Hello! I also have little drive or ambition compared to the standard portrayal in popular media. Lots of people act like what you’re “supposed to do” is keep grinding, push for promotions, be a type A or whatever. Nuts to that I say.

Back when I graduated high school I didn’t know what to do either. I come from a small small town, and I’m good at math, so everyone said to become an engineer as that’s what all the “smart people” do. The schooling sucked for me, and I didn’t really want to pursue the kind of career that an engineer would have. I ended up flunking out of the first year. That killed my mental health and self worth. I do not recommend.

What worked for me (but maybe not everyone) was to find topics I found interesting, and see what kind of jobs are available in those areas. I ended up going for electronics engineering technology (a technologist is kinda like a diet engineer) because I think it’s cool stuff, it was a shorter two year course, and there are a reasonable number of employers in my area who are hiring. I’ll probably never be “rich”, but I make enough money to not worry about food or housing, and I have time for my hobbies on the side.

My biggest takeaway from my career so far is to not fall for “grind culture”, and to maintain a separation of your work and life. Do not make your job your whole identity. I’ve seen plenty of grinders burn out and hate their jobs/lives. I’ve also seen people who want to change careers, but they’re so caught up in their work that they don’t have the time or energy to change.

If you’re unsure of what to do, shoot for something that will make you comfortable. Reasonable average pay, decent employment opportunities, and good work/life balance. Once you have that you can do some more soul searching over the next few years. Not everyone knows what they want to do at 20. The rest of your life is a long time, so don’t feel like you have to set it in stone now.