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How can I figure what career I want to pursue when I'm only 15 and have so many different interests?
Im currently a sophomore in high school and Im feeling pressured to choose my courses and extracurricular activities that are based on my future career.
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Praveen’s Answer
It's a wonderful thing to delve into various interests at your age, as it can help you discover the career path that might be the perfect fit for you. Here's a friendly guide to help you sift through your options:
1. Self-Reflection: Spend some quality time thinking about what truly brings you joy. This could be your hobbies, school subjects you're great at, or activities that make you forget about time.
2. Homework Time: Dive into research about careers that match your interests. Get to know the ins and outs of each job, the skills and qualifications needed, potential earnings, job prospects, and opportunities for advancement.
3. Get Your Hands Dirty: Seek out real-world experience in areas that pique your interest. This could mean internships, part-time jobs, volunteering, or shadowing professionals. This direct exposure can offer you priceless insights into what a career actually entails.
4. Chat with the Pros: Don't hesitate to connect with professionals in fields you're curious about. Ask them about their career journey, daily tasks, challenges they encounter, and what they love about their jobs. Their stories can offer you a fresh perspective and help you make well-informed decisions.
5. Seek Guidance: Think about chatting with a school counselor or career advisor. They can offer direction and resources to help you delve deeper into your interests and narrow down your choices.
6. Try, Try, and Try Again: Don't shy away from trying out new things and exploring diverse interests. It's perfectly fine for your passions to change over time and for you to change your mind as you learn more about yourself and the world.
7. Goal Setting: Once you've got a clearer picture of your interests and possible career paths, start setting immediate and long-term goals. This might involve taking specific courses, gaining relevant experience, or honing skills that will be handy in your chosen field.
Remember, it's completely normal to have a variety of interests, and there's no need to box yourself into just one career path. Many folks enjoy varied careers that blend several interests and skills. So, keep exploring, stay open-minded, and trust that you'll find the path that's just right for you as you continue to grow and learn.
1. Self-Reflection: Spend some quality time thinking about what truly brings you joy. This could be your hobbies, school subjects you're great at, or activities that make you forget about time.
2. Homework Time: Dive into research about careers that match your interests. Get to know the ins and outs of each job, the skills and qualifications needed, potential earnings, job prospects, and opportunities for advancement.
3. Get Your Hands Dirty: Seek out real-world experience in areas that pique your interest. This could mean internships, part-time jobs, volunteering, or shadowing professionals. This direct exposure can offer you priceless insights into what a career actually entails.
4. Chat with the Pros: Don't hesitate to connect with professionals in fields you're curious about. Ask them about their career journey, daily tasks, challenges they encounter, and what they love about their jobs. Their stories can offer you a fresh perspective and help you make well-informed decisions.
5. Seek Guidance: Think about chatting with a school counselor or career advisor. They can offer direction and resources to help you delve deeper into your interests and narrow down your choices.
6. Try, Try, and Try Again: Don't shy away from trying out new things and exploring diverse interests. It's perfectly fine for your passions to change over time and for you to change your mind as you learn more about yourself and the world.
7. Goal Setting: Once you've got a clearer picture of your interests and possible career paths, start setting immediate and long-term goals. This might involve taking specific courses, gaining relevant experience, or honing skills that will be handy in your chosen field.
Remember, it's completely normal to have a variety of interests, and there's no need to box yourself into just one career path. Many folks enjoy varied careers that blend several interests and skills. So, keep exploring, stay open-minded, and trust that you'll find the path that's just right for you as you continue to grow and learn.
Updated
Jeff’s Answer
Hey Ru!
First and foremost, what you're feeling is completely okay! It is quite commonplace to feel a sense of lost and ambiguity at the age that you're at. W
While it can be beneficial to know what you'd like to do for a career and plan backwards, it isn't realistic to expect every student to know what they'd like to do. Instead, it would *still* be in your best interest to take advanced classes (AP/IB/Dual College Credit) to help give you a solid foundation of knowledge for when you go to college and to also allow you to be exempt from intro courses. You'll be in good shape as most General Ed courses come from the same subjects that students take during their IB/AP curriculum (Math, English, Sciences, etc). So even if you don't know what you want to do just yet, you'll still be in good shape if you take high quality classes.
As far as ECs go, don't think too much about what it can do for your career as ECs in HS are mostly used for admission purposes! Instead, think of ECs as a way to explore and trial-and-error activity in various fields to measure your temperament! What do you like, what do you not like? What ECs are you great at, which are you struggling with? This would be a safe way to find out what kind of fields interest you the most so you can make a confident decision later about what kind of career you'd like :)
Don't sweat it :)
I'd recommend having coffee chats with people in various fields.
First and foremost, what you're feeling is completely okay! It is quite commonplace to feel a sense of lost and ambiguity at the age that you're at. W
While it can be beneficial to know what you'd like to do for a career and plan backwards, it isn't realistic to expect every student to know what they'd like to do. Instead, it would *still* be in your best interest to take advanced classes (AP/IB/Dual College Credit) to help give you a solid foundation of knowledge for when you go to college and to also allow you to be exempt from intro courses. You'll be in good shape as most General Ed courses come from the same subjects that students take during their IB/AP curriculum (Math, English, Sciences, etc). So even if you don't know what you want to do just yet, you'll still be in good shape if you take high quality classes.
As far as ECs go, don't think too much about what it can do for your career as ECs in HS are mostly used for admission purposes! Instead, think of ECs as a way to explore and trial-and-error activity in various fields to measure your temperament! What do you like, what do you not like? What ECs are you great at, which are you struggling with? This would be a safe way to find out what kind of fields interest you the most so you can make a confident decision later about what kind of career you'd like :)
Don't sweat it :)
Jeff recommends the following next steps:
Updated
Erin’s Answer
I am 52 and still don't know what I want to do!! At 15 you are not expected to know what you want to do as a future career. You can start thinking about what classes you do best in or enjoy the most. I always liked math more than English or Social Studies so I decided to go into college as a business major. There are always jobs available for business majors. But you can go to college as an undecided major and take some classes freshman year to figure out what interests you.
I think there are only few people who know early on what they want to be - doctors, lawyers, etc.
But here is my advice for my middle schooler who is 13 so close to your age: I wish I had thought ahead to which jobs/careers I could get into that I could eventually go part time when raising a family. Teachers, Nurses, and Pharmacists are all examples of careers that you could do anywhere and go part time.
Good luck! You have time to figure this out. Don't get stressed over this.
I think there are only few people who know early on what they want to be - doctors, lawyers, etc.
But here is my advice for my middle schooler who is 13 so close to your age: I wish I had thought ahead to which jobs/careers I could get into that I could eventually go part time when raising a family. Teachers, Nurses, and Pharmacists are all examples of careers that you could do anywhere and go part time.
Good luck! You have time to figure this out. Don't get stressed over this.
Updated
Julie’s Answer
There's absolutely no rush to pin down your career goals by a specific deadline. As you ponder your path in college, delve into the things YOU ENJOY DOING. If organization isn't your strong suit, avoid careers that demand it. Instead, focus on your strengths and what comes naturally to you. Seek out careers that align with your talents. Personally, I'm a detail-oriented person who thrives on the who, what, where, why, when, and how, making software development an ideal fit for me. I love my job so much, I'd do it even without a paycheck. It's not just work, it's fun! Plus, the opportunity to meet a plethora of new people as I juggle different projects is an added bonus I truly relish.