HELP ME CHOOSE A CAREER. Please...

[agspath]

Hi! I am a Junior in high school and I am currently directionless in life. I don't know my MBTI type yet, so I can't assess what careers I may think about. I am pretty much lost in life and I don't know what to do with myself. I have the potential, I just don't know what to do with it. My career path is a blank slate at the moment because I can do so many things with my life. I am a straight A student but really don't care much about grades as long as I get to learn. Thus, academics is not a problem.

Can you suggest some careers based on your experience and/or knowledge?

I want a job that:

• won't put me in a leadership role. I suck at making decisions, b/c I am so indecisive.
• is meaningful.
• will allow my to enjoy my down time aka. not having to bring work to home everyday.
• that will not keep me longer in school b/c I find regular classroom interactions boring. The though of going to Uni freaks me out!
• that will not require me to commit to some career goal far in the future. (basically I don't want to go to Uni, then med school, then training, and finally qualified to do job)
• that that preferably has some hands on work.
• that offers a bit of variety, but not excessively so.
• that will not require me to spend my entire workday in front of a computer.

I don't care about the pay or the travel time. I'd like all of the things on that list, but you can suggest careers that fulfill most of those listed items. Thanks!

 

[Unionruler]

How about IT technician? I was thinking of something like Geek Squad, but being in a company's IT Department would be fine too. Maybe you can consider event management, interior design or architecture too.

 

[agspath]

How about IT technician? I was thinking of something like Geek Squad, but being in a company's IT Department would be fine too. Maybe you can consider event management, interior design or architecture too.

Thanks for some ideas but I forgot to add that I'm quite computer averse. I wouldn't want to spend my entire workday in front of a computer.

 

[Tellenbach]

Film critic; running a charity or animal rescue shelter; physical education teacher; plumber, carpenter, or electrician.

 

[Coriolis]

Join the military. It should be easy to avoid being behind a desk all day, you will have work that is meaningful, get great training in a hands-on specialty without lots of time in school, have the chance to travel, and not have to make too many decisions. Enlistment periods are usually 2-4 years, which means it is a relatively short-term commitment. If you like it, you can stay; or you can get out and use your experience to get a civilian job; or get out and use GI bill benefits to go to school. If you explore this route, best go with Navy or Air Force. Better assortment of specialties and less likelihood of coming to harm in a war zone.

 

[Qre:us]

You really don't list any interests you have/areas that interests you, things you're good at and enjoy doing. Things you are passionate about.

Answer that, rather than focusing on what you don't want, and you'll be closer to the answer you seek.

And it will be easier for people on this forum to help you brainstorm, rather than throwing the monkey and the wrench at you.

 

[DiscoBiscuit]

Go where the opportunity is.

 

[agspath]

You really don't list any interests you have/areas that interests you, things you're good at and enjoy doing. Things you are passionate about.

Answer that, rather than focusing on what you don't want, and you'll be closer to the answer you seek.

And it will be easier for people on this forum to help you brainstorm, rather than throwing the monkey and the wrench at you.

I don't think I have any interests at all... I have no passion in life. I think I can mold into many different careers because I have no fixed path or goal. I don't care about pay or bank balance or providing for a family. I am essentially lost.

I am trying to choose one career path - that will at least allow me to get a job - and that I can commit to. I know it's probably a bad idea to ask you guys to suggest career ideas when I don't know what I want to do in life.

Maybe...you could suggest ways in which I can find myself??! I don't know...

Thanks for your reply!

 

[Unionruler]

I don't think I have any interests at all... I have no passion in life. I think I can mold into many different careers because I have no fixed path or goal. I don't care about pay or bank balance or providing for a family. I am essentially lost.

I don't think it's uncommon or unnatural to be lost while still in high school. But it is trite knowledge that one should have determined some goals or interests before moving to the more specific question of a career path. Does your school have like a career counselor or equivalent? Maybe you should try a summer job too...

 

[agspath]

I don't think it's uncommon or unnatural to be lost while still in high school. But it is trite knowledge that one should have determined some goals or interests before moving to the more specific question of a career path. Does your school have like a career counselor or equivalent? Maybe you should try a summer job too...

My school does have guidance counselors and I recently selected my courses for next year with my guidance counselor. However, I am afraid to approach a counselor and tell them I have no solid goals or interests, because I guess I don't want to tell them I have never been able to commit to a club or sport or group. Also, I don't want them to speak to my parents, because my parents are very strict and expect me to become something fool-proof like a doctor...

 

[Unionruler]

My school does have guidance counselors and I recently selected my courses for next year with my guidance counselor. However, I am afraid to approach a counselor and tell them I have no solid goals or interests, because I guess I don't want to tell them I have never been able to commit to a club or sport or group. Also, I don't want them to speak to my parents, because my parents are very strict and expect me to become something fool-proof like a doctor...

I think you shouldn't be afraid of approaching them, pretty sure they're used to having to start students off from square one. Lame as it may sound, maybe you can google for online quizzes, e.g. What Career Is Right For Me?, just to get a rough idea of what you should be considering. Not having solid goals or interests is not something that can be solved by a forum community though, you really need to get out there and try stuff hands on.

 

[kyuuei]

- Manual labor of any sort - construction, oil rig work, etc.
- National guardsman for the military
- short-term cert jobs like peace officer
- Coffee shop worker / bartender
- Basically any menial job out there
- Volunteer work/non-profit-organizations
- Customer service representative / support call lines

Pretty much all of those careers fit your criteria.

FWIW Community college is WAY more pleasant than high school ever was. I could handle comm college.. I was ready to gtfo of high school.

 

[agspath]

I think you shouldn't be afraid of approaching them, pretty sure they're used to having to start students off from square one. Lame as it may sound, maybe you can google for online quizzes, e.g. What Career Is Right For Me?, just to get a rough idea of what you should be considering. Not having solid goals or interests is not something that can be solved by a forum community though, you really need to get out there and try stuff hands on.

Thanks for replying! I'll try to take your advice and maybe go and see a counselor...