LPT:I'm on the doorstep of adulthood and don't know what the hell to do with my life

Submitted by Michael_Christov t3_zx446o in LifeProTips

So I(17M) am turning 18 in couple of months, which in my country makes me adult. The problem is that I'm still not sure what is the right thing to do to approach life afterwards. A little bit of backstory. Eversince my conscious existence I always wanted to become an actor. When I was 12 I started taking drama classes and I still attend them, having over 30 plays and a couple of awards for them. My mentors have always seen a certain potential in me and upnti a couple of months maybe a year that's what drove me to demand more from myself. I dare to say I quite good at it and definetly is still my dream job. The problem, though is that now, when I'm maturing, I start to realize that you either have some connections, which I don't or you'll never be noticed.Also the money that this job could offer me in my country isn't the best. My family as well started to talk me out of it. So I started thinking about other potential jobs that I would work. Figured a couple. A teacher, I've always admired that profession and the responsibility that comes with it. Go to college, have some great marks and you're pretty much set up to become one. Offers great payment, and gives me the opportunity to build the future(the kids). The problem is that I see so many young, ambitious teachers fail and miserable and I don't know if I could have the mentality to be one. A ship captain. The one I'm mostly leaning towards, because of my father's closest friends is one and said that he could get me to be a captain in let's say 10 years and earn enough money to never worry about finances. The issue I have with this job is that I'm going to be missing half of the year and be here half of the year. Being an international truck driver's kid, I know what I have been through when my father was absent and I don't want my future children and wife to feel this way. I'm also going to miss most of my "golden" years, you know the 20s, the college life and all that. The thing that scares me about this job the most is that I'm afraid I might end up entering my 30s, the time when people start to think about marriage and kids alone, without a serious realtionship, due to my constant missing. Because everyone is so easily replaceable nowadays and I can feel it. Therapist is another job that I sympathize to a lot. I belive I want it so much, because for the longest time I, myself needed someone to listen to me, but there wasnt anyone. I felt really isolated and lonely from life most of my childhood and always thought that if maybe I can make others happy that would make me happy as well. And it worked. I dare to say I'm quite good listener, but I don't know if I'm going to be able to help others so much. Lastly a writer. I've never been good at expressing myself verbally so I would always look forward to write about my feelings etc. Even currently I'm writing what I want to become my first book, and to all of the friends that showed it to it's really interesting and has potential to become something really deep and good, but at the end of the day, they are my friends and I wouldn't know if they're being biased. I've shown my literature teacher some short stories that I wrote throughout the years and she was moved by them and said to not drop off of them. Even included three of them in the school's newspaper. I also have written some "poetry".The thing with this job however is that I am not sure that many people are still interested in reading. I know I am, but I also realize that nowadays books aren't important to the new genrations. I'm not that stupid not to see. I'm not sure if this would provide a stable life. And again it could only be a side hustle. I promised myself that I'm going to finish the book that I write and see whatever is going to happen with it. It's worth at least the try. What I've come to realize is that there isn't a perfect job. Every profession has it's flaws, it's up to me to decide which job's flaws are the least important to me. So this is pretty much it. I'm sorry if this was too long, but I really wanted to point out everything so that you could maybe advice me better. Thank you in advance! Have a great day!

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keepthetips t1_j1yblok wrote

Hello and welcome to r/LifeProTips!

Please help us decide if this post is a good fit for the subreddit by up or downvoting this comment.

If you think that this is great advice to improve your life, please upvote. If you think this doesn't help you in any way, please downvote. If you don't care, leave it for the others to decide.

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instant_ramen_chef t1_j1ybxxd wrote

The secret to being a grown up, is realizing nobody else knows what the fuck they're doing. The truth is, most adults are just children who got older but not wiser.

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Cold-Lynx575 t1_j1yc1l7 wrote

Is there anyway to do ship captain for a few years and leverage it into another job?

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CQ1_GreenSmoke t1_j1yc6j1 wrote

A few disorganized thoughts after reading your post...

  1. I don't think ship captain is the right path for you
  2. I think you'd make a great therapist
  3. I think you should consider pursuing writing as well. The bit above is a bit of a brain dump so it's hard to say for sure, but my gut tells me you have a lot to say and if you can find a way to refine it, it would be really interesting to read

You've got your life ahead of you, and you're asking the right questions. If I were a betting man, I'd bet on you doing something amazing with your life.

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Michael_Christov OP t1_j1yccn9 wrote

Replying to Cold-Lynx575 (#1,110,974)

I thought of this too, but then again why would I waste 10 of my best years just to work something for like another 5? I'm guessing that if I become one I'll stick to it for at least 10 years to really make some capital on my name and might graduate some college to become a teacher for greater pension, while also being here when my future children are starting to really grow and reqire a lot more of my time.

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martinshaila t1_j1yi7at wrote

I have two cousins that studied acting (or performance arts, as in theatres). I've always found it hard to imagine how they would survive adulthood with a degree in acting.

Turns out one of them created a small business that does plays for kids at birthdays, and the other one, who is also a musician, is now teaching music and acting at a couple of schools. I'm very proud of them because even though young adults are pushed towards engineering, medicine, economics, etc. they stuck to what they love and they found a way to make it work. They are not rich, but they are independent and do what they love.

I mean I'd say follow your dreams, but I understand your concerns. If you're thinking about this at your age, I'm tempted to think you don't like to improvise in real life. I cannot tell you what to do, but just want to say that whatever you choose, you're allowed to fail, as we all are. It's just a matter of standing up and trying again. IMO that's a big part of adulthood.

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Shizz-happens t1_j1ypdic wrote

Go to the Bureau of Labor statistics website, BLS.gov. They have a lot of good information regarding career exploration. Also, most community college websites have career services and offer free online assessments that can guide you into a career. Normally, the only careers we consider are the ones we know about from parents or other relatives, or the ones we encounter most often. There are many we don’t encounter, literally tens of thousands of careers that we don’t know about. The BLS.gov assessments can help with interest inventories, and offer suggestions based on your results. You can look into them and maybe save a lot of money and time. I’d suggest you start there. Community colleges are really good yet often overlooked resources.

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senorvato t1_j1ys7w3 wrote

Pay your bills on time or early.

And invest in a retirement fund asap!

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Flashy_Wind_9712 t1_j1yv80c wrote

Replying to senorvato (#1,113,245)

OP,

if you take nothing else away from this post, PLEASE take this. This is the way. It seems trivial now, but dive into finances early on and you'll learn the best way to manage your money to make the most of it and also make it work for you passively.

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Flashy_Wind_9712 t1_j1yvmu6 wrote

Don't get hung up on the age of which you decide to make career shifts. I'm 27 years old, joined the military at 19. In just a couple short years I'll have 10 years of service in (half way to retirement) yet I'm going to be separating entirely to start a new career. Most people think I'm crazy for it, but I'm not happy with what I'm getting from the military anymore. I know lots of folks who have had career changes in their 40s and 50s. If you manage your finances correctly, you can do so much more than you'd imagine.

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Cold-Lynx575 t1_j1yxhj2 wrote

Replying to Michael_Christov (#1,111,021)

Before I started college, I took a career aptitude test. This was a long time ago so I don't know what they are called today.

Anyway, the test measured me for my strongest skills along with what I enjoyed doing. The idea being the more you enjoy the work, the less it will feel like a wage cage. The test was accurate and suggested five solid career paths. The one I chose worked but about every ten years I changed to do something different.

So I guess my advice is to find a reputable place to take a test that can guide you. You have to be careful because some of the tests no matter what you answer will guide you to work at their place.

Good luck.

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anita1louise t1_j1z88b6 wrote

Acting is a great skill to have. Most careers are based on you “acting” like you are that person. Experience is all you lack. Research thoroughly, get basic level jobs in fields of interest. Don’t think you will be stuck in that job. You can change anytime.

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to_mare_omo_dio_boia t1_j20bau4 wrote

Take a year, do some experiences, go volunteering in another country, you'll have time to work the rest of your life, also, if i was you I'd keep going to auditions, you may get lucky in ten, twenty maybe even thirty years

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