When I Grow Up I Want To... ?

[Sceptical1]

Today was the last full day of school and the end of junior year. I found myself really surprisingly sad today; saying goodbye to all my senior friends and realizing that I have one year left. Honestly, I have absolutely no idea what to do with my life. The thing is, i'm not what you would call academically gifted, in fact I'm the exact opposite. It's not that I'm stupid (though I can definitely be an idiot sometimes), I've just never really liked school very much at all. So, my grades aren't that great, I know they could be better, but I've really never had any motivation to put any work into my "studies". However, the jokes kind of on me now: it's time to start thinking about my future! Oh boy. So, with an awful GPA, what do I do? I've never really liked school, should I even be looking for four more years of it and massive debt? Personally, I'm not so sure a college degree is the key to success, my mom has been through grad school and we're completely broke and using welfare checks. She isn't happy, and she's very educated. My SAT scores aren't too bad though, apparently they offer me some good options. The fact that I'm American Indian (direct descent) can't hurt either. A lot of people have suggested NC State to me, located right near my high school, they offer graphic design which is one of the only things in high school I've been really good at. They also have air force ROTC, which I'm seriously considering. But here's the crazy part, in the back of my mind I'm still thinking about my childhood dream. Ever since I was 4 I've wanted to be a... rockstar. Heh, I know it sounds really crazy, but I think about it a lot. I'm really a pretty great singer, and freshman year I took up guitar (that's kinda late) and I'm getting to be pretty good at that too. So what should I do? I'm open to anything, I honestly just need some suggestions from you guys because I just don't know. Should I pursue ROTC? Should I follow my crazy dream? (I'd love to, but it's a one in a million scenario, you know?) Or should I do something different like trade school? I would not mind a job in the field, like an electrician, automechanic, or plumber. I'm just not sure at all. Thanks, this means a lot.

*To give you an idea of how bad my grades are, I have to take summer school....

 

[I'm Fine]

I don't think you should do any more school unless it's for something you actually WANT to do - otherwise it'll just be a waste of time. The thing is to find something that you WANT to do that will also make you enough money to live on. Which of the options you mentioned would do that best?

Good luck and Take care.

 

[RyanEhf]

Hi Sceptical. I'm kind of the same way in terms of academics. It's not that I didn't understand the material in hs, but I just never felt very motivated. I ended up going to college and deciding it wasn't really for me. I dropped out and got into a trade school. I figured, I was already in debt from college, so I just wanted to start making money right away. I'm currently about to go back for my second year of school as an electrician. So far I've worked in the industrial and commercial fields. It can be a tough gig sometimes, sometimes it's really slack. Overall I enjoy the work and the problem solving aspect of it, although working construction can get really redundant and boring sometimes, just like any other job. One part of work in the trades that can be difficult is job security, because once a project starts to wind down the company usually runs out of work for everyone and they have to start laying people off. Sometimes you just have to go where the work is. Fortunately there's a lot of development in my area right now so there's lots work. I'm not sure how it is where you live, but here being native means you'd have access to special trade schools and additional government aid if needed. So yeah, that's just my take on one way you could go. If you want to know more about electrical work feel free to pm me.

 

[Dandelion Girl]

What are you good at? Can you see yourself 40 years later and continuing to do that same thing still? Do you have the drive and motivation to do this? Or are you just chasing some fantasy of yours that seem so huge and great right now, you just want to chase it at the moment?

Think of it in long terms, not short.

I didn't know what I wanted to do before, but now I'm pretty sure.

Hm, maybe for now, you could just think about Graphic design, ROTC or trade school. You know, just have something stable as a back up in case your dream as a rock star doesn't turn out too well. A lot of people sometimes have their band as a side gig. You never know if you want to seriously start pursuing your career in music, so for now maybe GD, ROTC or trade school might be something to think about. Talk to your mom about this too.