Wednesday, May 10, 2006

On What I Want To Be When I Grow Up

So a lot of people have been asking me lately about my college studies and my plans after college. I guess it's because school just let out and that kind of stuff is on people's minds. Maybe some people are just genuinely interested in my future. But when someone asks me what I want to do after I graduate, I tell them I'm not really sure. I tell them I plan to work some, then probably go to grad school. Sometimes I feel like that is a loaded question, because the answer to that question "What do you want to be when you grow up?" has changed so much over the years.

My first memory of actually considering my future career came at a young age, probably 7 or so. My mom asked me in the car what I wanted to be when I grew up. I said I wanted to be a baseball player. My mom, however, told me that the odds of me becoming a pro baseball player were pretty slim and that I should probably consider something else. Ouch. So that dream died pretty quick. She recommended that I be an air-traffic controller. Why? I have no idea. But for a good while I thought that hat seemed like a good option for me. But then I was told that if you make one mistake you could cause a plane to crash. I didn't want that kind of pressure on me. So that dream died too.

Then I moved into the phase where I thought I would be a doctor. It seemed like a cool job and it paid well. This lasted up until middle school, when I met a man (who shall remain nameless) who was currently in med school. He told me about all the extra education I would need, then I heard all about how when he was on call he had to frequently get up in the middle of the night to go to the hospital to treat patients in the ER. Then he told me that I shouldn't base my career decisions on his med school/residency experiences, but by that time it was too late. I was pretty turned off at the idea of having to participate in surgeries, late-night shifts, and re-attaching dismembered limbs that people lost while trying to jump on trains. So that dream died.

Then came the idea of being an architect. This was my high school aspiration up until junior year, when I took an architectural drafting class. It was fun at first, but after a while it was incredibly boring. I could never have a career where I stared a at computer screen all day, I would go crazy. So, regrettably, that dream died along with the others.

Then came senior year where I did several internships with various teachers across the city. Working with kids was a lot of fun, and I thought that teaching might be the way to go for me. But teachers are not paid too much; not that money is the most important thing in life, but I wanted to make enough to support a family later on down the road. So that idea got the boot as well.

College arrived, and I declared as a kinesiology major. I wanted to do something along the lines of athletic training. I liked sports, I liked exercise, so you would think that this would be a good field for me. Wrong. I soon found myself sick of hearing people in class talking about how they worked out 27 times a week. I didn't want to hear about that the rest of my life. So that dream ended quickly.

Then I sat down and thought about this whole thing. I asked myself "What am I interested in?". People. Then I asked myself "What classes have I enjoyed most in college?". The answer: psychology. I had already taken a bunch of them and had enjoyed them all. So I thought about it and decided that that was where I belonged. A new dream was begun.

So now here I am, a year away from graduating, and I still don't really know what career I will pursue. But I do know what I am interested in. I want to know what makes people do what they do, act the way they act, say what they say, think they way they think. Why do some of us feel the need for attention but some of us don't? What makes people shy? Why do people feel the need to justify getting on Facebook by saying things like "I was bored the other day, so I got on Facebook....."? (It's really not that big of a deal, guys and girls. Everyone does it, there is nothing to be ashamed of.) I want a career that deals with human thought, human interaction, human behavior. So psychology is a great fit for me.

So the next question is "What area of psychology do you plan on studying?" Another valid question, but with a simpler answer: go wherever the money is. Do something that you enjoy, but go where the money is. So that's what I am going to do.

It's funny how things changed over time: my interests, my priorities, my opinions. But it all worked out in the end. I still don't know for sure "what I am going to be when I grow up", even though in many ways I am already grown up. I'm looking at a possible pyschology career in the business world (that's where the money is), but that could change, you never know. My friend is heading out to California soon to pursue his film directing career, so as soon as he makes it big he is gonna hook me up with a sweet acting job. And if things keep going well with the softball team, I may just drop out of school and pursue my original dream of being a pro baseball player. I'm pretty sure mom was wrong about that whole idea, I could have been the next Ted Williams.

posted by Wes @ 10:34 PM

4 Comments:

At 5/11/2006 06:19:00 PM, Blogger Liz Waters said...

"God is everywhere, go where the money is." - Bill Crawford

 
At 5/11/2006 11:17:00 PM, Blogger d blake said...

Unfortunately, you didn't get to see the ultimate result of med school. In the last year, I've gone to the ER in the middle of the night maybe 2 or 3 times. A couple of chemistry and biology classes and you, too, could be on your way to med school. :)

 
At 5/12/2006 12:36:00 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hey....this has nothing to do with the current post, but I want to know what you think about Jim and Pam kissing last night on the Office.

 
At 5/14/2006 04:55:00 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I think you should still go to med school and become a psychiatrist so I will have someone to psycho-analyze me when I start punching perps and yelling at the Captain when work gets rough. BD Wong can't do it forever. He'll need a good replacement.

 

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