What do you want to do with your life?

[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.