I wish I knew what I was doing to do.
I’m only about a year away from my quarter-life crisis (side note: I’m going to be 25 next year?!) but it might come early.
All of this is coming because I now have two degrees and still don’t know what I want to with my life. It’s been bugging me for a while and haven’t really told anyone, so why not share it on my blog?
I like my current job, and my co-workers are nice. There’s good days and bad days, and I know eventually I’ll move on to another place, but I don’t know when. I’ll be there two years in June, and the experience I’ve gotten will help me going forward.
But what do I really want to do?
In high school, I wanted to be an accountant. Thankfully I realized I’m horrible at math. So then I went into college as an English major, then switched during orientation to Communication, which was a great decision.
Then I wanted to be a sports journalist, and then switched to a Public Relations concentration. (Second side note: I have two degrees in PR and can’t tell you what it actually is.)
Right now I’m in Marketing, which I like, and I can use some of what I’ve learned as a Comm major. But what I really want to do is write.
I was recently tasked with rewriting all of my company’s website content for our new website, and that was fun (not sarcasm). And I’ve been tasked with writing content for other clients or helping with editing.
I think I want to end up as a copywriter, whether it’s for an individual company or a college. But I’ve always loved sports, so maybe marketing/PR for a sports team? I don’t think I’d want to be a sports journalist, though (but I did write some pieces for my sports writing class in college that I really liked).
One of my dreams is to publish a novel. I’m a few chapters short of finishing up the story I’m working on now, but I know a bunch of edits are in my future. Right now, this kind of writing is great on the side, and it’s something I look forward to. I don’t know how it would work as a career, though.
As you can see, I have no clue what I’m doing with my life and thus why my hair is currently three different colors (brown, blond, and purple for those of you wondering).
I’m only 23, and I know I have a bunch of time to figure everything out. But just like when I graduated undergrad, people are asking me now that I finished my master’s program what I’m going to do now.
Strikeouts + Sprinkles 
I’m 26 and I have absolutely no clue. I feel like I could’ve written this exact post. I thought my problems would be solved by combining sports with writing so I did some freelance work for a sports site that loved to do Top 10 lists. I got bored of it really quickly. I just want that sweet spot between professional sports journalist and extreme fan, but I don’t know what it is. It sounds like you’re gaining good experience right now. You never know, it might come in handy some day for something you haven’t even thought of yet!
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I’m glad I’m not the only one who feels this way. I thought I was, and I thought I was being crazy. Even though I’ll be out of college for two years come June, I still have no clue how life works. I feel your frustration with sports: do I work in the industry or do I stay a fan? I think it’s tricker too if you can’t do something for your favorite team, like covering all of MLB instead of just your team. That’d be great, too, but I’d much rather write about my Red Sox than the Diamondbacks. Part of me feels like I should be waiting for an epiphany, but I don’t know if that’s crazy. Universe, give me something to work with here.
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You sound exactly how I felt at that stage. And I still feel that way… Maybe there’s just something wrong with me? I completely understand the feeling of waiting for an epiphany, as well as the “I don’t want to write about the Diamondbacks” thing lol. I never knew what I wanted to be when I grew up. In my 8th Grade yearbook under future career I said Sports Reporter because I thought it would be cool to talk about sports all day and go to games for free. I never pursued it because I just thought I’d figure out what I wanted to do in time. I guess I’m still waiting.
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In my high school yearbook senior year I’m pretty sure I said I wanted to work at ESPN. With the layoffs there, I doubt that’ll happen. But you really don’t know what you want to do in high school. I doubt most people are doing now what they thought they would back then. Because things change. People change. And I think that’s okay.
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One more thing: I always wonder if I’ve spent my whole life devote to sports that I missed out on something else. Like I see people become financial planners and wonder to myself how they ever got the passion for that. Did I miss that day at school? I just don’t get it.
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Absolutely. I’m 22 and about to hit two years at my job. I, too, have two degrees, but in journalism and political science and they both tug at my heart daily. But I’ve wanted to be a journalist since I was a little girl, so even thinking about leaving that breaks my heart. But there are issues with it too. Suffice it to say, I totally get you.
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I never really knew what I wanted to be when I grew up when I was younger. (I still don’t know what I want to be when I grow up.) So I’m not at war with myself, but I can understand how you’re struggling with what you want to do. Sometimes we end up in crazy places or doing something we never thought we would. I never knew my job actually existed, which sounds really dumb, but I didn’t think I’d end up in marketing, especially with a PR degree. But I hope you’re doing something you like now, and who knows, maybe having experience with journalism and policial science will help you down the road!
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I’m in the same boat at 22! I too was a PR major for a year or so, but I couldn’t figure out what it really was lol, so I switched. Part of me feels like my degree was a waste of time, because even though I’m proud to have it, I can’t figure out what to do with it. I think pursuing a career in marketing/PR for a sports team would be super fun and really up your alley. I interned with the Texas Rangers back in high school and it was a really fun environment, especially for someone who is really into baseball. I was super excited to get a job right out of college, but it is not something I was to continue with forever, but I’m stuck. I don’t hate it, but I don’t love it, but I am also not to keen about getting back into searching for jobs. I think it just takes time. Keep exploring and trying new things! Can’t wait to hear where you go from here! 🙂
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Haha I’m glad I’m not the only one who doesn’t know what PR is. But I’m the one that goes and gets two degrees in it. That’s awesome you interned with the Rangers! In college I interned with a local collegiate summer baseball team (like the Cape Cod league but in Western Massachusetts). It was awesome, even though I spent the summer ripping tickets and pouring beers. I feel like your first job out of college isn’t your only job. It’s a good place to get experience and still figure out what you want to do. You’re not supposed to have everything figured out anyway, right?
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Absolutely! I think ripping tickets and pouring beers would be so much fun! I miss having an interactive job. My favorite job to date was my high school hostessing job for a local mexican food joint. We will find where we are supposed to be eventually!
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Just embrace it. Does anyone really know what they want to do? There is nothing wrong with switching careers and trying new things. Keep learning and growing!
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[…] wrote this post the other week about not knowing what I want to do with my life. I’ve been thinking about it […]
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If it’s any consolation, around that same age I had left my job of 5 years, to do a Masters in a topic I was interested in, but with ZERO clue what to do beyond that. The great thing is that you’ve chopped & changed as you’ve gained feedback. And you seem to know a lot about what you do and don’t want, which is really valuable. So maybe keep experimenting with your writing, trying not to be too outcome-dependent, and see how it feels / where it leads? With sports writing – try writing a bunch of articles to see if that is actually something you could do full-time. As a writer, the great thing is writing is just practice, and you’ll have more articles for your portfolio 🙂
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I’m glad that I have some idea of what I want to do and what I don’t want to do, so I’m not wandering around too aimlessly. I sometimes forget that I’m only two years out of undergrad, and I feel like I should be doing more than I am now, but where I am now is okay for right now.
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I think whether we’re 18 or 38, we always expect ourselves to have done more. Thinking about where I’d be in my life now, I had completely different expectations. Slowly, I’m learning to chill out more and “run my own race” 👌🏽
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