I’m about to contradict myself with this post (see the prior truth), but since I’m feeling slightly fantastic today (in the fanciful sort of way), I’ll humor you with this truth.
What I’m about to say may seem familiar to some people, since I tend to talk about it a lot when the discussion turns to careers and happiness. Let me start off by saying I’m not unhappy with my job. I won’t call it a career, since it doesn’t feel like one to me. Unless you want to say I’m careering toward an uncertain future! Career. Is that word starting to sound nonsensical yet, or is it just me? Anyway, I’m satisfied. My job isn’t ridiculously challenging but is interesting enough, and it allows me to play on nights and weekends.
However, I often wonder what I’d be doing had I taken a break between high school and college to discover what’s really out there. You only learn so much during a sheltered middle and high school life surrounded by family and peers. And everyone from your parents to your guidance counselors attempt to push you toward majors and careers that they believe suit you. But how do you know what suits you when you’re 17 years old? I certainly didn’t. There are exceptions, no doubt, but I do not fall into that category.
There’s myriad ways to earn a living out there, many of which are things I never would have considered as a high school student. I also know people who skipped the whole college thing and are very happy and successful. So something I wish I’d done was take that time to travel, work, and figure out how I could fuse earning an income with doing something I truly enjoy. (But then I always wonder if I turned something I love into a means of income, would I lose my passion for it?)
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