Recent Letter to the ElderWisdomCircle™
CAREER: How to Choose a Career Path? Original Letter Throughout my life, I've had so many dreams. Some stick around and some end up fading over time. Right now, I'm a junior in high school and its that time of year where my school counselor is pestering me about what I'm going to do with my future. I have so many different ideas that come to mind. For example, I thought being a Veterinarian would be nice because it'd be with animals, and i absolutely love animals! Another one would be making videos on a website called YouTube. I love the idea of creating an entertainment purpose for my fellow humans. Both require a lot and I'm a very anxious person who forgets quite a bit. Honestly, I don't really know what would make me happiest or have a better outcome for me. I'm starting to think that I'm too old to start trying a Youtube career, and I think I'm too unfocused to be a veterinarian. I'm hoping you can help me decide with what little information I've provided. Thank you! Elder Response You can never have too many dreams! At your age, you and the world are full of possibilities. Do not limit yourself. I think for you to get a better understanding of your "dreams" it is possible for you to learn more about veterinarians and YouTube and react to what you have learned. The internet will be very helpful to get started. Search on "What do veterinarians do?" and "Careers in internet video." Once you have looked at enough articles to give you a good sense of life in either field, the next step could be to find these roles in the real world. For a look into the world of veterinarians, consider volunteering at a local animal shelter or at a pet care store or at an animal hospital staffed by veterinarians. After a reasonable period at your first animal care facility, try a second place to learn even more about the care of animals. Two different places will give you exposure to different philosophies and practices. Make sure that you talk to as many people as you can at both places. Maybe they will permit you to follow a veterinarian for a morning and also spend time in a lab where testing occurs. You should come away from the experience with a really good understanding of how they focus on animal care. For a look into the world of internet video, I think that when you watch YouTube videos you should evaluate why you like them. Go to the internet and search " How to evaluate YouTube videos" and learn how others evaluate them. That way you will begin to understand what some people say it takes to produce good video. Then check around at school and learn who are creating videos. They are not too old! Watch their videos and apply to the student's work what you have learned about evaluating video. Talk to them about their career plans, if they have any. Doing all of this will give you insight into how you feel about becoming a YouTube producer. I started my letter by talking about dreaming and a world of possibilities. As a dreamer, I would guess that over the next six months you will dream about more life options. Those possibilities need to be checked out as well because they may be indicating that you are changing your views on things and how you want to live your life. All of this is natural. Tenaya, enjoy the adventure! Best Regards, Dirk |
