The Question I Have Learned to Despise

"What do you want to be when you grow up?"

Yeah, I get that it's an easy conversation starter and it's also an easy way to learn about someone's interests.. but it's also a simple question that has infinite answers.

Mine is-- "I have no idea."

I hate when the questioner takes a step back and stares at me with shocked eyes at my response. I'll be lectured for not knowing, especially since I'm graduating this year. However there are those few people that give me a soft smile, grab me gently by the shoulders and say, "That's ok. You have the rest of your life. Plenty of time." Thank God for those people. I feel bad for everyone my age who is pressured into knowing exactly what field they want to go into, exactly what school they want to go to. So what? Some have an epiphany, which is said so often that I don't even know if I believe it anymore. It seems too easy. One just wakes up one day and knows what they'll do for the rest of their life? I've learned through experience that applying your interests and skills to find the right career path is much harder that it sounds. The expected answer is some sort of career where your best skills are applied and your identity is given. I don't know who I am yet, but I do know that whatever I do... I want to impact lives. I want to work with people and help them. I feel like adults and kids my age think that our life is going to travel through a perfect story arch. That we're going to have some epiphany of our perfect career, go off to college (because it's expected to go, right?), get that perfect job and end up with a nice 4 bedroom house. No. For a long time I've dreamed of the day that I will be answer that over asked question. Now I know that I might not for a long time. "It's actually quite crowded on this island of doubt and ambiguity" (Alexis S). But I am going to pay more attention to the activities I love doing. I want to find that hobby that makes me so happy I lose track of time. And I'm grateful that my generation is flexible unlike the past. They were in it for life. You went into pharmacy and did that until your retirement...or your death. These days, we can and are expected to jump from job to job until we find the one. We have a chance to find where we're comfortable and happy. We're going to switch jobs and have to adapt to change. Research shows that the average person changes their job 7 times before they hit 30. (Insert "wow" here). So let's get after it and hope that I'll make enough money that I can get Morgan Freeman to read me bedtime stories every night. Hahaha but really...