Hate is a really strong word, and rarely do I ever seriously proclaim that I possess an intense and violent negativity towards anything; but there are a few common, yet annoying, elements of human nature in which only the word "hate" is capable of describing my profound feelings of dislike towards them.
I absolutely hate it when someone asks me what I want to be when I grow up. The teenage mind is a chaotic, unpredictable, and ever-changing arena that tries to find definition in its life and establish a unique identity. At this age how can anyone be so sure of their calling? When my parents ask me what my goal is in life, I always say something that will satisfy and please them like doctor or engineer. (Caution: telling your Asian parents that you want to go into the medical field will make them happy, but they will bind you to it. Never say "Mom, I want to be a neurosurgeon!" and change your mind, because they will get disappointed and will guilt you into making you think you are an ungrateful, selfish child.) When other people ask me this, I usually come up with an incredibly ridiculous, unrealistic, sometimes fictional, answer that sparks broad speculation about the kind of person I am. Watching confusion and intense thought manifest themselves in such twisted facial expressions as the words "sewer hermit" or "Jedi assassin" are spoken with grave seriousness is bizarrely entertaining in a mildly perverse and manipulative way.
"Certainty can be defined as either perfect knowledge that has total security from error, or the mental state of being without doubt. Certainty is an emotional state, like anger, jealousy, or embarrassment." If certainty is an "emotional state", then it is subject to sudden change.
Right now, I could say that I want to be a physicist and that I want to prove that time travel is possible. But, I am still a young, hormonally-challenged American adolescent whose thoughts remain uncertain. In twenty years, I can be a priest, or a doctor, or a world-famous poker player, or...
Hmm... poker player. I like poker. Though Shingo Yamada and I both agree that I am a terrible poker player, poker is one of the most challenging and fun table games to play. Since my skills will only improve with time, this could be a possible career choice. It would be nice to play cards for a living and to one day have my own WSOP bracelet.
It shouldn't be too hard for me to develop an effective poker face.
Remember, it doesn't matter what others think of what you want to be. "Everything is permitted." I'm sure you are familiar with this quote...
Playing poker is an interesting career choice.
I completely agree with your hate toward the question of what you want to be when you grow up. It's annoying because it's a question that gets asked frequently during teenage years. And because it gets asked so often, teens often reply with something that sounds appealing.
-JenniferDylan
Poker is fun but I would not recommend any form of gambling as your career choice. Jedi assassin would be more practical.
I agree that most teenagers don't know what they want to be when they're older, but it's a choice that they will eventually have to make since college is coming up. Maybe you don't have to choose your exact profession that you want to take but a general field, like medicine, would be helpful when applying for colleges. And also, don't college applications ask you about that kind of stuff anyways?
I actually really enjoy talking about my future plans and life goals with people who ask. I'm just as sure about what I want to do after college (or during it) as any other kid my age, which is, as you said... not sure at all. I do have my dreams, and those may change every few years, but I think it's healthy for a teenager to explore different areas of interest, for college majors or careers, etc. I do think that parents could me more understanding of this, though, and, being an Asian teenager, I know exactly what you mean when you say that discussing future plans that don't exactly line up with your parents' is hard. One of my friends' mother is extremely hard on her daughter, because her daughter's dreams are so drastically different from her own. Even though my friend has such a strong passion for the arts and music, her mother insists on her becoming a doctor or something medical. I know parents just want what's best for us, but I think sometimes they forget that the most prestigious or high-paying career won't do anything for us if we don't enjoy it.
Realistically, none of us have explored enough fields of study to choose our careers yet. We won't know until we've been at collge for a while, because then we can try all sorts of different classes and see what we actually like. Because my mom works at U.C. Berkeley, I've been able to talk to quite a few administrators and professors, and they've all assured me that its a bad idea to pick out careers before going to college and thus close one's mind to every other possible option. And by the way, you don't actually have to declare your major until junior year of college, so don't freak out if you don't even have a general idea like Engineering or Law.
Excellent post. I always ask teenagers this question so I can shoot back at them the phrase, "Well, when I was your age..." Then I dig back in my large memory box to one of the situations where I was asked the same question, and give them a long, rehearsed monologue. You have to understand that adults are genuinely interested in your future, wondering what you are capable of. this is especially true about parents, who have sculpted you from birth and who are earnest to see how that sculpting has affected you. Please be more understanding the next time someone asks you what you want to do with your life.