"You may not end up in your dream job. You may end up in an office. But you may end up making enough money to travel the world." "Your job does not have to be the most important thing in your life " OMG THANK YOU SO MUCH. I HAVE BEEN THINKING OF THIS. I WANT TO TRAVEL THE WORLD BUT I FEEL LIKE I CAN'T IF I TAKE UP MEDICINE OR SOMETHING THAT WOULD LAND ME ON AN OFFICE JOB
I disagree. If I am spending more than 70 percent of my day from the age of 22 to 60 on doing something I have to make sure its something I love doing and ends up being a big part of my life. Work to me needs to be something that makes me forget about the dreadfulness of existence. I respect you have a different perspective but for some people like me we just can't not take our work seriously.
This is the best advice I have heard for a long time, I am 50 this year (yes I know I am old) and I have had a variety of jobs. From being one of Santa's elves, to working in an office , then spending 3 years qualifying as a Surgical nurse then in my early 40 s I completed an English Degree and began working in schools. Life is full of wonderful opportunities that you can never predict. Chances are you will have more than one career. I would also like to say my 20's were at times confusing and stressful , my 30's were great, absolutely loved my 40's , can't wait to experience my 50 's. My friends would agree, life gets better and better xxxx Thank you for the great video.
Wow... that's great, I'm 23 and working as a nanny, planning to go university next year but i still confused what degree that I should take, and still worry if I can't afford it for the next future, But you're right that we cant never predict life. Gotta make some plans for future. Hehe
Great that you talk about this, I think a lot of young people struggle with the isssues you mention. And: Big Yeah to embracing change in your professinal life! Just as a bit of encouragement for the viewers out there: the possibility to do something new and/or different doesn't stop when your reach 30. I became a laywer when I was 25, moved to another country when I was 30, started my own law firm when I was 35, then went into politics when I was 45 (only briefly because it didn't agree with me), became a professor at uni and started writing novels when I was 50. The most important thing is, I guess, to realize that your degree doesn't define your life, and neither does starting with a career (or job) mean that you have to stick with it for the rest of your life.
Definitely agree with the idea that your career doesn't have to be everything. Life outside work can be incredibly important and defining in people's lives whatever their levels of supposed 'success'. Lovely video - I wish it had existed when I was 19! :)
Such a fantastic video! This was just what I needed to hear today. I can never seem to decide what I want to do, I just know that I'm not built for an office job. But I swing between the idea of going back to uni for a masters in the same subject as my undergrad or just doing something entirely different. I am constantly comparing myself to my peers because there were less than 30 students on my degree and we all knew each other really well. In terms of success in our chosen career path I am one of the least successful, which is a rubbish feeling. But I guess part of me thinks all the things you said in this video - like I'm only 25, my life outside of work is happy and I'd rather take longer to make a sensible decision than rush into the wrong one. Oh life! haha
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I can't imagine how much stress that education system must put on students. I am glad that the American school system, or at least the path that I was able to take, was more flexible. I could've changed my path after 2 years of university, and it would have been alright. Great advice. I am now into my first full year of a career after college. And while it's not at all what I expected to be doing, I'm loving it. Not always because I love the work but the experience is so eye-opening and informative. I am sure it will change many times in my life, and that excites me.
I don't actually find myself comparing myself to other people as a rule, my uncertainty is more about trying to prove something to family members. I feel like people of an older generation used to get jobs from being a teenager and stick to that career/job/general area for years until they retire whereas the whole employment thing nowadays has changed so much. People don't just get a job for life, people change their minds and experiment and I think it's better that way. I do think that sometimes it's harder for the older generation to understand that you might want to travel for a year or two before looking for jobs or only have a job for a year before exploring something else, just because it's not what they did :)
That's a really good point, and one I hadn't considered! Jobs were so easy to get in our parents' day and so it was never an issue deciding what you wanted to do. Definitely think there's a lack of understanding from the older generation when the answer to 'so what are you doing now?' is not what they expected! Xx
+Reads and Daydreams definitely! Thank you for this video by the way, it's lovely to hear advice from someone who's been through the same thing! You made it at the perfect time ;) x
This is 100% me. Getting my degree was my life and now I have achieved that I am lost in knowing my purpose. Everyday I used to wake up and know what my goal was.
I'm the same. I studied 7 years of medical school, been working alot and earning something very little to the time I spent in studding. I was never interested in medicine, my parents pushed me there, thinking as soon as I graduate I will have luxury, ended up working more than earning
Please make more videos like this. I lack this comfort and kindess. I'm 17 and going to take my A levels this year but am scared shitless. If I had my way, I wish I could take a job that'll let me be self sufficient for the time being and I'd travel. But I can't do that. And then again, how would this be okay when I have a family in the future? The only reason why I'm taking my A levels is to make my father proud, and nothing more. I have no interest in school but am afraid of disappointment. I'm so sorry for dropping this on you, but please, I'd love to hear more about your thought and advice - I think many, like me, need it. Sending my love x (also, I've been binging your channel and love it!)
+Rachel Angelique I can certainly make more videos like this! Being 16/17 etc is such an overlooked age, I think a lot of adults think 'oh they're alright, what have they got to be worried about?' and yet a huge amount of stress is put on you! For you personally I would say try not to worry (not easy I know) as you are really so, so young, and even if you do make a mistake or a 'wrong choice' now you have so much time to correct it. I wouldn't advise you to go to university if that's not your thing, but A-levels are a very useful thing to have and even if you don't enjoy them now, you may feel better having them on your CV in the long run. I can't say much more as to your specific situation, but I'll happily make some more general advice videos in this area :) what sort of questions would you want answered? Xxx
This video was just what I needed to see at the moment! I'm 22 and a few months ago, I finished going through teacher training but decided not to go into a teaching career after all. Teaching was the main career I saw myself doing since I was younger and during my training, I absolutely hated it! Since finishing the PGCE, I've been doing some volunteering and trying to find other employment but it's been really tough with little success. It's so hard to see other people my age doing things that they love and seemingly be successful in their careers whilst I feel lost and like I'm not moving forward anymore! I know that this is just a blip and I really shouldn't compare myself to others but it's difficult not to feel a little like a failure when I did well at uni and school and still can't get anywhere job-wise. Thank you for making this video, it's helped me to feel a little better! xx
+AriseFairSun I'm glad it helped! I know so many people who thought they wanted to follow a certain career path, and then after doing 3/4 years of it at uni, got completely bored by it or realised they hated what the job entailed! The volunteering/internship route is so frustrating, and I feel for you. But wow, you're 22! You're so young! You have so much opportunity ahead of you and you're absolutely not a failure. Keep pushing on, girl xx
Hello fellow human :) I’m flattered that anyone even read my comment, let alone cared enough to ask how things are now, so thank you! Well 4 years on, I still don’t have a clue what my passion is career wise, but I’ve been in an office job for the past few years and I know that this job suits me better than teaching would have so that’s a positive. I still compare myself to others who appear to be living their dreams when I’m not sure if I even have a dream, never mind knowing how to achieve it if I did have one, but I guess that’s how a lot of people feel sometimes. Your 20s certainly are some tough years of your life and no one knows what they want or what they’re doing, but at least we’re all in it together :)
@@arisefairsunThanks for taking the time to write that out. Your original comment really resonated with me and made me feel a little less alone in how I feel, so it's lovely to hear that you're currently in a place that feels a bit more right for you compared to teaching. I'm starting to accept that it's okay to have a "placeholder" of a job while we gain more life experience and figure out what our dreams/passions really are, and that we have not failed if we do not immediately know. Here's to continued growth and self-discovery!
+Ariel Bissett Thanks Ariel! There were a lot of thoughts all mashed together here, but I definitely think comparing yourself to others is such a big part of the problem xx
Thank you so much for making this video! I just started my senior year at university and I find myself worrying about my career path nearly everyday and it's honestly exhausting. Several of my friends are getting amazing internships or jobs or fellowships and I find myself constantly panicking that I'm not doing enough and I'm failing. I really needed to hear that it's okay to not know yet what I want to be doing and that I should be seeing this time in my life as a way to explore my interests and opportunities; thank you again for this video, it's helped a ton.
When I graduated from uni I originally wanted to become an English teacher. As our educational system in America started to change (not for the better) I decided I'd find a job in publishing instead. So long as I could be around, or talk about, literature I'd be happy. It took a long time before I finally started to find work in publishing, yet even as I did life had a funny way of taking my plans and throwing them in a completely different direction. I moved far away from home, got married, and became a mom. Suddenly my career was not as important as raising my son. I quit my job 12 years ago to be a stay-at-home mom. And, to come full circle, I am also their teacher as I have homeschooled all my kids. One thing I learned from watching my dad, (who was a lawyer) is that you can have a top-notch career, but hate what you do. If you hate what you do, how is it benefiting your life or the life of people around you? Albeit it is important to be able to put food on the table, but at the end of the day I want to be able to say that I made a difference in the lives of the people around me, even if that means that my life path changes several dozen times.
Standing ovation over here!! As a 26 year old who just got her Masters in Publishing and has no idea what direction to move in now, I needed to hear this from somebody else. If it weren't for my massive student loans, I'd be embracing this time to figure out life and where I fit in it. But for now, the loans just keep reminding me how much I paid for my passion and how little the professional world seems to be willing to pay me back.
I think little people will appreciate your didication and hard times spent in this I understand you, and i can tell more happiness you will have as you push to figure what is in your mind.❤
Yes! You are a breath of fresh air! I am a newer teacher and not only do I struggle with these ideas myself, but I also struggle on how to present these ideas to my students who are point chasers and who think their happiness or success is defined by how well they do compared to others. I try to make the connection not only between how well they do academically in my English classroom to their future careers and college lives, but also to how existentially good they are as a human being through their respect to others, following of societal rules, and motivational drive. Thank you for putting together such a nicely presented video of an idea that SO MANY of us struggle with daily! :)
this video really came at a great time. I'm turning 24 in a month and I feel the pressure building. The hardest part for me is - since very early on in college I knew exactly what I wanted to do (be an AD for films/tv), but sometimes the road to getting there is not easy and can be competitive and soul crushing and I feel like, even though I love it with all my heart, it drains all my energy to do this ONE thing while I could be doing something else, something easier, and enjoying more time doing other things I love. I don't know. I took a break from it - to get my masters degree and to... think, really. Is that one thing worth all the others that I'm loosing? I've spent so much time and energy trying to build this career that did not go where I wanted it to go and that I may now - perhaps - leave behind completely. And you see your friends buying houses and getting promotions and you are still in a limbo, floating... not only do you have to manage your own expectations, but everyone elses. It is hard, but it is great to hear from everyone else in the same situation
+Anna Lívia Marques 24 is so young! Sooo many people are in limbo in their early twenties:) It must be so difficult to feel like you've pushed yourself wholeheartedly down one route and to now feel like you're not getting where you want to be. My advice would be to just remember how young you are still! You can go two ways - keep pushing with your AD career, or give something else a try. If you decide to keep going, relatively speaking, you've not been working for that long, so it's not necessarily surprising that you're not where you want to be yet. There's no reason to give up on this career now because you've not 'achieved' yet :) On the other hand, if you decide to go down a different path that's equally ok. Although you've put a lot of effort into this career choice, in comparison with the rest of your life it's not actually that big an amount of time. Certainly not too late to try a different option. Sorry for the unsolicited advice, haha, I hope it helped a bit! Good luck xx
This was exactly what I needed to hear (watch) today. I have two jobs and while on the surface level they appear to be similar, one is enjoyable and fulfilling and the other makes me feel anxious and irritable and I've been thinking about leaving the one that makes me unhappy. If I can't be positive at the job I love because I'm worrying about the job I don't, then I'm really just wasting resources. But there are those pressures from society: you MUST work at least 40 hours per week. Your salary MUST be at least this much. It's exhausting.
I think topics like these are very important and I wish I had listened to this when I was younger but it is still relevant today when I am 26! I think there is a lot of pressure put on us that you need to have your life figured out by the time you are 14 (as if life isn't confusing enough at that age). One thing I learnt being out of university is that life just has to be lived, not figured it out. It isn't a maths problem. Dreams change, goals grow bigger or smaller, your own maturity and personality evolves and sometimes life throws you a big old bag of lemons. “Sometimes on the way to your dream, you get lost and find a better one.”
This is so brilliant. The amount of content I’ve consumed around this topic and you articulated it so much better and in a really real-life, practical kinda way. Great job Lauren! 👏🏼💖
Wow. The timing on this one amazes me. I just had a breakdown at work. I couldn't face a (very informal) meeting today. I got so scarred and stressed out. I like being a graphic designer (I love doing the work), but I struggle so much to be comfortable at my on skin... Everybody looks so cool and interesting and there's no place for me and my social anxiety. I've been thinking about something you said a lot lately. Maybe the right way for me is to work somewhere else (where I''ll be better paid than at a design consultancy) and to use my design skills in a hobby. It's such a hard decision to make though. Thank you for starting this discussion! I think we need to talk more about this. I feel like my generation has grown up with the "do what you love and you will never have to work" mantra and now we are all so stressed about our careers, making the right decisions and being in the right places... I don't even know if I'm making sense... I'm so freaking confused!!
+new book smell Oh god, I hate the 'do what you love' thing, it's so misleading! Things are never that simple. If your work isn't giving you any joy then you absolutely mustn't stay there for the sake of 'turning your passion into your career'. I don't use any of my love of books/literature at my work....but I started this channel in my spare time :) If your job environment feels unhealthy for you then it isn't a failure to turn away from it. I hope that helps! Good luck! xx
I loved this pep talk!! I really needed it. I'm right at a big crossroads in my career path and it is so scary, so it's nice to hear that not only are other people experiencing similar things, but also that it's just not as big of a deal as I make it out to be. It doesn't have to be permanent.
Thank you for posting this I'm 24 and graduated University in December. I've been stressing and struggling because of my disability I have to go through government to help find a nondiscriminating employer. So I've had to wait till February and I've been freaking out because I don't know what I want as a day job. I agree with you that school has been about being competitive and I've always known what I wanted from school and now that I'm done for a bit I feel lost. I really needed this pep talk thank you 😊
I reallllllly needed to hear this. I've been panicking so much about this topic lately and hearing another person saying "it's okay to not know what you want to do with your life" really made me calm down a lot. So thank you 😊
+sofisticated You certainly don't need to worry about any of this in first year! Just enjoy yourself, be brave and get involved in things that scare you and you might surprise yourself as to what you find you want to do by the time you're ready to apply for jobs :) xx
Lauren, this video was truly wonderful and your ideas and arguments for not worrying came across so well. I feel a lot happier about graduating this year and not knowing exactly what I am going to do afterwards now :)
I really appreciate this video. You summed up a lot of what I have been thinking lately, and it's nice to see in the comments that there are a lot of other people in the same place. I have only recently come to the realization that my goals in life and what I do for work are probably not going to be the same thing. There will be the thing I do to pay my bills and the things I do because I enjoy them. I'm about to turn 26, so maybe it because I am halfway through my twenties that I am finally coming to this conclusion. The most frustrating thing for me is that it took me this long to realize these things. I feel like I've "wasted" the last few years trying to be fulfilled a career that ultimately wasn't right for me. I know that it wasn't really wasted... but you know. That was a long comment to say I agree with everything you said and think we should make that clear to kids at a younger age. Also I just found your videos and I really enjoy them!
Thank you for that video ! I really needed to hear that ! I live in France, I just finished 5 years of university (never worked before except for internships). I finished university last september and I haven't found a job since then. I understood that I was comparing myself to others (especially people from my masters degree because they found a job) and that my carreer is not going to define my entire life thanks to your video. Really inspiring !
Such a brilliant video! I'm a week away from turning 28. I graduated with a good degree in Creative Writing, but only have some voluntary work under my belt due to extended periods of ill health and treatment. I'm now at the point where I'm well enough to consider what to do with my life and it terrifies me! I keep thinking there must be a "right" route for me to take and because I can never figure out what that route is, I become stagnant and grow more and more frustrated. Watching you talk about how a career doesn't have to be the most important thing, as well as reminding me that what i choose now doesn't have to be for life, was really reassuring.
Thanks for approaching this in such an original way, and stating your points clearly - your comments about our sense of time at this age (teens-20s), how career does not mean identity/vocation, etc, are crucial.
This is everything I needed to hear today, yesterday, tomorrow. Thank you for an as always eloquent, wonderful, helpful, inspiring, and perspective-changing video. As a person who knew what she wanted to do for a long time, and worked hard to find a good place after college and then it not working out how I wanted- I haven't thought much about that the career doesn't have to be the biggest part of my life. Very eye-opening.
I am 22, six months out of university, and in a muddle moving between jobs and internships and various temporary things. And just yes. So much yes. Thank you Lauren
This was the most well-timed video - I was literally having this conversation an hour ago because I've just hit my two year anniversary at a job I fell into and I'm wondering whether I want to stay or look for something new. I think there's also an element of our generation being slightly ADD and always looking for the next best thing so we're not generally staying long enough to HAVE a career and that's also just as scary.
Thank you for this video Lauren! It's just what I needed to hear. It is hard not to compare yourself to your peers but I totally agree that we shouldn't do that. Not being able to find your "perfect job" after Uni is definitely a blow to your confidence (I've experienced this myself). But I definitely agree that there are other ways to find happiness in your life. I have been able to live in three different countries, during and after my studies and I wouldn't trade those experiences for the world but it's now time to reflect and decide what I want to do next. Your video was really helpful and gave me confidence boost!
As the old men of the internet, neither of us work in the career we studied in. Great video. We both went through university and grad school doing what we love and although it doesn't pay the bills right now, it's still our passion and what we dedicate our free time to.
So many great thoughts in this video and I can definitely relate to a lot of this! One part of it is definitely the uncertainty and not knowing where you're heading. Some people know exactly what they want to do and start on that path, and others, like me, are still trying to figure it out. It's a work in progress!
Is it normal to be 15 and to worry about this every second of the day !! I'm a top student , and I find it weird that other people my age only worry about their boyfriends or what filter to put an that picture !! I stress too much about the fact that I don't know what to do or what to follow ! One thing I'm sure about is that I want to travel like a lot !!! I also come from a pretty modest family , we don't really have much , so the pressure to find a well paying career is high ! But I really dont want to be tied to an office for 60 hours a week ! Also , I really don't find problems with comparing myself to others, like grade wise or anything ! I just struggle with people constantly bringing me down ! What can I do to find my passion ??? That question haunts me everyday !
I was just like you as a teenager and I am still confused after years of overachieving academically at age 22. I don't want to discourage you at all, but what I have found personally is that all my emphasis on doing well academically and planning my life perfectly has put so much pressure on me that I can't really have fun and explore my passions. I hope you allow yourself to try and chill out and let things that you actually enjoy reveal themselves to you :)
I love what you have to say in this video! I had the same idea in my head that I would absolutely under no circumstances not work in an office - but after interning in a few jobs that were out of the office (social work, news, etc) I changed my mind. You make a great point about achievements in school being very clear cut, while in a career it's harder to see the achievements. I think it's so important to come up with your own ideas of success or achievement as an adult so you can decide if you're successful or not based on your own goals.
Thank you for uploading this video, it's a fantastic discussion topic and it came at the perfect time. I am due to finish my course this year and I'm struggling to come to terms with the fact that this could be my "career" for the next 40ish years. I left high school in 2010 with no clue what I wanted to do and just happened to fall into my job. I worked there for two years then had the opportunity to progress and, now, with three years of studying almost done I am at a loss. I do realise that as jobs go it's not that bad but it's not something super passionate about... Although, when I think about everything else that can go on in life as long as I can pay the bills and afford to spend time with family/friends and do the things I love then what am I even worrying about haha! Like you said, 'life doesn't have to be defined by your career'. So anyway thanks for that wee reminder. It was lovely hearing your perspective :)
+Jennifer Nothing ever has to be your career for the next 40 years if you don't want it to be! It's never too late to change and find something else that you want to do :) But equally, as you say, as long as you're living life and paying the bills then it's not all that important! I'm glad the video was helpful xx
I'm 100% with you on this one. I'm 35 and still have no idea what I want to do as a career. I love writing, but unsure if I could do it full time and currently work in ecommerce which came about as an accident really. I just applied for random jobs to get me out of call centres! I've given up waiting for me to realise the perfect career for me and am just trying to work in a job a don't hate that pays me enough to live on. I'm hoping to move up to a slightly higher paid job soon and drop down to working 4 days instead of 5, so I can spend more time writing and other things I love to do.
Wonderful video! I have just finished my uni course but spent five years deciding what exactly I wanted from a study of History and English... I am now doing a postgraduate vocational course to give me that work knowledge and networking.
Bless you! I needed to hear these words, I got a job I thought I liked and I found out it's not really for me. I'm at a stage in life where I feel so disappointed because I was so sure this was for me. I love music so I thought working in the arts/culture field as a marketer would be for me. Now it feels like there is something missing and it sucks. I'm 27 and I thought I'm supposed to have my life figured out but I don't. That's ok, because now I know I should take my time
I'm soon turning 21, and I've started college since 18, as soon as high school finishes. I would never imagined myself to be such a failure because I transferred my degree 3 times during the 2 years period, and this year I started a new degree and I absolutely hated it. I hate it so much that gives me stress and depression and I can't finish even this semester. I'm now taking a break and I need time to reflect on what's going wrong with myself. One of the reasons for transferring so many times during the last two years is because I feel that I don't trust my degree would get me a job and the uncertainty makes me want to change. I know it doesn't make sense but this all happened. And so now I'm watching this inspiring video and think that, okay.. it is okay to finish a degree and its normal for people to feel uncertain about it. This makes me feel a little better and hopefully I will have a fresh start.
This video was so helpful! I'm 17 and freaking out about my future plans and career ( currently 1.15am and i should be at school at 8 am ) I just find it so stressful to make such huge decisions so fast ! So thank you for this video, it definitely gave me a bit of relief :)
I love this video. I'm currently in my second year of university and am FREAKING OUT because I have no idea which direction to go in once I graduate. I know people who five years later have only just got their first graduate jobs and it always worries me what waits for people after university who have arts degrees. This is very reassuring :)
+Rachel Louise Atkin Oh I had NO IDEA in second year. People were getting internships and travelling in their summers and all I'd done was work in shops because I needed money! Don't worry! Consider all options, apply for everything and remember that it doesn't matter if you don't have a job straight away upon graduating. You'll never really know if a job is right for you until you start working in it, so it doesn't hurt to try a few things out xx
What a fantastic topic to hear someone FINALLY speak intelligently on. The number of lies we are told as children is amazing. It really is. In the US they tell you that once you've gone to this prestigious college and gotten this amazing degree that will cost the earth (and then some) you will have an amazing job and make millions. Life very rarely works out the way it's "supposed" to. I love the way you speak of how we are used to having a set group of achievements and assignments and when we've completed them we are "successful." That's not real. That's not life. I'm 32 and I am nowhere near where I thought I would be.
I'm not married, I take care of my blind mother and I've recently been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. So nothing in my life is what I was stole at school that it would be. And preparation for reality is something they don't teach you. Thank you for this video.
I find this point of view REALLY inspiring; I'll move to London in April with the purpose of finally getting a job that I like, and for wich I'll be payed ;) I'd like to work as a corporate receptionist, but in fact I could also work elsewhere and be satisfied, because my goals are different, and are not based on the job I will get. It's however pretty hard to come to terms with the excpectations that everyone has on you: "Really, do you want to work as a receptionist? But you've studied so hard to get your degree!" Well, I simply don't care, 'cause I studied for myself, for my personal growth; it's really hard for someone to understand this point of view...Thanks a lot!
+elfsara91 Ugh, that must be so hard to constantly get those sorts of questions! Good for you though - I've always felt that university is more for a personal growth in all areas than giving you specific skills for a specific job. Good luck with your move to London! xx
This is a such a good perspective. I feel that people often try to use money as a bench point of success when comparing their careers to others and I think this is very very misleading! Thank you for a great video Lauren :)
I loved this video. This is something I think about a lot (and has thought about for so! many! years! now that I think about it ...). The problem with getting a long academic education, in my mind at least, is that you can never know what the work is like until you've finished and have gotten a job, and before then all you can do is think and worry and think a bit more, like "Does this fit me?" and so on ... You put all your thoughts very well!
Hi, Lauren! Thank you for this video, you're absolutely right! I'm 30 now, I'm a magister of law and a graduate of the prestigious University, I'm working, but I still actually don't know, what is my true destination. From my early childhood I had a dream - I wanted to be a lawyer. I have not even learned to pronounce correctly this word, but I've said everyone that I would become an advocate. First of all I gave this idea to my mom, she got the second profession and became a lawyer. At school I had some skills in learning foreign languages, so my future priorities changed to be an international lawyer (maybe in some diplomatic area). When I graduated the University and got the desired education, I had absolutely no idea, what exactly I want to do. I've tried to work as a lawyer, but very soon I understood: I realy like law as a kind of academic knowledge, I enjoy it, but in practice it doesn't work, cause in real life the law is something very-very different. Now I work in another sphere, but I don't feel this business is mine and my soul is still in search.
I do a job that relates in no way to my degree. For the reasons you mention I ended up doing geography and then trained and qualified as a teacher. I hated it and essentially started my career again, so I started volunteering for lots of charities and now I've been working in the charity sector for nearly 7 years. It's still not my dream job but I'm not miserable anymore and it pays for me to do the things I enjoy doing in life. Do what makes you happy in life but remember you don't have to be paid to do it. I think those that end up with their dream job are the minority but that doesn't mean it's a bad thing if you do a job that's just 'meh'.
I love this video. I think that more students, from school level upwards, should be told all of these things. I wanted to go into vet medicine, because at school that was the career I was told to take if I wanted to work with animals, but there's SO MUCH MORE than that. And I wish I'd been told earlier that working with animals, unless you want to be a vet, has hardly anything to do with academic grades, it's all experience. All of the work I've done with animals so far has been unpaid, for money I have a job in a completely different area of work so that I get to live fairly comfortably but can build up experience in the places I want to work and then hopefully one day I'll get the job I really want. I used to compare myself to friends who are living their dream, travelling with their work on cruise ships and aeroplanes and whatever, but that's just not what I want to do. I only stopped comparing myself to my peers in the last month or so, so seeing this video and hearing somebody else say all of these things really brought it home for me. Great job!
This was such a great video and topic! Career goals and plans is such a minefield that I’ve learned to never ask “what do you do?” as an opening question at a party. Favourite super power? Have you tried the crisps and dip? Anything but that career question because it never puts anyone at ease haha
I really needed to hear something like this right now. I graduated this summer and the dreaded "what you doing now?" is such a downer and really annoys me. It's as if I'm not allowed to be confused or just taking my time. I'm so young but should be jumping feet first into just any old job. I don't want to be a recruiter, but that's all that seems to be on offer for someone with no office experience because I focused on academic qualifications. Thank you for validating how I feel and reminding me it is okay not to know.
+Jess Ryan Ugh I know, the 'what do you want to do?' questions are so tough! You've only just graduated and you've got all the time in the world to work out what you want to do. One thing I would say however is that there's nothing wrong with getting any old job to get some experience and make a bit of money. A lot of graduates end up working in recruiting or cold call sales when they first leave because, as you say, that's what's there for people without work experience. Crappy jobs, which no one wants to be doing for the rest of their life. But, there's something to be said for working a crappy job for a bit and gaining some office experience (and also at least knowing that that's not the environment you want to work in!). My BF did cold calling as soon as he left uni and while it wasn't what he wanted, it actually made him really good at interviewing well and so he was able to get another job quite soon afterwards. It's a myth that once you start down a certain 'career path' it's too late to change. In the grand scheme of things, a year or two at a recruiter would be such a small amount of time, and you can still look for other jobs! I hope that helps! Of course, there's nothing wrong with just taking some time out and focusing on working out what you want from life either :) xx
Great thoughts and ideas 👍🏻. I did the expected - finished school (Australian system), went to uni, graduated as a nurse, and worked for a few years. Then health issues turned everything on its head and I haven't been able to work for more than 3 years. However, now I am doing part time study in writing - the area I have always loved but saw as the "unreliable" career path 10 years ago when I was choosing uni courses. I have no idea if I will ever be well enough to work or nurse again, or if writing will be a career, but being a 31 year old in the position in life that is typically seen for someone in their early 20s has shown me that the options are endless, decisions and plans aren't final, unrealistic dreams can be realistic, and bad things can actually turn you onto an exciting path.
What a fantastic discussion. It's such a shame that we do compare ourselves to others because the only precedent we should follow is one set by ourselves, yet we all look to others! Also, I think it's such a shame that we're made to make such important decisions so young because so much can change.i didn't go to uni, but the things I wanted to do in school and college are completely different to the things I want to do now. Thank you for this video. :)
This video is amazing! I always knew I wanted to have a career related to books but I was completely unaware of the types of jobs available. I switched from doing Illustration to English Literature (so now I have two diplomas instead of a degree) - people always treat me differently when I say I don't have a degree but honestly, I think it was an amazing decision. Leaving university after second year English Lit I felt I had something to prove and so before the year was up I applied for a job in publishing not expecting anything out of it. I had the same idea as you about office jobs and of course, now I work in an office, in sales of all things, something that I never thought I'd want to do but I'm loving it! I get to talk about books to people all the time! I still have my further down the road goals such as owning my own bookshop and travelling but I think that some people have a clear path of where they're going and others take the scenic route. As long as you get there in the end, you will have had a varied range of experiences on the way! =)
Thank you so much. I have just started college and I have been so afraid of picking the wrong major because I didn't know what I wanted to do as my career after college. This was very helpful.
I don't know why I'm only watching this now but thank you for this video. So so so relevant. I'm 26 and in a life crisis but this video makes me feel understood. Thanks Lauren ❤
Next year I’m going to 9th grade(currently 13 until next year),my school and family are now worried that most of my year grades don’t have an idea what’s our career.Our principle are now making me feel pressured to select a career path to study up to 12th grade(and graduate). I have a cousin who’s 20 soon and haven’t had a job or a driver license(government paying him $400 every 2 weeks), and my dad is reminding me what’ll happen if I don’t know what I’m doing and being lazy. I feel pressured at a young age when I don’t need to.
I know how you feel. I also chose what to study up to 12th grade at 13... i was also very confused. Now I'm 18 and about to finish high school. If i can give you any advise it's that, if you have no idea what you want to do/become then choose the subjects you love to study the most. That way you'll find studying much easier since you love the subjects and have a passion for them. If you already know what to do/ career path to take then choose the subjects you'll need to know do that thing. For example if you want to become a doctor then opt for science subjects. Hope this helps.
I am in the midst of a "career change." At 35, and several years in my current field, I am stagnant and need a change. When your job is utter misery, and you find no joy in what you're doing, it's so great thing to look at all of the possibility ahead.
I really needed this perspective, and at the same time I already see it this way. Right now im thinking of what I wanna study next after honestly wasting my time in a trash course that didnt taught me anything. Was frustrating. Ive been thinking for too long, and the pressure is there to make a decision asap. At the same time, I work on myself artistically, I love singing and love working on it. My primary goal in life is not work related, I find true happyness in trying to improve my voice. I try to improve everyday for hours in training, then I like to always learn more. Recently ive just been thinking of just choosing a career that I likely atleast wont hate, and using the money to buy instruction so I can improve faster and reach my nearest goal. Its the only thing I really think about. Its the only goal I have and enjoy working towards. Ive thought of just studying vocal arts but the career is just risky and would likely be a big challenge. Its a career where talent and reputation are the requirements, not a degree. So i just think it wouldn't work not until I reach my preferred skill level. But anyway, atleast I feel happy that I have something that truly makes me happy and is a never ending journey to improve further in talent. A lot of people just work for money and dont really have a passion or even a side passion. So I feel fortunate in that perspective. Thanks for the video, I quite enjoyed the perspective of not letting your job define your life etc.
As someone who turns 24 in 5 days and graduated 2.5 years ago, this really hits home. I've worked since I was 16, did well academically, and have now been in a full-time 'career' job for 9 months. Except it's not working out as I wanted it to, and I know it's not likely to work in the long-run. It's hard not to feel stuck, even now, with worries about having worked too many jobs, yet not having the right experience, seeming unreliable through movement, skilled yet not skilled enough. Sometimes I wish employers would seem more sympathetic to the awkward 20s employment period of finding you feet job wise! I understand why they're not necessarily, but the job market doesn't make you feel more reassured often.
This was so helpful! I'm a second year university student and suddenly internships and careers are all the talk and it can be very scary! This was great, thank you! :) - L x
Thank you, this was such a reassuring video! I feel I am definitely in this confused in between stage - I graduated in 2014 and since then have done nothing to do with my degree. I studied photography and I haven't pursued that at all, I think studying it drove me to dislike the subject as it was originally my hobby. It's really hard and I do spend a crazy amount of time worrying about what I should be doing and what job I want but I suppose I just need to chill out and see where life takes me! Great video :)
+shoutame Ah, that's another really interesting issue! I know people who studied what they thought was their passion at university but then realised that it's not really what they want as a career, or that they end up getting bored of it and then don't know what to do next! xx
It's a hard thing to choose what you want to do with the rest of your life when you're so young! I'm hoping I shall see a ray of light and will finally know what it is I'm meant to be doing! xx
Thank you...I really needed this right now..I never went to uni, and I barely even finished the one year course I picked at college I've been working part or full time since I was 16 and although I'm progressing in my current job I know its really not want I want my life to be about..a lot of people I know have just started graduating from uni and it began freaking me out cause I thought they now had a plan..turns out most of them haven't got a clue what they want to do...turns out that no one really knows what they want to be doing...
as someone who is now getting offers through from universities to study english lit. and considering what I would want to go into afterwards this video is so so comforting and reassuring - thank you
+sara jones You can do absolutely anything with English Lit. Don't worry about jobs at this stage AT ALL. Just enjoy university, get involved in everything and work hard. You might surprise yourself with what you want to do by the time you graduate! Good luck xx
At 20 year old, in my final year of university, this was so helpful and thoughtful. I was nodding like a Churchill dog, I am really reassured now, and I was freaking out earlier! Haha! Thanks! :-)
+Ellie Pilcher Never freak out! The world seems so vast and scary when you're tucked away in your university bubble. Just consider everything and don't discard any job/career - you never know what you enjoy doing until you actually start working in the field! xx
Being 20 and right in the middle of my degree I actually have to make a decision on what turn my degree is to take over the next 2 days! It's insane! I mean I don't know where I want to be or where I want to go in 2 months let alone 2 or 3 years when my degree is finished. It is so hard to know what is an achievable goal, and, what goals are more suited to a job or a hobby. Working with charities seems to be something I could do as a hobby because usually it is volunteering but what if I want to set up a non-profit(that has actually been a dream of mine for almost 10 years now), then it becomes a job just by the sheer amount of work that would be involved! Another dream of mine is to be a published author but for the majority of writers this never actually becomes a full-time job as it is impossible to sustain yourself just on writing! On a completely different side of what I am interested in is what I currently study: Mathematics and some education modules. I am in a position where I could study pure Mathematics or Applied and computational Mathematics but then as well study Mathematical education to possibly become a teacher. And then there are the obvious ridiculous(or at least very unlikely) dreams of possibly being able to create content, say for youtube, and make a living from that. I mean that would be quite interesting but would I actually be learning enough from it that I wouldn't get bored from it? Some hobbies just take up so much time that I almost feel like they really are a part time job and that only becomes a problem when there are too many of those (which is kind of the case at the moment, as I try to figure out my priorities!)! The difficulty of wanting to do everything at once and not organise it but in the end doing less than if you only had done one or two properly... I will see what happens, these last few days have been pretty insane and so will the next few until I get that form in and then I will relax until exams and during the summer I can forget about it completely until, in September, I wake up wondering why I made whatever choice I made! haha But hey that's just a theory, a slightly-mad-middle-of-the-night theory!
really needed this tbh! I'm going to graduate in July, feel like shit because peers are constantly achieving better grades than me or telling people what they're going to be doing with their mega savings after uni or what job interviews they've been going to already. It's so competitive and everyone is made to feel like they have to compare themselves to others. It's rubbish!
+Judith Kent I know it's easy to say and hard to do, but try not to worry at all about what other people are doing. It's not at all unusual to take a year or two out after university to just focus on applying for different jobs or volunteering or something to try and work out what it is that you really want. Like I said - life doesn't have to be defined by what job you end up getting! Good luck with graduation xx
The problem is that I grew up in basically competitions between my peers ..and honestly I literally realised that I dont have the confidence,passion, an interest or a dream of undertaking university career ..
"Being in your twenties is really hard" true dat. Great video with some great thoughts. I've felt a lot of these since leaving uni and I think it is important to distance a career from you as a person. Thanks for making this vid! :)
I'm 24, and had such a crap day at work, really wondering whether this is how I want to spend my life and thinking whether it's too late to change. Tbh, this video was just what I needed - thank you :)
As someone who is 20 and had to leave school early (due to illness) and so didn't complete my Leaving Cert/A Levels. Feeling like I'm behind my peers is a bit of an understatement :P I've spent the last year trying to decide whether I should go back to school or move on and get some sort of job. This video was really comforting for me. Since I'll end up working 40ish years of my life anyways I have time to get my feet back under me :)
Hey! Such a good video... I loved this discussion. I am a doctor and I love my job but I am not my career! Actually, I am discovering myself as a writer now and I am so happy about the possibilities. :) Thanks from Brazil!
Loved the video! Wish I had someone to talk openly with me when I was making my decisions! In Brazil you choose your career at around 17, when you are going into college, before that, you just study everything. In the end you get into a good university if you are good in about everything (top grades in tests in every area), no matter which major you want to study. In grad school you kinda have to start working around a year after you entered college, otherwise you will hardly get a job after it endsl. And you gotta be wise in every choice you make, cuz changing everything later is extremely difficult ("what, you are 24 and do not have a degree yet!? you are jumping from major to major! You don't want anything for your life") And than you get stuck with the choices you made at 17, when you didn't really know what you like because otherwise you will likely get discredited. In the end you become extremely frustrated at the age of 25. Of course I talk passionately because of personal experience, but also because it is something a I hear from most people I know, and things should not be that way.
+Teresa Sloupova You mustn't worry! My only advice would be to maybe leave yourself a little bit of flexibility (i.e. not ALL science or ALL arts) and you will be absolutely fine :)
I was really worried about me not knowing what to do with my future in college (I still am worryING). Thank you for this video and letting us know that it's okay and we're not the only ppl going through this stage of life.
Two books that might be useful to everyone: "What should I do with my life?" by Po Bronson (not a self help book BTW) and "One Person/Multiple Careers" by Marci Alboher. They dont provide answers but provide frameworks and stories about others. Good to get the brain thinking more about this very important issue. Thanks for great video!
thanks so much for this video, i get a lot from this, half a year after graduation i was tortured by the fact that i can't find a satisfying job overseas, and now i am free from that
Amazing advice. I really needed to hear that. I'm graduating at the end of the year and felt like I need to have my whole life in order before that happens--i.e.: job, place to live ( I plan to move to another state), career picked.
I grew up in India and there too we have to choose a stream of education at 15-16, so I could choose science, commerce or Arts. The choice of stream decides what types of careers you can choose like a doctor or accountant or fine arts etc.What makes things different is education is not subsidised nor do you get loans from the government or banks to study (education loans are only for going abroad for masters) so you end up choosing a stream and career that parents can afford to pay for and then are stuck in that career which can very very rarely be changed. One good thing I found based on my experience of living and working in the UK is you can switch industry, careers with some effort which is almost next to impossible in India
I agree about all the stuff you said, but I think comparing our salves does sometimes help so we can be realistic about our position in life. though, yes it has its goods and bads, but mostly it is effective, however, comparisons can be used to either help one self or utterly destroy it; that is the reason why competitive games make people put all the hard-worke to do their best of them.
![ILLSLICK - KILLSHOT REMIX [FULL VERSION]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/RIK8RrqIAzE/mqdefault.jpg)
"You may not end up in your dream job. You may end up in an office. But you may end up making enough money to travel the world." "Your job does not have to be the most important thing in your life " OMG THANK YOU SO MUCH. I HAVE BEEN THINKING OF THIS. I WANT TO TRAVEL THE WORLD BUT I FEEL LIKE I CAN'T IF I TAKE UP MEDICINE OR SOMETHING THAT WOULD LAND ME ON AN OFFICE JOB
Exactly
I disagree. If I am spending more than 70 percent of my day from the age of 22 to 60 on doing something I have to make sure its something I love doing and ends up being a big part of my life. Work to me needs to be something that makes me forget about the dreadfulness of existence. I respect you have a different perspective but for some people like me we just can't not take our work seriously.
whenever I'm sad, I just watch this video again to regain hope and strength
This is the best advice I have heard for a long time, I am 50 this year (yes I know I am old) and I have had a variety of jobs. From being one of Santa's elves, to working in an office , then spending 3 years qualifying as a Surgical nurse then in my early 40 s I completed an English Degree and began working in schools. Life is full of wonderful opportunities that you can never predict. Chances are you will have more than one career. I would also like to say my 20's were at times confusing and stressful , my 30's were great, absolutely loved my 40's , can't wait to experience my 50 's. My friends would agree, life gets better and better xxxx Thank you for the great video.
Wow... that's great, I'm 23 and working as a nanny, planning to go university next year but i still confused what degree that I should take, and still worry if I can't afford it for the next future, But you're right that we cant never predict life. Gotta make some plans for future. Hehe
Great that you talk about this, I think a lot of young people struggle with the isssues you mention. And: Big Yeah to embracing change in your professinal life! Just as a bit of encouragement for the viewers out there: the possibility to do something new and/or different doesn't stop when your reach 30. I became a laywer when I was 25, moved to another country when I was 30, started my own law firm when I was 35, then went into politics when I was 45 (only briefly because it didn't agree with me), became a professor at uni and started writing novels when I was 50. The most important thing is, I guess, to realize that your degree doesn't define your life, and neither does starting with a career (or job) mean that you have to stick with it for the rest of your life.
Damn, how old are you now? 100?
@@laphonz 😂
I have anxiety and I really needed this, thank you
Definitely agree with the idea that your career doesn't have to be everything. Life outside work can be incredibly important and defining in people's lives whatever their levels of supposed 'success'. Lovely video - I wish it had existed when I was 19! :)
Such a fantastic video! This was just what I needed to hear today. I can never seem to decide what I want to do, I just know that I'm not built for an office job. But I swing between the idea of going back to uni for a masters in the same subject as my undergrad or just doing something entirely different. I am constantly comparing myself to my peers because there were less than 30 students on my degree and we all knew each other really well. In terms of success in our chosen career path I am one of the least successful, which is a rubbish feeling. But I guess part of me thinks all the things you said in this video - like I'm only 25, my life outside of work is happy and I'd rather take longer to make a sensible decision than rush into the wrong one. Oh life! haha
+MercysBookishMusings In the words of Desiree - 'life, oh life, oh life, oh life, dooo do do dooo'
Kudos for the Video! Forgive me for butting in, I would love your opinion. Have you thought about - Chiveard Discovering Potential Framework (Sure I saw it on Google)? It is a smashing exclusive guide for finding your true calling and achieving success minus the headache. Ive heard some pretty good things about it and my m8 at last got great success with it.
I can't imagine how much stress that education system must put on students. I am glad that the American school system, or at least the path that I was able to take, was more flexible. I could've changed my path after 2 years of university, and it would have been alright. Great advice. I am now into my first full year of a career after college. And while it's not at all what I expected to be doing, I'm loving it. Not always because I love the work but the experience is so eye-opening and informative. I am sure it will change many times in my life, and that excites me.
I don't actually find myself comparing myself to other people as a rule, my uncertainty is more about trying to prove something to family members. I feel like people of an older generation used to get jobs from being a teenager and stick to that career/job/general area for years until they retire whereas the whole employment thing nowadays has changed so much. People don't just get a job for life, people change their minds and experiment and I think it's better that way. I do think that sometimes it's harder for the older generation to understand that you might want to travel for a year or two before looking for jobs or only have a job for a year before exploring something else, just because it's not what they did :)
That's a really good point, and one I hadn't considered! Jobs were so easy to get in our parents' day and so it was never an issue deciding what you wanted to do. Definitely think there's a lack of understanding from the older generation when the answer to 'so what are you doing now?' is not what they expected! Xx
+Reads and Daydreams definitely! Thank you for this video by the way, it's lovely to hear advice from someone who's been through the same thing! You made it at the perfect time ;) x
This is 100% me. Getting my degree was my life and now I have achieved that I am lost in knowing my purpose. Everyday I used to wake up and know what my goal was.
I'm the same. I studied 7 years of medical school, been working alot and earning something very little to the time I spent in studding. I was never interested in medicine, my parents pushed me there, thinking as soon as I graduate I will have luxury, ended up working more than earning
Please make more videos like this. I lack this comfort and kindess. I'm 17 and going to take my A levels this year but am scared shitless. If I had my way, I wish I could take a job that'll let me be self sufficient for the time being and I'd travel. But I can't do that. And then again, how would this be okay when I have a family in the future? The only reason why I'm taking my A levels is to make my father proud, and nothing more. I have no interest in school but am afraid of disappointment. I'm so sorry for dropping this on you, but please, I'd love to hear more about your thought and advice - I think many, like me, need it. Sending my love x (also, I've been binging your channel and love it!)
+Rachel Angelique I can certainly make more videos like this! Being 16/17 etc is such an overlooked age, I think a lot of adults think 'oh they're alright, what have they got to be worried about?' and yet a huge amount of stress is put on you! For you personally I would say try not to worry (not easy I know) as you are really so, so young, and even if you do make a mistake or a 'wrong choice' now you have so much time to correct it. I wouldn't advise you to go to university if that's not your thing, but A-levels are a very useful thing to have and even if you don't enjoy them now, you may feel better having them on your CV in the long run.
I can't say much more as to your specific situation, but I'll happily make some more general advice videos in this area :) what sort of questions would you want answered? Xxx
"It would be fantastic if we could all feel utterly fulfilled at our jobs. A lot of us aren't."
But... that's what I want. 🥺
This video was just what I needed to see at the moment! I'm 22 and a few months ago, I finished going through teacher training but decided not to go into a teaching career after all. Teaching was the main career I saw myself doing since I was younger and during my training, I absolutely hated it! Since finishing the PGCE, I've been doing some volunteering and trying to find other employment but it's been really tough with little success. It's so hard to see other people my age doing things that they love and seemingly be successful in their careers whilst I feel lost and like I'm not moving forward anymore! I know that this is just a blip and I really shouldn't compare myself to others but it's difficult not to feel a little like a failure when I did well at uni and school and still can't get anywhere job-wise. Thank you for making this video, it's helped me to feel a little better!
xx
+AriseFairSun I'm glad it helped! I know so many people who thought they wanted to follow a certain career path, and then after doing 3/4 years of it at uni, got completely bored by it or realised they hated what the job entailed! The volunteering/internship route is so frustrating, and I feel for you. But wow, you're 22! You're so young! You have so much opportunity ahead of you and you're absolutely not a failure. Keep pushing on, girl xx
This comment is from 4 years ago and just reading it. How are you doing now? x
I just read this comment and I’m also curious how you’re doing now 4 years on :) Hope things are well, fellow human
Hello fellow human :) I’m flattered that anyone even read my comment, let alone cared enough to ask how things are now, so thank you! Well 4 years on, I still don’t have a clue what my passion is career wise, but I’ve been in an office job for the past few years and I know that this job suits me better than teaching would have so that’s a positive. I still compare myself to others who appear to be living their dreams when I’m not sure if I even have a dream, never mind knowing how to achieve it if I did have one, but I guess that’s how a lot of people feel sometimes. Your 20s certainly are some tough years of your life and no one knows what they want or what they’re doing, but at least we’re all in it together :)
@@arisefairsunThanks for taking the time to write that out. Your original comment really resonated with me and made me feel a little less alone in how I feel, so it's lovely to hear that you're currently in a place that feels a bit more right for you compared to teaching. I'm starting to accept that it's okay to have a "placeholder" of a job while we gain more life experience and figure out what our dreams/passions really are, and that we have not failed if we do not immediately know. Here's to continued growth and self-discovery!
Love this! I really liked your section on reminding everyone to not compare themselves to their peers - it's important to hear that once in a while!
+Ariel Bissett Thanks Ariel! There were a lot of thoughts all mashed together here, but I definitely think comparing yourself to others is such a big part of the problem xx
Thank you so much for making this video! I just started my senior year at university and I find myself worrying about my career path nearly everyday and it's honestly exhausting. Several of my friends are getting amazing internships or jobs or fellowships and I find myself constantly panicking that I'm not doing enough and I'm failing. I really needed to hear that it's okay to not know yet what I want to be doing and that I should be seeing this time in my life as a way to explore my interests and opportunities; thank you again for this video, it's helped a ton.
+Taylor Ruszczyk I'm so glad it helped! You're still so young, you've got so much time and it's not a race :) xx
When I graduated from uni I originally wanted to become an English teacher. As our educational system in America started to change (not for the better) I decided I'd find a job in publishing instead. So long as I could be around, or talk about, literature I'd be happy. It took a long time before I finally started to find work in publishing, yet even as I did life had a funny way of taking my plans and throwing them in a completely different direction. I moved far away from home, got married, and became a mom. Suddenly my career was not as important as raising my son. I quit my job 12 years ago to be a stay-at-home mom. And, to come full circle, I am also their teacher as I have homeschooled all my kids. One thing I learned from watching my dad, (who was a lawyer) is that you can have a top-notch career, but hate what you do. If you hate what you do, how is it benefiting your life or the life of people around you? Albeit it is important to be able to put food on the table, but at the end of the day I want to be able to say that I made a difference in the lives of the people around me, even if that means that my life path changes several dozen times.
Standing ovation over here!! As a 26 year old who just got her Masters in Publishing and has no idea what direction to move in now, I needed to hear this from somebody else. If it weren't for my massive student loans, I'd be embracing this time to figure out life and where I fit in it. But for now, the loans just keep reminding me how much I paid for my passion and how little the professional world seems to be willing to pay me back.
I think little people will appreciate your didication and hard times spent in this I understand you, and i can tell more happiness you will have as you push to figure what is in your mind.❤
Yes! You are a breath of fresh air! I am a newer teacher and not only do I struggle with these ideas myself, but I also struggle on how to present these ideas to my students who are point chasers and who think their happiness or success is defined by how well they do compared to others. I try to make the connection not only between how well they do academically in my English classroom to their future careers and college lives, but also to how existentially good they are as a human being through their respect to others, following of societal rules, and motivational drive. Thank you for putting together such a nicely presented video of an idea that SO MANY of us struggle with daily! :)
this video really came at a great time. I'm turning 24 in a month and I feel the pressure building. The hardest part for me is - since very early on in college I knew exactly what I wanted to do (be an AD for films/tv), but sometimes the road to getting there is not easy and can be competitive and soul crushing and I feel like, even though I love it with all my heart, it drains all my energy to do this ONE thing while I could be doing something else, something easier, and enjoying more time doing other things I love. I don't know. I took a break from it - to get my masters degree and to... think, really. Is that one thing worth all the others that I'm loosing? I've spent so much time and energy trying to build this career that did not go where I wanted it to go and that I may now - perhaps - leave behind completely. And you see your friends buying houses and getting promotions and you are still in a limbo, floating... not only do you have to manage your own expectations, but everyone elses. It is hard, but it is great to hear from everyone else in the same situation
+Anna Lívia Marques 24 is so young! Sooo many people are in limbo in their early twenties:) It must be so difficult to feel like you've pushed yourself wholeheartedly down one route and to now feel like you're not getting where you want to be. My advice would be to just remember how young you are still! You can go two ways - keep pushing with your AD career, or give something else a try.
If you decide to keep going, relatively speaking, you've not been working for that long, so it's not necessarily surprising that you're not where you want to be yet. There's no reason to give up on this career now because you've not 'achieved' yet :)
On the other hand, if you decide to go down a different path that's equally ok. Although you've put a lot of effort into this career choice, in comparison with the rest of your life it's not actually that big an amount of time. Certainly not too late to try a different option.
Sorry for the unsolicited advice, haha, I hope it helped a bit! Good luck xx
+Reads and Daydreams yes, it helped a lot. thanks! ♥
This was exactly what I needed to hear (watch) today. I have two jobs and while on the surface level they appear to be similar, one is enjoyable and fulfilling and the other makes me feel anxious and irritable and I've been thinking about leaving the one that makes me unhappy. If I can't be positive at the job I love because I'm worrying about the job I don't, then I'm really just wasting resources. But there are those pressures from society: you MUST work at least 40 hours per week. Your salary MUST be at least this much. It's exhausting.
I think topics like these are very important and I wish I had listened to this when I was younger but it is still relevant today when I am 26! I think there is a lot of pressure put on us that you need to have your life figured out by the time you are 14 (as if life isn't confusing enough at that age). One thing I learnt being out of university is that life just has to be lived, not figured it out. It isn't a maths problem. Dreams change, goals grow bigger or smaller, your own maturity and personality evolves and sometimes life throws you a big old bag of lemons.
“Sometimes on the way to your dream, you get lost and find a better one.”
This is so brilliant. The amount of content I’ve consumed around this topic and you articulated it so much better and in a really real-life, practical kinda way. Great job Lauren! 👏🏼💖
Wow. The timing on this one amazes me. I just had a breakdown at work. I couldn't face a (very informal) meeting today. I got so scarred and stressed out. I like being a graphic designer (I love doing the work), but I struggle so much to be comfortable at my on skin... Everybody looks so cool and interesting and there's no place for me and my social anxiety. I've been thinking about something you said a lot lately. Maybe the right way for me is to work somewhere else (where I''ll be better paid than at a design consultancy) and to use my design skills in a hobby. It's such a hard decision to make though.
Thank you for starting this discussion! I think we need to talk more about this. I feel like my generation has grown up with the "do what you love and you will never have to work" mantra and now we are all so stressed about our careers, making the right decisions and being in the right places... I don't even know if I'm making sense... I'm so freaking confused!!
+new book smell Oh god, I hate the 'do what you love' thing, it's so misleading! Things are never that simple. If your work isn't giving you any joy then you absolutely mustn't stay there for the sake of 'turning your passion into your career'. I don't use any of my love of books/literature at my work....but I started this channel in my spare time :) If your job environment feels unhealthy for you then it isn't a failure to turn away from it. I hope that helps! Good luck! xx
I loved this pep talk!! I really needed it. I'm right at a big crossroads in my career path and it is so scary, so it's nice to hear that not only are other people experiencing similar things, but also that it's just not as big of a deal as I make it out to be. It doesn't have to be permanent.
‘Your job doesn’t have to be the most important thing in our lives’
Thank you for posting this I'm 24 and graduated University in December. I've been stressing and struggling because of my disability I have to go through government to help find a nondiscriminating employer. So I've had to wait till February and I've been freaking out because I don't know what I want as a day job. I agree with you that school has been about being competitive and I've always known what I wanted from school and now that I'm done for a bit I feel lost. I really needed this pep talk thank you 😊
I reallllllly needed to hear this. I've been panicking so much about this topic lately and hearing another person saying "it's okay to not know what you want to do with your life" really made me calm down a lot. So thank you 😊
As a first year student, this helped calm my anxiety a bit! very well articulated Lauren! Love your content!
+sofisticated You certainly don't need to worry about any of this in first year! Just enjoy yourself, be brave and get involved in things that scare you and you might surprise yourself as to what you find you want to do by the time you're ready to apply for jobs :) xx
Lauren, this video was truly wonderful and your ideas and arguments for not worrying came across so well. I feel a lot happier about graduating this year and not knowing exactly what I am going to do afterwards now :)
Thank yooouuuu! I'm so glad it was helpful :) xxxx
I really appreciate this video. You summed up a lot of what I have been thinking lately, and it's nice to see in the comments that there are a lot of other people in the same place. I have only recently come to the realization that my goals in life and what I do for work are probably not going to be the same thing. There will be the thing I do to pay my bills and the things I do because I enjoy them. I'm about to turn 26, so maybe it because I am halfway through my twenties that I am finally coming to this conclusion. The most frustrating thing for me is that it took me this long to realize these things. I feel like I've "wasted" the last few years trying to be fulfilled a career that ultimately wasn't right for me. I know that it wasn't really wasted... but you know. That was a long comment to say I agree with everything you said and think we should make that clear to kids at a younger age. Also I just found your videos and I really enjoy them!
Thank you for that video ! I really needed to hear that !
I live in France, I just finished 5 years of university (never worked before except for internships). I finished university last september and I haven't found a job since then. I understood that I was comparing myself to others (especially people from my masters degree because they found a job) and that my carreer is not going to define my entire life thanks to your video.
Really inspiring !
Such a brilliant video! I'm a week away from turning 28. I graduated with a good degree in Creative Writing, but only have some voluntary work under my belt due to extended periods of ill health and treatment. I'm now at the point where I'm well enough to consider what to do with my life and it terrifies me! I keep thinking there must be a "right" route for me to take and because I can never figure out what that route is, I become stagnant and grow more and more frustrated. Watching you talk about how a career doesn't have to be the most important thing, as well as reminding me that what i choose now doesn't have to be for life, was really reassuring.
Thanks for approaching this in such an original way, and stating your points clearly - your comments about our sense of time at this age (teens-20s), how career does not mean identity/vocation, etc, are crucial.
I've been sending off job apps, and really needed to hear this right now- thanks so much!
This is everything I needed to hear today, yesterday, tomorrow. Thank you for an as always eloquent, wonderful, helpful, inspiring, and perspective-changing video. As a person who knew what she wanted to do for a long time, and worked hard to find a good place after college and then it not working out how I wanted- I haven't thought much about that the career doesn't have to be the biggest part of my life. Very eye-opening.
The struggle is real. I don;t even know if I like what I am doing any more but I am so close to finishing my degree. I feel like I'm in too deep.
I am 22, six months out of university, and in a muddle moving between jobs and internships and various temporary things. And just yes. So much yes. Thank you Lauren
This was the most well-timed video - I was literally having this conversation an hour ago because I've just hit my two year anniversary at a job I fell into and I'm wondering whether I want to stay or look for something new.
I think there's also an element of our generation being slightly ADD and always looking for the next best thing so we're not generally staying long enough to HAVE a career and that's also just as scary.
Thank you for this video Lauren! It's just what I needed to hear. It is hard not to compare yourself to your peers but I totally agree that we shouldn't do that.
Not being able to find your "perfect job" after Uni is definitely a blow to your confidence (I've experienced this myself). But I definitely agree that there are other ways to find happiness in your life. I have been able to live in three different countries, during and after my studies and I wouldn't trade those experiences for the world but it's now time to reflect and decide what I want to do next. Your video was really helpful and gave me confidence boost!
As the old men of the internet, neither of us work in the career we studied in. Great video. We both went through university and grad school doing what we love and although it doesn't pay the bills right now, it's still our passion and what we dedicate our free time to.
So many great thoughts in this video and I can definitely relate to a lot of this! One part of it is definitely the uncertainty and not knowing where you're heading. Some people know exactly what they want to do and start on that path, and others, like me, are still trying to figure it out. It's a work in progress!
Is it normal to be 15 and to worry about this every second of the day !! I'm a top student , and I find it weird that other people my age only worry about their boyfriends or what filter to put an that picture !! I stress too much about the fact that I don't know what to do or what to follow ! One thing I'm sure about is that I want to travel like a lot !!! I also come from a pretty modest family , we don't really have much , so the pressure to find a well paying career is high ! But I really dont want to be tied to an office for 60 hours a week ! Also , I really don't find problems with comparing myself to others, like grade wise or anything ! I just struggle with people constantly bringing me down ! What can I do to find my passion ??? That question haunts me everyday !
I was just like you as a teenager and I am still confused after years of overachieving academically at age 22. I don't want to discourage you at all, but what I have found personally is that all my emphasis on doing well academically and planning my life perfectly has put so much pressure on me that I can't really have fun and explore my passions. I hope you allow yourself to try and chill out and let things that you actually enjoy reveal themselves to you :)
I just graduated in May and I've been having a really tough time post- graduation. I found your video very helpful and comforting. Thank you!
I love what you have to say in this video! I had the same idea in my head that I would absolutely under no circumstances not work in an office - but after interning in a few jobs that were out of the office (social work, news, etc) I changed my mind.
You make a great point about achievements in school being very clear cut, while in a career it's harder to see the achievements. I think it's so important to come up with your own ideas of success or achievement as an adult so you can decide if you're successful or not based on your own goals.
Thank you for uploading this video, it's a fantastic discussion topic and it came at the perfect time. I am due to finish my course this year and I'm struggling to come to terms with the fact that this could be my "career" for the next 40ish years. I left high school in 2010 with no clue what I wanted to do and just happened to fall into my job. I worked there for two years then had the opportunity to progress and, now, with three years of studying almost done I am at a loss. I do realise that as jobs go it's not that bad but it's not something super passionate about... Although, when I think about everything else that can go on in life as long as I can pay the bills and afford to spend time with family/friends and do the things I love then what am I even worrying about haha! Like you said, 'life doesn't have to be defined by your career'. So anyway thanks for that wee reminder. It was lovely hearing your perspective :)
+Jennifer Nothing ever has to be your career for the next 40 years if you don't want it to be! It's never too late to change and find something else that you want to do :) But equally, as you say, as long as you're living life and paying the bills then it's not all that important! I'm glad the video was helpful xx
I'm 100% with you on this one. I'm 35 and still have no idea what I want to do as a career. I love writing, but unsure if I could do it full time and currently work in ecommerce which came about as an accident really. I just applied for random jobs to get me out of call centres! I've given up waiting for me to realise the perfect career for me and am just trying to work in a job a don't hate that pays me enough to live on.
I'm hoping to move up to a slightly higher paid job soon and drop down to working 4 days instead of 5, so I can spend more time writing and other things I love to do.
Wonderful video! I have just finished my uni course but spent five years deciding what exactly I wanted from a study of History and English... I am now doing a postgraduate vocational course to give me that work knowledge and networking.
Bless you! I needed to hear these words, I got a job I thought I liked and I found out it's not really for me. I'm at a stage in life where I feel so disappointed because I was so sure this was for me. I love music so I thought working in the arts/culture field as a marketer would be for me. Now it feels like there is something missing and it sucks. I'm 27 and I thought I'm supposed to have my life figured out but I don't. That's ok, because now I know I should take my time
I'm soon turning 21, and I've started college since 18, as soon as high school finishes. I would never imagined myself to be such a failure because I transferred my degree 3 times during the 2 years period, and this year I started a new degree and I absolutely hated it. I hate it so much that gives me stress and depression and I can't finish even this semester. I'm now taking a break and I need time to reflect on what's going wrong with myself. One of the reasons for transferring so many times during the last two years is because I feel that I don't trust my degree would get me a job and the uncertainty makes me want to change. I know it doesn't make sense but this all happened. And so now I'm watching this inspiring video and think that, okay.. it is okay to finish a degree and its normal for people to feel uncertain about it. This makes me feel a little better and hopefully I will have a fresh start.
This video was so helpful! I'm 17 and freaking out about my future plans and career ( currently 1.15am and i should be at school at 8 am ) I just find it so stressful to make such huge decisions so fast ! So thank you for this video, it definitely gave me a bit of relief :)
I love this video. I'm currently in my second year of university and am FREAKING OUT because I have no idea which direction to go in once I graduate. I know people who five years later have only just got their first graduate jobs and it always worries me what waits for people after university who have arts degrees. This is very reassuring :)
+Rachel Louise Atkin Oh I had NO IDEA in second year. People were getting internships and travelling in their summers and all I'd done was work in shops because I needed money! Don't worry! Consider all options, apply for everything and remember that it doesn't matter if you don't have a job straight away upon graduating. You'll never really know if a job is right for you until you start working in it, so it doesn't hurt to try a few things out xx
You've no idea how much this video helped me. I'm 26 and totally inside this " what do I want to do with my life?"
+Ilaria Biaggi I'm so glad that it helped! xx
What a fantastic topic to hear someone FINALLY speak intelligently on. The number of lies we are told as children is amazing. It really is. In the US they tell you that once you've gone to this prestigious college and gotten this amazing degree that will cost the earth (and then some) you will have an amazing job and make millions. Life very rarely works out the way it's "supposed" to. I love the way you speak of how we are used to having a set group of achievements and assignments and when we've completed them we are "successful." That's not real. That's not life. I'm 32 and I am nowhere near where I thought I would be.
I'm not married, I take care of my blind mother and I've recently been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. So nothing in my life is what I was stole at school that it would be. And preparation for reality is something they don't teach you. Thank you for this video.
I was worrying a lot about my career these days, this was very helpful. Thank you!
I find this point of view REALLY inspiring; I'll move to London in April with the purpose of finally getting a job that I like, and for wich I'll be payed ;) I'd like to work as a corporate receptionist, but in fact I could also work elsewhere and be satisfied, because my goals are different, and are not based on the job I will get. It's however pretty hard to come to terms with the excpectations that everyone has on you: "Really, do you want to work as a receptionist? But you've studied so hard to get your degree!" Well, I simply don't care, 'cause I studied for myself, for my personal growth; it's really hard for someone to understand this point of view...Thanks a lot!
+elfsara91 Ugh, that must be so hard to constantly get those sorts of questions! Good for you though - I've always felt that university is more for a personal growth in all areas than giving you specific skills for a specific job. Good luck with your move to London! xx
This is a such a good perspective. I feel that people often try to use money as a bench point of success when comparing their careers to others and I think this is very very misleading! Thank you for a great video Lauren :)
I love your honesty in this video - really inspiring x
I loved this video. This is something I think about a lot (and has thought about for so! many! years! now that I think about it ...). The problem with getting a long academic education, in my mind at least, is that you can never know what the work is like until you've finished and have gotten a job, and before then all you can do is think and worry and think a bit more, like "Does this fit me?" and so on ... You put all your thoughts very well!
Hi, Lauren! Thank you for this video, you're absolutely right! I'm 30 now, I'm a magister of law and a graduate of the prestigious University, I'm working, but I still actually don't know, what is my true destination. From my early childhood I had a dream - I wanted to be a lawyer. I have not even learned to pronounce correctly this word, but I've said everyone that I would become an advocate. First of all I gave this idea to my mom, she got the second profession and became a lawyer. At school I had some skills in learning foreign languages, so my future priorities changed to be an international lawyer (maybe in some diplomatic area). When I graduated the University and got the desired education, I had absolutely no idea, what exactly I want to do. I've tried to work as a lawyer, but very soon I understood: I realy like law as a kind of academic knowledge, I enjoy it, but in practice it doesn't work, cause in real life the law is something very-very different. Now I work in another sphere, but I don't feel this business is mine and my soul is still in search.
I do a job that relates in no way to my degree. For the reasons you mention I ended up doing geography and then trained and qualified as a teacher. I hated it and essentially started my career again, so I started volunteering for lots of charities and now I've been working in the charity sector for nearly 7 years. It's still not my dream job but I'm not miserable anymore and it pays for me to do the things I enjoy doing in life. Do what makes you happy in life but remember you don't have to be paid to do it. I think those that end up with their dream job are the minority but that doesn't mean it's a bad thing if you do a job that's just 'meh'.
I love this video. I think that more students, from school level upwards, should be told all of these things. I wanted to go into vet medicine, because at school that was the career I was told to take if I wanted to work with animals, but there's SO MUCH MORE than that. And I wish I'd been told earlier that working with animals, unless you want to be a vet, has hardly anything to do with academic grades, it's all experience. All of the work I've done with animals so far has been unpaid, for money I have a job in a completely different area of work so that I get to live fairly comfortably but can build up experience in the places I want to work and then hopefully one day I'll get the job I really want. I used to compare myself to friends who are living their dream, travelling with their work on cruise ships and aeroplanes and whatever, but that's just not what I want to do. I only stopped comparing myself to my peers in the last month or so, so seeing this video and hearing somebody else say all of these things really brought it home for me. Great job!
This was such a great video and topic! Career goals and plans is such a minefield that I’ve learned to never ask “what do you do?” as an opening question at a party. Favourite super power? Have you tried the crisps and dip? Anything but that career question because it never puts anyone at ease haha
Such a good video... I really needed to hear this
I really needed to hear something like this right now. I graduated this summer and the dreaded "what you doing now?" is such a downer and really annoys me. It's as if I'm not allowed to be confused or just taking my time. I'm so young but should be jumping feet first into just any old job. I don't want to be a recruiter, but that's all that seems to be on offer for someone with no office experience because I focused on academic qualifications.
Thank you for validating how I feel and reminding me it is okay not to know.
+Jess Ryan Ugh I know, the 'what do you want to do?' questions are so tough! You've only just graduated and you've got all the time in the world to work out what you want to do. One thing I would say however is that there's nothing wrong with getting any old job to get some experience and make a bit of money. A lot of graduates end up working in recruiting or cold call sales when they first leave because, as you say, that's what's there for people without work experience. Crappy jobs, which no one wants to be doing for the rest of their life. But, there's something to be said for working a crappy job for a bit and gaining some office experience (and also at least knowing that that's not the environment you want to work in!). My BF did cold calling as soon as he left uni and while it wasn't what he wanted, it actually made him really good at interviewing well and so he was able to get another job quite soon afterwards. It's a myth that once you start down a certain 'career path' it's too late to change. In the grand scheme of things, a year or two at a recruiter would be such a small amount of time, and you can still look for other jobs! I hope that helps! Of course, there's nothing wrong with just taking some time out and focusing on working out what you want from life either :) xx
Great thoughts and ideas 👍🏻. I did the expected - finished school (Australian system), went to uni, graduated as a nurse, and worked for a few years. Then health issues turned everything on its head and I haven't been able to work for more than 3 years. However, now I am doing part time study in writing - the area I have always loved but saw as the "unreliable" career path 10 years ago when I was choosing uni courses. I have no idea if I will ever be well enough to work or nurse again, or if writing will be a career, but being a 31 year old in the position in life that is typically seen for someone in their early 20s has shown me that the options are endless, decisions and plans aren't final, unrealistic dreams can be realistic, and bad things can actually turn you onto an exciting path.
What a fantastic discussion. It's such a shame that we do compare ourselves to others because the only precedent we should follow is one set by ourselves, yet we all look to others! Also, I think it's such a shame that we're made to make such important decisions so young because so much can change.i didn't go to uni, but the things I wanted to do in school and college are completely different to the things I want to do now. Thank you for this video. :)
This video is amazing! I always knew I wanted to have a career related to books but I was completely unaware of the types of jobs available. I switched from doing Illustration to English Literature (so now I have two diplomas instead of a degree) - people always treat me differently when I say I don't have a degree but honestly, I think it was an amazing decision. Leaving university after second year English Lit I felt I had something to prove and so before the year was up I applied for a job in publishing not expecting anything out of it. I had the same idea as you about office jobs and of course, now I work in an office, in sales of all things, something that I never thought I'd want to do but I'm loving it! I get to talk about books to people all the time! I still have my further down the road goals such as owning my own bookshop and travelling but I think that some people have a clear path of where they're going and others take the scenic route. As long as you get there in the end, you will have had a varied range of experiences on the way! =)
Thank you so much. I have just started college and I have been so afraid of picking the wrong major because I didn't know what I wanted to do as my career after college. This was very helpful.
I don't know why I'm only watching this now but thank you for this video. So so so relevant. I'm 26 and in a life crisis but this video makes me feel understood. Thanks Lauren ❤
Next year I’m going to 9th grade(currently 13 until next year),my school and family are now worried that most of my year grades don’t have an idea what’s our career.Our principle are now making me feel pressured to select a career path to study up to 12th grade(and graduate). I have a cousin who’s 20 soon and haven’t had a job or a driver license(government paying him $400 every 2 weeks), and my dad is reminding me what’ll happen if I don’t know what I’m doing and being lazy. I feel pressured at a young age when I don’t need to.
I know how you feel. I also chose what to study up to 12th grade at 13... i was also very confused. Now I'm 18 and about to finish high school. If i can give you any advise it's that, if you have no idea what you want to do/become then choose the subjects you love to study the most. That way you'll find studying much easier since you love the subjects and have a passion for them. If you already know what to do/ career path to take then choose the subjects you'll need to know do that thing. For example if you want to become a doctor then opt for science subjects. Hope this helps.
Thank you for providing the big sister advice that I needed so much right now xxxxxx
I am in the midst of a "career change." At 35, and several years in my current field, I am stagnant and need a change. When your job is utter misery, and you find no joy in what you're doing, it's so great thing to look at all of the possibility ahead.
I really needed this perspective, and at the same time I already see it this way. Right now im thinking of what I wanna study next after honestly wasting my time in a trash course that didnt taught me anything. Was frustrating. Ive been thinking for too long, and the pressure is there to make a decision asap. At the same time, I work on myself artistically, I love singing and love working on it. My primary goal in life is not work related, I find true happyness in trying to improve my voice. I try to improve everyday for hours in training, then I like to always learn more. Recently ive just been thinking of just choosing a career that I likely atleast wont hate, and using the money to buy instruction so I can improve faster and reach my nearest goal. Its the only thing I really think about. Its the only goal I have and enjoy working towards. Ive thought of just studying vocal arts but the career is just risky and would likely be a big challenge. Its a career where talent and reputation are the requirements, not a degree. So i just think it wouldn't work not until I reach my preferred skill level. But anyway, atleast I feel happy that I have something that truly makes me happy and is a never ending journey to improve further in talent. A lot of people just work for money and dont really have a passion or even a side passion. So I feel fortunate in that perspective. Thanks for the video, I quite enjoyed the perspective of not letting your job define your life etc.
As someone who turns 24 in 5 days and graduated 2.5 years ago, this really hits home. I've worked since I was 16, did well academically, and have now been in a full-time 'career' job for 9 months. Except it's not working out as I wanted it to, and I know it's not likely to work in the long-run. It's hard not to feel stuck, even now, with worries about having worked too many jobs, yet not having the right experience, seeming unreliable through movement, skilled yet not skilled enough. Sometimes I wish employers would seem more sympathetic to the awkward 20s employment period of finding you feet job wise! I understand why they're not necessarily, but the job market doesn't make you feel more reassured often.
This was so helpful! I'm a second year university student and suddenly internships and careers are all the talk and it can be very scary! This was great, thank you! :) - L x
So many complexities discussed so simply! Thanks mate, keep up the good work!
This is the most insightful video. Thank you for making this it is exactly what I needed to hear xxxx
Thank you, this was such a reassuring video! I feel I am definitely in this confused in between stage - I graduated in 2014 and since then have done nothing to do with my degree. I studied photography and I haven't pursued that at all, I think studying it drove me to dislike the subject as it was originally my hobby. It's really hard and I do spend a crazy amount of time worrying about what I should be doing and what job I want but I suppose I just need to chill out and see where life takes me! Great video :)
+shoutame Ah, that's another really interesting issue! I know people who studied what they thought was their passion at university but then realised that it's not really what they want as a career, or that they end up getting bored of it and then don't know what to do next! xx
It's a hard thing to choose what you want to do with the rest of your life when you're so young! I'm hoping I shall see a ray of light and will finally know what it is I'm meant to be doing! xx
Thank you...I really needed this right now..I never went to uni, and I barely even finished the one year course I picked at college I've been working part or full time since I was 16 and although I'm progressing in my current job I know its really not want I want my life to be about..a lot of people I know have just started graduating from uni and it began freaking me out cause I thought they now had a plan..turns out most of them haven't got a clue what they want to do...turns out that no one really knows what they want to be doing...
as someone who is now getting offers through from universities to study english lit. and considering what I would want to go into afterwards this video is so so comforting and reassuring - thank you
+sara jones You can do absolutely anything with English Lit. Don't worry about jobs at this stage AT ALL. Just enjoy university, get involved in everything and work hard. You might surprise yourself with what you want to do by the time you graduate! Good luck xx
thanks lauren! xx
At 20 year old, in my final year of university, this was so helpful and thoughtful. I was nodding like a Churchill dog, I am really reassured now, and I was freaking out earlier! Haha! Thanks! :-)
+Ellie Pilcher Never freak out! The world seems so vast and scary when you're tucked away in your university bubble. Just consider everything and don't discard any job/career - you never know what you enjoy doing until you actually start working in the field! xx
Being 20 and right in the middle of my degree I actually have to make a decision on what turn my degree is to take over the next 2 days! It's insane! I mean I don't know where I want to be or where I want to go in 2 months let alone 2 or 3 years when my degree is finished. It is so hard to know what is an achievable goal, and, what goals are more suited to a job or a hobby. Working with charities seems to be something I could do as a hobby because usually it is volunteering but what if I want to set up a non-profit(that has actually been a dream of mine for almost 10 years now), then it becomes a job just by the sheer amount of work that would be involved! Another dream of mine is to be a published author but for the majority of writers this never actually becomes a full-time job as it is impossible to sustain yourself just on writing! On a completely different side of what I am interested in is what I currently study: Mathematics and some education modules. I am in a position where I could study pure Mathematics or Applied and computational Mathematics but then as well study Mathematical education to possibly become a teacher. And then there are the obvious ridiculous(or at least very unlikely) dreams of possibly being able to create content, say for youtube, and make a living from that. I mean that would be quite interesting but would I actually be learning enough from it that I wouldn't get bored from it? Some hobbies just take up so much time that I almost feel like they really are a part time job and that only becomes a problem when there are too many of those (which is kind of the case at the moment, as I try to figure out my priorities!)! The difficulty of wanting to do everything at once and not organise it but in the end doing less than if you only had done one or two properly...
I will see what happens, these last few days have been pretty insane and so will the next few until I get that form in and then I will relax until exams and during the summer I can forget about it completely until, in September, I wake up wondering why I made whatever choice I made! haha But hey that's just a theory, a slightly-mad-middle-of-the-night theory!
really needed this tbh! I'm going to graduate in July, feel like shit because peers are constantly achieving better grades than me or telling people what they're going to be doing with their mega savings after uni or what job interviews they've been going to already. It's so competitive and everyone is made to feel like they have to compare themselves to others. It's rubbish!
+Judith Kent I know it's easy to say and hard to do, but try not to worry at all about what other people are doing. It's not at all unusual to take a year or two out after university to just focus on applying for different jobs or volunteering or something to try and work out what it is that you really want. Like I said - life doesn't have to be defined by what job you end up getting! Good luck with graduation xx
Thank you so much
The problem is that I grew up in basically competitions between my peers ..and honestly I literally realised that I dont have the confidence,passion, an interest or a dream of undertaking university career ..
"Being in your twenties is really hard" true dat. Great video with some great thoughts. I've felt a lot of these since leaving uni and I think it is important to distance a career from you as a person. Thanks for making this vid! :)
I'm 24, and had such a crap day at work, really wondering whether this is how I want to spend my life and thinking whether it's too late to change. Tbh, this video was just what I needed - thank you :)
As someone who is 20 and had to leave school early (due to illness) and so didn't complete my Leaving Cert/A Levels. Feeling like I'm behind my peers is a bit of an understatement :P I've spent the last year trying to decide whether I should go back to school or move on and get some sort of job.
This video was really comforting for me. Since I'll end up working 40ish years of my life anyways I have time to get my feet back under me :)
boy oh boy, THANK YOU for this you have calmed my mini panic and breakdown now that I've been a grad for 2 months and all of the worries sunk in 😂
WOW LAUREN! Thanks a lot for sharing this :)
You're welcome! Xx
Hey! Such a good video... I loved this discussion. I am a doctor and I love my job but I am not my career!
Actually, I am discovering myself as a writer now and I am so happy about the possibilities. :) Thanks from Brazil!
Loved the video! Wish I had someone to talk openly with me when I was making my decisions! In Brazil you choose your career at around 17, when you are going into college, before that, you just study everything. In the end you get into a good university if you are good in about everything (top grades in tests in every area), no matter which major you want to study.
In grad school you kinda have to start working around a year after you entered college, otherwise you will hardly get a job after it endsl. And you gotta be wise in every choice you make, cuz changing everything later is extremely difficult ("what, you are 24 and do not have a degree yet!? you are jumping from major to major! You don't want anything for your life") And than you get stuck with the choices you made at 17, when you didn't really know what you like because otherwise you will likely get discredited.
In the end you become extremely frustrated at the age of 25. Of course I talk passionately because of personal experience, but also because it is something a I hear from most people I know, and things should not be that way.
So nice! It really helped me lay back a bit from the stress of choosing my A levels. Still worried though...
+Teresa Sloupova You mustn't worry! My only advice would be to maybe leave yourself a little bit of flexibility (i.e. not ALL science or ALL arts) and you will be absolutely fine :)
aww thanks! yeah, I will probably do something along those lines :)
I was really worried about me not knowing what to do with my future in college (I still am worryING). Thank you for this video and letting us know that it's okay and we're not the only ppl going through this stage of life.
Two books that might be useful to everyone: "What should I do with my life?" by Po Bronson (not a self help book BTW) and "One Person/Multiple Careers" by Marci Alboher. They dont provide answers but provide frameworks and stories about others. Good to get the brain thinking more about this very important issue. Thanks for great video!
Thank you, I think everyone needs to hear this (everyone worrying anyway, cos I definitely am!)
thanks so much for this video, i get a lot from this, half a year after graduation i was tortured by the fact that i can't find a satisfying job overseas, and now i am free from that
Amazing advice. I really needed to hear that. I'm graduating at the end of the year and felt like I need to have my whole life in order before that happens--i.e.: job, place to live ( I plan to move to another state), career picked.
I grew up in India and there too we have to choose a stream of education at 15-16, so I could choose science, commerce or Arts. The choice of stream decides what types of careers you can choose like a doctor or accountant or fine arts etc.What makes things different is education is not subsidised nor do you get loans from the government or banks to study (education loans are only for going abroad for masters) so you end up choosing a stream and career that parents can afford to pay for and then are stuck in that career which can very very rarely be changed. One good thing I found based on my experience of living and working in the UK is you can switch industry, careers with some effort which is almost next to impossible in India
I agree about all the stuff you said, but I think comparing our salves does sometimes help so we can be realistic about our position in life. though, yes it has its goods and bads, but mostly it is effective, however, comparisons can be used to either help one self or utterly destroy it; that is the reason why competitive games make people put all the hard-worke to do their best of them.