A 7th Grader’s Journey to Discovering the Future
As a 7th grader, I’ve always struggled to start conversations—especially with adults. And somehow, adults always end up asking me the same question:
“What is your goal?”
It’s not that I don’t have dreams. I do.
I want to achieve something meaningful, something extraordinary.
But I don’t yet know what that is.
I want to help my country, but I don’t want to become a politician.
I want to help people medically, but I don’t want to be a doctor.
I want to entertain people, but I don’t want to be a comedian.
Basically, I am very clear about being unclear.
This is my career goal dilemma, and it feels bigger than me.
👨👩👧 Parents vs. Teachers: Two Sides of Guidance
My parents tell me to relax because I’m still young. They never pressure me, and I appreciate that more than anything.
But then my teachers say they see greatness in me. They believe I’m meant to shine, and I appreciate that too.
Both sides make sense.
But both sides also make my career confusion stronger.
With all their encouragement, I felt like I needed to have at least some idea of my future. I wanted to be successful. I wanted to choose a career path I would enjoy. But I didn’t know how.
🔍 Searching “How Do I Decide My Career Goal?”
So I turned to Google, hoping for clarity.
Every article, video, and website said the same thing in different words:
“Choose something beneficial and something you enjoy.”
That sounded helpful… until I realized I still didn’t know what I enjoyed enough to make it my future.
🩺 Maybe I Should Be a Doctor?
For a moment, becoming a doctor seemed perfect. Doctors help people and earn respect. So why not?
Then I walked into a pharmacy.
Hundreds of medicines.
Hundreds of uses.
Hundreds of side effects.
And the pharmacist has to memorize all of them.
A doctor has to remember even more. Plus, they lose sleep, work on holidays, and witness suffering every day.
Suddenly, medicine didn’t feel like my path anymore.
🎨 Maybe Animation?
Later, I discovered people actually work as animators. And I love drawing. I love animated movies. So maybe animation was my dream job!
I downloaded an animation app.
Tried a beginner tutorial.
Worked for 30 minutes…
And produced 0.5 seconds of animation.
My eyes were burning.
My hands were frozen.
And my soul whispered, “Nope.”
Animators work extremely hard. And I realized that wasn’t for me either.
🎤 Maybe Politics?
During a school project, each group needed a leader. I became one and thought, “This is my chance to see if I have leadership skills. Maybe I could be like a politician!”
The group turned into chaos.
We finished the project, but I learned something major:
Every profession is challenging, and every job is respectable.
And being a politician? Probably not my thing.
🌿 A New Perspective
Just when I felt hopeless, I saw a wise person say something that changed everything:
“Do what you’re supposed to do, and enjoy your youth.”
As a student, my job is to learn.
So I focused on studying and living my life.
Slowly, I stopped worrying about the future.
I started enjoying the present.
Months passed. My career stress disappeared.
😅 And Then… The Question Returned
One day, I met a friend I hadn’t seen in months. We talked happily—until she asked:
“So, what do you want to be in the future?”
My brain screamed:
“I just want to be your friend in the future too!”
And just like that, my career goal dilemma came back for a visit.
Maybe I don’t know my future yet.
Maybe that’s okay.
I’m still learning, growing, and exploring.
And that is exactly what I’m supposed to do.