What should I do with my life?

This is not an uncommon question for young people who are weighing career choices. People contemplating changing careers often face the same dilemma. Recently I had an exchange with a Facebook friend who was struggling with just this issue. That it is very common is of little help when you are personally dealing with it.

Most people have similar fears. What if I start classes and I hate what I have chosen? What if I choose something I like but there is no demand for the degree I finally earn?

The first question is why we have liberal arts colleges that require that courses be taken in a wide variety of subject areas. Lots of students complain about these required courses and just want to focus on a narrow field. This is bad for two reasons. First, you may just discover something you are passionate about that you were never aware of before. Second, and I believe most important, we should not restrict ourselves as human beings. We live in a society right now that looks upon students as computers to be programmed to perform certain functions. We should not go willingly down that road. Everyone can strike a blow against that machine. If you’re a poetry spouting auto mechanic, you gum up the machine. Do it. Again and again.

There is nothing wrong with changing your mind. Even if all you ever wanted to be since you can remember is a proctologist, you may discover urology more to your liking; you may want to escape that realm altogether and become a psychiatrist or a podiatrist. It is far worse being stuck in a career you hate than it is to change your mind.

I am at 300 words here, and experience tells me I better wrap this up. If you are trying to figure out what your best plan is for the future, or if you know of someone who is, I want to give you one free, online resource with which to start. It is the Occupational Outlook Handbook 2010-2011 at the Bureau of Labor Statistics which is a division of the United States Department of Labor.

This handbook will give you information about job prospects for almost any area you can think of; it also suggest jobs that are related to ones in which you might be interested. For each job, there is an explanation of what learning you will need. This handbook is for the college bound and non-college bound. It is for anyone and everyone.

Government web sites are notoriously hard to navigate, so I advise that you bookmark the following link:

Occupational Outlook Handbook

I believe that this resource is the best place to start, and I truly hope it helps each and every one of you. Good luck!

©2011
The Massachusetts Observer