it means rounding up every birdwatcher in the country.
--John Mitchell, US Attorney General 1969-72

[Mich Otter]

22. You're never too old...

to have a happy childhood. This is something I learned long ago.
You're never too young to plan on having a long, happy childhood.

[SarahB]

23. I'm 33 in two more days.

I had way more of a clue at 16. Good luck in your quest. :D

[Kire]

24. "what I must to survive" is the answer that comes to my mind now

I usually say "myself" to the question "what do you want to be when you grow up".

[huskerlaw]

25. I "knew" at 16

that I wanted to be a clinical psychologist. I got the undergrad degree and then decided I didn't really like psychology anymore. So I went to law school, got the degree and a law license. Now I'm in grad school. Still no clue what I actually want to do.

Moral of the story is that your friends may think they KNOW what they want to do...they don't. I don't think any of my high school friends are doing what they thought they wanted to do. BTW, I'm 26.

[Kire]

26. great letter to Cary Tennis in Salon, today

I got derailed somehow!
I feel like I've failed at everything. How do I get back on track?

http://www.salon.com/mwt/col/tenn/2005/02/16/off_the_rails/index.html

[CBHagman]

27. Still making it up as I go along.

I have been in the workforce for 30 years and still struggle with what I want to do for the rest of my life.

One thing that is a good idea at age 16 is to start experimenting with jobs and developing a work ethic. I liked my first job, though it wasn't what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.

Some people combine several things, especially if they are creative types. I know a conductor who works in the music department of a store and an artist running a department at a small newswire service. I think the guy who won the Pulitzer for fiction last year worked as a proofreader for years.

[jdots]

28. in second grade I wanted to become a beat-nic

the money sucks but the life style is interesting.
Karl Rove probably wanted to be a pig when he was a toddler.