School is back in session, Hillers! The beginning of the school year always sparks certain questions within me. For the past couple of years, the question plaguing my mind is one that I feel many people also have: What will I do with my life?
I have always struggled to think about my future, especially when asked what I want to be when I grow up. Unfortunately, as people grow older, it only gets harder and harder to choose. Thankfully, I have some advice to guide students to truly find themselves and figure out just what their career should be.
My first piece of advice is to truly discover yourself. What are your interests? What are you good at? What is most important to your future? Answering simple questions like these can give you a basic understanding of the type of field you want to pursue. A career should be something that you love to do and will enjoy doing for years on end.
Next, get some outside sources! Talk to your role models and see what soul-searching they had to do to pick their job. Research your options as well. Research jobs that pertain to your interests and follow along with your wants for location, salary and hours. Figure out how much education is needed and if you are willing to go through that amount of schooling to be in your chosen profession.
Lastly, be realistic. It’s okay to shoot for the stars, but pick something you could see yourself doing for the majority of your life. For example, the career you are looking for might align perfectly with your interests and hobbies, but it doesn’t make enough money for your liking. At that point, you’ll have to choose what matters more, a job you love or a salary you love.
Also, remember that you don’t have to figure it all out right now. Most of you still have the rest of high school. If you are a senior who has no clue, that’s okay too! You can always apply to college undecided or take a gap year to look inside yourself to decide. Even though a career is usually longer-lasting, it doesn’t mean you can’t go back to school or choose a different profession. What truly matters is your well-being and happiness throughout life, and your career should reflect that of what makes you happy.
