Remember the good old days, back in elementary school, when people would ask you what you wanted to be when you grow up? In our society today, teens and young adults are expected to enter the real world after completing school and choose a field that best suits their needs and future goals. This decision can be extremely difficult if you try and tackle it yourself, but luckily there are people out there who are willing to help point you in the right direction.
1. Parents or Guardians
The reason why parents or guardians come to mind first is because they tend to generally want the best for their children. In most cases, they have been there for you through it all, and would do anything in their power to help you succeed in achieving your goals.
I remember when I decided I wanted to attend a private high school. My parents were proud of me for challenging myself, and admired that I was willing to work hard to attain the best education I could possibly receive. My parents could have easily told me that the school was too expensive and I was better off going to the public school in my town. Instead, they knew that I was up for the challenge and responsibility, so they pulled the strings that were necessary to make it happen, and I am forever grateful for that opportunity.
2. Teachers, Guidance Counselors, and Advisers
These people are all great resources when seeking support for future ambitions and goals you may have. After all, the reason they're working in their specific field is because they want to help people, and their goal is to see students fulfill their potential.
In high school, I was very shy and timid, and I was reluctant to reach out to people like this because I was afraid of not being accepted, and scared they wouldn't understand my perspective. I was completely wrong. After my mom forced me to talk to a counselor, I discovered that they're just regular people who want to help in any way that they can. I ended up loving my guidance counselor in high school, and as it turned out, he was a former professional football player. and we had so many things in common, such as our love for sports. His down-to-earth and understanding personality made it easy to let go of feelings that I was keeping bottled up, and I instantly felt like a weight had been lifted off of my shoulders every time I left a meeting. We discussed things in my life that were bothering me at the time and worked on leaving the negative in the past, and only focusing on the positives, such as envisioning where I wanted to be in the next several years. Many people don't take advantage of talking with teachers and social workers, but I highly recommend doing so. It can truly change your perspective on life.
3. Family and Friends
People like siblings, cousins, and close friends are all important people to have strong relationships with. It's helpful talking to people about achieving goals you may have your sights set on, especially because they may be around the same age as you. I find this makes a difference because they've grown up in the same time period as you, and are sometimes able to share more relatable advice about following dreams, because they may be striving to do something similar.
When it came time to decide what I wanted to major in, I found it so helpful to talk to friends and other students that were currently in the writing field. They gave me insight on the types of jobs that are out there, and also recommended doing a minor if I had other interests. After talking with people, I was able to map out some goals I had for the future in hopes of building experience as a writer, and here I am today, writing for a website through my college.
4. Yourself
There are so many people out there who are willing to help, but after taking the advice and recommendations of others, you're the one who has to go out there and get what you're looking for.
I have found that, through experience, you'll benefit drastically from being the one who takes the initiative in chasing the things that you want. No one is going to hand you anything in life, and it takes a great deal of hard work, dedication, and self-motivation to get that mindset and follow through. However, if you're able to find the strength from within to get ahead of the game and be a dream chaser, I guarantee it will pay off in the long run, because hard work and perseverance cannot be taught. The sky is the limit.
