How did all of you...

decide what you wanted to do career wise?

I want to go back to school and get started on a real career. I do not want to be stuck doing what I am doing forever (retail), but the trouble is, I have no idea what it is I want to do. Or what I would even be good at. I can't think of any particular skills that I have that would be beneficial to anything inparticular. Some people are telling me that I should just go take general studies or something and then once I am there something I actually want to do will come to me. I just don't see that happening though. I graduated high school four years ago and there is still nothing that grabs me and says "this is the job/path for you!". My brother always knew what he wanted to do... and I just have no idea. All I know is that I am hoping for a career in which I'll make a decent amount of money and something that hopefully will be Mon-Fri. But other than that, I am completely stuck.

When I was growing up I thought I wanted to be a vet. Well, actually, I wanted to be a marine biologist so I could work with whales... then I was told they rarely work with whales and so I changed my mind. But my math and science skills are awful. I just don't get either and both frustrate me to no end. Plus, I'm kind of squeamish with gross things, and being a vet often involves some really gross things. Still, sometimes I still think I'd enjoy it. Being a vet tech might be ok too, but they don't seem to make a very good salary. The ones I know barely make enough to live on. And I am not wealthy by any means (not even close), but I want to be able to live comfortably on my own with two dogs and also be able to have and do other things also.

Then more recently I thought maybe dental assisting or dental hygiene would be good, but apparently that involves a lot of math and science too. And it doesn't really interest me all that much. It just sounds like a good career to have, if that makes sense. I might still look into it anyway though just so I can do and be something.

I just really don't know. I wish I was one of those people that had a thing they always dreamed of or a thing that they knew they would be good at. I am so stuck and completely clueless as to what I want to do and it is beyond frustrating. I am tired of working jobs that barely pay anything that I don't really even enjoy that much (my current one is ok, but like I said, not what I want to be doing forever). I want a real career.

So how did you all decide what you were going to do? Did you go to school for it? Fall into it? Do you enjoy it?

My family keeps telling me that I am overthinking things, and maybe I am. I've always just liked to be sure of something before I do something. And since school has always been hard for me, I don't want to just go and still not actually have a path to follow.

Umm... I tried one thing, tried another thing, tried yet another thing and think I've settled? :rofl1:

Growing up, I always thought I'd be a vet tech. Due to age when I graduated high school (I was a year younger), I couldn't go straight into the vet tech program, so I decided to take the suggested human health sciences to get a start on basic anatomy and such. Finished that, decided I *really* don't want to do something in the human health field, did a semester of vet tech and decided that no, that was NOT the career path for me. I suck at science, and can't memorize every single parasite, what every stage looks like, how long every stage survives, etc.

Then I was thinking vet assistant, cause they are more hands on than vet tech. I think I thought of assistant cause I was kind of stuck on the whole working with animals thing. Well, I never even bothered to apply for that program, I just didn't feel it.

I finally settled on Business Accounting, and I *think* it's what I want to do with my life. Maybe.

I really was no help, sorry

I decided to be a vet tech because I didn't know what else to do. It didn't really appeal to me (the medical aspect) but of all the careers I could think of, it was the closest to being something I might enjoy. So really it was me thinking "oh crap, I need to do something!"

I did go to school. I don't have a tech job at the moment, just a little bit on Saturdays. Sometimes I enjoy it. I sure like it better than retail.

I was made by my parents to go to university out of high school. I was an artsy teenager. Went for an honours BA in theatre. Finished the program, got a degree, there were no jobs without experience, no experience without a job..

Met someone who taught skiing. He thought my work in children's theatre could help their children's ski program. Applied got hired, they taught me to ski. Same season I took my level one test, passed became a ski instructor. Been at the hill 7 years, am a supervisor there now. Sadly, being a ski bum isn't a career and I still didn't know what to do.

My second season I became a ski patroller and started handling medical emergencies on the hill a few days a week too. I liked it, but the pay sucked. Started thinking about paramedicine. My math skills suck though, and you need a grade 12 math to apply. I didn't have one. I spent multiple seasons working there in winter, odd jobs in summer, and regretting the fact I didn't want to go back to high school. Finally got off my @ss a few years ago. Took the math, as an adult it was much easier. Did well, chose to voluntarily upgrade my chemistry. Also far better as an adult.

I'm done at the end of this month, after two years in the program. I need to find a job still.. But I am still quite happy with my choice. Took a long freaking time to figure out what I wanted to do. Wish I'd gotten here sooner.

I have no idea what to do yet. I need to get the ball rolling.

This gives me hope lol. I am in uni but not doing anything specific. I feel down a lot because I have no idea what I am wanting to do or which direction to even go, and I keep mentally kicking myself for not taking more maths and sciences in high school. I am trying to motivate myself to take math 12 and chem 11 this summer... I was always weak at math and science so hearing you found it easier as an adult makes me think I should go back.

It's frustrating because I am an arts student and working towards a BA but sometimes I feel as though I am deep down a science person. I never gave it a chance in HS, and never did my hw so I sucked at it. I am a very logical person, I HATE wishy washy and I like being able to see empirical evidence about things.

I really hope I truly do find sciences easier now that I am older because if I do that would really open up a lot of career options for me that I originally didn't consider due to avoiding math and science.

You sound just like me. I always wanted to be a dog breeder or do seething else with animals (everyone told me I should be a vet). Yet here I am, 20 years old and I really don't want anything I thought I did. I have always had a dream, I've always loved music and wanted to be a singer and it's something I'm working very hard towards but at the same time, it's not exactly something t you can guarantee a career in or a steady income. I want to find something to go to school for that I actually enjoy that will give me a steady flow of money coming my way so I can pursue music while actually enjoying whatever else it is that I'm doing career wise. At this point I'm leaning toward not even going to school because I have no clue what I want to pay thousands of dollars toward learning about.

None of my plans really changed from childhood to now, they just evolved and moved forward into more specific things.

Vet > Ecologist > Vet/Dog & Horse > Equine Reproduction Specialist and Geneticist

Only problem with that is my major issues with math. I'm good with history and literature, love all the other classes, but when it comes down to numbers in ANYTHING....I'm lost. That is actually how I ended up with three Associate Degree's. Pre-Vet and Animal Science were stressing me out, so I added Literature/Fine Arts to keep my grades up and give me something that I enjoyed doing.

Graphic Design fell into my lap. It was never something I was majorly interested in, but I do enjoy art and always have. I never thought I would try and make a career out of it, but here I am. Digital paintings and website design, taking commissions, coding and fiddling around in photoshop for hours on end.

Photography will probably only ever be a hobby, but we'll see.

I went to university thinking I wanted to work with non-government organizations, but finished school not really feeling ready to enter that stream. Someone suggested I try out baking and pastry arts, so I thought I'd give it a shot. It's perfect for me. I'm not sitting at a desk all day, I'm constantly busy doing things and I get to work as a member of a team, which I love. I'll never make a lot of money, but I enjoy going to work every day.

Rather than focusing on the salary aspect, think of a hobby or interest you have that you could make a fun career out of. The starting salary might not be great, but there are always opportunities to move up and manage/etc.

Honestly I did not go to school as of yet, I found what I wanted to do by working a reception job for the past 5 years, and decided that this is what I want to do the rest of my life. I just love it.

I do want to go back to school to do some courses or what not, but I find that employers in my field are looking for people who have experiance rather than no experiance and having the schooling.

I think it is important to realize that for most people, a job is just a job. It's not a passion, it's not something they love, it's something that pays the bills and provides them the ability to do other things they love (golf, travel, volunteer, paint, whatever).

We put SO much pressure on ourselves to find our "dream job" and something that we love doing, and if you have that passion it's a huge blessing--but that's not usual. It's very unique to know exactly what career you want and have the skills and ability to track it down.

Have you taken an aptitude test? It may give you an idea of what you're good at and should look into further.

I'm twenty two and still do not know what I want to do.

Eta: that's not true. I know plenty of things that I would be happy to do. I just lack the ambition, money and motivation to pursue the education necessary for those jobs.

I definitely agree. I'll go so far as to say that I don't want my passion to be my job. I've discovered that I don't enjoy art nearly as much when it's for money as I do when it's on my own and I can do whatever I want. I feel like it really crushes my creativity. So I use my job to pay for my art classes and my dog classes. Works much better for me.

Anyways, I grew up thinking I wanted to be a vet then went to school with it in mind. Couldn't get a scholarship to the pre-vet med program so started in biochem and then genetics. Realized I hate chemistry. Wanted something that was marketable and easier so I went for a math undergrad. Graduated with no idea what to do so decided on teaching, even took a couple teaching oriented classes. Then decided I don't want to teach.

Got a tech job in the energy field (I'm a geoscience technician). Mainly because I needed SOMETHING and energy is the only business around here really. I applied everywhere and they offered me something so I jumped at it. It's a cube job so nothing glamorous but I work with good people and every day is different. Most days I enjoy it, sometimes I really like it. This week has sucked so far, just very slow and boring, but most weeks my geologist keeps me busy. I enjoy the learning aspect of it, there's TONS to learn. Pay is pretty good, not many job stresses comparatively. Every other friday off. I have benefits and insurance and all that which is nice. I get to even use my art skills somewhat making presentations for meetings and things like that. I do think I want to go back and get a petro engineering degree. I'll be honest and say it's mostly for money reasons and upward mobility reasons. Plus I think I'd enjoy reservoir engineering from talking with the res engineer in our area he does a lot of math and calculus. I find it intriguing.

Anyways, definitely found out I do much better with a math/science career even though I'm definitely not passionate about it and never would have told you I wanted to work in the geology department.

I've recently decided to go into a Clinical Lab Technician program. Found one that seems to be a good fit for my schedule and hopefully it will all work out.

It's really been tough for me to decide on something. I've mostly worked in the animal fields..boarding kennels, vets, now a pet store taking care of the fish. There's not much money in vet tech and most other things. It sucks but I had to turn away from those types of programs. I've worked in two different vet clinics that I strongly disagreed with the way they operated behind the scenes. Like go home and cry at night. And at least one boarding kennel that had some bad dirty little secrets. Gives you a bad taste in your mouth. I've tried to get into grooming schools but financial aid is impossible and if I had 10k to put up I wouldn't need to go to grooming school.

I'd be more than happy with my own business (boarding kennels, perhaps)..but I need a career to get me financially stable. It's taken a while because I do need to work and make ends meet while going to school..and I'd prefer to stay at my current job while doing so. Some of the more competitive programs have specific times.

What about looking at a technical program, a certificate...medical assisting or billing? Something kind of hum-drum with a decent paycheck? At least you'll be able to get right into a program without worrying about prereqs. I found it easier as well though, taking classes and learning math as an adult.

This sounds so much like me. LOL I'm graduating this winter with a BS degree after four years of college...still no idea what I want to do. I went in to college thinking "veterinary behaviorist!" Then science happened and I said, "Anything but more science." I hate biology and chemistry. I am horrible at it, I loathe it, I just hate it. I also have no desire to go another four years of school. I want to be out of school, like, yesterday.

But, the degree I'm getting...really can't be used for much. LOL Or it can be in the field of animal agriculture, but since I'm interested in companion animals and not livestock, my options are limited.
However, it did just sink in that if my future looks the way I hope it is going to look regarding my current relationship, I will be spending six years state side while he is completing his service in the Navy. And if that is the case, I may as well be doing something to stop me from going crazy and continuing my education at the same time. So, if I don't mind my tech work this summer, I'm going to look in to taking an online vet tech course and then possibly see about becoming certified as a Veterinary Behavior Technician. Which isn't really anything special, but I think I would enjoy doing it, and it would give me something to stand apart from all of the generic "vet techs" out there.

I'd love to eventually run my own boarding/training facility, but I'm too much of a conservative at heart to really be able to take the risk in doing that, I think. But, again, if my boyfriend and I get hitched, he really wants to own his own business and he said he'd be willing to help out with a boarding/training facility. So...we'll see. Maybe some day.

Good. Don't limit yourself. I almost did. The more I hang out with paramedics and nurses.. the more I hear 'I'm terrible at math'. But, we've found ways to make it work. We learn the math we need to know for our jobs and use often. I rocked my grade 12 math course with a 94%, and was tutoring some of the other students. Most of us were mid twenties or older. I was embarrassed being 'so old' and having to do high school courses. I didn't understand high school chem either. Rocked out with a 94% too. It all made so much more sense as an adult, and with a focus. I think the later was very helpful. Knowing I am here, in class to get this course because then I can apply to be a xxxxx. That was very motivating. You can do it too

From as far back as I can remember I wanted to be a biologist, I've always loved animals. We got our first dog when I was 12 and my mom and I did a TON of research about training BEFORE we got her (before I even knew we were going to get a dog). I was so fascinated with the training even before I got to practice it, I knew that training was what I wanted to do. In the course of the research I learned a lot about guide dogs, and decided I'd be a guide dog trainer.

I actually wrote to a guide dog school when I was 12 or 13, and asked them for recommendations about how to persue that career. They sent me a rather discouraging letter (the whole, "Just because you like playing with dogs doesn't necessarily mean you'll like training!"), that included a list of college majors. A lot of them didn't appeal to me, but psychology sounded intreguing. I read some psych books in high school and was fascinated by it, so I decided to major in psych in college.

In my psych classes I learned about operant conditioning, and I was lucky enough to get a job as a dog trainer before I graduated college. I fully believed in positive reinforcement - having studied reinforcement and punishment in my classes - and was discouraged to find out that most guide dog programs still use a lot of punishment. Finally I found a job as a service dog trainer with an organization that strives to use primarily positive reinforcement, and I've been here ever since.

So I suppose it was a process.

I actually freak out a little bit when I think about what I'd do if I couldn't do this job anymore. I've wanted to be a dog trainer for so long, I don't really know what else I'd like to do. I consider myself lucky to be in *practically* my dream job (no job is 100% perfect), because otherwise I have no idea what I'd be doing.

Well... I wanted to do horses. So I did. Then I realized that I wanted to be able to enjoy horses and not look at the horse industry as a job. That and I never had the energy at the end of the day to work with MY horses...

So I had always loved biology and sciences in general (didn't like chem much though) Went to college and became a forensic biotechnologist. Decided I LOVED molecular biology (genetics) and enjoyed biochemistry so I decided to go on to university. I still need one more course but other than that I am just finishing up an honours joint degree in biochemistry and molecular biology...

Oh and I am 36 its totally ok to not know where you are going till you get there.

I work in management at a pet food outlet. Let's face it, I'm pretty much a rockstar at my job , but that doesn't mean I like it!! I'm freaking good at it, I am a perfect fit for customer service, but I don't think I want it for a career. The stupidity that some people possess makes me want to cry (like the person who came in mad at their dog and wanted a way to give it diarrhea as payback, or the person who wanted a muzzle for their aggressive dog so that they could still let it run loose even though it already had a bite history), and that is the main reason why I can't see myself still working this industry for an extended amount of time.

I've recently started looking into other options, possibly retail in another industry (bookstores mainly) where I'm not so passionate about the subject. Maybe passionate isn't the right word, I LOVE books, but they're not living beings, and if someone doesn't treat a book properly it isn't going to turn my stomach the way some pet owners do.

I have 3/4 of a Sociology degree, but that didn't help me get my job. I started at the bottom and worked my way up. I definitely want to go back to school and finish, but I don't know if Soc is where I want to stay or not. The biggest factor in not going back right now is time, I can't imagine being able to cut back to part time at work in order to go back to school, especially not with Frodo. We'll see though, I know I'm going back eventually. I love everything about college.

I always liked admin, customer service etc and love talking to people and working in a team environment, but didn't want to do retail.

So im in Banking, and do all the sales in branchs. I enjoy it but it is very target and sales driver, which sometimes gets a bit stressful.

It is nice working with a big team though and everyday something new comes.