When you're a kid, every adult asks you the same question. They ask, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” You are expected to have an immediate answer. However, this isn't reasonable. Choosing a career isn’t something that can be decided immediately for everyone especially at a young age. At some point in life, everyone will discover parts of themselves that they didn't know existed. This is when they'll know what they want to be.
With life experiences, people figure out what they are passionate about and what they want to live for. Perhaps, a five year old somewhere in the world already has a passion for science and they will become a doctor. If the child doesn't know it yet, don't rush them. Let their passions grow with time. Kids aren't born knowing what they want to do 20 to 30 years from now. It may seem impressive if they have an idea of what they want to be when they grow up. However, they may just respond with the first job that comes to mind.
I'm 18-years-old and I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up. However, that's OK. Sure, I may legally be an adult, but I'm still growing and learning about myself everyday. There's no need to rush passion. When I tell people that I am English major, their first question is, “So you want to be a teacher?” I can understand why people ask this because a lot of English majors go on to be teachers. However, I am studying English, but I don't know if I want to teach. I don't have a plan yet, and I don't know what career I want to pursue yet. Again, that's OK.
Remember, just because a person doesn't know what career they want to pursue, doesn't mean that they are some kind of delinquent. I don't know what I want to be and still, I work hard. You don't need to set a goal in stone in order to be a hard working and reliable person. Also, hard work will pay off when I decide what I want to be.
There's a difference between not knowing what you want to be when you grow up and making excuses or procrastinating. Procrastinating in this case is wasting valuable time that could be used nurturing skills and discovering new passions. That time could be used experiencing new things or studying a field that you never thought you would fall in love with. Therefore, procrastinating about figuring out what you want to be when you grow up isn't okay. Taking time to figure out what you truly love to do is okay because you're taking time to confirm that you're making the right career choice.
It may sound cliche, but the journey really is more important than the destination. If you still don't know what you want to be when you grow up, it's OK. You're not alone.
