Career Advice for High School Student

[roinujo1]

Hello. I am going into my junior year of high school and have come to a crossroad in my life. I still have no clue on what I want to do for my future career. I started thinking on what I should I do. Then, I came to a conclusion on what might help me decide. I decided that I should come online and describe what type of job I want and get suggestions from users online. Then I will go online and do extensive research on what the profession does and see if I will be happy in that profession. So now I will go on to explain what I want in a job:

1. When I think of a job, I want one that does something different every day. I do not want to come to work doing the same thing I did the day before that and the day before that. For example, a friend of mine told me a profession like pharmacy makes 6-figures a year, but they majority of the time they do the same thing every day. I want some variety.

2. When I think about a job I obviously think about the money it is going to make. Now, I want a job that can make at least 100k. But, I don’t want that kind of money from the start. I want to start at like between $50,000-$80,000 as a starting salary. I want to get to that type of place, through advancements and promotions. I want to make it goal oriented. Something I have to work for.

3. When I think of my future job, I don’t want it to take too long to actually start working. When I finish high school, I obviously have to go to college. I don’t want to still be in school when I am at 26. I don’t want a job that takes a lot of time, like a surgeon for example. Plus, can you imagine the debt I would accumulate.

P.S. If you want a career field to start in, my choice fields are the medical or engineering field. But it can be any profession that meets my needs. Although, I am looking into every field and any type of job. Thank You!

[CleeIB]

Hi roinujo1,

The best - and really the only - way to find out if you'll be happy in a profession is to do it. You can get an internship, apprenticeship, or entry level job in an industry, and thus work with people in the industry and see what they do. That is much more valuable than online research. You really don't know how something will feel until you do it.

Your stated goals so far are too vague to suggest specific career paths for you. Everyone wants a job that pays well, isn't boring, and offers bang for the buck in terms of education and time investment.

What's more important now is:

(1) Putting yourself in a position where you will have choices for careers. That means getting good grades and establishing positive relationships with teachers, mentors, and/or industry figures.

(2) Getting hands-on experience with various career paths. This means talking to professionals who work in that field, attending networking events, touring facilities (maybe a science lab or a business might offer tours to the public, for example), perhaps doing volunteer work in a profession, and so on.

A career is a major investment, in terms of education/time/money, like other big-ticket items like a car or house. You wouldn't buy a car without test driving it, and you wouldn't buy a house without seeing it. So take the same approach for your career. Good luck!