Two paths and the journey
I am one of those people who could not put their finger on a future job or career. I did not know what I wanted to become. Where I wanted to live. How would my job look like. I had a few options. And my family and friends had different ideas for what I would be good at. But I, myself, did not feel strong for anything in particular. Regardless, I think I'm on a great journey.
Not having a goal created a bit of stress. Also because I kept hearing that 'you must decide what you want to do'. Or 'you must be a doctor'. Or 'you must have a goal in life'. Otherwise, how can you live and maintain yourself. If I hadn't decided, my life would be ruined. That was the general feeling.
Let me tell you. You don't need a goal. If you have one, that's great. But if you don't, it is not the end of the world. You can end up doing great stuff either way.
Thinking back on the concept of a future career and looking at my very recent experience, I can tell you that there are..
two paths you can take:
You know where or who you want to be in 5-10-20-30 years so you work hard to get there. You figure out what you need to do and this guides the decisions you make. Having a goal drives you forward. You are piecing the experiences as you go along and seeing into the future how these come together to bring you to where you will want to be.
You don't know where or who you want to be in 5-10-20-30 years. You might be under pressure or demoralized. Don't! I worked hard at every step and at every turning point, I made a decision on what to do based on what I thought would be most interesting. Looking back, you will be able to piece your experience together and be wow-ed as to how they worked to get you where now you want to be.
Both have pros and cons of course. But both are possible and are positive. It doesn't matter which path you are on. All that matters is that...
You work hard and enjoy every step and every experience.
Don't dwell on a wrong decision. Learn from it and move on. Moving on is critical. Life is about being mobile in time.
Make sure that you make the most out of each step.
When you get somewhere or become someone, don't stop there. That will end the journey. And it's the journey that makes you who you are.
Always try something new. But this something new should not be something that you are comfortable with. That is boring.
Challenge yourself. And do better than you expect.
Whether you are on the first or second path, it's always the decisions you make, the experiences you get, the people you meet that make your life interesting and exciting. It is never who you become or the career that you chose.