1. This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this site, you are agreeing to our use of cookies. Learn More.

How do I know what I want?

Discussion in 'General Support and Advice' started by JacobC, Jun 18, 2022.

  1. JacobC

    Regular Member

    Joined:
    Aug 16, 2020
    Messages:
    18
    Likes Received:
    4
    Location:
    Europe
    Gender:
    Male
    Gender Pronoun:
    He
    Sexual Orientation:
    Gay
    Out Status:
    A few people
    Hi!



    I want make a change in my life and ideally end up living abroad if it’s studying or working because it’s something I have wanted for a long time. The problem is that I want to get an education but I don’t know what I want to work with. I only very vaguely know what I’m interested in and I have taken small university courses in my country but that didn’t really help me to find out what I want to do. Maybe I should start out working abroad and see how that feels.

    It all feels like such a big step and I don’t have anyone with experience to talk to about these things and I suspect that it won’t be easier to decide what I want in the future either. I feel paralysed because I have scrolled through pages of different schools and programmes abroad and in my country before but I am too indecisive and it feels overwhelming and I don’t know how to make it feel less undoable.


    This is something I want to make a decision on in the near future because I am 25 and feel very stuck in the small town I live in. Maybe I should try and move to a bigger city in my country first and try to find a different job, I don’t know. I live with my parents which is okay, but I feel like I would grow if I lived on my own. I’m just out to my family and the small amount of people that have attended the very few meetings an LGBTQ organisation nearby have organised in the past year, but I barely have any contact with them.

    I don't have any friends and I know I would have more opportunities to make friends and that I would be able to be myself more, let people in and actually make friends if I moved. I probably wouldn’t avoid putting up pictures on dating sites, like I do now because I worry so much about not being able to find someone to date because there are so few people to date (I know I'm illogical). And I would like to find a job/school where I felt like I could come out without thinking it would effect my work experience negatively if I did like I suspect it would do at my current job.


    To get back to the subject; It all feels so big and scary because I don’t know enough about what I want and exactly how I would do it. I just don’t want to waste time and money on something I will regret, so I waste my time doing nothing instead. I am aware this may need to be a bigger discussion in order to be as helpful as possible and that I ultimately need to make a decision myself if I want to make a change, but I just need something to start with.
     
  2. Mirko

    Admin Team Advisor Full Member

    Joined:
    Apr 26, 2008
    Messages:
    18,870
    Likes Received:
    3,203
    Location:
    Northern Hemisphere
    Gender:
    Male
    Gender Pronoun:
    He
    Sexual Orientation:
    Gay
    Out Status:
    Out to everyone
    Hi there! Welcome to EC. :slight_smile:

    Wondering, have you ever done an aptitude test or a career exploration test that could help you to gain some insights into possible jobs or careers you could be interested in? Sometimes, this can help in figuring out the next steps, including the courses or educational programmes you might need to complete in order to pursue your job/career goals.

    If you don't mind me asking, what have you been looking into thus far? What has interested you?
     
  3. JacobC

    Regular Member

    Joined:
    Aug 16, 2020
    Messages:
    18
    Likes Received:
    4
    Location:
    Europe
    Gender:
    Male
    Gender Pronoun:
    He
    Sexual Orientation:
    Gay
    Out Status:
    A few people
    Hi! Thank you for your response!

    I have taken career exploration tests before but I don’t know if they have told me something I didn’t know. I have been interested in subjects within the humanities and have thought that I wanted to do something in that area at least, but in recent years I have started to question if I might want to do something else.

    As I mentioned I have tried to take courses that I am interested in, but I have a hard time finding something that can lead to a career that really can see myself working with in the future and am willing to spend all the time and money necessary on. I think I have a hard time distinguishing between what might be an interest for my free time and what I would like to pursue as a career. Maybe I just don’t know enough about possible careers and exactly what they entail and how that would feel for me, but its hard to know where to start looking into different jobs since I have a very wide spectrum of things that interests me.

    I could try to take a career exploration test again I guess since its been a while though.