Because it seemed like too large a question for the Advice thread.

-- Anonymous, June 03, 2002

Answers

To me Jessamyn's piece on her own dilemma is the best thing I've read on the subject of finding your passion. But it does seem to me that the "finding" part is just as important as the "passion" part.

I mean, I have a great job, but I sometimes suspect that if I'd had to work hard to get it, instead of stumbling into it, I'd be a little better at it. And I love Really Cool Weekly more than any other publication in the whole world, but I'm not sure how long I'll actually end up staying.

So: talk about what you do, and what you want to do, and the gap between the two. It's okay. We're all confused too.

-- Anonymous, June 03, 2002

Trust me, as a little girl, I never aspired to be a government worker.

I will never forget in the 5th grade, we had a whole week of discussions and activities geared toward helping you identify a future career path. When we were filling out a questionaire at the beginning of the week, guess what I put down as my aspiration? I aspired to write Hallmark cards for a living.

And no, my parents did not drop me on my head when I was a baby.

-- Anonymous, June 03, 2002

I've kind of gotten off figuring what I want to do career-wise. I'm not doing what I hoped I would be doing but I am happy doing it and I'm pretty good at it as well, but that's not why I'm not thinking about a career.

I made a decision to try and keep in mind that, even taking out sleeping hours, I spend twice as much time out of work than at work. So I've been trying lately to think more about where I want to be personally as I go through life.

A job is important, but it isn't everything. In fact, it is less than 25% of everything.

-- Anonymous, June 03, 2002

according to career tests i took in the 5th grade, i was best suited to becoming a Hod Carrier*. this because i said i wanted to work outside and liked physical labor. i think the tests were government-supplied, and hadn't been updated in some time. even if i had wanted to pursue a career in the Hod Carrying Arts back in 5th grade, i don't think i could have found a mentor. maybe it's just not called Hod Carrier anymore, maybe it's Hod Technician...

* "A laborer who carries supplies to masons or bricklayers"

-- Anonymous, June 03, 2002

Heh. My dad and brother are both brick layers/stone masons in central Indiana, and they are always looking for good hod carriers! You may still be able to follow that dream!

(Oh, and thanks, WG, for the link and the nod!)

-- Anonymous, June 03, 2002

if they are willing to pay relocation expenses, i'm there. and i did carry a box of marketing materials (modern day 'hod' to you & me) to the conference room on friday so it's not like i don't have _any_ experience. and i can write JavaScript, so that might give me an advantage if, say, some error-checking needed to be applied to certain hunks of hod.

-- Anonymous, June 03, 2002

I never cared about what I wanted to be. I'd make something up as a kid that would please whoever was doing the asking. I fastasized about performing physical skills as a career. I didnt have any particular sport or activity in mind.

Then in 7th grade or so they figured out I was smart, so I was put on the college prep path. I majored in biochemistry but what I really loved most about the 4 years at UCincinnati was playing footbag (hackey - sack)and making music. I got into construction work after college, and loved it. Now I work in the chemical industry and it doesnt suck but I'd still rather be hanging drywall or carrying the hod. The only solution is to play pro baseball.

-- Anonymous, June 03, 2002

Since I'm the one who asked the question, let me just say that I wish I knew the answer. My college majors: chemistry, math, linguistics, computer science, Spanish, and English. And those are just the ones I was in long enough to declare... Ended up majoring in English and going to law school.

It's nice to say that a career isn't everything, but, realistically, it very well could be for me. I don't expect to ever meet the "right" person or to have a huge circle of friends or be famous. I didn't get pretty or athletic or outgoing or musical. I'm smart. I can do academics. I think that's what it comes down to.

I think about the service professions - teaching, counseling, things like that. Ideally, I'd probably work with abused children. But the reality is that it doesn't pay and I want things...like a house and clothes that aren't from middle school and the ability to support kids if I ever have any. As I sit here and babble, I think maybe this is an unanswerable question.

-- Anonymous, June 03, 2002

This question has been heavily on my mind lately, as I will be graduating from college in a year with a B.A. in government, which, you know, isn't really all that practical. But I don't really know what I want to do. Possibly something political?

A ninth grade career aptitude test, however, suggested farmer and minister/rabbi/priest. I can't imagine two jobs I would be less likely to have as I'm not very outdoorsy and not at all religious.

-- Anonymous, June 04, 2002

Please allow a 47 year old guy who still doesn't know what he wants to be when he grows up ramble a bit. I've worked as a DJ/announcer at a radio station, wrote continuity for a PBS television station, drove a big truck, taught high school English, and worked as a maintenance supervisor at an apartment complex. Now I'm working in a factory in a small town in southern Missouri wondering still what I want to be when I grow up. I'm thinking about becoming a stockbroker, but I'm not excited about it--the kind of excited a small child would have upon receiving a new bike for Christmas--simply is not there. The only thing of late that gets my heart pumping is the prospect of becoming a deputy sheriff, one of my three careers chosen as a child that has not been fullfilled. My only advice to the people who read these lines is to go with your heart, do what makes you feel good and happy. Don't worry about the money, it will come. Just don't wait until you're my age. Peace be with you....

-- Anonymous, August 13, 2002