Ne and the thought of having to pick ONE career for the next 99999999 years!

[Little Linguist]

The problem is how you find studying for a job and how you find the job in reality is a totally different thing.
I'm thinking maybe some work experience in the various areas you are curious about could help.

This is good advice. Your ideas about the job may be TOTALLY different than the job itself. Getting some internships might be really helpful in terms of discovering if you really love the job.

Example 1: Say you love animals - and you decide you want to become a vet. That takes a LOT OF TIME, MONEY AND COMMITMENT!!! Then, you finally finish school, 250,000 dollars in debt, and realize you cannot bring yourself to give an animal a shot or perform even minor surgery.

Example 2: You love languages. You decide you want to be a foreign language assistant. That sounds great - like it might involve travel, fascinating meetings, hell you might even be able to interpret cool-ass, confidential things. Then you realize you basically just answer phones and write e-mails all day, and the most common question you get is: "WHY AREN'T MY GOODS HERE YET!!!???!!!"

Example 3: You want to become a doctor because you want to help people and you happen to love biology, chemistry, physics, and math. You are a genius when it comes to theory, getting all As in your classes. Looks like Pre-Med is a shoe-in for you; only to realize you cannot stand the sight of blood, urine, pus and feces. Hmm, that might be a problem.

Example 4: You want to earn a hell of a lot of money in a short amount of time; you are a genius in figures; you are intuitive; you can sense market trends before they become true, so you become a stock market trader. Only to find out that you have 80-100 hour weeks and do not earn nearly as much as you thought for this cutthroat, STRESSFUL AS HELL job.

Etc., etc., etc. Of course, these examples are extreme and highly exaggerated to prove a point. But you get what I mean, right?

Excellent advice, Cindy.

[Xander]

Finding out that the job you went into isn't what you thought it was is the entire point of not focusing your career around anything but yourself. Your wants change when your illusions get shattered, your direction is changed... your career as a person working through their lives continues on.

The whole idea is that your guiding light in terms of jobs and careers shouldn't be focused on "I want to be an X when I grow up". Your career should be just focusing on what you want to do next.... not forever.

[Little Linguist]

Finding out that the job you went into isn't what you thought it was is the entire point of not focusing your career around anything but yourself. Your wants change when your illusions get shattered, your direction is changed... your career as a person working through their lives continues on.

The whole idea is that your guiding light in terms of jobs and careers shouldn't be focused on "I want to be an X when I grow up". Your career should be just focusing on what you want to do next.... not forever.

This is also a good point. I mean, I surely would not want to do one thing forever, and I have changed. No big deal. So don't worry hon!

[Xander]

This is also a good point. I mean, I surely would not want to do one thing forever, and I have changed. No big deal. So don't worry hon!

Oh I'm chilled.... more happy that I've found out this revelation at the point in my life when I want to change jobs and I'm looking at "careers". It's probably coming out as all forceful and stuff cause I think it's a good yardstick.

[prplchknz]

This is good advice. Your ideas about the job may be TOTALLY different than the job itself. Getting some internships might be really helpful in terms of discovering if you really love the job.


Example 3: You want to become a doctor because you want to help people and you happen to love biology, chemistry, physics, and math. You are a genius when it comes to theory, getting all As in your classes. Looks like Pre-Med is a shoe-in for you; only to realize you cannot stand the sight of blood, urine, pus and feces. Hmm, that might be a problem.

Wait? I'd think that before you got through medical school you'd know if you could stand sight of bodily fluids. I think most people figure that out when they're still kids. I did I can stand blood and urine, but can't stand pus and feces.

[arcticangel02]

Ne and the thought of having to pick ONE career for the next 99999999 years!

Eeeeeek!


Although, that being said, I'm currently three years into a five-year degree (although it's going to take me six to finish, since I'm doing things in pieces). I'm really worried I'm gonna get to the end of the degree and go, oh, I don't want to do this anymore!

I think the main thing that comforts me and keeps me on track is the knowledge that even though I may not (ever?) be totally-fascinated-omg-must-learn-everything-i-can-about-it-this-instant, I still enjoy it (and realise I enjoy it, which is important) enough to keep going. I can always get fascinated-obsessed with other things in the meantime, and discard them later without any big issue. It would probably be worse if I did get fascinated with the degree, because then sooner or later I'd get bored and move on, and then I'd have no interest in it whatsoever. Chugging along moderately is better than a rollercoaster ride of interest.

The main obstacle you're facing, I think, Babylon, is that ENFPs can't get themselves moving very well unless they're totally inspired. It would be all well and good if you could just continue as you are and keep studying, right? But for you to continue doing med, you have to instigate this whole organisation of continuing your degree somewhere else... it's a pretty massive thing to do and prepare for and everything, and since you're not totally 100% inspired by your degree, it's really really tough.

You sort of have to ask yourself, do I enjoy what I do? Would I really rather be doing something else? If I could just continue as is, would I? Is it this massive move that's got you doubting, or is it actually continuing the course?

If you're relatively happy with your degree, and you mostly enjoy what you're doing, (even if it may not be great all the time) then I'd say stick with it. The energy expenditure is worth it.

Hell, half the reason I'm still doing my degree is because I've put a damn lot of work in so far, and I'm too lazy to do that much work for nothing!

Who knows? Maybe the extra effort you have to do to organise this for yourself will just help you find the focus to complete it!

[substitute]

can't be done. Just can't be done. i've switched fields about six times so far and I'm only 31.

It's a question of asking what's important: the security of knowing you can change when you want to and not be stuck in one field, or the mega success/money that comes from staying in one field and climbing to the top?

I know what I'd choose. Money can kiss my butt.

It helps though, to choose things that are very varied within themselves. Jobs where you're not doing the same thing every day, where you can feel like you don't know what'll happen when you come in, what you'll have to do, it could be any number of things. that makes me get bored of it less quickly.

[Little Linguist]

Oh I'm chilled.... more happy that I've found out this revelation at the point in my life when I want to change jobs and I'm looking at "careers". It's probably coming out as all forceful and stuff cause I think it's a good yardstick.

I didn't mean you, hon, I meant poor Babylon, who sounds like he/she is really going through a rough time even though he/she does not have to worry so much.

It's good to be forceful!!! I am, too! No worries!

[Little Linguist]

can't be done. Just can't be done. i've switched fields about six times so far and I'm only 31.

It's a question of asking what's important: the security of knowing you can change when you want to and not be stuck in one field, or the mega success/money that comes from staying in one field and climbing to the top?

I know what I'd choose. Money can kiss my butt.

It helps though, to choose things that are very varied within themselves. Jobs where you're not doing the same thing every day, where you can feel like you don't know what'll happen when you come in, what you'll have to do, it could be any number of things. that makes me get bored of it less quickly.

EXACTLY!!!!!!!!!

[Little Linguist]

Wait? I'd think that before you got through medical school you'd know if you could stand sight of bodily fluids. I think most people figure that out when they're still kids. I did I can stand blood and urine, but can't stand pus and feces.

Okay, it was a bad example - but still!