Career Choices

I’m 16 and currently a junior. This is the time of my life were i should be looking for colleges and trying to figure out what i am going to do out in the working world. The thoughts brought out while thinking about this subject have been some of the most confusing. There are so many option available, so many majors to pick from, how do people choose? Ive looked at an assortment of things that caught my interest. However every thing that i looked at required a lot of years at college. Before knowing how much school it took, my initial idea was to become a dentist, then while a dentist go to night courses to become a orthodontist. I thought that in total this would take me about 6-8 years, 5 years for becoming a dentist and 2 additional years to learn the practice of becoming a orthodontist. I was completely wrong. To become a dentist it takes 7-8 years, and to become a orthodontist requires 2-3 years after that. I could technically be in school for 13 years! This was completely outrageous, and crushed my idea. The most i could see myself going to college straight would consist of a total of 6 years. I’ve looked at other career choices requiring less school, however i do not know which one to pick. I’ve looked at dental hygienist, x ray technician, etc. I just wish this choice was a lot easier. I do not want to pay thousands of dollars with my own money to go to school just to find out that i don’t like what I’m doing. I talked to my parents and they don’t know what i should do either. Which, i do understand because how are you going to pick a career for your child? Its just very nerve racking, i take the SAT’s this Saturday and i feel as everything is just flying by so fast. I look back on my life, concerning school, and i wish that i did things so much different. I wish i thought about careers early, i wish i took harder classes and really challenged myself in my freshman and soft-more year. When people say that they regret nothing in life, and wouldn’t go back and change anything, i don’t believe them at all. If i had the opportunity to start over, even just concerning high school, i would change EVERYTHING. The things i would change wouldn’t even just concern grades and classes, i would’ve played volleyball my freshman year instead of starting as a soft-more, i would’ve told a this girl how i really feel about her, i would’ve spent more time with friends because now between school, sports, and work i have absolutely no time for anyone. I hardly have time to write this, I’m just taken a break from homework. If i could go back and change my life, i would. 

AnthonyTheMan