As a young adult, I’ve been asked this question a lot. I hate this question. To be frank, who the hell knows? I would have to experience every job in the world to have an answer. I’ve never had my sights set on one specific job. I never woke up one morning with an epiphany, or a sudden realization of what career I was destined to pursue. Based on the conversations that I have had in my life, like me, very few people are this fortunate.
It’s just four words. We’ve heard them all before. But, when they are combined to form that pressure-filled question, we experience a small surge of anxiety. It’s an ultimatum to which we don’t have an answer to, and that’s scary. Because, how are you supposed to be successful and achieve your goals if you don’t even know what your goals are?
Our lives revolve around the question. In high school, we are told to pick a university or college. We take the prerequisite courses required for the program our naïve, sixteen-year-old selves chose. We learn how to do the Pythagorean theorem and complete multiple-choice exams, before being rushed into university. By now, we have been asked the question a million times. This is where I get lucky. I loved my Sports Administration program at university. I could actually picture myself working in the industry, even if I did not have a specific job in mind. However, I know many people who, unlike me, struggled to find their niche, and who are still struggling.
To those people, I say, “don’t worry.” Do not let fretting about finding your dream job dictate every decision you make. There is no need to stress about the rest of your life. Things will work out. Instead, direct your attention towards finding something more important: happiness. Here’s a new question for you to answer: “Are you happy?” If not, find things that make you happy. Apply for jobs you think you may like, and ones you think you may not. Write a book, start a rock band, travel the world, organize a pick-up hockey league. Maybe you can even make a career out of it, or maybe not. The point is, there is no need to carry the question like a burden on your shoulders. There are thousands of more empowering questions to answer. So, brush your shoulders off, relax, and above all, be happy.
Sami
