As a teen, if someone would have asked me that question I would have said, “I have no clue.” I was still figuring out who I wanted to ask to the junior prom.
But as you near graduation from high-school, it’s time to start thinking about what you want to be when you grow up. I didn’t say figure it out. I said, start thinking about it. Your ultimate goal should be to start building a career or profession, instead of settling for a series of jobs that don’t lead anywhere.
The key is to find your voice, finding your groove2, your position, what you were born to do.
Imagine four circles.
What am I really good at?
This is talent.
What do I love doing?
This is passion.
What does the world need that I can get paid to do?
This is need.
What do I feel I should do? This is conscience.
The place where these four circles overlap3 represents your voice. Think about them as you start plotting the college you want to attend, the jobs you take, the subject you major in, and so on. Ultimately, you’ll want to build a career that gets your voice.
All four circles are important. For example, you may love music (passion) and even be good at it (talent), but you’ve also got to figure out a way to make a living from it (need). The chances of becoming a rock star are one in ten thousand, so don’t bet on that. You could, however, earn a living by teaching music or writing music for TV commercials and films.
In the same way, you don’t want to devote to a career that pays well (need) but doesn’t make you happy (passion) or get into your gifts (talent).
It may take much longer for you to find your voice. Be patient. I didn’t have a clear direction about what I wanted to do with my life until a few years after college. Here are a few items you might consider to help you find that voice of yours.
Explore Broadly
“Survey wide fields, but cultivate small ones,” goes the saying. You won’t know if you like something unless you try it. So, while in high-school, take lots of different classes. There are a wide variety of classes to choose from and numerous clubs or teams you can join. Sometimes a single event can ignite4 something in you as it did in Justin.
One day my dad brought home a 3D architecture5 program, knowing that I have always loved designing things. He told me to install it and have some fun. That was only the beginning. In the seventh grade, my Algebra6 teacher told the class that, for the final project, we would be designing a house. I was ecstatic7. I got to work on it the next day, and finished it one week in advance. I got 99 percent on the assignment. This made me want to design more houses. One day I will be designing and building the tallest skyscraper in the world.
You’ll also want to explore different jobs, when possible. Instead of applying for the same summer job each year, try doing something different.
Watch out for Happy Accident
When I first tried out for the high school freshman football team, I wanted to be a running back8. But, seeing that we had no quarterback9, Coach Drury made me play quarterback. “Quarterback? What a stupid position!” I thought. To make a long story short, I played quarterback in high-school, and got a scholarship to play quarterback for a big college, where I took a class from a teacher who inspired me to major in English, which led me to write books, which in turn affected my whole career. Had I stuck with running back, I probably wouldn’t have played football in college (I wasn’t fast enough) and probably wouldn’t have met that inspiring teacher and so many other things might not have happened. I’m so glad Coach Drury saw something in me that I didn’t. Happy accident, wouldn’t you say?
Be on the lookout for a lucky break, an accident, a turn of events, or a person who sees something in you that you don’t see in yourself. So many times, the stumbling block10 you tripped over growing up becomes the building block of your future.
Think Deeply
You’d be surprised at how many people end up in dead-end careers because they never really took the time to think about what they wanted to do. What should you think about? You should think about what you really like and hate doing, how much money you want to make, and what kind of lifestyle you want. Perhaps most important, do something you love.
“You can only become truly accomplished at something you love. Don’t make money your goal. Instead, pursue the things you love doing, and then do them so well that people can’t take their eyes off you.”
How much a person makes and the kind of job they have has nothing to do with their worth. There is dignity in all hard work, whether in high-paying jobs like a doctor or low-paying jobs like a grocery store checker. My point is: a good education gives you options. Most people in low-paying jobs are there not by choice but by default11. They’d prefer a better-paying job but can’t get one because they lack the skills.
The Power of the Human Mind
According to a research at Cambridge University, it doesn’t matter in what order the letters in a word are, the only important thing is that the first and last letter be in the right place. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.
Isn’t that amazing! And I always thought slpeling was ipmorantt!
Your mind truly is a phenomenal12 thing. Don’t waste it. Educate it. After all, what you do with that mass of gray material between your ears is one of the most important decisions you’ll ever make. I hope you’ll choose the high road by staying in school, giving it your best effort, and preparing yourself for college and a great career centered on what you were born to do. If you’ve been trudging13 around on the lower road for years, take a detour14 to the higher road today. Sure, you may have some catching up to do, but better late than never！
我十几岁的时候，如果有人问我这个问题，我会说：“不知道。”那时我还在寻思该邀请谁去参加初中毕业舞会呢。
但是你当你临近中学毕业，该是时候开始考虑长大后要干什么了。我没说想清楚，我是说，要开始想想了。你的最终目标应该是建立一番事业或一个专长，而不是满足于一连串没有前途的工作。
关键是了解自己的心声，找到属于自己的轨道、自己的位置，找到自己天生适合做的事。
这四个圆重叠的部分代表你的定位。在你开始考虑想进的大学、想找的工作和想学的专业等等时，想一想这些圆吧。最终，你想要成就的是符合你定位的事业。
这四个圆都很重要。比如，你可能喜欢音乐（激情），甚至还很擅长它（天赋），但你也得从中找出一条谋生之道（需求）。成为摇滚明星的机会只有万分之一，所以不要在这上面下赌注。但是，你可以通过教音乐、或为电视广告和电影写歌来赚钱谋生。
同样，你也不愿意一辈子守着一份薪酬优厚（需求），但无乐趣可言（激情），又不能展露才华（天赋）的职业。
找到自己的定位也许要花费很长时间。耐心点！其实，我也是在大学毕业几年之后才对自己的人生规划有了一个清晰的认识。以下几项或许能帮你找到自己的定位。
多方尝试
俗话说：“广泛撒网，重点捕捞。”不试一下，你就不会知道自己喜欢什么。所以，在中学阶段，应多学习不同课程。中学可供选择的课程种类繁多，俱乐部或社团也很多。有时，一件事就足够点燃你心中的激情，正如贾斯廷的经历。
有一天我爸爸带回一套3D建筑设计软件，他知道我一直喜欢设计。他叫我装上软件好好玩。那只是个开始。在我7年级的时候，代数老师告诉全班同学，我们的期末作业是设计一幢房子。我欣喜若狂，第二天就开始着手，提前一周完成了设计。那次作业得了99分。这让我期望设计出更多的房子。总有一天我会设计并建造出世界上最高的摩天大楼。
如有可能，你也会想尝试不同的工作吧。试试不同的事情，不要每年暑假总去申请同样的工作。
留意意外收获
最初申请进中学新生橄榄球队时，我想做个跑卫。但考虑到队里没有四分卫，德鲁里教练就让我打四分卫。“四分卫？多么无聊的角色！”我这么想。长话短说吧，中学时我打四分卫，后来因打四分卫获得了一份奖学金，我进入一所重点大学。在那里听的一节课中，授课老师激发起我主修英文的兴趣。由此我写起书来，这进而又影响了我整个职业生涯。假设我当初坚持要打跑卫，上大学时我可能就不会打球了（因为我速度不够快），也就遇不上那位激励了我的老师，其它许多事也就不会发生。我非常庆幸，德鲁里教练看到了我身上自己没有察觉的东西。真是意外收获，不是吗？
处处留心一个幸运的突破，一起意外事件，一次转机，或是一位能看到你身上尚未发掘的潜质的人。因此很多时刻，成长路上碍事的绊脚石却成了搭建你未来的积木。
深思熟虑
你会感到惊讶：竟然有那么多人陷入事业的死胡同，只是因为他们从未真正花时间考虑自己到底想做什么。你应该思考些什么呢？你应该考虑什么是你真正喜欢的和真正讨厌的，你想赚多少钱，想选择何种生活方式。也许最重要的是：做你爱做的事。
“只有做爱做的事才能真正有所成就。不要以赚钱为目的，而要从事你爱做的事，并要做得非常出色，让人无法对你等闲视之。”
赚多少钱和做什么工作与人的自我价值无关。所有辛勤劳动，无论是像医生这样的高薪职业，还是像杂货店收银员之类的低薪工作，都有其尊严所在。我的观点是：良好的教育使你有选择的机会。做低薪工作的大多数人并不是出于自身选择，而是迫于无奈。他们倒是愿意有份薪酬更高的工作，只是由于缺乏技能而找不到。
大脑的力量
剑桥大学的一项研究表明，一个单词中字母的顺序并不重要，只要首字母和最后一个字母拼写正确，其余部分即使是一团糟，读起来也不会有问题。这是因为人类大脑不是孤立地阅读每个字母，而是把单词当作一个整体来理解。
多么令人惊讶！以前我一直认为拼写很重要呢！
人的大脑真是不同凡响。不要浪费了。让它接受教育。毕竟，如何运用两耳之间的那团灰色物质，是你要做的最重要的选择之一。我希望你选择康庄大道——呆在学校里，尽最大努力，为进入大学和那些天生适合你做的伟大事业做准备。如果一直以来你是在小道上跋涉，那么今天就绕到大道上来吧。当然，你可能有些落后，需要赶一赶，但迟到总比不到好啊！
1. harp n. 竖琴
2. groove n. 槽，沟
3. overlap v. 交叠；重合
4. ignite v. 点燃
5. architecture n. 建筑，建筑学
6. algebra n. 代数
7. ecstatic adj. 狂喜的
8. running back （橄榄球的）跑卫
9. quarterback n. （橄榄球的）四分卫
10. stumbling block 绊脚石
11. default n. 默认
12. phenomenal adj. 非凡的，异常的
13. trudge v. 跋涉
14. detour n. 绕道