At some point in a person's life, he/she needs to think about his/her future. I have been thinking about my future, and since I have not made that many friends, I was wondering if there are any jobs/careers you can think of that can allow me to work and interact at the same time. Or maybe jobs where you sit in your cubicle and work and occasionally have conversations with them during lunch. I don't like the jobs that require me to work alone because I am not independent and am not very self-reliant.

Since I don't have any talents, what can I possibly do? Even if I have discovered that I have a talent that I can develop, it is yet to be created.

so what do you guys do? Can you provide me the job descriptions? Maybe I can take a look at it. Thanks.

[Travelinglady]

Well, I was a college professor. Of course, that involved some private time (preparing lectures, grading papers, reading for a class, etc.) and public time with colleagues, with meeting with students for appointments, and in front of a class.

(BTW, your school counselor should be able to help some with this issue. Some "tests" are even available that help people with these kinds of issues. )

Originally Posted by PAYNE1

Well, I was a college professor. Of course, that involved some private time (preparing lectures, grading papers, reading for a class, etc.) and public time with colleagues, with meeting with students for appointments, and in front of a class.

(BTW, your school counselor should be able to help some with this issue. Some "tests" are even available that help people with these kinds of issues. )

What about taking online tests to see what field i might be interested in? A lot of times I've done those and the results seem to be unexpected. I'm just like,"That is NOT what I'm going to major in."

What do you mean, "issues?"

[Travelinglady]

I just meant the topic of what careers people might be successful in, enjoy, have things in common with their colleagues, etc. "Issues" really wasn't a good word choice.

[unaluna]

Originally Posted by heyitsme7

What about taking online tests to see what field i might be interested in? A lot of times I've done those and the results seem to be unexpected. I'm just like,"That is NOT what I'm going to major in."

Actually those might be good results then! My test results were spot on. I didn't realize it at the time but I ended up going that way.

Originally Posted by hankster

Actually those might be good results then! My test results were spot on. I didn't realize it at the time but I ended up going that way.

but what happens if right now i don't see myself doing that?

[Perna]

Everyone has different aptitudes (talent) and interests and you have to figure out what they may be for you. How's your memory, coordination, imagination, etc.? What do you like to do?

No matter what, one has to start at the beginning of a career, at a beginning job. Working takes education and experience and both of those take time. I would find a job in a large company and look around and imagine all that goes into running that company, all the various jobs there are (advertising, accounting, sales, personnel, management, general business administration, legal, transportation, computers, etc.) and try to rotate to different departments and see what interests you most.

If you prefer school to working, you do the same at a large univesity; take classes in as many different areas as you can; math, science, computers, English literature, history, sociology, psychology, education, etc., and see what interests you.

It's all about personal choices. You can work or go to school or do both or start your own business, etc. But no one else can really figure out what you "should" do, everyone is busy trying to figure out what they themselves want to do!

[lizardlady]

My first recommendation would be you talk to your guidance counselor at school. They can help you start sorting out what I'd like to do.

Have you ever had a part-time or summer job? That's another way to start sorting out what you like and what you don't like.

Someone else mentioned apptitude tests to help identify what you might be interested in. They can be very helpful. If the results are not things you think you would like, why do you think you would not like them?

Another avenue for you would be career counseling when you get to college. I seem to remember you mentioning plans to go to college. Someone also mentioned trying a variety of classes in college to see what appealws to you and what doesn't. That's great advice.

You asked what we do for work. I used to train horses and teach people to ride. Then I reached an age that I was worried about becoming seriously injured and unable to work. I went for some career counseling, then went back to college to get my Masters degree. Now I'm a licensed therapist.

Career counseling sounds like an excellent idea. Maybe you can also apply for some summer internships or if its too late, you might consider short term jobs so you get an idea of the job atmosphere in different areas.
I didn't work much but I had an office job where the atmosphere was very competitive. We didn't really take any coffee breaks because the boss was always there kind of watching us :/ The only interaction I had was lunch break with one colleague.
Not sure but I think you had a similar thread once and I answered you that instead of making future plans to have friends in your work life, it might be more helpful to actively seek friends now. If you put all your hope on making friends once you start working, depending on where you will be working, you might be disappointed, because you set too high expectations Maybe you could do volunteer work? I found that people who volunteer are overall very open minded and easy going people.

[anneo59]

Originally Posted by heyitsme7

At some point in a person's life, he/she needs to think about his/her future. I have been thinking about my future, and since I have not made that many friends, I was wondering if there are any jobs/careers you can think of that can allow me to work and interact at the same time. Or maybe jobs where you sit in your cubicle and work and occasionally have conversations with them during lunch. I don't like the jobs that require me to work alone because I am not independent and am not very self-reliant.

Since I don't have any talents, what can I possibly do? Even if I have discovered that I have a talent that I can develop, it is yet to be created.

so what do you guys do? Can you provide me the job descriptions? Maybe I can take a look at it. Thanks.

You appear to write pretty well, heyitsme7!

i agree! have you considered a career in journalism or publishing?

Originally Posted by chocmouse

i agree! have you considered a career in journalism or publishing?

Journalism? Don't I have to travel across the world? Publishing? I don't know about that. I don't seem to know that many sophisticated words or cliches or idioms in order to qualify for that role. I also tend to write the same way over and over. whenever I learn a big word, I never use it unless i need to. That just sucks. Besides, if I were to write, wouldn't I have to set it to a formal tone?

I guess I'm always underestimating myself.

[Travelinglady]

Nope. You can be a journalist in your own back yard. For example, I write for a local newspaper. (BTW, newspapers are basically written on a low level, except maybe stuff on the editorial page.) People also write for magazines. Or fiction......

I know you have some talents.

I get frustrated, I have to admit, because you are really good at coming up with reasons why suggestions wouldn't work for you.

[lizardlady]

Heyitsme, "journalism" covers a W-I-D-E range of jobs. There's print and broadcast journalism. You can write, edit, take photos, etc. Instead of shooting yourself down right off the bat, why not gather more information to see if it would appeal to you?

Originally Posted by lizardlady

Heyitsme, "journalism" covers a W-I-D-E range of jobs. There's print and broadcast journalism. You can write, edit, take photos, etc. Instead of shooting yourself down right off the bat, why not gather more information to see if it would appeal to you?

Oh, okay. Do I have to be on television? I would rather remain obscure, given that when I was in elementary and middle school, i had a lot of haters.

[Travelinglady]

TV journalism is just one type. As liz says, there are many varieties of journalism.

[lizardlady]

Originally Posted by heyitsme7

Oh, okay. Do I have to be on television? I would rather remain obscure, given that when I was in elementary and middle school, i had a lot of haters.

Again with the negative thinking! Why jump right to the potential negative things about something? Why not investigate the potential positives? It seems that no matter what someone suggests to you, you find something wrong with it. Frankly, it gets discouraging.

Originally Posted by lizardlady

Again with the negative thinking! Why jump right to the potential negative things about something? Why not investigate the potential positives? It seems that no matter what someone suggests to you, you find something wrong with it. Frankly, it gets discouraging.

Because I'm afraid that these guys who recognize me might want to harm me. I don't mean to but I feel like because others don't like me they may not want me to be successful. However, why should I let them?

[Travelinglady]

There are many types of journalism, as we said. Not all of them are much in the public eye. You could even write using a pseudonym. Heyitsme7, if you're possibly interested in it, then you can read about it. It was just a suggestion, given that we see that you write well.

If you're not, then let's move along to other possibilities. What can you see yourself doing, if what tests show are not what you see yourself doing?

[Arethusa]

Originally Posted by heyitsme7

At some point in a person's life, he/she needs to think about his/her future. I have been thinking about my future, and since I have not made that many friends, I was wondering if there are any jobs/careers you can think of that can allow me to work and interact at the same time. Or maybe jobs where you sit in your cubicle and work and occasionally have conversations with them during lunch. I don't like the jobs that require me to work alone because I am not independent and am not very self-reliant.

Since I don't have any talents, what can I possibly do? Even if I have discovered that I have a talent that I can develop, it is yet to be created.

so what do you guys do? Can you provide me the job descriptions? Maybe I can take a look at it. Thanks.

I am pretty much in the same boat.

Originally Posted by PAYNE1

There are many types of journalism, as we said. Not all of them are much in the public eye. You could even write using a pseudonym. Heyitsme7, if you're possibly interested in it, then you can read about it. It was just a suggestion, given that we see that you write well.

If you're not, then let's move along to other possibilities. What can you see yourself doing, if what tests show are not what you see yourself doing?

i see myself interacting but I don't know of any jobs that i can get to work with other people? then again i don't want any conflicts in the office, so might as well work alone?

If you want to get some experience with writing, you could try out the student operated press (thesop.org). It's a site where aspiring writers can publish short articles on different topics of their choice. The story will be edited by an experienced contributor of the site before it gets published. I think it would be an interesting way to figure out which areas you are most attracted to and you will also benefit from the criticism provided by the other writers

Originally Posted by chocmouse

If you want to get some experience with writing, you could try out the student operated press (thesop.org). It's a site where aspiring writers can publish short articles on different topics of their choice. The story will be edited by an experienced contributor of the site before it gets published. I think it would be an interesting way to figure out which areas you are most attracted to and you will also benefit from the criticism provided by the other writers

Thank you, chocmouse. I always underestimate myself and I can't tell you how much I do. I don't think that I write as well as others because it seems like even teenagers my age can use stronger vocabulary than I do. I feel like I'm not part of that and that's why I never went for accelerated or honors classes. I do regret that I never challenged myself with any advanced placement classes. I regret not being able to take them. Everyone else got a 4 or 5 on their AP test,which means when they go to college, they'll be saving plenty while I have to pay extra for classes I could have taken in high school but didn't due to lack of confidence.

man, i feel so inadequate, being a lowly cashier.

anyway, research what jobs you think are glamorous enough and find out what kind of experience you will need for them. get a summer job in whatever kind of opening position would lead you to getting that more glamorous job later. in today's economy, employers prefer people who have had college and work experience, so even if you're just working as a cashier at Walmart over the summer, it will be better than trying to apply for a higher-class job without any job experience.

as for college, most students change their majors at least once a year. i know i'd changed mine at least five times because, like you, i had no idea what i wanted to do and i was very negative about it. i wanted to be a teacher, or a librarian, or an art major, or something that expressed my talents with words and art, but i didn't get much support for it. so i gave that up and ended up dropping out. i recently came to the realization that i would be good at accounting. i wish i'd figured that out back in high school. but i'll go back someday. right now, i'm just going to continue working as a cashier until we move and i have better opportunities for both college and work. then i'll get my accounting degree while i work in a bank and i'll finally be out of the lower class.

[avlady]

My son who is 22 still doesn't know what his nich in life is and I feel so bad for him. he plays guitar and is good at art but can't seem to hold down a job because he says he is to self conscious and shy to keep his jobs. He has been in college for 3 years now. not doing to good grade wise, and tranportation was part of the problem. One day fter work he got into a car accident after a long shift at work and hit only a tree but it was scarry anyway.