[Alex and Bodie's Mom]

Dottie -- I'll join the club of "still don't know what I want to be when I grow up" -- and I have a Masters degree.

My advice? Don't sweat it. You'll change your mind a thousand times between now and your 80th birthday. When I was your age, I knew I was going to own an Arabian breeding and training farm. Fast-forward 16 years, and I'm teaching history.

I started out in Art, then moved to English, and even dabbled in Graphic Design before finding a fantastic professor who turned me on to history and I've been with it ever since. BUT, I am returning to grad school next fall for my Masters in English/Creative Writing (see, I'm still not sure even on that!), and then probably my PhD in History. (But secretly, I want to be a NY Times bestselling novelist!)

I've worked in universities and community colleges, and you will get a better education at a community college than you will in a huge 4-year university. At a CC, you'll be a name and face, not an ID number. The instructors are usually just as good (and you'll NEVER get a GTA who doesn't know how to teach!) and you'll have more opportunity to explore, grow, research, volunteer, and just think.

Plus, it's a heck of a lot cheaper and when you decide what you want to do, most of your prerequisites will be done. If you qualify for a Pell Grant, that will take care of most, if not all, of your tuition and fees (and probably books, too) w/o having massive student loans. You can even do a double-major in Science and English easily, and then decide where you want to go from there.

[axl]

Right now, I'd settle for solvent, then self-supporting. What I really wish? I was still that age when I thought I'd have it figured out when I reached this age

[acoustic]

A trophy wife. Is that an option?

Nah, just kidding. I have too much energy (and not enough good looks) to just sit around and look pretty.

I'm in nursing school now and while I enjoy taking care of people, I don't think that I'll do this my entire life. There are just too many things that I'd like to experience.

Restlessness can be a blessing, really.

My dream? Teach horseback riding in the summer and skiing in the winter. Or teach for the NOLS. I love teaching and being outside, especially in the mountains. God give me mountains, please!

I do LOVE microbiology though and was very close to pursuing it in college, but the idea of a doctorate degree was too serious a commitment at the time. I still study it on the side (yes, for fun) and am hoping to combine my passion for it with nursing by specializing in infection control.

Gone are the days where you are expected to stay at your same job for 40+ years. If all goes well, life is a long road with so many opportunities to experience.

[Donkerbruin]

They say that you should take whatever you like to do in your spare time and turn that into your career.

Things I like:

Napping - Professional mattress tester?

Eating - Food critic?

Horseback riding - Trainer?

Making people laugh - Stand up comedienne?

Reading - Editor?

Making crafts - Starving artist?

None of those really seem like viable options to me. Well, I could be an editor, but let's face it, there's not much calling for one with zero experience nowadays. Training horses would be great, but I feel it's one of those things that you have to have money to make money.

Since I graduated in 2011 with a BA in US History and Political Science with a minor in Hispanic Studies, I have been a server, camp counselor, and insurance agent. My favorite? The one that paid the least: camp counselor.

What to do? I always have my eyes open for new opportunities. Until then, I'm going to do what I love in my spare time, and be the best damn insurance agent I can be!

[Chief2]

I would go to this Tea Room!

Thank you for your vote of confidence!

[linquest]

If you are that unsure, I'd suggest you go to a community college and get your pre-reqs out of the way. No point in blowing a minimum of $30K on that when you can transfer your credits and get them much more cheaply!

Ditto. I went to a junior college where I majored in liberal arts and then transferred to a very narrowly-specialized program at an Ivy League. Saved my parents a ton of money.

[PeteyPie]

A superb mom, a great partner, and a fantastic lawyer.

I have a sneaky feeling you already are those things... so no fair! You have to come up with a new one (or two, or three...).

[PeteyPie]

Or, I'd really like to open a bagel shop/deli. I'm from Jersey and the lack of good bagels in these parts depresses me to no end. Never mind that I've never actually made a bagel in my life...

The lack of good bakeries where I live has fueled my fantasy about opening a bakery/pastry shop specializing in French pastries. Or Dutch. Love Dutch pastries. Yum.

[Chief2]

PeteyPie, you could call it Panache!

Panache is a French word origin that carries the connotation of a flamboyant manner and reckless courage.