Should a 12 Year Old Have an Idea About His Future?

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The discussion centers on the unrealistic expectations placed on young adolescents regarding their future career aspirations. It highlights that asking a 12-year-old what they want to do when they grow up is often an adult's way of engaging, but it is unreasonable to expect a definitive answer at such a young age. Many acknowledge that interests evolve over time, and even older teens are not typically required to choose a career path until later in their education. A suggested approach to handle these inquiries is to turn the question back on adults, prompting them to reflect on their own experiences and choices. The conversation also touches on the participant's interest in engineering, emphasizing the importance of focusing on academic performance and seizing opportunities rather than feeling pressured to have a clear career plan at a young age.
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Quick question, adults often ask me what I want to do when I grow up, and then seem a bit dissapointed when I say I don't know. Should a 12 year old boy have an idea about what he wants to do with his life? What I don't tell people, is that I kinda want to be an engineer. What do you think about that?
 
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Expecting 18 year olds to know what they want to do when they grow up is expecting too much. That's why most colleges in the US defer selection of a major until the sophomore year.

Expecting 12 year old kids to know what they want to do when they grow up is downright ridiculous.
 
Often that's just something that adults like to ask kids. Most adults are fairly well aware that your interests will change as you mature, so it's not like they can really hold you to an answer.

You might want to try turning the question around. "What did you want to be when you were twelve? What do you do now? Do you like what you do? If you could do things over again, what would you do differently?"

As for being an engineer - great! There are all sorts of directions you can go with that. For the present just concentrate on doing well in school and making the most of opportunities that come your way.
 
I don't know if anyone on here works for any of the well known defense companies of your country, whichever country you are from?? Also, if you choose to work in one, do you think the engineering education provide from your school would adequately prepare you for the job. What do I mean by that? Well if you work at say Lockheed Martin and you work in the latest iteration of a missile or if you work at Pratt & Whitney, they assign you to work in the team helping out with building the jet...
Hello, I graduated from undergrad a few years ago with a Major in Physics and minor in Electrical Engineering. I tried to get experience working on and testing circuits through my professor who studied Neutrinos, however covid caused the opportunity to go away and I graduated with no experience or internships. I have attempted to break into the engineering industry with no success. Right now I am considering going for a Masters in Electrical Engineering and I need advice on if this would be...

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