It's Okay To Be Career Driven and Know What You Want

[1truekhaleesi]

Being in the Millennial generation, I feel like I'm not supposed to know what I want. We're told to accept that in our twenties, we will have moments where we are scared, moments where we are tired, moments we are broke, or that we're in a place we don't want to be. And in a lot of ways, that's all true. Moments like that make us grow and mature. But what about celebrating the people that fought like hell to get where they are, because they know what they want?

Last January, I took a volunteer position at a hospital even though I wanted to be a Dental Hygienist at the time. I can't tell you how many people told me I was crazy because volunteering at a hospital has very little to do with Dental. But I did it anyways, because my instincts told me to. And I loved every minute of volunteering. That was how I decided that Nursing was a perfect for me. Some people in my class have a more memorable story like a family member got severely injured and they were inspired by the nurses and doctors who took care of them. I know my "Why I went into Nursing" story isn't profound, but I knew that I would love Nursing and that's what's important.

Anyways, back to "your twenties is the decade of your life where you're so confused you act like you're running around with your head cut off." Society tells us that we need to live out life while we're young, and then settle down when we start to approach our thirties. I want to do the opposite, I want to secure my career now and never settle down. The idea is that I want my thirties to be like my twenties, but with money. I'm not sure if I'm going to retiring because I love Nursing so much.

You don’t have to feel bad that you stepped into a career right after college or got married young. You don’t have to bury the fact that you knew you wanted to be a doctor since you were three, and now you’re in graduate school, kicking butt in all of your classes. So don't feel bad if your life is awesome and you're not spending your twenties getting drunk every Friday night.

As for choosing love over a relationship, I don't think people realize that you can have it all. It is possible to have a loving relationship and a good career. Everyone deserves to be with someone who encourages them to push themselves and motivate them. I would never do something that I was told to do by anyone. You worked hard in life to earn a career so you deserve to reap the rewards. Your significant other should not be preventing you from doing so, instead they should respect your ambitions and encourage you every step of the way. I am all for compromising and discussing things, but ultimatums are an absolute no-no. In all honesty, is it ever worth giving up an awesome career for someone that can betray you?

Bottom line is that it doesn't matter if you're choosing love over your career. Or career over love. If anyone tries to tell you how to live your life, just remember that misery loves company. If someone tries to condescendingly tell you how to live your life, it's because they're trying to validate their shitty life choices.

[SmartButBroke]

I don't really agree about what you perceive the message is that 20-somethings get. I think young people get mixed messages, like there's one person at one shoulder telling you to get your career together and make money or else you're worthless and another person at the other shoulder telling you if you're single there's something wrong with you.

I perceive more and more women as becoming like you are, i. e. career driven, and the only problem I have with that is their attitude towards people who aren't like that, especially when it comes to dating. I feel like it's more necessary to see "you're not worthless if you don't have this great career and make a lot of money" or "it's okay if you think there's more to life and someone's worth than a career" than it is to see "it's okay to be career driven."

I simply think "different strokes different folks." It IS fine for you to be ambitious and career driven, but it should also be fine for other people to not be the same way and it shouldn't automatically mean they're not relationship material. I respect people who have always known what they want and/or are passionate about a career field because I can't relate to that AT ALL but I think it makes life a lot easier when you know what you want to do or you don't see work as just a miserable thing you have to do with most of your life. I can respect you and/or date someone and not relate to your/their mentality on careers, but it almost always seems like career-driven and ambitious people (particularly the women) can't do the same (not specifically talking about you, since you say it doesn't matter what you choose).

[Leandri]

True, but also just remember 'Don't get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life.'

[Dumbbong]

Very well put