"So What Do You Want To Do With Yourself?"

[Ashley]

(or variations such as;

"So what do you want to be when you're elder?"

"So what do you want to do when you finish uni?

etc)

 

Anyone else loathe this question? Its bad enough being asked, but its worse when they seem to look down upon you for not knowing.

 

C'mon, im 21 for pete's sake. Yes in the 1930's perhaps by now I'd be well into my lifelong career but there is so much for me to do why should I have to decide my game plan at this age? Besides, they say the average graduate changes careers several times (someone told me 17 but this seems like a lot).

 

I know there are people out there who know exactly what they want to do with their life and thats great, but your 20s are supposed to be about finding yourself yes? Where do you fall; someone who knows what you want to do (or is doing what they want to do), or someone who is going to do it all 'on the fly'?

 

Oh and I've come to just using joke replies to highlight the absurdity (considering they are basically asking what I wish to do for twice as long as I have presently lived) of the question. So for now I answer with "I want to be a model for Next catalogue." (long story). Or did come up with a new one yesterday, "I want to sleep with beautiful things" but that can't be said to family friends or whatever for obvious reasons.

[MoogleViper]

yeah I hate this question also. It's really annoying. Besides most people change their mind what they want to do anyway.

[Fierce_LiNk]

I just don't know what to do with myself.

 

BUM BUM!

 

(it had to be done).

 

It's a bit hit and miss, with the question. It can provide either of the following responses.

 

"I will leave my high school or my sixth form college at approximately 3:14pm on Thursday 6th July. Then, I will undergo my intense training regime and will begin my lifelong career as an ICT specialist. My first step towards this goal is using my enhanced ICT skills to program the tills at my local McDonald's branch."

 

or

 

"I don't know...should I know?! I don't know what I want to do! I don't have a plan, should I seek the help of a career's advisor? What about the army? Could I join the army? Am I fit enough to be in the army?! Wait, I don't like that sorta work, what if I don't find a job, I need a job to pay my bills. Oh God! I can't pay my bills! What am I going to do? Prostitution?! Better wear a condom, there's risk of aids! Oh my god, I could pass on aids to my children. And the scariest thing of all is that I'm only 13."

 

 

It really depends on who you're asking, because people react in all sorts of different ways. I think I know roughly what I'm doing, but there's still a lot I haven't decided. Like where I want to live, whether it's something I want to do for the rest of my life, or if I want to advance from there. It's ok not to know, because you need to be sure. I can't think of anything more worse than making a rash decision at an early age, and then living to regret it because you're stuck in a job you hate or doing something you don't like doing, for the rest of your life.

[Aimless]

When people asked what I wanted to be when I was older I used to just say, "Happy." It tended to raise a few eyebrows, but better that then being stuck in an uncomfortable conversation for 30 minutes.

 

Nowadays I can fob people off by saying that I want to head off to university next year; they don't tend to ask any follow up questions, and I'm not lying to them.

 

I'm definitely not living by some prescribed plan, though. There is a reason for my username, after all.

[DCK]

Was I the only one thinking "not another masturbation thread"?

 

Anyways, I want to get a good fun makes-me-happy job. I'll probably turn into an alcoholic in a few years, live in the big city, and make a good happy life for myself.

[Ashley]

My brother randomly said yesterday (well, we may have been talking about the money he owes me) "theres a fair bit of money in male escorting isn't there?" to which I said "but you can't choose your johns." We've all thought about it though. Or being a toyboy/girl to some rich old person for a while :P Not much of a career plan though.

 

 

(c'mon, can't just be me)

[Coolness Bears]

When I get asked this annoying question I usually come up with a Joke answer as well like male stripper! I say it to anyone friends, family etc.

 

Usually doesn't get explored any further :p

[MoogleViper]

When I get asked this annoying question I usually come up with a Joke answer as well like male stripper! I say it to anyone friends, family etc.

 

Usually doesn't get explored any further :p

 

When my business studies teacher asked us all where we wanted to be in 5 or 10 years I said prison.

 

She was slightly taken aback and didn't ask many follow up questions.

[Wesley]

I used to also be baffled by this question. But now I have a rough game plan.

 

Still, it's open to change.

[EEVILMURRAY]

When I'm elder?

[Emasher]

I usually just say the general area I want to work in.

[nightwolf]

I did notice this question has occured quite alot since my mum has been telling everyone that I'm going to uni.

 

The one that annoys me and/or sometimes makes me laugh is the ''so what are you doing at uni'' so I reply games design and get funny looks, as though I'm saying ''I'm going to be taking a sex course at uni''.

 

It annoys me that they seem to think that I will have a plan after uni, well it's four years for god sake, let me get through that first before I head off to do something else. People are in far too much rush these days!

[Raining_again]

I want to be filthy rich without having to do anything.

 

 

Aye, dream on.

[LegoMan1031]

When i finished colleage and decided not to go uni it was amazing how many adults were disapointed in me saying i was wasting my life.

 

Don't think so. I didn't go coz i just didn't think it was me.

 

I was part time at ASDA in the bakery while at college. When i left i went full time in security at ASDA, did that for a year, then moved to town shopping centre security (been doing that also a year now) and i have a goal to join the police.

 

Also i work with a 27yr old and a 30yr old, i'm only 20 so i would hardly say i'm wasting myself getting jobs with ppl older than me in the field i'm doing (you don't really see many young security offices round here)

 

I currently like my game plan and its currently going in the right direction.

[Wesley]

I did notice this question has occured quite alot since my mum has been telling everyone that I'm going to uni.

 

The one that annoys me and/or sometimes makes me laugh is the ''so what are you doing at uni'' so I reply games design and get funny looks, as though I'm saying ''I'm going to be taking a sex course at uni''.

 

It annoys me that they seem to think that I will have a plan after uni, well it's four years for god sake, let me get through that first before I head off to do something else. People are in far too much rush these days!

 

I get the same thing. It's all good.

[nightwolf]

I get the same thing. It's all good.

 

It makes it even worse because as a girl I'm expecting to do something like I dunno Nursing or something.

 

Like I must do something girly, instead of something I really want to do, I'm thankful my parents decided ''yeah do whatever you want, as long as YOU are happy ''

[Wesley]

Thankfully my parents can't remember what I'm doing.

[Hellfire]

Asides from the usual "I'd like to be filthy rich, healthy, bla bla", I have no fucking clue. Something related to computers or videogames or gaming journalism? Bah.

[Ashley]

When I'm elder?

 

How its said around these woods (near Brum/Dudloiia).

[Dan_Dare]

I have a vague as shit idea that I'd like to be a writer and critic in some form, ideally an arts and media type. I'd also like a crack at games writing or something as I know I'm already better than most of the pathetic, nerdy hacks posing as games writers today.

[Noodleman]

Ever since I was about 5 and my dreams of being a fighter pilot in the RAF where crushed when someone told me you need 20 20 vision, I have had no idea what I want to do with my life. Everything I have done so far academically and career wise I have just sort of fallen into.

[Supergrunch]

Initial response: "Fuck off Ashley, not now I'm doing a non-vocational degree."

 

Seriously though, I really don't know. I'd love to go into linguistics, apart from the fact that the pay's dreadful.

[EEVILMURRAY]

How its said around these woods (near Brum/Dudloiia).

Couldn't help but think:

 

[M-PG71C]

I have a pretty good idea in where I want to go. It took some time but it DID require actualy putting in the effort, research, time, and gathering experience to figure it out. All of which I am content with since it probably saved me quite a bit of time that can be dedicated elsewhere.

 

Life is too short to linger around and expect the world to open their hands for you. At the same while, life is too short to plan out everything in a strict notion. You have to have a balance really. It is good to have a solid plan but it is even better if the plan is able to change as you change.

 

My goal is to finish my remaining three years at the uni, become a military officer, and when I become a Captain/Major go back to school (which I would be required to, more or less) and get my Masters in either law or political science, which all depends on a number of factors, none of which I am too concerned about.

 

Otherwise, continue to stay out of debt (my education is paid for through various scholarships and I don't have a car so those hassles are gone), build up my finanices, and continue to study about money in my spare time so in the long run I'll be secured in those respects.

 

Otherwise, I'll be enjoying life.

[Dog-amoto]

From the other side of the question, it's really just an ice breaker.

 

I'm 30, and most of my pupils are 17-21. I sometimes ask the question for something to talk about, mostly to the ones who aren't into the stuff I am.

 

I don't mind if they say that they don't know, after all, I didn't know at that age and the job that I do now, I only decided to do it when I was 25, and that was only because I wanted a job where I could come home during the day because of my dog.

 

Hardly a massively thought out career choice!!