Why you’re probably not doing your “dream job”
What jobs do 15-year-olds expect to do at 30?
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Every few years, thousands of teenagers are asked a very simple question: What job do you expect to have when you're 30?
It's an important question because having an answer helps teenagers plan for the future, whether that's taking a specific class or deciding whether to attend college. That's why the OECD's PISA survey has asked this question since 2000.
But in the last 20 years, we've seen a concerning trend: More and more teenagers name the same basic jobs, like doctor or lawyer, almost as if they're picking jobs out of a children's book. And even more worrisome is that more and more teenagers don't even name a job.
All of this hints that today's teenagers aren't thinking enough about their future plans - and, fair or not, this lack of career preparation will likely have lifelong consequences.
Note: The headline on this piece has been updated.
Previous headline: Why 25% of teens can't answer this question
Sources and further reading:
This OECD report argues that the narrowing answers to this question hint that teens are confused about their future careers: www.oecd.org/education/dream-...
Here's the data from the PISA survey: www.oecd.org/pisa/data/
It's difficult to work with, but the codebook provides broad summaries of the data: webfs.oecd.org/pisa2018/PISA2...
This study shows that students with science-related ambitions are far more likely to get science or engineering degrees, even if they aren’t as good at math: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/s...
This paper looks at the long term ramifications of being “misaligned” as a teenager: www.jstor.org/stable/42956558
If you’re a solutions-oriented person, this OECD report is about what we can do to help teenagers better think about their professional futures: www.oecd.org/education/indica...
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I always HATED the question "what do you want to be when you grow up", because how the heck was I supposed to know without trying it out first? It felt like adults always expected me to pick a goal and blindly follow it, even though I didn't understand how jobs worked. This video doesn't actually cover WHY many teens can't answer this question. A lot of people don't know what job they want to have at 15, and we need to stop telling them it's a "problem"; that kind of pressure is probably why so many teens pick the same 10 jobs, because they feel pushed to give a socially acceptable answer. Supporting kids and their ambitions is important, but instead of demanding that they plan their entire life starting from elementary school, maybe we should ask them what are their interests, what are their passions, what kinds of environments do they want to work with, what kind of change do they want to create. We're asking the wrong questions to kids, and then when they can't answer, call them "misaligned". Adults are the ones who are misaligned here.
Plus, with how rapidly technology has changed just within our lifetimes, there are whole careers that don’t even exist yet! When I was a kid and asked what I wanted to be when I grow up, I couldn’t answer “KZheadr/Twitch Streamer” because those jobs literally didn’t exist back when I was a kid. Who knows how many jobs will even exist/what new jobs will appear in the next 15 years thanks to the huge technological advancements from AI.
This! There was a huge amount of pressure to know what you wanted to do at such a young age with no life experience, I think it made me make worse decisions, not better decisions. I think it's good to show teens that they can still thrive if they change their mind and they don't have to have it all figured out by 15 or even 30 to live a good life.
I kinda understand what you're saying, but how do you go from I like soccer and video games to a decent paying job?
"Supporting kids and their ambitions is important, but instead of demanding that they plan their entire life starting from elementary school, maybe we should ask them what are their interests, what are their passions, what kinds of environments do they want to work with, what kind of change do they want to create." So very much this. But the problem is that schools aren't set up to do this. They're intended to created obedient workers, smart enough to do their job but not smart enough to question the world they're living in. Any hope or dreams a kid might have... Any curiosity or signs of individualism... It's all beaten out of them in favor of unthinking conformity. So when asked "what do you want to be", the expected answer isn't what the child truly wants to be, but rather what will fit best into the expected demands of the workforce, five or ten years into the future.
@@loverrlee "Plus, with how rapidly technology has changed just within our lifetimes, there are whole careers that don’t even exist yet!" Indeed. I'm in my forties and my parents are now retired. Sometimes I feel like I'm living on a completely different planet. Like we don't even talk the same language any more.
to be honest, when you're stressed about passing academic exams, conforming in social situations, managing your relationships with family and friends, keeping up with the latest trends and your own hobbies on top of managing puberty and all the mixed feelings that come with it, figuring out what you want to be kind of takes a back seat.
good. 15 year olds shouldnt be career planning 15 years ahead, that's ridiculous
@@critiqueofthegothgf they should have a clue tho. Ridiculous is reaching middle 30s wondering why you are poor and unemployed since you never wanted to put energy on planning your future.
@@diplomatamaravilhosa2813 I don't think that's the only reason for one to be poor and/or unemployed...
School is a controlled environment. The general US education system only teaches information that lead up to the exams. All data shows they fall way behind in mathematics, sciences and literacy. You used to be able to discover who you were and what your interest were, more easily and more informed of those things. Before constantly having the noise and distractions of constantly being on the internet. Or caring what others thought of you that did not really care about you. Navigating life's challenges,testing yourself, learning from family and friendships are a giant part of the journey of being a well rounded person. No one is an island unto himself. We are not defined by our profession and employment. It never was meant to fulfill us in all these metrics of belonging and purpose. Everything outside of it was.
I was working 20-30hours per week.
I'm 24 and I grew up my entire life wanting to do HVAC as a kid. I grew up thinking school was boring, unmotivating, not challenging and unnecessary for me. I went to a technical school for HVAC and after just 3 years of doing it I went to college for electrical, welding, manufacturing and more. I ended up in automation mechanics as a career and now I'm on my way to automation engineering some time next year despite my poor level of general education capabilities. The only thing I knew for sure was that I wanted to work with my hands.
Ðat's quite an interesting story. I wish you ðe best on your career. Taking ðis timeline into account, I þink a good educational system should allow students over 12 yo and parents of all children to choose if ðe student goes to a technical, academical or sports school. Ðis may better match a student's abilities and interests, which will enhance ðeir innate abilities and desires to improve ðeir professional future, ðus increasing ðe society's productivity in ðe medium term
Engineering requires a high level of capability in "general education capability". I have a degree in biology which required organic chemistry, physics, and many many math classes. My friends who became engineers had to do far more math than I did. So this reason your entire narrative fails to make sense.
ok
ok
@@vids595 I'm not sure I understand. How does the narrative fall apart?
As someone who was "misaligned" *and* poor at 15, and now at 30 is unemployed, this really hits me deep.
If your watching videos about demographics and education at your spare time you probably have the potential to do more.
It doesn't mean you were bound to be unemployed you still had control over your life maybe there was just more resistance. If you can't even get a job as a cashier or at McDonald's that has to do with you not poverty
@@nicolasreynoldsdominguez5109 There are people who want to get employed but can't. They tried to become McDonald's cashiers but refused. I experienced that twice at a local Mcdonald's.
correlation=/causation. this video is heavily flawed
I understand your situation but please have faith in yourself, you can do this , it's never ever too late :") I and so many other people are cheering for you :")
"My goal not to wake up at 40 with the bitter realisation that I've wasted my life on a job I hate because I was forced to chose in my teens" -Daria
Who’s Daria
This is a good point, I’m in my 30s and seeing a lot of the highly ambitious kids I went to school with change their careers, they became lawyers, docs, nurses and engineers but realised only after doing the degree and getting a few years into work that it wasn’t for them
@@rongarcia2128 Pretty sure it’s a tv show
its really dark to say as a 30 year old, but when i was 15 i dident expect to make it this far at all. im glad i did, im happyer then ive ever been these days :)
:) you've come so far!! Thank you for being here
Same. Except I'm not glad I did and am more miserable than ever these days :(
Right there with you bud 🤜🤛
Congratulations for choosing life! You matter.
@@SM-en7vp the way you feel now won't be the way you feel always. things can change if you let them
To be fair as a 28-year-old I still wonder this even though I currently love my job😂
Lucky you
Go habs go
Same position. Hard not to feel like a failure at times. Which I don't get considering I like what I do.
Literally me
29 year old here, Medical Doctor, and I rather would have studied a different career, especially in a very bad paid country where I am living on right now :(
Part of the misalignment for me was not knowing any adults other than my teachers with degrees. I was always told to go to college by the adults around me, but never knew what for. Wasn't until college that I discovered so many careers, and it was overwhelming because I didn't know so many of them existed. For example, I had an idea of what an engineer was, but never met one, and had no idea what they actually did.
Same. I always thought engineers were the people that designed bridges, and that is it.
such a good point: everyone asking those questions are "professionals" (teachers, counsellors, admissions officers, career specialists). so they even if they're trying to present non-degree professions, their jobs the main ones on display, which could make them more easily-referenced as they're frequently seen, or simply seem more achievable ("all of these people here are teachers.. guess I could be too").
When I was 15, the number of jobs I knew about was very limited. If you were to ask someone who only has a limited pool of knowledge, you will get limited answers
I knew since age 11 that I wanted to be an animator. Even as a kid, it was obvious looking around at kids my own age that everyone had these big dreams, but no one was putting any thought into how they were gonna get there. So many kids just expect stuff to happen, because no one tells them how you make anything happen or goes through the steps with you. I'm lucky that I had involved and proactive parents, who bought me a computer and Macromedia Flash 8 and encouraged me, but I didn't see much of anything like that in the rest of the cohort I grew up with. Kids have dreams and ambitions, but it takes so much more than individual effort to make any of those dreams and ambitions happen. No one reaches their full potential alone.
Very true! Every parent wants there child to do well. But some parents don't put the effort to enforce you to become disciplined and help mold you into being the best you. Some just let you come home and jump on your phone and tablet. So if you have a child that is lazy in the future is mostly because you allowed it and didn't apply sufficient pressure in taking school more seriously or providing you the steps that is needed to achieve there future job desires more seriously
@JDBass36 Parents, grandparents and maybe a trusted teacher? I know everyone's life is different. I was one of the few lucky pre-teens who had a trusted teacher who saw an artist in me and helped me achieve it in an after school program, then my grandma and my uncle (before he graduated college) also involved me in their every weekend gatherings. From visual arts, sewing, pottery making, theory writing/thinking, public speaking, etc. and in front of a much older audience. It built up confidence in me. Today I have my degree in art consulting and restorer, and a degree in languages. I absolutely agree that if parents or grandparents, extended family or a trusted teacher can mold a young mind and expose them to various types of careers, or different audiences of various industries, they will become interested and invested to learn.
@@hameley12 Glad to hear that you was able to achieve your goals! We need to enspire our youth to be the best person they can be. It will only make the world a better place with every extra doctor, teacher, engineer etc..
Definitely part of the problem. I think we should allow children to be idealistic without destroying their dreams early on with pragmatism, but when it comes to specific career choices, some need to be planned out. Someone who dreams about being an aerospace engineer will never obtain that job if they spend their time simply dreaming about it.
Praxis
I am 15 now, and i feel extremely targeted in this video. All my teachers and friends say that its ok to not have a dream now but I always thought hard abt this question and think that I do not have one but so far I'm not alone. I am one of those high achieves but do not have any ambition and this video make me question myself more. Edit*: uhhh i didnt expect that my comment would get this much attention but more context on my life is that i am not American like most of the viewers here are but i am from Singapore which has a more stringent and tiring school life.
Why do you sound so articulate, and yet you abbreviate the word about? I thought that went out 20 years ago when people through away their Nokia 5110’s
If you know what you want to do at 15, consider yourself lucky. Full on a third of my friends in college switched into their current major
and that's okay! Take your time, but try to do lots of things, even for a moment. Here's my formula 1. Try to do something (like art, music, computer programming, learning about medicine, whatever) 2. Notice how you feel after working with that topic 3. Repeat Do this 3 step process enough, and you *will* have a better idea of what you might enjoy in the future. Good Luck :)
I give you an advice. Just do as many internships and Jobs so that you know in what field you want to work in. I am 20 and i literally did nothing in my youth , therefore i till now literally have no clue what i actually want in life. Dont think too much about it, the most important thing is to be active. Just dont stay in the same place, or you will end up like me
youre not going to be the same person you were in 2 years. this is gonna sound blunt but you're stressing about nothing. this video places an absurd amount of importance on answers given by kids fresh out of middle school. when i was 15 all i did was think about winning the next fortnite game i was about to play.
I've been screaming to the rooftops that schools don't do enough to actually make kids aware of job opportunities where they can utilize their skills and passions. Up until the DAY I was going to enroll in college, I'd resigned myself to become a pharmacist because I had no goals of my own and it was what my parents wanted me to do. Then a high school friend of my sister's asks me if I'm interested in working at the library. I'm very good at English. I love literature and research and volunteer work. Not one person had suggested I work at a library. It was all 'English teacher' and 'English tutor.' Now I'm two years into library school and six months into working at the library and I've never been happier!
As much as I think it is crucial for students to have opportunities to explore various career fields before deciding what to pursue, I wish re-education/reinvention of oneself was also more commonly accepted in our society. We aren’t the same people at 30 as we were at 15, and for the most part that is a good thing. Having people who passionately spend their lives on a subject is incredible, but some of the best discoveries come from those that are multi-disciplined.
Oh this is really nice idea!
This is so true, a lot of inventors back then were polymaths, this also helps to keep perspectives flexible when thinking about particular subjects
At 15 you generally don’t have an idea what real world jobs entail unless it’s something like artist or singer and even then the reality is much different than what we imagine.
That's what I've been thinking!
Bingo! Kids don’t understand all the jobs surrounding their “dream career”. I know a dude that thought he was gonna be a rockstar. Now at 30, he builds custom guitars. I know a dude that thought he was going to be a movie director. At 30 he now runs his own small business where he makes commercials for small businesses. My sister in-law is a world class chef. She studied at Julliard and has worked in Michelin rated restaurants. Now at 30 she’s a private consultant and people hire her to set-up and run their restaurants. I can almost guarantee…ZERO fifteen year old chefs have ever even considered being a restaurant consultant. They don’t even know that exists.
The difference are dream jobs vs actual jobs, those teens will answer it through a perspective of their desires because they never went through the hardships of adult life, but once they're actually 30 its not even gonna be the same if not at all.
I don't think the issue is that people are missing out on their dream job, but that people without a dream job struggle. Obviously. Not everyone is a doctor, but those who wanted to be one found something else on their path to what their dream was.
I'm 30 year old now and at the age of 15 I had no aspiration on any kind of job. At the age of 18 I thought of either trying to be an engineer or a programmer. I actually went to college for engineering but when I got there and got actual first hand experience in what the job of an engineer is all about, I lost all aspiration and quit college. I then worked in 15 different jobs until I finally found something I liked at the age of 26. Now at the age of 30 I'm actually a service electrician. It basically didn't matter at all what I was aiming at, I ended up somewhere completely different.
Same for me, I've had so many dreams, ambitions and ideas, I tried a bunch of jobs and took different courses and ended up doing something I never planned but nevertheless love. Thankfully, nowaways you have the chance to study and switch jobs throuought your whole life. My father's last major carrer change was at 50 (he also became an electrician by the way).
im 17 and just thinking about my future terrifies me. I’m not in school anymore because of some issues so I might never even get my high school diploma. Before the pandemic and online school I was a high honor student and averaged like a 97% in all my classes. I don’t think I ever truly knew what I wanted to do with my life, I just wanted a job that would pay me a lot so I could get expensive things. Right now I’m at a point where none of that matters to me anymore, I don’t want those expensive things anymore or to be super rich. I feel like now my only hope would be to try to graduate and go to a community college but then what after that, go get a job so i can barely afford to own a house? I don’t know what to do with my life, if im being honest I don’t really want to do much with my life. Now i dont really do much but make music for fun (which I don’t really enjoy anymore) or crocheting, I enjoy it but I know I’m just wasting my life. It’s a lot less stressful than school was for me but the idea of the future and the fact that I probably dont have one anymore terrifies me. Sorry for the long message and rant, I don’t really have anyone to talk to about this all and I’ve been needing to get it off my chest and put it out there for a while now
I felt this comment so much. I'm in a pretty similar situation
Melvin Eats Mangos, I've met young people who felt the same way, heck, I felt the same way growing up because I knew that in the industry I was going into was competitive and saturated with thousands of young people waiting just to get in. I tried various different colleges and one out of all three were too fast-paced, or not challenging enough, or too crowded/expensive places. By the time I found the right community college I felt right at home. Whichever your goals may be, I'm sure you will achieve them, you are not missing much by going to a large, prestigious, crowded college. Take your time in finding what works best for you and what you wish to do. As my grandmother used to say "I won't tell you what to do. But ask yourself What do I wish to do and makes me happy every time I get out of bed?" I still live with those words in my mind. Sending you lots of luck and best wishes! ❤
You said it, just look for a low stress job that pays you well and in which you can advance. Can be anything you find. Just don't go for low hanging fruit, value yourself high. Not everybody needs to have a "dream" job, for a lot of people only what they are doing outside of job is important. Don't worry about stuff like house yet, just focus on yourself and to be better everyday and to enjoy life. Job can be just a way to get money to later go on a nice holiday, buy a beer with friends or buy a instrument you are dreaming of.
@@Ly.404 twinsss
@@Kleyguy7 youre right but honestly im at a point in my life where i dont truly want a future, i just feel forced to so i dont disappoint or hurt my family
I wonder how much societal and parental pressure was considered in this video. I wanted to be a jewelry designer and jeweler for most of my life and in high school, my parents and teachers insisted I couldn't make money in that arena. So I went to college for marketing and UX design. I couldn't complete my degree because I didn't have enough money so I dropped out and started apprenticing with a jeweler. Over a decade later, here I am: a jeweler and GIA educated gemologist making far more than I would have as a graphic designer. So maybe - just maybe - if a kid has a desire and they show discipline and genuine passion for that desire - let them try it? If I had stuck with what I was passionate about, I could have avoided wasting $40k.
I wish my parents let me try to. I want to try to be a psychologist but they refuse to let me go
How much money do you make a year now? If you don't mind.
That's a really interesting career. How did you start doing it and what is the work like?
That's awesome, I'm happy you found your way back into doing what you always wanted to do! I'm in a similar boat as you. It's unfortunate that the mentors in your life weren't able to encourage you to pursue your passion. so many people never overcome the social pressure to do what other people think they should do with their lives.
Just fyi… UX design != graphic design. I guarantee you wouldn’t have any complaints about a UX salary.
i went to a science based high school where nearly everyone was overachieving and ambitious to go into a STEM career path, and although many were passionate, there were also many who were the most depressed and anxious kids i knew. it’s really a decision of whether you let a kid enjoy their childhood and teen years without stressing too much over their future and have a potentially less stable future as they continue to figure it out, or risk kids working hard for a well earning career but they remain overworked and depressed into adulthood.
That's a choice capitalism forces on us, in another economic system we would have a solution here as opposed to two trade-offs
im 21 and i cant answer that question when i was 15 i thought i would be dead by 18
Exactly
I know that feeling too
When i was 15, i was expecting to be a Batman when i'm 30.
You'd fall in "other" 😂
So are you?
At 12 years of age, I found out about cardiovascular surgery and became passionate about it. And I’m 23 now. Graduated in the top of my University class and working hard to get accepted into medical school. So I do feel like it’s important to be exposed to different careers and help young people develop the ambition along with a path to achieve that goal
Knowledge about career paths is what is most important, I believe. So many people come up with the cookie cutter answer of "doctor" or "lawyer" when those careers have fields within fields. If kids were taught the difference between a patent lawyer, or a family lawyer, or a tax lawyer, that would open up so many doors. If you were exposed to the different types of science careers and their pathways such as majoring in environmental science but in order to get a job working in data research for the EPA, or as a hydrologist who does on field work testing water quality for their local town/city. these are completely different jobs under the same umbrella term, yet how many 15 year olds know about either of them?
That's very interesting. What made such a specific field be so interesting to your 12 year-old self if I may ask?
can i ask how you knew you were passionate? because I'm young but not passionate about anything. I get an interest one day and the next day I'm interested in something different
I know a guy like that. We were maybe 14 when refused to go on a trip because he had signed up for a biology competition that he though might be good for his future studies. It seemed odd to me then but he's now successfully graduated medical shool and he's training to be a surgeon. I admire his ambition and how far he's gotten.
Fantastic! I volunteer for a charitable health organisation that has a cadet program (a youth segment) then enables our youth community to receive health training as well as get involved health services, work alongside and interact with adults from a healthcare settings, as well as volunteers with other jobs. Every year that goes by its great to see them going off to become doctors, pharmacists, physios, paramedics, radiologists, dieticians, dentists, technicians as well as professionals outside healthcare. I’m 25 and don’t work in health care, but it’s great to them doing well. But every year I feel 2 years older 😂
Had no expectations at 15. Never had a goal or passion but if someone asked me at that age I definitely would’ve made something up to make the person ask happy. Feel like those numbers could be inaccurate
Something worth noting: the work environment current 15 year olds will be in the future is going to be so different. You’ve got to be able to outperform AI and having innovation/creativity skills is much more important than memorising information.
@@Spacekid_Productions I'm glad you are!
we don't learn how to be creative, the entire school system is based on memorization hello
@@stevens4641 hello?
@@stevens4641 Not the entire system. That's a massive generalization.
@@wyatttomlinson3475 not the entire thing but if u ask the people around me what theyre learning right now they barely know it and ask them what they learnt last month, no clue. just memorization for tests and then next unit, then more tests, on and on and on.
By the time I was 14, I already knew I wanted to be a professional creative (art, music, writing, photography, animation, film/television), and during my teenage years, I was always told by the professional creatives I looked up to that a formal education was not necessary for any of those passions, so I ended up not pursuing a formal education in those passions and remained self-taught. I became a professional artist as soon as I graduated high school, and then by 22 a professional songwriter and also writing comics. Then throughout the years I also worked as writer, director, art director, photographer, and were in industries like animation, video games, film/television, and now I"m 50 and still am a professional creative, but I also teach all the subjects I've been doing professionally in the last few decades. Being a professional creative is hard. There's a reason why "starving artist" is a common phrase and concern. There have definitely been times when I went through dry spells and couldn't get jobs/gigs, and I even had to get "normal" low-paying jobs at some points early on when my creative career wasn't as established. During those times I did wonder if I made the wrong decision to dedicate my life to my creative passions, but when I really sit there and think about it, I don't know if I could been happier if I had chosen a "normal" career that's more lucrative and stable. If your heart is not in it and you are very passionate about something else, it's actually torturous to sit there at work and do something you have no interest in and wishing you could be spending that time doing something you love. I've taught students who are adults in their 30s and 40s who regretted not following their heart and chose a "normal" job for a sense of financial security, and they reached a point where they felt like their souls were withering and dying, and they decided to save up money and quit their jobs and study to become professional creatives, knowing full well it's a gamble and even if they did make it, it would be a huge pay cut compared to their previous "normal" careers. So the grass is always greener on the other side--you have to decide for yourself what you really want in life, and be willing to make the necessary sacrifices and face the uncertainties. Without conviction, no passion can be realized and no dreams will be accomplished.
I honestly think this is the comment I need at this point now. I am just going to say that I am in my late teens or just barely an adult xD. I am studying computer science but deep down I prefer to make art for people to enjoy and laugh or see the adventures that happened in my head. I also like to help others with their art projects too. (Don't get me wrong, I like learning about computers but my art ambitions are way bigger than my technical ambitions. If I'm going to pick between the two, I want to at least make some kind of complete series (any kind of series that I can truly say is complete. It doesn't have the best series, just something people will remember that I did and thought was cool and enjoyable watch, read, or something :3) before I am 30 before I even start thinking about working in cybersecurity or making a video game.) I don't have the drive for computer science as I would for entertaining people. Early in my teen years, I also did writing and drawing and stuff too. (Heck, I even started animating since I was 9... I've gotten better since then though) I would rather use it to pursue creative passion than troubleshoot or debug the next program I am making. And even if I fail pursuing my creative passion, at least I knew that I tried and, from there, pursue something else rather than wondering what if I at least gave it a shot.
I'm 17 right now and you worded this so eloquently. I've always been creatively driven since a young age, but my parents have always told me to have a backup career (my main dreams are acting and singing/songwriting) so I decided to become a surgeon. But after taking up a level biology, chemistry and electronics in order to get into med school, I realised I felt like I was withering away. I was deprived of creativity and plagued by subjects that had answers for everything. I found myself doodling in class or talking too much because I was missing the stimulation I needed, and I lacked motivation to exel. So I moved school to study biology, art and business, to gain back the side of me I was loosing. I know now that I can't choose a backup that is ONLY financially stable, it needs to be me. But it turns out the world doesn't value artists as much as it needs to, even though art is what makes the world beautiful, and I know how difficult my path is going to be now by choosing a creative career path. Still, my heart craves adventure, and this time I choose to listen to it and not conform to social standards that will leave my heart without its song. Wish me luck o this adventure called Life!! 🥰🥰🥰🤩
Hey a fellow creative (music) here any advice for knowing what you want but not knowing how to get there thanks
@@DoyinVoice We live in an age where information is abundant, so even just on YT there are a ton of videos that give advice on what it takes to have a career in music--be it as a composer, songwriter, producer, guitarist, pianist, or anything other career related to music. You need to first identify what area of music you're passionate about and then search up information on that specific area of the music industry and what it takes to get your foot in the door.
I spent my teens depressed with no ambitions at all. At 21 I'm in a respected programming school in the top 1% of my class. This was only possible through mental health support by my parents.
Truth is every achievement by any person requires support. That is vital for anybody.
Lucky you. My parents never supported me when it came to my mental health or my career.
The “misaligned” answers are probably more of a dream scenario answer they don’t expect to achieve because most people can’t afford to be wrong about their choice or have the ability to waste time and money trying different things. In this situation, a lot of people will cut their losses and not pick anything. Those who didn’t pick are probably of the same mindset but just felt able to say they don’t know. Even at 15 I think most kids know they won’t really get a chance to try stuff out and they know they would likely change their minds later anyway. So most of this is probably being confused by the distinction of where they want to be vs those answering where they realistically see themselves.
1st Awesome name Vinsmoke in Morioh. 2nd I completely agree, most preteens and teens think 'What do I see myself doing at 30yrs' and come up with vague answers or an answer your parents have put into you, their expectation. There is a huge difference between a dream job and a realistic job = income. Some of those parents who impose their dream job onto their children push them forward but don't know the steps/tasks/responsibilities that come with it. A realistic job/career is something a preteen/teen is absolutely passionate about and is willing to inspire and invest their time in. Sadly, this is our future. Then there's life, things happen, people come and people go, and everyone's income is different every year, every decade. Not everyone will be able to afford top-tier college or community college. Let's hope that the school system improves very, very soon. And they treat teachers and staff members better. 🌻 🌻 🌄
@@hameley12 "There is a huge difference between a dream job and a realistic job = income." So very very much this. I wanted to be an astronomer when I was younger. The vastness of space fascinated me and I wanted to understand how it all worked. But how many astronomers does the world need? Who would hire me? How was I going to earn money? So I drifted around for some years... Tried different things... Eventually ended up as a programmer, not because I really wanted to, but because it seemed like a somewhat safe career. It isn't, as it turned out, but how could I know that a couple of decades ago? I'm quite sure I'm not the only one who picked a career that seemed safe, rather than what I truly wanted. No wonder so many of us are depressed these days, working long hours in a job we don't really care for...
All throughout my adolecense I wanted to become a doctor, but I wasnt accepted into a good medical school. As a result I reoriented myself and studied Industrial Engineering and became a business consult. I‘m seriously so happy I didn‘t become a doctor😂
What do industrial engineers do?
I finally found someone else who has studied/studies industrial Engineering. Let's go xD.
definitely dodged a huge bullet there, i cannot recommend medicine to anyone
@@angelsaavedra633 It's a study that covers many different areas, such as Engineering, Math, Computer Science but the main focus is on Business and Economics (At least thats how it was where I studied it). You basically have good intermediate knowledge about many different fields, but wouldn't really be called an expert in any of them. Thus this broad knowledge is applicable in many different industries. I went with consulting, best friend became a stock broker in Stuttgart and another friend went with IT security . So yeah it's a pretty broad field.
@@hugos4355 Medicine is definitely not for everyone but personally I can't see myself doing anything else with my life
I am 20 right now, in the second year of a Chemistry Degree. When I applied to university, I had no idea what career I wanted to go into but I chose Chemistry due to the subjects and courses I could study. I knew a chemistry degree was well respected and could get me into many places and even more with some extra (but insignificant) training. I currently have a part-time job as a project manager as a result of a job I did when I was applying for university but did not expect to keep it long-term. As a result, I will be looking to take my current role (or a lateral move) full-time when I graduate. I did not expect this to happen but some times you don't need a career in mind, just a direction.
Direction>career is great advice. Unless you're looking at a highly specialized career, a bachelors and especially a masters, in certain fields can be enough to cover a broad range of careers. A surprsing amount of employers don't actually care about your highly specialized degree, as long as the classes you took provided you with enough skills to do what they're looking for. i.e; someone with a masters in biology can practically find a job anywhere in anything related to biology
As a chemist, it's interesting to hear people getting a chemistry degree not to do chemistry.
I agree! I had no clue what I wanted to do when I first entered college, but I decided to go for an associates in Earth Science as it contained a lot of my interests. I'm not finished yet, but at this point in time I'm pretty sure I want to be a an agricultural soil scientist. It's chemistry, geology, and biology, with a good balance of field and lab work. According to some data I believe it has good work/life balance and high happiness outcomes as well.
Im only in 8th grade (14 y/o). Last friday in business class (they didn't put me in art), we took a quiz that would supossedly help us figure out which career would fit us. My top 3 were all art related. My top two were animator/digital animator. When I got my results, I audibly gasped out loud because I had actually been considering animation as a career. Yet, at 14, I feel like I'm behind. I know I have years left to hone my craft. I know I have years to make up my mind on whether or not this is actually what I want to do. But It's hard. Because I'm not entirely confident that I want to be an animator, I don't put in the hard work and effort that it requires me if I were to be one. My family is also very poor. I have almost no materials to create art with, greatly limiting all of the potential progress I could be making. All I use is paper, pencils and erasers. I want to ask for a tablet in high school, but by then how many years will I have left? The problem is, if I do want to be an animator and go to art school, will I be too late? I would've wasted so much time already, not working on my art. Another problem is art school itself. I'm an A Honor roll student. I have mastery on all of my past exams, I get straight A's, I go to school everyday and I've never had a referal. If I choose art as a career, all of my effort in my academics would go down the drain, another reason as to why I am not sure.
Let me share with you all what my career counsellor told me. She told me that there are so many ways to get a career, and there is no need to follow "one specific path". As you grow older, you learn what you are good at. I went into social anthropology, and it didn't feel like the right job for me. But I got good at understanding people and doing research, and now I am studying film and writing, which is way more right for me. We all grow and change as we get older, and even if you had no dream at 15, you can still get it at 30
I think we need to ask more kids questions like what challenging things they enjoy doing, how much they enjoy interacting with people, etc. When we ask the question "what do you want to be when you grow up?", this often leads to people thinking about the idea of a doing a job rather than the reality of doing a job. This is why shadowing is also so important. Not just for a day, but for a week. More corporations should offer such programs.
why are we expected to make career paths that shape the rest of our live at the age of 15 to beginn with???
He said they make more money
The worst part for me is I have to pick without being able to talk to the grads That would help me to understand how much they make What the jobs consists of How hard it is to get a job in that field etc.
One time I asked a question in reddit but everyone was super unhelpful.
I am 27. When I was 15, I was asked what I wanted to do. I gave 2 answers, “Chinese translator” and “computer programmer”. As luck would have it, I have really been a Chinese (oral) interpreter for over 5 years. 1 year ago, I started pursuing education related to computer programming and expect to become one by 35.
It should be "people don't want to be slaves anymore! " instead of "people don't want to work anymore " Many people particularly the younger generation, use the range of unconventional methods of earning a living these days. I worked in the retail for over 10 years, so I'm quite happy that this is taking place. For too long, retail bullied me and a lot of my employees/colleagues saying things like " if you don't like it, go; another like you is waiting to get in your position" since the COVID, I found a job that helps me grow, pays me more and Values Me Social Media cleared the way for a rapidly expanding market, and it taught us a lot. 2020 was my turning point, and investment helped alot!
The majority of this new generation loves working remotely and prefers to be their own boss!
Yeah the 2020 pandemic gave everyone a big rethink! I tried a lot of things I realized I shouldn't just let my savings sit around in the bank, try side hustles. It paid
Speaking about investing, what worthwhile investment are you making? And how do you do it? I can learn and put my savings into good use
Having to spend time with family, that's the real MVP! 🏆 Time is your major asset as a human but these corporation try to steal it sadly
@@bashirauwal5825 There's various profitable ways to invest. Starting out you need to work with experienced hands to work you through. As a rookie I dabbled in and made mistakes till I got a mentor to put me on the right track. You can search one too, read books and do your own research
Part of the reason is that parents tell their kids they can be whatever they want, when the parents nor the kids know how many other jobs their are besides the top 10. Don't tell your kids to be whatever they want unless you are willing to show them examples and explain what it is they actually will end up doing.
This is exactly why the kids of doctors (or whatever) are more likely to become doctors (or whatever). It's not nepotism/connections so much as it is laying out an achievable path.
in 2020 i turned 15 and at the time i wanted to be a nurse. specifically in the NICU with the prematures, ill babies, anything to help save precious lives ❤ i couldn't see myself doing ANYTHING else at 30. but i guess staying in quarantine made a lot of us, including me, discover who i truly was and realized i wanted to go back to my mom's home country (we're ethnically from africa). we only travelled there once but that trip stuck with me. so i thought while i'm there, i wanted to build project designs to reconstruct and renovate suburbs, apartments, hospitals and beautifu schools/campuses. arts, architecture, building designs have always fascinated me but i never really looked 'into' that interest until the pandemic happened. so i'm now 18 and on my university applications in a few months, i will be selecting architecture and hopefully become a licensed interior designer as well 😊 i love both countries where i live and my mom's so it was a tough decision for sure but i'm set on it now and love it as equally or slightly more than nursing :)
As an architect with a small firm for six years, I would recommend pursuing a degree in architecture rather than interior design. In many countries, you don’t need a license or a degree to work as an interior designer, so having an architecture degree would give you more opportunities and credibility. If you find architecture studies too costly or lengthy, you could consider architectural technology, which is a relatively new field that takes only three years to complete. It allows you to do most of the tasks that architects do, but not all of them, so you would have an easier time finding a job than an architect. You could also work in interior design with this degree if you wanted to.
I hate to be a bother, but this is civil engineering, not interior design.
You don’t always need a college education to find the job you wanted. I’m a writer for a small yet prominent newspaper, and I got the job without any higher education. I simply expressed a talent for writing, which I love, and a sincere interest in the position. A fear of failure stops a lot of people, young and old, these days. You can only go after your dreams if you’re willing to follow them over the horizon.
Some jobs require a degree though. Attorney, Doctor, Nurse, Architect, just to name a few.
@@XavierGuillaume I’d certainly hope so. Those are information-centric jobs that require such educations. Most jobs though, especially jobs in the arts, don’t require it. It just helps get that job and broaden the scope of skill and talent that individual needs to have what they’re looking for. Even with that said, I bet you can still find instances of doctors, lawyers, or whatever else that found their way to the profession through circumstance or apprenticeship.
After slightly exploring some paths I have more of an idea of what I DON’T want to do. This has given me a clearer picture of what I DO want to do. I will be continuing to explore my career interests to really figure out what I need to do to get where I want to go. I am 15 now, but I know whatever I do I want to be a woman in STEM.
In my country, kids spend most of their time in school and studying. We do not have much time for other activities to discover ourselves, therefore, we still don’t know what to do at the age of 18. Most of the kids are following their parents’ guidelines. We have a high rate of misalignment.
I would say I was in a separate group of kids who had no ambitions and were average at math, but now I'm doing an Electrical Engineering Degree. Funny how the world works.
Parents play a bigger role yk
This definitely explains why I was scolded for wanting to get certain careers. Teachers told me my answers were wrong, and I had to think of something that was within my means. Being young, and even now still, I didn't understand their reaction and it just felt like them needlessly hating on me for no reason. So from then I just replied with "I don't know, leave me alone..." whenever asked for what I wanted to do, because I didn't like the answer. I didn't like any of the jobs available within my means. But seeing this video, and what happened the past few years made me realize what that was about. I had no parental support, no funds, no support network, nothing. If I'd blindly chased those careers I would've failed really hard and potentially gone bankrupt with all the nasty consequences I wouldn't have been able to handle. Now, 10+ years later, I do have a bit of a support network. But now I run into the problem of "you're too old, why not have kids". Which, is another answer I don't like. Meanwhile I see all sorts of programs regarding 50 year olds being reschooled to change jobs so they don't have to sit at home. Why is that not available to me. It feels unfair. I've gotten scared of talking about what I maybe want to do in the future, if I can even do anything. I don't like the replies I'm getting, they give me the idea and feeling I should give up and do as others want and that's not something *I* want. All I want is a degree in a field I'm interested in, why is that so impossible. So I agree that more should be done to support those who weren't naturally gifted with the necessities for building a future.
your surrounding, the environment & some reality checks equally affects ... that´s like me trapped only bc i hadn´t enough support, or follow up people... :)
I didn't know what I wanted to do until I was in my 20s, and I now have a PhD... I have my doubts about the correlation and causation of these implications
god, finally someone else pointed this out. this video has two major flaws. 1. correlation=/causation. 2. 15 year olds aren't planning 2 years ahead, let alone 15. so much over importance is given to kids who gave out filler answers to get the survey over with.
If you consider watching Vox as a job. Then this is What I got going on.
make videos like vox
I'm 25, jobless atm, just failed my last exam in university, life is good 😎
same
Mood
When I was 15, I didn't know if I'd even still be alive at 30, let alone have a job.
This is quite interesting. I am 30 right now and an engineer. At 15 years old, I was dreaming of being an aeronautical engineer. Im currently a bit off my career path but introspection is nudging me ever so slightly towards that goal. I am lucky to have a great moral support through my parents, siblings & teachers throughout my life and that's helping me push ahead with my plans.
Sometimes you have to fail to succeed, Most times it amazes me greatly how I moved from an average lifestyle to earning over $63k per month, Utter shock is the word. I have understood a lot in the past few years that there are lots of opportunities in the financial market. The only thing is to know where to invest.
I agree with you and I believe that the secret to financial stability is having the right investment ideas to enable you earn more money, I don’t know who agrees with me but either way I recommend either real estate or bitcoin and stocks.
I keep wondering how people earn money in financial markets, i tried trading bitcoin on my own made a huge loss and now I'm scared of investing more.
That won't bother you if you trade with a professional like *Mr Gary Mason Brooks* my coach, you may have come across him on interviews relating to bitcoin and stocks. He trades, manage trading account and offer mentorship program for clients who wish to become professional investors.
@@bjoe631 You allow people to trade for you? that's interesting, I would love to learn, hope it’s safe?
Wow I can't believe you guys are discussing about Gary Mason Brooks , I once met him at a conference in California 2019, just before the pandemic. I can testify that he’s very good in trading..Highly recommended...
I was 15 in 94, didn't expect to see 30. In 95 I turned 16 and went to vocational school. Through those years in school I still didn't know what I wanted to be doing at 30 but did start to realize different things were possible. If I had applied myself (through self encouragement) I could have learned a lot more and have an actual carreer. I also could have missed out on all the bad stuff that happened to me inbetween 15 and 30. But then I wouldn't be the person I am today nor might I be very vocal to young people about how important it is to acquire all the knowlege you possibly can, to stay in school and to remember that with big dreams come big sacrifice. It's all worth it. I often use myself as an example of what you don't want to be doing when you get into your 40's. Love my life , but things could have been very different. I think we need to stop asking kids what they want to be doing when they're 30 and start cultivating hard work, dedication toward their talents and skills that appear during growth while in school. That way there are multiple avenues for them to explore. We also need to embrace mentor programs on a broader scale for the under privalged. As a young person I didn't have anyone telling me I could be something, just that I needed to be doing something.
Amazing comment. Have a wonderful life, my freind.
¹
I think it is important to note that the relationship between income and "misalignment" is not a causational relationship, meaning that there is no evidence proving that misalignment causes teens to have lower incomes in their future careers. It could be that many of the teenagers who aren't sure of what to specialize in deal with other issues that make them feel lost. So, maybe we shouldn't be quick to identify this uncertainty as the problem; nowadays it is quite common for people to change their job over the span of their careers, and that isn't necessarily a bad thing.
It's definitely causational, just not necessarily directly. Low income families tend to lack all kinds of support, so it could be either that they directly do not have career planning support, or that they indirectly do not have mental health support, for example, which leads to them becoming apathetic about future careers. It's still a causational relationship, just not in the same way.
I always wanted to be a teacher. Still do. But unfortunately teachers don't get paid a lot so I have to be an engineer now in my 20s. I hope the next generation of workers can change the way the society looks and thinks about 'respectable' jobs
I think another factor has to be the generational hopelessness a lot of teens feel (me included, except I’m 20 now so I don’t count), a lot of teens don’t know what they’re going to do because things seem like they’re going to change so drastically and so for the worse that there’s almost no point in thinking about what you’re going to do in the future if there’s virtually a guarantee nothing will fit. I would have answered this question with an “I don’t know” 5 years ago.
When i was 15 i just wanted to retire by my late 30s so i could have 20 good years of exploring the world. I am on track to retire at 35 and i have already visited 15 countries :) I believe that apart from education, where you are born will play the biggest role in your success!
Part of the problem is that there are a massive number of jobs and fields that most kids aren't even aware of (it took until my senior year of college for the field I'm in to get on my radar) so they just pick careers that earn high wages, often with little to no knowledge of what the day-to-day work is actually like.
Very true! Most of the careers I am interested in now as a uni student, I would’ve never known about in highschool.
This really made me emotional. I was misalligned growing up and still feel missalligned to this day. Im 28 and still looking for what i want to do. Working odd jobs and just feeling dissatified and lost. Makes it difficult to plan for a future.
I am 26 and don’t know what I will be doing at 30 😅
Anecdote time. Was a straight A student all through school and university. At 15 I had figured out I wasn't going to be a pro athlete. But I had no idea what I was going to do. In university, I still couldn't have told you what job I would have at 30. And now at 38 and running my own business, I still couldn't tell you what I will be doing for work 15 years from now. And I'm loving it. Maybe we should focus less on goal setting, and more on being adaptable, knowing yourself enough to analyze what jobs you've liked and not liked, and how to change that. And a public education system where retraining is not brutally punishing financially
Agreed 💯 I always wanted to be a medical doctor and throughout my many failures, I'm still surprised on the number of high-achieving people that didn't know about X or Y hurdle... when they very people that work in those fields (or the associated "gate-keeping" ones) literally *_screamed at us_* "remember to do X" or "you must gain this Y skill."
I'm 41. In high school, I wanted to do art, but ended up doing technical art (pre-architecture). I then wanted to paint buses (just google matatu culture and click images) and I did post high school. My folks were supportive because they saw how much passion I had once I started. It was hard manual labour, but I enjoyed being in the crew behind the flashiest matatu's paint job. But it wasn't long before I pivoted back to architecture in my mid twenties and now I live a very fulfilled life. The matatu days are now long gone, and are some of my fondest memories. Architecture is the reincarnation of those days to me, I simply love coming up with stuff. IF you ask a teenager what they want to do when they grow up, just look at the careers similar to what they say they'll be doing. Chances are it's going to be one of them.
When I was 15, I knew I wanted to be a doctor and a mother. By the time I got to college, I discovered I didn’t want to spend 12 more years in school. So I switch to nursing. And I also have four kids. But if you ask my kids, only one of them knows what they want to do. Part of it, I think, is because of this existential dread they have that the world is gonna end so they can’t see much farther than high school.
One that pays the bills.
Literally how I chose my path when I was 15.
For me is about not being overworked and being able to retire, when I think of teachers and some of them are 60 plus years old I wonder if they teach because they have to or if they enjoy it.
Part of the problem is that kids mainly get exposed to possible interests through school, which is mainly about academics (and sports). It's hard to gauge what you'd like to be after high school if you don't like school for whatever reason. And as someone pointed out, there are socially acceptable career paths and socially rejected/socially skeptical (jobs that aren't fully accepted but not fully rejected either) career options, so you feel pressured to choose the acceptable ones. It's not till you get exposed to different career options aside from the ones everyone knows (lawyer, doctor, teacher, etc.) that you get a better idea what you might like to do. Kids are told they don't have to worry about the future just yet by then in their junior or senior year of high school, that suddenly changes and it becomes a very stressful situation.
We expect way too much from teens RE life choices. Most people I know didn't really start doing what they love until around middle-age. It takes time to figure out what you really want from life on a daily basis.
We expect them to pick a career without knowing what the job is like, the salary, the labor market etc.
I used to be very good at school and just KNEW I wanted a career in academics, but never knew in which direction I wanted to go. Then my mental health plummeted in my teens and along with family issues I never had the courage or peace of mind to go study. Now I'm 30 and work part time at HR in a small local business. It pays enough for my lifestyle and I get to work from home a lot which allows me to have dogs (always been a dream of mine). Am I living up to my potential? Probably not, but I am healthy and content and I don't loathe going to work every day and that is enough for now :)
at 15 I just wanted to live in peace safe from alcoholic family, never dreamed of anything else but peace, my whole childhood, never had a dream or a dream job and I still don't. I just want to live my life in peace. I currently own a job that pays bills and give me some lee way but thats about it.
I think the statistic about ambition getting you further than talent should be widely taught in schools. I tried SO hard at certain subjects that I knew I would never pursue further, because even if I enjoyed them, I didn't think I had a natural talent. I actually ended up doing exactly what I would have expected at age 15 (working in a museum) but the stats about ambition being more important than talent would have been such a relief for me, plus it may have made me consider other career options more seriously.
Interesting. When I interview candidates for jobs, one of my favourite questions to ask is "where do you expect to see yourself in 5 years?". It's an idea I took from my old manager who hired me into the career path I've been on for the past decade. And it's not just a career question, it asks of an overall expectation of where one sees their life. My old manager said she loved that question because the people who could answer it with moderate to high confidence usually saw that dream through. She reminded me of what my own answer was - I wanted to develop myself within the field, level up to higher positions, buy a home, and have financial stability. She also pointed out my colleagues answers and the same became for them. She said the people who get stumped by that question or who struggle to answer usually show a lack of ambition and often don't find success since they can't even see it on the horizon for themselves. I found that to be extremely profound.
at 15 I wanted to be a Meteorologist I wanted that since I was 5 and kept that idea in my head until I dropped out in 10th grade :( being homeless and depression kicked in along with being tortured in school by bullies and teachers. I eventually just dropped everything and has been working at Dead End jobs since then. I'm 31 now. Weather is still a but of a passion of mines as I still forecast weather and stuff with all the weather tolls I have set up and I will love to to still do Storm Chasing. I watch a lot of Storm chaser videos today because that stuff still fascinates me. That passion doesn't require me to waste money going to college for it.
I don't remember ever being asked this and quite frankly at 15 I didn't think I'd make it past 18, let alone to the age I am now. So frankly I'm just happy to be alive and existing
Maybe, just maybe education in general is misaligned with modern career paths. Academia is always a bit out of sync, but at this point we may be so far off that kids see this and understand it. As a self taught software engineer with prior work in healthcare as a provider I can say with certainty that education, and this concept of misalignment, has very little to do with the teenagers. It has a lot to do with academia's inability to adapt to job markets. It also seems it's only going to get worse, unfortunately.
Millennials were the “ you can be anything you wanna “ be generation. That was the lie we were solid, I remember when someone broke the delusion for me. They said “ you cant be anything you want be, you can only be more of who you already are” . Adult hood reinforced this for me. You come quickly realize how confusing and intricate navigating life is. At 15 i thought I had found the love of my life and was gonna play in the NBA. Or become to really cool artist. I never grew above 5’9”, failed my art dreams and became now suffer from commitment anxiety lol
In Asia, the social status plays a very big role everywhere. You can see a lot of jokes about parents wanting their children to become a doctor, lawyer, or an engineer online but it's not just joking at all. It's a reality here. I admit these professions are considered to be very well respected but they overshadow other professions at the same time. That's why when you ask many people (not just children) about the academic requirements or the general job description of a particular job title, they can't tell. I think exposure only is not enough, people also have to change their minds and show respect to all professions equally.
This has really motivated me as a student who loves science but is average as math, thank you!
Modern education is really broken and the curriculum is really empty and doesn't help kids search for their future.
100%, they should focus way more on practical expierience for children
@@Mansory811 practical experience and teach them things they would actually need in the guture rather then outdated stuff
I really love the portion of the video where you discussed participating in shadowing. For as long as I could remember, I wanted to be an eye doctor and nobody could tell me any different. I took the time to start shadowing doctors in the field and discovered quite a few unpleasant things about the profession. I am now 20 and about to graduate with a business degree, experience in a field can change your entire outlook on an occupation. Shadowing should always be encouraged!
I am truly grateful for the mandatory careers class offered at my school in Ontario during grade 10. This course encompasses various aspects such as exploring future career options, researching college/university programs relevant to those careers, selecting appropriate courses for grades 11 and 12 to align with those programs, as well as crafting a professional resume and cover letter. The final exam itself was a mockup job interview. This class helped align my future for the career I'm currently in a internship for.
My story is probably unique. My ambition from when I was 15 actually hasn't changed much, but my parents were quite against it. So I had the opportunity to go to college but it's always been a tug of war between following my ambition and doing what is expected of me. After years of quitting many jobs that I didn't enjoy, now I kind of doing what I've wanted, but not really. And certainly I consider myself far from being successful at it. I just wonder if my parents' opposition wasn't a factor, would I be more fortunate at achieving my goals?
I'm 23. This feels like an absurd question given the current job market. you can get a degree and still end up shuffling from one odd job to another. Flip burgers at a fast food location until your employment is terminated for something insignificant, then stock shelves at a retailer until a customer does something no mere mortal could put up with, then wait tables at a local restaurant until it closes, on and on and on, never meaningfully entering a field and thus never having any degree of predictability.
I had a few years where I worked jobs that didn't require the education I'd spent a lot of money to get. But after doing Peace Corps, I was able to get the federal job I was looking for(though even then, there were a lot interviews before I got it).
Absolutely. The research/experience/internship part is so valuable. Costs little now, but worth so much in the future
Who has ever been able to answer what they’re gonna do at 30 when they’re 15-16? And just cuz some can’t doesn’t mean all can
I always wanted to be a pilot. And that’s what I’m doing now. Honestly pretty easy if you have a passion
@@aquaticllamas28 Big "if" bro. The only thing I could call a passion makes for a middling career, so now I'm on track towards something I just kinda like.
@@hassassinator8858 Even bigger if in your situation. It's that if you can find happiness in something you dont really like, if you can, all the power to you, if you can't then i highly suggest you devote your time to something you can call more your own.
@@aquaticllamas28 My stepdad had apparently always wanted to be a pilot but he noped out after a scare during a test flight. He’s 33 & still lives with his mother. He has a part-time job at Wawa.
I’m turning 30 and I’m in digital product design and I think it’s a pretty good fit. At 15 I was drawing a lot so I thought I wanted to work for a gallery or in the art world. I knew I wasn’t motivated enough to be an artist and my immigrant parents discouraged it lol so design has been a great way to stay close to art and creativity while still making some money
As a teenager (13-17) I wanted to work in film, specifically in production. Went to school for Business, now work in Marketing at a Film Prodcution / Production services company. I didn't fullfill my dream per se (and I'm glad I didn't) but im in the industry. I think it'd be best to track if they went into something similar later on.
I wanted to be a singer, I work with songwriting today. Not bad. I actually thought this video would make feel bad, but quite the opposite. I also do other things, but could easily just write.
I’m 15 and when I saw that only 25% of students I was surprised at how low that was. I was thinking it would be closer to 50% or even 75%.
When I was 7 I said I wanted to be an artist. Parents said “ok”, When I was 10 I said I wanted to be a builder. Parents said “ok”, When I was 13 I said I wanted to do both because I loved doing them both, drawing, painting, arts and crafts, building blocks, Lego, etc. My parents said “so an architect?” I’m now in my second year of Architecture school studying abroad as an international student, mastering a second a language fluently. I don’t know what my parents did, but they just kept telling me that I should go for it. They now own an educational institute with the motto “if you think you can, you can”, they’ve decided that they want to keep inspiring students to reach for the stars and have no one tell them what they can or cannot do. I do know however, that they’ve guided me with the cooperation of my lovely school to have me reach for my dreams. Family and education plays such a huge role in deciding what you want to do. They expose you to all the options there is, they expose you to problems, they expose you to solutions, they expose you to valuable years and years of experience.
For work experience there was a LOT of people in my school who ended up just working in a supermarket or sandwich shop etc. As you'd guess most people from my year ended not knowing what they want to do and just ended up in retail
I think kids at 15 definitely just say whatever feels right to them, whether that's because of teachers and parents telling them what they "should" be, or whether that's society telling them what they could get if they became "x". I feel like a lot of kids say "doctor" or "lawyer" or "businessperson" just because those careers are associated with high income, social status, and "success" overall, regardless of whether those kids actually want to work in medicine, law, or business.
This is somewhat similar with struggle experienced by first generation college students. I remember how confusing everything was. Without resources, nobody to talk to, leads to a bad decision making😢
At 15, I said I’d be a pharmacist and my mama has made sure that that came true. I got my PharmD last year, I’m finishing up my fellowship year, and getting licensed at the end of the summer. I’m 29. I took a detour. Got my bachelors in biology and tried to entertain other careers but ultimately came back just in time to turn 30.
At 15, I knew what I wanted to be, and I was aligned. However, I got no support in actually getting advising, mentoring, or job experience and was unemployed or underemployed for much for my adulthood. I ended up going back to school to get the career I always wanted in my 40s. With a little more support, what I could have accomplished earlier.
This is so accurate. When I was 15 years old, I wanted to be an archeologist. But I don't have anyone to discuss to, even my student counseler. At the end, I chose a major based on my hobby: agronomy (because I love gardening). Today I have graduated from college and I am still looking for a job.
I never really knew what I wanted to do growing up. Biggest ambiiton was to be a train engineer until I learned what the job entailed and the ridiculous hours I'd be required to work. In college, I tried Engineering, but my depression that had been building since puberty finally caught up and I ended up dropping out. Now Im approaching 30 and learning computer programing at a college level. I have a few prospects lined up. Yeah, ambition has alot to do with it. But once you find that ambition, youll go far with it.
I never knew how to answer this. There was so much pressure when I was young and with my ADHD time blindness, the future beyond the next few weeks doesn't exist. Combine that with the idea I wasn't going to live to my current age - 27 - and you have a recipe for a misaligned kid and adult. I wish I was encouraged to pursue my passions. I don't regret going to college but I regret not chasing my passion of writing.
I didn't give much thought to what I wanted to do through most of high school or college. After working a call center job for about a year and a half I decided I wanted to do something that would do some good in the world. I'm now trying to figure out my new career path. I'm 28 now and I ideally should have been doing this at least 5 years ago, if not in high school or first year in college.
I planned to be a SAHM as a child. I majored in 3 education fields as an undergraduate. I graduated 18 years ago and I’m a SAHM, and more since I always planned to send them to public school. My time attending university made me realize it would be important to also homeschool my children. So my life is the same and different than what I planned. This will be helpful in helping me show my children the importance of making plans for the future and making goals to accomplish their plans.
Growing up, I've always wanted to be an artist or an animator because I love to draw so much. Every time, everyday. To the point where everyone would scold me because it's been ruining my focus on other things like... I guess I don't know, learning math. In high school, I found people who draw a lot better than me (like commissionable-tier good) and that's when I started to feel lots of doubt in my abilities while at the same time, I found out that artists and relatedly creative people are painfully underpaid. Still I drew, because it made me happy. And I was still comfortable and confident in my drawings. Then graduation came - or was coming. I had a talk with my brother on the way home from school about what I want to study for college. I'm not very smart and I have no important life skills at all, I would tell him. He gave me two options: To continue pursuing art but not have a stable source of income or to pursue an academic program and just do art on the side if I ever have time. Because of that, I took Humanities and Social Sciences in Senior High (a two-year thingy that prepares students for college) out of the dilemma. But still, I drew. Then the pandemic happened and I had to repeat a year in senior high. It was a horrible time for me, my relatives have been asking me about what I want to study for college. I couldn't give a stable answer. I told them psychology, criminology, law, and HR but I never really wanted those in the first place. They told me to hurry up and decide honestly, I really don't know. In the end, I took Multimedia for college because art is all I knew my whole life (even though I've weirdly never improved) and despite everyone telling that I can choose any college course I want before, they all seemed disappointed with my decision. Some of them even subtly nudging me to pick another program that could have high paying jobs upon graduation, which I understand and I am definitely considering it because sure I want to survive, but I also want to live. Now that my first college year is about to end this term, my timer in making this decision whether to stay where I am or transfer to a different (but hire-able) program is quickly going down.
I would point out that times has changed since 2000 and now I don't think visiting real places of work is such a huge problem. Take a look at the rise of TikTok or even KZhead and other social media since then. I think that now more young people than ever have an opportunity to not only visit some places physically, but also discover them virtually. Maybe the thing is that young people see more opportunities than their older friends and that might be a reason why they can't provide a simple answer?
22 and i have absolutely no clue. I’m about to start college and I’m horrified. I didn’t go when I left high school bc I was too immature and unsure of what I was doing.
@@Spacekid_Productions thank you, I think it was for the best too. I saw a lot of my friends fail out due to partying and I can’t afford that.
this was the best one i have seen yet! great info!
the outdated curriculum and paywall for higher education is also a huge factor in this. when i was in school the vast majority of my time was required to be in american history, traditional math, general sciences, and english. not to say those aren't important, but they were all umbrella overviews without an option to further pursue any sub-topic, let alone if you may be interested in something else. until age 18 i got to choose 4 electives that i thought i might be interested. and my options were art, photography, art history, home ec, and band. everything else was cut. there was one opportunity in senior year of high school to get an internship, and there were only about 3 options there. i was lucky enough that my parents could support me while i worked part time and spent 3 years in community college trying out all the things i might want to pursue. i started out when i was younger wanting to be a vet, then a biologist. got to college and went towards english, then art, then engineering, before discovering i really love programming. i spent another 2 years building up those classes to transfer to a 4 year. so from graduating high school that was 7 years before i got a bachelors degree in something i was confident i wanted to do for the rest of my life. and none of that would be possible if my parents weren't able to support me. it's wild that we don't further support kids in branching out and trying out different jobs at younger ages, and going further with education is so heavily dependent on your financial standing.
I never knew what I wanted to do and I still don't at 30. I have a decent job, no debt, good benefits, and a master's degree in my field, but I don't love my job. I don't think I'll ever do a job I love both because I don't want to be consumed by work (monetizing things I love makes me hate them) and I don't want to love something that may not exist.