question about life

[beefskies]

Why does it seem for some people like they've had no problem figuring out what they wanted to do with their life (what to work in, for example)?
People always seem to be in agreement that you should work on something that you love doing, something you see yourself doing for the rest of your life. First of all, is this the case for many people (notable amount)?
I'm 20, a college student, and it feels like I've been having a terribly rough time deciding on a major. I know what I like, sure, and I could just as easily choose one of those things I like, for starters, and choose it as a major, seems reasonable. Best case scenario in the long run, I don't LOVE my job, but I wake up everyday being comfortable with it. But what the fuck, I don't know if I could be in a good mood accepting that "fate". The only reason I see, in the grand scheme of things, is that perhaps humans and this whole work thing are SUPPOSED to have it wrong. Perhaps it's not very common at all for someone to decide what they want to do for the rest of their life, devote about 20 years of study into it, and ultimately work in it. Maybe that's why that reasoning is considered a novelty, because when somebody hits it, it's like one in a million.
I ask this very much so because of my age, and because I know there are many life lessons, for one thing, that I can't even imagine. I see it as a learning process, and I'm very comfortable accepting that there are some things you only learn with time.

[jayjaya29]

Only reason I can give out is that they have not considered everything about what they "want to do with their life" and have missed out on the negatives (either purposely or accidentally).

People also usually have many misconceptions or exaggerations when it comes to the field that they want to put their life toward.

I am planning to major in chemistry right now and it feels right, but there are always the thoughts of it not working out right, thats just the norm I suppose.

[code30]

If it makes you feel any better, I'm 20, in college and can't decide on a major or job either. I often wonder about the same things you said here, so I don't think everyone knows, I think a lot of people just take the path of least resistance, and settle and stay in jobs they're content with so they don't have to find another one.

[beefskies]

Originally Posted by code30

If it makes you feel any better, I'm 20, in college and can't decide on a major or job either. I often wonder about the same things you said here, so I don't think everyone knows, I think a lot of people just take the path of least resistance, and settle and stay in jobs they're content with so they don't have to find another one.

Well yeah that makes perfect sense but going back to basics, what about the feud between something you love doing (playing music, writing books, to name a few) and something you know you'd be good at and would make your life comfortable? I guess I can kind of answer that question myself, it just troubles me that whenever someone decides to "do what they love" regardless of money they get frowned upon and are often criticized, at least in my case.

[LAZERGUNPEWPEW]

To be honest I never knew what I wanted to do either. I'm 20 entering my first year of college. The only thing I am going to college for is based off of the knowledge I have now. I know I hate my fulltime job I have now, so I don't want to do that, but my part time job washing dishes in a kitchen I enjoy. I enjoy the staff and the atmosphere.

I enjoy art and was going to go to school for that, but I gave up on myself and decided it would be too hard.

The other thing I enjoy doing is watching the food network as often as I can, and I enjoy baking at home. SO I figured I would make passtime into profession. I may not like it as a job as I do at home but its a start.

I know the exact same confusion, and its a real bummer. When choosing a career I feel that I'm not only choosing a career, but an entire life. It can be very depressing to have to make such a decision with complete uncertainty, but it is never too late to change; only inconvenient.

EDIT: As Tobal-G mentioned as well, it should fit your target lifestyle. I've always wanted to own/run a fine restaurant or a pub. So this field of school is beneficial to not only my job, but the possibility of being able to do one of the few things I would like. This doesn't mean its my all time dream though.

EDIT2: Glad you like the name

[Tobal-G]

That bit about "doing what you love" is a crock of shit. I would blow my brains out if I followed through on that advice. In the real world, you have to take into account of what sort of income can this career path lead to? Will it fit in with my lifestyle and what I deem/find important? For me, I demand a sense of responsiblility and achievement. So i'm going to school to get my MBA and I'm currently working at a medical center that will provide me with the opportunity of becoming a CEO in 10 years. But that's what I want, and you may be different.

You have to look for what kind of qualities are you looking for in a career. Do you want something repetitive, or unique? Do you want to leave your work behind you when you come home, or the 8-5? Do you see yourself retiring earlier? I think these questions are more crucial. Good luck.

[Tobal-G]

Originally Posted by LAZERGUNPEWPEW

To be honest I never knew what I wanted to do either. I'm 20 entering my first year of college. The only thing I am going to college for is based off of the knowledge I have now. I know I hate my fulltime job I have now, so I don't want to do that, but my part time job washing dishes in a kitchen I enjoy. I enjoy the staff and the atmosphere.

I enjoy art and was going to go to school for that, but I gave up on myself and decided it would be too hard.

The other thing I enjoy doing is watching the food network as often as I can, and I enjoy baking at home. SO I figured I would make passtime into profession. I may not like it as a job as I do at home but its a start.

I know the exact same confusion, and its a real bummer. When choosing a career I feel that I'm not only choosing a career, but an entire life. It can be very depressing to have to make such a decision with complete uncertainty, but it is never too late to change; only inconvenient.

I love your username...

[beefskies]

Originally Posted by Tobal-G

That bit about "doing what you love" is a crock of shit. I would blow my brains out if I followed through on that advice. In the real world, you have to take into account of what sort of income can this career path lead to? Will it fit in with my lifestyle and what I deem/find important? For me, I demand a sense of responsiblility and achievement. So i'm going to school to get my MBA and I'm currently working at a medical center that will provide me with the opportunity of becoming a CEO in 10 years. But that's what I want, and you may be different.

You have to look for what kind of qualities are you looking for in a career. Do you want something repetitive, or unique? Do you want to leave your work behind you when you come home, or the 8-5? Do you see yourself retiring earlier? I think these questions are more crucial. Good luck.

See, that makes perfect sense. I'd guess people are just afraid to admit that it IS mostly about money in the end.. At any rate, yeah I've changed my major about 4 times but I'm almost certain I've made the right choice (and my credits coincide) so things are starting to look up again. Thanks for the advice.

[SoulZen]

Finding what you want to do for the rest of your life (or for a good portion of your life) is not an easy decision. As others have pointed out there are a lot of things to factor in..plus even if you do find something you like it may not be feasible to make a living off of (like Tobal-G stated). I dunno, I went through wanting to be all sorts of things before realizing I love video games and thats what I wanted to do. But now its all about climbing the corporate ladder.

[powertickle]

I'm in the same boat myself. I wouldn't worry too much about it, a LOT of 20 year olds are in the same position. Everything will work itself out.

Also, Tobal, I think the point of "do what you love" is to FORGET about money. Stop worrying about it. Stop putting it on a pedestal. It won't make you happy if you hate everything else about your life.

[Juipter]

find a job that pays well, most of the people who dont like there jobs or are just plain bored with life are the ones that have jobs that just pay the bills.

i've yet to meet a guy who makes 300k+/yr who doesn't like what he does

[tmoney1876]

Originally Posted by powertickle

Also, Tobal, I think the point of "do what you love" is to FORGET about money. Stop worrying about it. Stop putting it on a pedestal. It won't make you happy if you hate everything else about your life.

Cute.

Dude, you can think whatever you want, but the fact is that the things that you LOVE to do are usually good for hobbies. Write fiction, paint, play music, do whatever you want. But get a job that will support those hobbies.

If you can find something that you love that you can make a living doing... more power to you. The REALITY of it is that you find a career that you can enjoy or at the very least tolerate that will support the type of life that you want to live.

How many people do you know that could possibly really enjoy accounting or find it fundamentally rewarding? It consists of digging through paperwork, wading through regulations, adding, subtracting, multiplying, more paperwork, and then doing that some more.

You don't have to define the quality of your life how much you enjoy your job. Because that is all that it is, a job.

[boboy4269]

FWIW I'm 20 and will be switching majors for my 3rd time now next semester. I still don't know what I want to do.

[That German Guy]

Originally Posted by tmoney1876

Cute.

Dude, you can think whatever you want, but the fact is that the things that you LOVE to do are usually good for hobbies. Write fiction, paint, play music, do whatever you want. But get a job that will support those hobbies.

If you can find something that you love that you can make a living doing... more power to you. The REALITY of it is that you find a career that you can enjoy or at the very least tolerate that will support the type of life that you want to live.

How many people do you know that could possibly really enjoy accounting or find it fundamentally rewarding? It consists of digging through paperwork, wading through regulations, adding, subtracting, multiplying, more paperwork, and then doing that some more.

You don't have to define the quality of your life how much you enjoy your job. Because that is all that it is, a job.

That is one way of looking at it. Sometimes though, what you love and a good job just match up perfectly. Take the German Guy.

I love fire fighting, I've been doing it since back in the day when I was 16, and managed to get a Master's Degree in Fire Safety Engineering. This led to my current job, B shift commander, Berlin Fire Brigade, station four. 3k€/month to take home, and doing what I love. I still have hobbies (Biking, shooting, amateur pyrotechnics), but as they say over here: Firefighting is not a job, it's a calling.

MAybe you'll get lucky, and maybe you'll just have a job.

[litoeon]

Originally Posted by code30

If it makes you feel any better, I'm 20, in college and can't decide on a major or job either. I often wonder about the same things you said here, so I don't think everyone knows, I think a lot of people just take the path of least resistance, and settle and stay in jobs they're content with so they don't have to find another one.

Yea OP, you're not the only one confused and quiet stuck. I'm 21 now 4th year in college and I don't care what people say, but FUCK I'm behind in my studies COMPLETELY. I've finished my GE sure, but I'm only starting to take my upper and major core classes now. I say I at least have a good 1 1/2 to 2 years to go. Don't feel bad, find out and experiment exactly what you want. I finally decided and stuck to my major after a good waste (well not really) of 3 years. You'll eventually find what's right for you.