# Tell me what to do with my life **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 8, 2005, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-what-to-do-with-my-life/334605 "2005-12-08T03:07:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Kythereia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e8c25b/32.png) [@Kythereia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kythereia)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2005, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-what-to-do-with-my-life/334605/1 "2005-12-08T03:07:09Z")
No, seriously. I’ve been thinking a lot about this lately–career-wise and all–and I’m still not sure what I want to do. I read more easily than I breathe, pretty much, and I write as easily as I see, and I work well with people and love helping others and like little kids. I’ve entertained so many different thoughts–professor, editor, writer, journalist, literary critic, translator–I’m not sure what to do. Advice? ( Also, spare tips like “go see the penguins in the Arctic” and “drink until you see the pink elephants in tutus” are helpful, too. 🙂 ) ---
**Author:** ![Lakai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de0a6/32.png) [@Lakai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lakai)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2005, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-what-to-do-with-my-life/334605/2 "2005-12-08T03:14:20Z")
> [@Kythereia](#): > > No, seriously. > > I’ve been thinking a lot about this lately–career-wise and all–and I’m still not sure what I want to do. I read more easily than I breathe, pretty much, and I write as easily as I see, and I work well with people and love helping others and like little kids. > > I’ve entertained so many different thoughts–professor, editor, writer, journalist, literary critic, translator–I’m not sure what to do. Advice? > ( Also, spare tips like “go see the penguins in the Arctic” and “drink until you see the pink elephants in tutus” are helpful, too. 🙂 ) So we have: - likes kids - can read and write very well - likes to help others - works well with people You could try to write children’s books. For more help, I would need more information. Like what kind of books do you like to read? ---
**Author:** ![Ca3799](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9f8e36/32.png) [@Ca3799](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ca3799)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2005, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-what-to-do-with-my-life/334605/3 "2005-12-08T03:30:02Z")
Well, for starters…Get off my couch and go get a job! What about nursing? ---
**Author:** ![CynicalGabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@CynicalGabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CynicalGabe)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2005, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-what-to-do-with-my-life/334605/4 "2005-12-08T03:36:16Z")
The obvious solution (be a schoolteacher) has not been mentioned. ---
**Author:** ![RandMcnally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b782af/32.png) [@RandMcnally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandMcnally)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2005, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-what-to-do-with-my-life/334605/5 "2005-12-08T03:59:37Z")
> [@CynicalGabe](#): > > The obvious solution (be a schoolteacher) has not been mentioned. That’s what I was going to mention. I’ll mention it anyways and pretend I was original, just to make myself feel better. You should be a schoolteacher. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2005, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-what-to-do-with-my-life/334605/6 "2005-12-08T04:11:08Z")
> [@Ca3799](#): > > Well, for starters…Get off my couch and go get a job! I hereby offer my couch for you to crash on. ---
**Author:** ![Kythereia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e8c25b/32.png) [@Kythereia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kythereia)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2005, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-what-to-do-with-my-life/334605/7 "2005-12-08T04:17:38Z")
> [@bouv](#): > > I hereby offer my couch for you to crash on. Thanks, love, I’ll buy the beer next time. As for being a schoolteacher… it sounds like a good idea, but I know kids can be a handful in the classroom. Plus, I’d just end up playing with them and telling stories all the time, and then they’d kick me out… Still, it’s a great suggestion. 🙂 (Where’s the random advice? Geez, I was expecting at least a “Go visit the Marianas Trench [del]once, for twenty minutes[/del]” by now…) ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2005, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-what-to-do-with-my-life/334605/8 "2005-12-08T04:25:34Z")
Cute and single, perchance? 😉 No no. Hm. Child Psychologist? ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2005, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-what-to-do-with-my-life/334605/9 "2005-12-08T04:31:50Z")
> [@Kythereia](#): > > (Where’s the random advice? Geez, I was expecting at least a “Go visit the Marianas Trench [del]once, for twenty minutes[/del]” by now…) Somewhere there’s a website where you can apply to jobs in the arctic. It’s a few months stay and you’re there the whole time. The pay isn’t fantastic, but you live and eat there for free (well, three meals a day, there is like a mini-town/commisary you can buy more from.) I’ll see if I can find it…well, there’s [this](http://www.usap.gov/), but it’s American. I will marry you if you need a green card, though, so keep that in mind. I’m the helpful sort. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![cosmosdan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@cosmosdan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cosmosdan)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2005, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-what-to-do-with-my-life/334605/10 "2005-12-08T04:46:27Z")
My best advice. Stop wasting it on message boards. Get off your ass and do something 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2005, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-what-to-do-with-my-life/334605/11 "2005-12-08T05:13:31Z")
There is an opening for being my personal love slave. Good benifits, dental, vision plus all major holidays. ---
**Author:** ![Random](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/57b2e6/32.png) [@Random](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Random)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2005, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-what-to-do-with-my-life/334605/12 "2005-12-08T06:08:44Z")
> [@Kythereia](#): > > (Where’s the random advice? Geez…) OKay, okay. Sorry I’m late. I’d go with the love slave option. ---
**Author:** ![Oregon\_sunshine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/50afbb/32.png) [@Oregon\_sunshine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oregon_sunshine)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2005, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-what-to-do-with-my-life/334605/13 "2005-12-08T06:12:36Z")
School psychologist, there’s the most bang for your buck (income/work ratio). Plus, you get summers off. If you can help it, DON’T borrow any money for school. It’ll kill ya. ---
**Author:** ![EmeraldGrue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dc4da7/32.png) [@EmeraldGrue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmeraldGrue)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2005, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-what-to-do-with-my-life/334605/14 "2005-12-08T06:19:30Z")
And now for something completely different: [volunteer to work overseas on an organic farm](http://www.wwoof.org/)! ---
**Author:** ![Revenant\_Threshold](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f1d935/32.png) [@Revenant\_Threshold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revenant_Threshold)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2005, 7:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-what-to-do-with-my-life/334605/15 "2005-12-08T07:47:46Z")
How about a kindergarten teacher? Although, Zebra’s recruitment package does sound rather tempting…curse my heterosexuality! And also his, I suppose… 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2005, 8:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-what-to-do-with-my-life/334605/16 "2005-12-08T08:14:37Z")
How about being a teacher in an alternative school, like Montessori? Write a book and publish it yourself at a place like CafePress and [lulu.com](http://lulu.com)! Nose around the [Word on the Street](http://www.thewordonthestreet.ca/) festival and see what you can find. 🙂 The childrens’ books author is a good idea. Do you do storytelling? Try joining a storytelling association. [Storytelling in Toronto](http://www.storytellingtoronto.org/). [Storytelling Resources](http://www.timsheppard.co.uk/story/). Librarian? ECE? ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2005, 9:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-what-to-do-with-my-life/334605/17 "2005-12-08T09:35:43Z")
How about having kids of your own? ---
**Author:** ![phungi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/phungi/32/395_2.png) [@phungi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phungi)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2005, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-what-to-do-with-my-life/334605/18 "2005-12-08T14:38:17Z")
can you provide any info regarding your age and educational background? i would suggest the professorial life, but getting a PhD isn’t for everyone… ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2005, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-what-to-do-with-my-life/334605/19 "2005-12-08T14:57:55Z")
Are you chained to where you currently are in life? Are you free to travel? If so, my very best advice would be to sell many of your things, take all the money you have and take a journey to any third world country. You will have adventure beyond measure, your will learn new things with every in breath, you will discover things about yourself that stun you, your world view will expand in a fashion that cannot be described. And when your funds dry up and it’s time to come home, you will know what you want to do, how you want to contribute. Chances are you will return brimming with vitality and confidence for whatever lies ahead. Or, y’know, you could be a school teacher, (where’s that yawning smilie?) 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2005, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-what-to-do-with-my-life/334605/20 "2005-12-08T15:03:07Z")
> [@Kythereia](#): > > Thanks, love, I’ll buy the beer next time. > As for being a schoolteacher… it sounds like a good idea, but I know kids can be a handful in the classroom. Plus, I’d just end up playing with them and telling stories all the time, and then they’d kick me out… > > Still, it’s a great suggestion. 🙂 > > (Where’s the random advice? Geez, I was expecting at least a “Go visit the Marianas Trench [del]once, for twenty minutes[/del]” by now…) Shoot for teaching younger kids…say, under the age of 10. They haven’t reached their “expiration date” yet. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-what-to-do-with-my-life/334605.md?page=2)