Serious What do you want to do with your life?

[Ender]

What are your aspirations in life? Your hopes and dreams? They can be professional, personal, recreational, whatever. We've all been drawn to this site by some relation to Pokemon (however tangential) and yet my experiences with people show that this is just a single point of convergence of the many paths that the exceptionally diverse group of people that use this site are following.

Surely you people don't expect to do nothing except play Pokemon for the rest of your life. Entertain me with your ambitions.

 

[Rugi]

This has actually been a problem of mine I've been having recently. High School and my parents has been really forcing the point that we need to have an aspiration for the future and find something to strive for or at least figure out a way we can live as functioning members of the society. I'll be honest I'm scared shitless of this prospect. Mostly because I have absolutely no idea what to do with my life; I'm not very hardworking and nothing I've done in school I've found particularly riveting. I've been working hard for the last year or so trying to develop a strong work ethic. I'm secretly hoping that since I'm very young I'll magically find some interest or something that I'm brilliant at by the time I'm older but something tells me that isn't happening.

I know this probably wasn't the response you were looking for but I wanted to share this as I'm sure that there has got to be some people feeling the same as me.

 

[jumpluff]

My primary interest is neurogenetics. I'd like to either do research in epidemiology of genetic diseases or research on hereditary neurological diseases (epilepsies, Huntington's, brain tumours and inherited dispositions towards them like neurofibromatosis type 2, which I have myself), or else become a genetic counsellor. Bioinformatics seems like a compelling backup option too and one I'm tailoring my degree more and more towards. While I believe that the increasingly well-understood genetic aetiologies of many diseases make genetics an exciting field and an important one (this is part of my interest in genetic counselling—I believe there is a huge need for an accessible human interface between patients and new research and I want to help people make the most informed decisions they can about their health, because I've been very lucky in that respect myself as a sick person), I know my interests are slightly arcane, but I thankfully have so many of them (not all of them lying in genetics and neuroscience) that I'll probably enjoy whatever I end up doing as long as I stay healthy enough to actually have a career. I'm highly idealistic and even have a dream PhD supervisor, but, yeah, so much in my life has been unexpected, and it's been so hard to stay motivated to even live, that I just want ultimately to be able to pursue my interests (even as an amateur) and handle the things life throws at me with grace, which may include a change of interests or the appearance of something likelier as I study more.

I've been fortunate enough to be driven all my life towards biology (although as a teenager I really wanted to do virology, and convinced of the impossibility of this ended up doing computer science), but I've seen a lot of people who don't really know what they want to do, except that they should be doing something. I've never held a job or anything so I'm not the best person to give advice on this, but offering my solidarity, Lugi et al.—the pressure at this time in your life is likely immense, but you're definitely not alone, because many people struggle to figure out what they should be doing. Picking the wrong things to do in the past helped me figure out a lot the kinds of things I should be doing.

Keep your eyes open for things that might surprise you (learning about new things can lead to surprising new avenues of interest, happened to me) and think about where your skills (regardless of whether you're a prodigy or not... things like having weak mathematics background pushed me away from the sciences for ages, but it's not hindering me at all in my undergrad studies after I was given the opportunity to relearn the foundations and applied myself to it) and needs lie, what kind of lifestyle and labour you're cut out for and what you're willing to give for it, how important reliability is, if passion is necessary to you. If you get the chance to talk to people who do jobs you've never heard of or can't imagine doing, ask them about it and what advantages they find in it. I think learning a good work ethic (and it's very hard to apply yourself to things that don't interest you or seem like immediate means to your goals, it requires self-discipline and many people need a belief in the greater good of it, so you probably don't have much of a disadvantage in this respect) and time management skills are a great place to start even if you don't know specifically what for, because you'll have to learn them in most jobs/studies anyway and a lot of kids leave HS without any (I was one).

 

[McGrrr]

I always wondered what the world would be like when the Pokemon generation grew up. Well, the first generations have grown up, and the world isn't quite what I had hoped it would be.

What are your aspirations in life? Your hopes and dreams? They can be professional, personal, recreational, whatever.

Lol. I have £160k+ left on my mortgage, and that's assuming interest rates don't increase. I aspire to pay it off early. I hope to eat lots of delicious food. I forgot my dreams.

 

[shaian]

My main interests are economic theory, primarily how poorer nations develop, and international law. Naturally those two things are how I've tailored my university courses so far, and so far I can say that I don't really regret any of the courses I've taken, though it does leave me in a position where I kind of have to go into grad school to do anything worthwhile. I had already planned on that though, so the last major hurdle to cross (outside of graduating) is to figure out which of my interests I want to pursue. I've looked into getting into work with the UN and the World Bank, mainly through friends of my mom who work at those institutions, and whilst I can't say that the work is meaningless, my own opinion on their efforts is dubious. International law is also a bit tricky since I'd almost have to get into a top law school to get any sort of meaningful work in it.

Some general aspirations of mine is to just end up in a position to have fun my whole life. I don't really want to buy a house, or have an expensive car, or anything crazy like that. A life that I can just pick up and move at the drop of a hat, ya' know? Me and a few friends already have plans to roommate in the heart of the city after we graduate, and my moms already planning on buying an apartment for me and my brothers, so that's pretty cool. Also one of my goals I'm already working on is becoming competent as an artist, I've gone from drawing like a 7 year old to drawing like a 10 year old! I'd also like to learn the cello one day, but I'll get to that once I can afford a cello.

 

[Swede]

Currently still in high school, looking into broadcasting/digital media as a possible career path. I've always been interested in video making, preproduction and postproduction for as long as I can remember. When I was a little kid I used to tape videos of little narratives throughout my childish life, with the inner desire of communicating to the world my inner thoughts or creative passions. With the job market as wide as ever when it comes to broadcasting and media in this day of digital omnipresence, I really look forward to the next few years in that aspect. However, I'm pretty open to all sorts of things besides that at the moment, whichever one can offer me something good when the hard effort is put it to make the requirements

 

[Ortheore]

I'm looking to get into game design (shocking right? This being a competitive pokemon site after all). They've been something I've been interested in pretty much since I started playing them. Furthermore, they represent an outlet for creativity, the only one that I consider remotely attainable, since I have like no artistic or musical skills and if there's one thing high school taught me, it's that I can't write for fucking shit (even though I love reading and stories and stuff). Still waiting on offers for degrees but I've already had one place say they'll offer me a spot, so I'm not too concerned.

Coming out of high school I was in a similar position to Lugi where I had no fucking clue what I wanted to do, other than going to uni and studying something. The reason for that was that I simply couldn't envision a fulfilling life where I didn't go to uni, for a variety of reasons. I ended up studying Science because "Hey it's something I'm good at, and I'm definitely not interested in studying the other available options". I majored in Biotech based on similar reasoning. How did that go?

It was a fucking disaster. First semester was great, second one I struggled to pass all my courses, dropped back to part-time in second year in order to cope, did alright again, but failed to complete the following 3 semesters even though I was just part-time (2 I dropped all my courses, 3rd I pulled out of uni altogether). I couldn't bring myself to do any work, or even pay attention in lectures. I had, and still have, depression which is undoubtedly the primary reason for this outcome, but it highlighted the fact that I really didn't give a shit about what I was studying.

The moral of the story I guess is that I guess don't invest in something you're not interested in. It's worth taking the time to think about what really interests you, maybe even trying new things. One thing for me was that I actually struggled to get around the notion that it's possible to make games (something I really enjoy) my career. Idk I couldn't see them as a serious career option because I found the idea of making a career out of something that I did just for fun strange, I thought I had to go to uni, study my science and get a generic job in that field. Take this all with a grain of salt tho, since although I know what didn't work for me, I have yet to see any concrete evidence that the path I'm now on is the right one (however promising).

Also don't get depression, that fucking sucks

 

[cookie]

I forgot my dreams.

:(

In recently securing a good job and close to securing a home, I feel like I've now met the minimum requirements for living life in relative comfort. Now that's all under my belt, I can start doing cool things again. Like writing satire, writing apps, trolling, and travelling. (1 and 3 are kind of the same sometimes). I wrote a lot of satire during my fourth year and the year after it, and it's one of those things that I've realised is very close to my heart. I would be selling out if I stopped doing it. I also want to try my hand at stand-up - every now and again I write little notes that I plan to string together to create a performance script (I made a start on one after coming back from a very annoying flight back home).

For me, things like a nice job/house/car are not in themselves end-goals, they are a means to an end. And that's something I've been very afraid of forgetting ever since I left university, because I've seen how easily I can get so obsessed with pursuing them.

 

[Godsend]

I recently discovered my love of writing and I'd love to be able to make any sort of modest living with that. I recently wrote a novel (it was god-awful) and it was the most enjoyable thing I've really ever done. That'd be a dream.

 

[Teru_XD]

For those of you who have no idea of what you're going to do after you graduate High School, I have this little piece of advice: Go to college. The major doesn't really matter, just pick something and go with it (If you can afford it, of course). Now you'll say that I'm crazy, but that's how I got into a career I actually like. Being in college makes you fully aware of the options available to you, and it is there where you discover whether you are in the right career path, the wrong one, or if you shouldn't be in college at all.

In my case, when I came out of High School, I didn't even want to go to college! My parents told me to at least go and then decide afterwards. I came out of High School with a pretty good GPA, so I enrolled in Electrical Engineering. However, when I got my first programming class I fell in love with it. That's when I realized I had to go for Computer Engineering instead, which is not such a huge jump, but it was significant enough since it meant I discovered the path I should take in life. Today, I'm ending my next-to-last semester in that major, and I have one of the best GPAs in my class.

As for my future goals, I hope to find a job in Computer Engineering or any related field (Programming, Network Design, etc.) and have a family. Not so sure about the expensive car / house, but if that comes, I won't complain lol.

tl;dr : Go to college and decide from there where you want to go next. Worked for me!

 

[Chou Toshio]

It's funny because I remember when I was LOOKING for a job, it was important that I have a clear, communicable goal-- but now that I HAVE a job, it's important that as the youngest member of the team, I have the flexibility to learn and do pretty much everything.

In august I started working in brand management at a major IT company, not really knowing what it would be about. Now I'm confident in my proficiency, but that proficiency is constantly changing. In these few months I've done everything from production planning for events, banners, and TV/movie theater advertisements, to overseeing an app rollout and setting up an ad tech ecosystem. My main responsibility is managing a major digital project in data driven marketing.

And while currently I am in a team dedicated to corporate messaging, building the value and exposure to the brand-- in the future I see myself moving on to sales-focused marketing for products. I might even find myself in market research, w/ either path also closely connected to consulting.

Point is that a successful career requires restless reinvention against constantly changing markets and progressing technology. Even in terms of geography, I ultimately want to leave Japan and take a role somewhere back in the US, but I'm ready to go with my intermediate mandarin and tackle China/Singapore/HK/Taiwan if need be, or even head out to Europe.

Of course I have a lot of goals in my personal life-- I still aspire to become a recognized top aquarium designer in competitions, and maybe even coach highschool sports again some day (if in the US).

Of course the most important goal to me is to be a fantastic father. :D

 

[Chou Toshio]

I believe there is a huge need for an accessible human interface between patients and new research and I want to help people make the most informed decisions they can about their health, because I've been very lucky in that respect myself as a sick person).

IBM's cognitive computing system Watson, which won Jeopardy is capable of bringing the mass analysis and data reading of the machine with the organization (intuition) and comprehension capabilities once unique to people together.

Medicine was one of its first investigated fields of application.

The problem you mentioned, it takes great resources to train doctors, who also find themselves busy with patients-- and yet research continues to expand the fields and depth of information.

With a cognitive computer like Watson though-- capable of reading and comprehending the volumes of research written in natural human language (and not code or search terms...) suggestions for treatment with confidence ratings can be delivered to doctors in real time, based on the most recent research, and taking the unique profile and history of the individual patient into account as factors of analysis. This capability could be delivered even to mobile devices through the cloud, bringing the newest medical incites into face-to-face doctor-patient conversations around the world.

Watson's potential applications are quite expansive, but this is the first that IBM is working on (has largely developed?), and likely to be released broadly in the near future.

 

[Cresselia~~]

I just want to earn at least half of my parents did.
I want my own sea-view apartment in Hong Kong.

This is actually a very difficult goal though.
(I'm not even earning a tenth of it currently)

 

[Chou Toshio]

I just want to earn at least half of my parents did.
I want my own sea-view apartment in Hong Kong.

This is actually a very difficult goal though.
(I'm not even earning a tenth of it currently)

Only a sea view apartment. HK is sooooo expensive though!!

Good luck though Jynx-- I also grew up in an environment that's wayyyy beyond my current income so I know the feeling!

 

[LiamSweeney99]

I want to be a Civil Rights Attorney. I'm going to complete a masters degree in Philosophy, then study law for graduate school.

I feel passionate about civil rights violations and equality in society. I feel that the war on drugs is unconstitutional and I also feel like we still need to address problems of racism/classism in society and life. :)

Also lawyers make a fairly decent penny, so its not a completely passion/selfless driven venture ;)

 

[Soul Fly]

^Not civil rights. Unless you do the slimy class action stuff with some firm.

 

[LiamSweeney99]

I understand, but those were just a few gripes I was listing about the legal system today. I could go deeper, but long story short - I want a career where I work to secure proper civil rights for clients, etc

 

[whistle]

lead an academic medical research lab and marry a hipster feminist physical chemist (willing to compromise on occupation) and have beautiful half asian children who grow up with every form of privilege known to man and live in a moderately expensive high-rise apartment in a major metropolitan area

edit: also own a tesla or commute with a bicycle

 

[Cresselia~~]

lead an academic medical research lab and marry a hipster feminist physical chemist (willing to compromise on occupation) and have beautiful half asian children who grow up with every form of privilege known to man and live in a moderately expensive high-rise apartment in a major metropolitan area

edit: also own a tesla or commute with a bicycle

Asian feminist?
I think you really need to work very hard to find one.

 

[whistle]

Asian feminist?
I think you really need to work very hard to find one.

no, as you can tell by my profile picture, I'm the ching chong

 

[SOMALIA]

Contribute to the planet's demise by working my way up to becoming a senior petroleum engineering manager and make money while killing off the planet slowly, and then make myself feel better by donating some of the 8 figure sum i make to the community. I guess while at it, as far as recreational goes, I want to become the biggest baddest Magikarp in my small town that cracks the sidewalk when he steps on the streets...

 

[mattj]

I plan on floating (travelling downstream by canoe, kayak, or raft) the entirety of every river that runs through my state. That's a ton of smaller rivers but includes the Missouri and Mississippi rivers, which will definitely have to be the last two. I guess growing up on the banks of the Missouri River and hearing stories about Lewis and Clark (and the crazy John Colter) all the time gave me this insatiable desire to discover and experience nature. Even though all these rivers have obviously been mapped already, they're all new and unexplored by me and I get this fantastic thrill every time I come across a towering bluff or rushing spring or whispering cave that I've never personally seen before. It's not in any way as altruistic as many of the life goals already mentioned, but it's one thing I'm very passionate about and will accomplish over my lifetime. I've got 1 and a half rivers down. More than 40, and many decades to go.

 

[Knots]

Currently, I work in a placement facility for troubled youth. I'd like to work my way up the ladder in my company. Previously, I'd become the manager of a restaurant (closed, to no fault of my own) where I had started as a server. I can't see myself wanting much more than making an honest living and, perhaps, becoming able to provide for a hypothetical family I don't have, yet. I've always wanted to see my site get more popular, too, and at one time I was seriously considering making a business out of it, but I'm far too conservative to bank on stuff like that.

 

[baddjordan]

festivals and pingas

 

[AnathemaDevice]

What I already do: Teach Special Ed. Eventually though I may become a Reading Specialist. Probably would not involve having my hair pulled.