# I don't know what to do with my life... **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [December 2, 2010, 8:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-know-what-to-do-with-my-life/562650 "2010-12-02T08:49:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2010, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-know-what-to-do-with-my-life/562650/21 "2010-12-04T03:47:07Z")
> [@bubba\_jr](#): > > Hop on a fricken plane, head to Asia and teach English. You can live cheap, make some bang up bucks, and then learn chinese and then you can make some real money doing nothing but talking to people, and not even selling them anything. The JET program already exists for people who want to do this. It is ridiculously competitive and pretty expensive. Without any professional connections, and not speaking the native language, this is a horrible and impractical idea. ---
**Author:** ![StusBlues](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@StusBlues](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StusBlues)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2010, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-know-what-to-do-with-my-life/562650/22 "2010-12-04T03:49:13Z")
My God, has no one said it yet? One word, Paul: Plastics. ---
**Author:** ![Rand\_Rover](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/db5fbb/32.png) [@Rand\_Rover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rand_Rover)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2010, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-know-what-to-do-with-my-life/562650/23 "2010-12-04T04:15:44Z")
Are you smart at all? Law school’s a nice way to avoid the real world for 3 more years and get skills you can use in a high-paying job. ---
**Author:** ![Pierrot\_Le\_Fou](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f475e1/32.png) [@Pierrot\_Le\_Fou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pierrot_Le_Fou)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2010, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-know-what-to-do-with-my-life/562650/24 "2010-12-04T04:56:34Z")
> [@ImNotPaulAvery](#): > > See, I’m graduating college next month. But not a very good college. Maybe you could find another school and learn the English language. You are graduating _from_ college. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2010, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-know-what-to-do-with-my-life/562650/25 "2010-12-04T05:10:16Z")
> [@Pierrot\_Le\_Fou](#): > > But not a very good college. Maybe you could find another school and learn the English language. > > You are graduating _from_ college. Could you tell us what school you went to? He might like to avoid it. [Dictionary sez:](http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/graduate) > [@](#): > > Informal . to receive a degree or diploma from: She graduated college in 1950. Now, maybe this board is as formal as your writing gets, but for most of us, it’s an informal place to hang out. His usage was perfectly cromulent. ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2010, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-know-what-to-do-with-my-life/562650/26 "2010-12-04T05:37:04Z")
JET is only applicable in Japan, and as you may know Asia is a big country. There are plenty of places in Asia to teach English and make a living. if you’re doing it to fund learning the language, culture, etc and focus on that then it’s pretty productive. Going to Asia to bang local ho’s and waking up 10 years later with a bad liver, a painful burning sensation and zero language skills isn’t overly helpful. If you’re going to do that, pull the plug in 2 years and go to grad school where it counts as a valuable life experience. Even better is going abroad, and teaching English or something to get settled, and then exploring a whole plethoria of various opportunities. One can luck into some pretty interesting jobs doing very cool things and take it from there. Or you could just become an investment banker. If you are aggressive, you’re background sounds about right. ---
**Author:** ![Gestalt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/90ced4/32.png) [@Gestalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gestalt)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2010, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-know-what-to-do-with-my-life/562650/27 "2010-12-04T05:47:03Z")
> [@Pierrot\_Le\_Fou](#): > > But not a very good college. Maybe you could find another school and learn the English language. > > You are graduating _from_ college. In Soviet Union and proper English, college graduates _you_! ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2010, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-know-what-to-do-with-my-life/562650/28 "2010-12-04T06:13:13Z")
> [@StusBlues](#): > > My God, has no one said it yet? > > One word, Paul: Plastics. “Mrs. Robinson, if you don’t mind my saying so, this conversation is getting a little strange.” Whatever you do, **ImNotPaulAvery** , do not run away with a just married Katharine Ross. Or buy an Alfa Romeo Spyder. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Gymnopithys](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/fbc32d/32.png) [@Gymnopithys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gymnopithys)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2010, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-know-what-to-do-with-my-life/562650/29 "2010-12-04T18:20:24Z")
I first read “I don’t know what to do with my wife”.😃 ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2010, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-know-what-to-do-with-my-life/562650/30 "2010-12-04T18:34:35Z")
There’s a proverb that goes something like this: Do the job you like, and you’ll never work a day in your life. I have two passions in my life: Flying and filmmaking. I wish I had remembered that proverb when I was young. I could own my own FBO now (I never wanted to be an airline pilot), or be a successful filmmaker. But ‘I need a job – any job – now!’ So I got into data. I’ve got my pilot’s license for airplanes and helicopters, and I’ve worked on a few films. But both things are expensive, and it’s hard to do the filmmaking in particular when you have a steady job. Had I pursued one of the things I really, really live for, people would be paying _me_ to to do them. Now I’m on the downhill side, and I’ll most likely be dead in 40 or 50 years – and incapable of flying or filmmaking long before that. If I could offer advice to young people, I’d say to follow your passion. If you don’t know what to do, do what you like. ---
**Author:** ![Pierrot\_Le\_Fou](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f475e1/32.png) [@Pierrot\_Le\_Fou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pierrot_Le_Fou)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2010, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-know-what-to-do-with-my-life/562650/31 "2010-12-04T22:10:55Z")
> [@Gesta:)lt](#): > > In Soviet Union and proper English, college graduates _you_! That was beautiful. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2010, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-know-what-to-do-with-my-life/562650/32 "2010-12-05T02:59:20Z")
No particular offense to the OP, but the onslaught of “woe is me!” threads lately is really harshing my buzz. Are we in an undeclared board war with alt.support.depression.undiagnosed? ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2010, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-know-what-to-do-with-my-life/562650/33 "2010-12-05T06:47:49Z")
It’s probably just S.A.D. ---
**Author:** ![pinkyvee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/6de8d8/32.png) [@pinkyvee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pinkyvee)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2010, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-know-what-to-do-with-my-life/562650/34 "2010-12-05T18:15:00Z")
> [@ImNotPaulAvery](#): > > I don’t have some grand divine master plan, because I don’t know shit. Forget the “grand divine master plan”. Develop a 2 year and a 5 year plan. Make it your business to go out and make some mistakes. Welcome to the world, babycake. > [@](#): > > Fuck. It’s a start. ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2010, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-know-what-to-do-with-my-life/562650/35 "2010-12-06T01:10:29Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > If I could offer advice to young people, I’d say to follow your passion. If you don’t know what to do, do what you like. Nailed it in one. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-know-what-to-do-with-my-life/562650.md?page=1)