13
I have two educational crises in the course of a year.
When COVID hit, I made a huge decision to transfer colleges and leave all my friends behind to pursue education instead of social work. I am more confident about education as a career path than social work but it still doesn't feel right. I feel like I don't have enough passion for it. I feel like I am disappointing myself by not knowing exactly what I want to do with my life. I could be doing great things with my life but here I am still living at home at 21 years old.
I know all these things are totally normal for someone of my age and that nobody follows the exact same schedule in life. I can't help but feel disappointed in myself all the same. Any advice for me?
K Marissa KrupaEmotional Safety Coach and Consultant
38
03/01/22 at 6:22PM UTC
I echo what another person said about the different ways an education background can be used. It wasn't until my first year of teaching that I realized I liked being a reading specialist and sought those kinds of roles. I wasn't able to get any. Then, when I discovered teaching wasn't a great fit for me, I did get into my last position as the college and career readiness coach at a high school. Because I had a Master's in Education, I was paid well for the position. I _loved_ coaching the students and I still got to build curriculum for college readiness for them. So, I would say just feel it out and be willing to take the risk of trying new things. How will you know your passion if you don't take the healthy risk of exposing yourself to new options and possibilities? With each opening, check in with yourself to see what is the right next move to make. Make the move, and simply observe yourself: do you enjoy what you are doing? Do you not enjoy it? Do you enjoy a part of it, but not other parts? Could that one part become a job by itself? Through time and experience you will get to know your likes and dislikes. The key thing is to just be willing to try some new opportunities knowing that if you don't like a certain role, you can always leave it and find something new. Nothing is written in stone, and I bet if you ask everyone in this group, they will tell you that they switched careers many times in their lives. Picking something now is just a start - you can always change into something else later. I hope this is helpful - good luck!
Kate HammondSchool Counselor
12
03/30/21 at 12:54PM UTC
Maybe you'd be interested in school counseling? It's a great combination of social work and education.
Anonymous
03/15/21 at 8:50PM UTC
You are so young, but even if you weren't not fully knowing what you want to do in life is very common (I feel like everyone I know says the same thing)! I'm only 24 and even though I love my job I always say I don't know what I want to be when I grow up because it's really true. I know that I like what I'm doing and I like where I'm going in life, but I have no idea where I want to end up which is very unsettling for a type A like myself but it's something I'm learning to be ok with. Stick with what you enjoy and what makes you happy!
You like education, but what parts specifically about it do you like? Is it working with kids or adults, is it creating lesson plans, is it certain topics that you like learning and teaching? Once you start narrowing down what you enjoy most you can start looking for similar jobs or career paths that involve those specific skills. Hope this helps!
