Does everyone know what they want to do in life?

[GundamF91]

Originally posted by: TridenTBoy3555
You seem to have more direction than most... Having your MBA and going into law school? That's far more than what many do. Many don't even go to college because they don't see the point in going if they don't know what they want to do. (What would you take if you had all general stuff done?) :-/

I pretty much used education as my anchor, maybe like some people use military service for, but I basically fall back to getting more schooling in hopes of finding the direction. I guess my frustration is that I'm rapidly running out of time since I'm not in my 20s anymore. I've also narrowed myself into a corner academically, and I don't have the option of going back to school, to do engineering, or computer science, or mathematics, or medicine or any of the other hundreds or thousands of things that people choose to do in life.

I know there's a distinction between job and life, but whether we believe it or not, it's the career that often defines a person's life. A person's identity is associated with it, "I'm a teacher, I'm a doctor, I'm an accountant, I'm a truck driver"....

I do have hobbies, but they do not fill the majority hours of my day. Or is that really the secret of life? Not really about what you do in life.....just do the damn job, and then use hobbies to mask the dullness, and augment your happiness?

 

[natto fire]

Mainly provide oxygen/agua/nutrients to my myriad of cells, take each day as a gift, and let the chips fall where they may. I have never had a "career" so I can't comment on that part. This strategy has kept me suicide free for 26 years (working on 27 atm)

 

[zinfamous]

Originally posted by: tasmanian
Work to live not live to work. Get a hobby man.

based on his user name, I'm assuming he already collects little model robots that would even make 12 year-olds wince....

 

[zinfamous]

Originally posted by: Hacp
Why choose you make your work your life?

what the hell is going on today?!?!?

 

[Madwand1]

Originally posted by: GundamF91
I know there's a distinction between job and life, but whether we believe it or not, it's the career that often defines a person's life. A person's identity is associated with it, "I'm a teacher, I'm a doctor, I'm an accountant, I'm a truck driver"

I think you have enough experience to know that you yourself could fill most if not any of those roles. It's natural as the other to assume that what you see is what they regard as their own identity, but I assure you that although I have had a profession and some titles, that I don't define my own identity by those roles.

The question of identity is an important and deep one. Don't sell yourself short by taking a profession or lack of it to be your identity. In fact, don't take any superficial transient aspect for identity. It doesn't make sense.

 

[GundamF91]

Originally posted by: zinfamous

Originally posted by: tasmanian
Work to live not live to work. Get a hobby man.

based on his user name, I'm assuming he already collects little model robots that would even make 12 year-olds wince....

Believe it or not, I still do have a variety of interests. Anime used to be my passion in my 20s, but too bad it doesn't pay bills....otherwise I'd love to do something with Gundam franchise. Speaking of which, I had thought of being an artist, either an oil painter or some type of sketch artist. Unfortunately, as echoed by a poster before, I was also told by everyone (family, friends, career counselors), that being an artist is not a "real job".

 

[Pliablemoose]

What seems to happen is that one day you're driving a minivan or 4 door sedan filled with kids and a wife that doesn't make you want to puke when you see her naked, and you have the realization that you've been living life.

 

[Special K]

Originally posted by: Pliablemoose
What seems to happen is that one day you're driving a minivan or 4 door sedan filled with kids and a wife that doesn't make you want to puke when you see her naked, and you have the realization that you've been living life.

That sounds exciting!

 

[zinfamous]

Originally posted by: GundamF91

Originally posted by: zinfamous

Originally posted by: tasmanian
Work to live not live to work. Get a hobby man.

based on his user name, I'm assuming he already collects little model robots that would even make 12 year-olds wince....

Hehehe....yeah, anime used to be my passion in my 20s, but too bad it doesn't pay bills....otherwise I'd love to do something with Gundam franchise. Speaking of which, I had thought of being an artist, either an oil painter or some type of sketch artist. Unfortunately, as echoed by a poster before, I was also told by everyone (family, friends, career counselors), that being an artist is not a "real job".

fuck those people. No reason you can't paint on the side. You need serious outlets like that to give your life meaning. as everyone else in here has already suggested, there's no reason you can't spend non-work time painting.

Frankly, anyone in your life who discouraged you from painting is an idiot, and likely mentally inferior.

If it makes you happy, that's what matters. It's extremely tough making a living as an artist, but it can be done. Hell, a lot of people live quite well as mediocre artists. Look at Kincade: that guy has made an empire out of uninspiring, worthless, hacky BS "art." and he makes a shitload.

Guys like Jasper Johns make ~2 million a year. Sure, he's the 0.05% of the industry, but I bet there are plenty of artists that make waaaaay more than any of the fools in your life claiming that it isn't "a real job."

perhaps if you treated it as a hobby, didn't take it seriously, then you'd enjoy it more? if it is something that you didn't depend on for a living, you could grow into it and who knows, maybe usee it to provide income in future years. It's YOUR life, not your friends'/family's/counselors' life.

btw, career counselors are useless. They probably know even less about what they want in life, otherwise they'd get a real job and not just something where they have to advise other people what they should do with their lives. think about it: how freaking depressing must THAT "job" be?