Careers: I Don’t Know What I Want To Do With My Life

Whether you’re straight out of college, hit the quarter-life mark, or mid-career and questioning everything, you’ve probably had a mini life freak out moment. You know, that moment when you look at yourself in the mirror and scream “I don’t know what I want to do with my life!” While everyone else seems to have their lives together with these amazing high-paying jobs, you’re still drinking $10 bottles of wine on the couch. It may be depressing, but you’re not alone.

Don’t believe it? There’s an entire Reddit addressing this issue, with posts with others like you who aren’t sure what to do with their lives. Twenty-somethings are giving advice to other twenty-somethings, letting them know that not everyone’s life is as perfect as it appears on Instagram. If you’re still worried about what you should be doing with your life, keep the following in mind.

Your 20s are the time to figure things out.
TetrisArmada said it perfectly in the Reddit post: “If nothing else, do keep in mind that the 20s are the time to figure out what works and doesn’t work for you to invest in long-term; I thought I’d have all my shit figured out by now, but I’m still working for it. There’s no set time to have everything set in place, and you might be surprised that many find their long-term careers in their late 20s, even early 30s. It’s about finding something you want to make into more than just a job, immersing yourself in related and marketable skills, and then honing it to a finer point as you go. There’s plenty of road and time ahead, but I think you shouldn’t feel too pressured.”

Explore your creativity.
Being stuck in a cubicle doing paperwork while longing to do something creative is a common reason for twenty-somethings to questions themselves. But there are still ways to explore your creative side. You can probably even make money by being creative. Cash in on your creative side by using Etsy, or have a look at these creative careers for young professionals. Millennials shouldn’t let fear keep them from embracing their creative side,

Don’t compare your chapter 1 to someone else’s chapter 20.
This is a saying you will want to remember. Because of social media, everything is out there. We see everything, including people our age making bank by posing on Instagram while we’re slaving away at a 9-5. But being the same age doesn’t mean that we’re all at the same place in life. Your story is not the same as the next person’s. Everyone reaches different chapters at different points in their lives.

Step back and evaluate.
When you take a step back and take a look at everything as a whole, things will appear most clear. Ask yourself if your current situation really makes you happy. If it does, congratulations. You’ve found your calling and know what you should do with your life. And if you’re not happy, congratulations again. Know you now that you need to make changes in your life. No one can tell you what the next step might be. That’s something you need to figure out on your own. As much as we’d all like someone to make our decisions for us, that’s not how life works. Nobody knows us better than we know ourselves.

Try new things.
You’ve probably heard the old saying, you never know unless you try. If you aren’t sure what to do with your life, try something new. If that doesn’t work out, try something else. Look into different things that interest you. Open that Etsy shop, or try freelancing. If there’s something you’d like to try, go for it.

It’s okay to be unsure about what to do with your life. Remember, you’re not alone.