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I'm 14 and still dont know what I want to do in life.

Hey Sam so basically I'm 14 and I always used to have a career choice in mind, it changed all the time but t was always there. basically but after i moved to secondary school i now have no idea what i want to do and its really worrying me

​people have told me i need to know what I want to do by now. I'm also really anxious about exams and studying and all, homework sometimes gives me panic attacks. I dont know what im going to do next year when it's gonna get more homework.

​I just really need some advice.

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Sam

Hi there,

Some people know from an early age exactly what they want to do in life and they spend their time working towards that goal. For many people however it is much less certain what they want to do. Everyone's individual outlook on life will decide how they cope with uncertainty about the future, and that outlook can be changed.

There's no right or wrong way to feel about the future. Some people have a clear idea of what they want to do and take a path which they always imagined themselves taking. Some of those people will achieve their dreams, others won't - some of them will change their minds. A lot of people don't have any idea what they want to do most of the time, and that's okay too.

There's nothing wrong with not knowing what you want to do yet - that's quite normal and there are some benefits to not having a set plan. If you are less sure of what you want to do, it means you can try lots of things to see what fits. Being more open to opportunities like this means there may get into a career that you haven't ever considered.

Remember that what you end up doing for a living doesn't define who you are as a person and it's okay for you to change your mind about your career as often as you want. Sometimes it can be just as important to enjoy what you're doing, even if it turns out not to be your career.

I hope that helps, thanks for the letter.

Sam

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