What do you want to do with your life?

[complich8]

So I was chatting on irc, and revealed that someday I plan to hang up the admin-hat, stop posting on anime forums, stop letting random idiots im me, etc. And Thi3f asked "And do what with your life?"

Surely, this is a bit of a sarcastic question, right? But I don't care :p. I figure it warrants a real answer.

What do you want to do with your life? Where do you want to be in 5 years? In 10 years? What career do you want to pursue, etc? Are you planning on living your whole life as it is right now, or making major changes soon? Or just riding the current, waiting for whatever comes along?

(I've already got my answer, but I won't tell ya until this thread gets going a bit ^_^).

[PSJ]

Hmm i don't really have a clear goal with my life but someday in the future i want a family. A woman i love and some cool kids. That's a long term goal though, in the mean time i guess i can work on pursueing my 2 greatest interest, sports and poker.

Thinking of studying to a personal trainer after high school is finished but i don't really know yet.

[lisaa]

hmm.. that's a question i've been wondering for ages. Long term i would like to grow up, marry an awesome man have awesome childern and have an awesome job etc.
But for short term, i would like to.. become black belt in taekwondo and become stronger and more better at taekwondo, and eventually kaplow everyone's asses in sparring. I dont know what i want to do wiht my life yet, i have no idea really.
@ PSJ: oohh a personal trainer, that's awesome, at least you got something in mind

[el_boss]

It's funny that this was brought up. I've been spending the last year of my life trying to discover my purpose. It feels like I'm getting close, but I can't actually find the last piece. I'm standing at the door and I can't get the piece of shit open.

Right now I am developing my social skills and my overall mentality so that I will have the tools for continued growth. One of my clear goals in life is that I will never become stagnant and I shall always continue to evolve in all areas of my life. Complacence is the motherfucking enemy.

A couple of words for the road.

"Watch your thoughts, they become your words;
Watch your words, they become your actions;
Watch your actions, for they become your deeds;
Watch your deeds, they become your character;
Watch your character, it becomes your destiny!"

[Psyke]

I've actually went to several Learning Organization workshops which focused on Team learning for team building, and came up with my personal vision statement:

"To live up to the fullest use of my potential measured by achievements in career/ personal development and to bring happiness to people around me"

It's not specific in telling you what I want to do in my life, but it gives me direction to how I wanna live. Right now as I'm already in my mid twenties, I've got a wife, a career, and my car and apartment coming in a month's time. Most of the big stuff already settled, what's next would most probably be a kid. I'm also in the midst of thinking about a second career, probably something related to retail. Still learning Japanese, and hope to acheive my JLPT 2 in the near future.

[Terracosmo]

My biggest dream is of course to become a professional musician (drummer) and be able to survive economically with that as my job. But I realize that becoming that big will be hard, so I am at the same time going to study to become a sound technician. This is great, because if I do manage to become a professional drummer, being a technician will come in handy when it comes to recording/fixing the equipment and so on. At the same time, if I do not manage to make it in music, I can still be close to sound (sound oh beautiful sound) with that as my profession.

So yeah, long story short, I'm going to work with music in one way or another.

But... it's going to take another year until I can apply for studying, so in the meantime I am trying to build up some experiences and merits which I can use to heighten my chances of actually getting into the course.

If I don't, I'll probably just shoot myself.

[mage]

spacecraft/aircraft design, engineer, astronaut, college professor, physicist, astronomer

Guess that explains why I love space anime.

[gr3atfull]

Well, I would like to study in biotechnology and get a Ph-D. After that, I would like to go live somewhere in Africa to help the people out. While being there, I hope I make something worth getting a Nobel prize.

I know its a big dream, but who knows if it might come true.

[Board of Command]

I'm heading into engineering and my ultimate goal is to design or do something that will be used or known by people all over the world. Example: Edison and the lightbulb. I want to pass away knowing that even though I'm no longer here, my name will carry on. I don't want to die and be forgotten like 99.999% of the people.

I believe being remembered is the greatest accomplishment of them all.

[Assertn]

I always anticipate the next step. In college i planned on moving to california, which I did last year. This year I planned on raising my salary to a certain level, which it looks like I will be when this new company gives me the job offer they said they were going to on my voicemail last friday. I'm already in one of the two fields that I was hoping to be in, and in the best location for both possibilites. Now I'm just waiting for my five year plan.

I'd say the ultimate goal would be to live the life of this guy:
http://www.dannypatterson.com/AboutMe/Resume.cfm

Known throughout the community...plus the guy makes all his money doing a few random freelance projects from his own home, or companies pay him ridiculous money to fly him out somewhere for a few weeks to work on something. Best Job Ever.

[Terracosmo]

I believe being remembered is the greatest accomplishment of them all.

Yeah I've had these thoughts too, but honestly, what does it matter if you are remembered or not when you're dead anyway? Not like you can enjoy it :D

[Board of Command]

I don't think it's about enjoying your success, but about knowing that you lived one hell of a live during your last moments.

[Carnage]

I'm heading into engineering and my ultimate goal is to design or do something that will be used or known by people all over the world. Example: Edison and the lightbulb. I want to pass away knowing that even though I'm no longer here, my name will carry on. I don't want to die and be forgotten like 99.999% of the people.

I believe being remembered is the greatest accomplishment of them all.

Yeah, I kinda feel like that too. I want my life to have been worth something ( I know someone's definatly going to make fun of me for this later :p ). All I know is that I want to contribute something great to society. I have a big intrest in astronomy, so who knows.......:rolleyes:

[Assertn]

I don't think it's about enjoying your success, but about knowing that you lived one hell of a live during your last moments.
So for you, its all about living for those last moments?

[Winged Dancer]

I have a pretty structured life plan. In the short run....

First of all, I will not be living here in Mexico.
See the bolds? They mean business. The second my grandfather is dead and I get over my mourning I'm out of this place, maybe sooner.

My plan for getting out?

Get an scholarship for a phD in either Japan, England or Ireland, study hard, maybe marry just to get the nationality and never come back except on Christmas to visit my family.

Sadly, all those three countries are expensive and getting a full scholarship might be difficult in my area - no one cares for literature, so I have to study a whole lot and keep my 3.9 average for four long years, then find a good phD topic mixing both literature and anthropology or something....

I just want out from this country.

My long-run dream is to become a published author, and hopefully a popular one at that. I write all day and most of what I publish has pretty good success, so maybe I have a chance, but still, it's a long road ahead.

[Honoko]

Hmm.. me, I just wanna live simply and make my life meaningful to those close to me. If I can do that, then I would consider myself successful.

I used to want to be famous or do something uber great but these days, for whatever reason, the quiet life is most appealing.

[darkshadow]

Capcom, UBISOFT, Bizzare, Konami or MGS....
'nuff said.

[dragonrage]

What i want to be in 5 years. Well i have done away with planning stuff and having it fall thru. So in 5 years all i want is to be happy and alive. Aside from that, nothing is definate.

[Lefty]

In five years I want to be a some what know film director. I'm not looking for Kuibrick noterity, just making a good 90-100 k a year. Also being able to practice and teach Kendo.

[Zinobi]

Sleep, Game, Photoshop, Eat, Get a job, anime, occasional manga, and SUDDENLY come into a large sum of money (ie Uncles Aunts Grandparents other Relatives)
Once a moocher always a moocher!

[Honoko]

Sleep, Game, Photoshop, Eat, Get a job, anime, occasional manga, and SUDDENLY come into a large sum of money (ie Uncles Aunts Grandparents other Relatives)
Once a moocher always a moocher!
Hahahhaa... I myself have sometimes wished for some mysterious uncle to leave behind a trust fund in my name too ;) It's nice to dream...

[yallo]

I find it difficult to articulate what exactly I want to do with my life. However, I do know very clearly what I do not want to do with my life.

I do not want to remain in my current job. I sincerely hope that 5 years from now, I will be somewhere else and feeling bad for the poor blokes who took over my position to suffer in my place.

Now the question will be: where exactly is that "somewhere else"?

Ideally, I would like to do translation work. Short term goal is to get a JLPT 1 and then take up business Japanese to transit from theory to practical usage. But I honestly doubt if such a skill can earn me a living, much less support my parents.

Another option I'm currently considering is to take up a CFA course. It is an incredibly heavy investment that will come to nought if I eventually decide not to go into the financial sector, so I'm pretty much stuck at the crossroads now, not knowing which way to go.

A long answer to a short question. Gomen ne.

[Genma]

Unlike many posts on this thread, I don't have an elaborate, meaningful plan for my future. I figure I'm just going to end up working in an office in the middle of the east coast, swapping every once in a while when the particular company downsizes, then dying at the age of 50 in my sleep... with no wife, kids, etc.... and the same type of low salary job.

[complich8]

I have plans in six scopes: today, this week, this month, this year, the next 5 years, and the next 10.

Today: I woke up, did homework assignment, went to class and turned it in. Got lunch, went to work. Now the plan is: write this post, finish scanning the forums for annoyances, do some system updates at work, set up a freebsd test host and another gentoo tester or two and continue the testing research project. Leave work around 7 or 8 tonight, do another couple miles on the exercise bike and do laundry tonight. Crack the textbook for class and give it half an hour or so of reading -- final's coming up.

This week, go to class on time, so I don't get erroneously counted absent. One more one-page assignment for class. Keep up the usual class/food/work/food/exercise/entertainment/sleep pattern. Toss in "read the textbook and class notes" in between the exercise and entertainment this week, in preparation for finals next week. Friday, wake up at 10 am and hit the box office for BB King tickets. Be conscious of sodium intake.

This month: finish the summer session, get an A in this class for a 3.5 summer gpa. Get the textbook for theory of computation this fall, and read the first chapter or two of it and work through the "expected math knowledge" section of it to get ready for that class. Bank a lot of hours at work. Fall semester starts August 21st, so that's in the 1-month window now. Before class starts, talk to the directors to find out if I should be looking for interviews and job offers from other places and writing documentation for work in preparation of handing the keys over to a new sysadmin, or if I've got a full-time position waiting for me here. Find a scale, and learn how much weight I've lost the last 8 months of dieting. Stick to the low-fat diet, reduce sodium intake, cook a bit more. Help my roommate move out, help another friend move out, and work on finding a new roommate. Help get them moved in, meet some new neighbors.

This year: Get good grades in the current class (this week/month are critical for that), make coursework a priority and pull at least a 3.0 both semesters. Don't let things slide, engage and attack. Depending on whether I've got a position waiting for me here, interview and apply for positions at other companies, and try to build a stronger portfolio of programming languages I'm proficient in and projects I've accomplished. Improve documentation of the changes I've made, and system maintenance automation. Return to programming and get more comfortable there. Step up the exercise program a little bit, and aim for overall better health. Be a bit more outgoing, and see about making new circles of local friends, now that the old circle has completely geographically dispersed. Find another creative outlet (possibly a musical one).

5 years: year 1, graduate, find a full-time position. year 2-4: work, get out of college debt, get a car and get it paid for. For the whole span, look for areas that I want to apply myself to, and lay the groundwork to pursue a master's degree in an area of interest. Year 5: be out of debt, have a car, apply for a grad program. The whole time, keep health in the picture, push for a lifestyle shift away from computers as the complete center of my life. Aim for a return to having something like a love life again, too.

10 years: do graduate work, get a master's degree, decide on an area to pursue for a PhD and get into a doctoral program. Within 10 years, I should have a firm grasp on what I want to research, and how to pursue it, and I should be in a program to do so.

Beyond that, the 10 year plan pretty much gives a good idea of where I want to be. I want to do academic research, and pursue a career both learning new things and teaching others about my areas of expertise.

[2:25]

In one month, I plan to move out of this city successfully. Then force myself to finish my bachelor degree in 2 years at another uni cause I wasted too much time already. After that, I'll probably move again and get a stable job. Between 5- 7 years from now, I am determine to get marry at least once, own a dog, switch careers and break into the fashion industry. Be a decent person throughout the rest of my life and hopefully, be satisfied.