Life: 19-Year-Old Trying to Find Direction

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A 19-year-old student in year 11 reflects on their educational journey, having returned to school after dropping out due to lack of motivation and support. They are currently excelling academically but feel uncertain about their future career path, initially considering engineering but now feeling lost and overwhelmed by choices. The discussion highlights common feelings of confusion among young adults regarding career decisions and the pressure to have a clear direction. Participants emphasize that it's normal to question one's goals and abilities, and that exposure to various subjects can alleviate the pressure to know everything. They encourage maintaining a positive attitude and hard work, suggesting that seeking guidance from others can be beneficial, especially when lacking support from family or peers. The conversation underscores the importance of patience and exploration in finding one's true interests and career aspirations.
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Ok... I'm 19, in year 11 (not sure of the American equivalent) this is my second time in year 11, I'm the oldest in my school. when i dropped out the first time, i had no drive, no support from anyone, nothing. I got an apprenticeship as a chef, hated it, continued for about 2 years, moved around alot. Then decided to go back to school. just finished first half of year 11, top of most of my classes.

So that's pretty much where i am now, trying really hard, i want to be prepared for year 12 so i can get the best TER (uni entrance thing)... but i still don't know where I'm going, i said that i wanted to be an engineer at the start of the year, and have researched that quite a bit, but i don't even know if that's what i want to do now (yes iv read the "should i become an engineer" thread) I'm just so utterly lost, i mean sure science is awesome, physics is crazy and cool, maths is oddly fun and chemistry is really interesting, but out of all the careers iv looked at, nothing really jumps out at me, i mean I'm creative, but i think far too out side the box, this normally blinds my common sense, hell i don't even know what I'm asking... is this all worth it? like going to uni, getting a good job. I just feel like I'm this confused teenager that is about to become an adult, and i don't think I'm ready for that.

Any input would be appreciated, I am in a weird place right now, thanks for taking the time to actually read this...
 
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Don't worry about it, I'm in my second year at uni and don't know where I'm going. I probably won't know until half way through grad school if I want to do a postdoc or go to law school.

The only place I know I'm going for sure to is the funeral pyre. That's about it. I think that's the case for most of us.
 
In terms of knowing exactly what you want to do right now is a going to be a hard thing to confirm right now, and it's perfectly fine to question your ability to be able to achieve what your ultimate goals. Everyone does it.

Sometimes, especially when you have not been exposed to the subject in hand, it is easy to get caught up with the mind-numbing idea of having to 'know' all the things you need to know to become good at a particular subject. It might help to know that you are probably not as naive you might think you are. With hard work and a good attitude to help others learn, I think you'll have a good chance with anything you want to learn.
 
thanks for taking the time to read that and reply, since I don't have any sort of high achieveing family members or friends its hard to talk to them about it, coming here is really helpful, thanks again :approve:
 
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