Although I can't recall where I first heard this quote--I believe it was someone quoting someone quoting someone else--it has stuck with me since that day. As a young person who often feels without direction and as if they are only playing at life, it's a comforting thought that someone has already put into words my current approach to life.
I enjoy many things and have very few dislikes, so the typical "trial by fire" method of discerning the correct path simply doesn't work for me. Corporate work, animal care, janitorial or inventory management, and laboratory research--after the initial adjustment period, there was something in each experience that was magnetic and made me think I could see myself doing this forever. Each required expanding different skillsets, fostering varying natures of relationships with coworkers, and felt immensely valuable not only for career development, but also personal and interpersonal development as well.
Then comes the moment when I am confronted with the question "What do you want to do?" Each time, the only response I have is a self-conscious "Well, I think I might.." followed by, at best, a premature guess on my part.
And although I may give an answer at the time, the truth is that I'm not quite sure. I feel there are so many roles I can or should take up and learn from, that I want to try my hand at them all and move through life from their corresponding perspective.
Thanks for taking the time to read! I wanted my first post to be in English so that I could have a model of the level of proficiency I wanted to have in my languages of interest.
I hope it can serve as a helpful read for anyone looking for practice in English! : ]
Good luck on figuring out what you want to do. There is nothing wrong with not knowing, and really, there is also nothing wrong with sticking with something for a while and then changing to something else. I hope you have many different experiences that give you more and more perspective on life!
If the idea of having a single job scares you, look into seasonal work. I got degrees in Wildlife Biology and Animal Science, and worked as a camp counselor, naturalist, wildlife rehabilitator, marine and fresh water fisheries technician, cruise ship deckhand, and wildland firefighter before getting a certificate in GIS this past year and landing my first permanent job a decade after I graduated with my initial degrees. All of my previous jobs made me particularly suited for my current job, and this job still has a lot of the characteristics I loved in the other jobs with the stability of better pay, benefits, and not having to look for a new job every 6 months. It is ok to not know what you want to do for the rest of your life!