Searching for a life

[doctorknowalittle]

Hello everyone, i started this new topic because i belive this is the place to do so. I am 19 years old, and though I have a place to stay and a job right now. I am looking for what it is i truly want to do with myself. I ask this question here on scienceforums, cuz i think yahoo answers would have a lot of senseless answers from kids or someone stoned out of their mind. Let me tell you a little bit about my passions so you'll have a greater understanding of who I partially am, and what I want to do/be.

To start, I love the ocean. I was raised in southern florida, I love the paradisey vibe that place gives off. I've been thinking about joing the coast guard lately, and have done a lot of research into it. The Coast Guard looks nice but I'm not sure if its really for me. I want to live on an island, not just vacation there one day and be a tourist there. I know vacationing to the places i want to go would never truly satisfy my soul. I am very confused and lost right now. Im trying to gather my thoughts together right now, It seems that i've lost what i'm trying to express. I want to travel places, I want to meet new people. I want to meet a girl that is kind, and caring. (my current gf of 9 months is not exactly kind or caring) I want to feel love and live in a house with a few friends who are like me. Here; where i'm at now. There is no one like me. I lost all of my friends but one by moving to a new high school my senior year. Ive been out of school for a year now, but i haven't met anyone other than my girlfriends old friends. They like me and say im a cool dude etc.. but i dont know, they just aren't the kind of people i want to be around. The one friend that i do still have is leaving for the marines in a few weeks and encourages me to join the coast guard because he feels its the best thing for me, and it'd be a great way to meet new people. I just don't know if i want to sign away my freedom and life away for 4 years. I was about to move to brazil 10 months ago, but i couldnt get my passport due to some "technical reasons" as they called it. Maybe that was the universe telling me not to go. I'll never know.

 

Now if you're reading this and wondering: why did i just waste thirty seconds of your time? I really needed some input from someone other than the peopole around me. & this being a science forum, theres gotta be a lot of intelligence and wisdom to be passed around!

If you have anything to say, if you understand what i am going through, or have had an experience like this. Please reply with your thoughts or questions. I would appreciate it so much. Thank you for your time.

[CaptainPanic]

We need to distinguish between two very different issues here:

- Social life

- Work

 

Drop the idea that the two are somehow compatible, or that the right job will give you a social life. In fact, even if you get along with your colleagues very well, I recommend to keep your social life and work separate. But you need to work anyway, so you'd better do what you enjoy doing. And I cannot help you with finding out what you like to do. All I can advise is that you do not commit yourself for too much time at once.

 

So, that just leaves the choice: work (or study!) in your current location, which is Florida, or somewhere else.

 

Wherever you will go, you will meet people. And people are nice pretty much everywhere.

 

With a diploma, it suddenly becomes easier to travel and also your job will be more diverse and interesting. You're more wanted (in a good sense) with a diploma.

[zapatos]

As of six months ago the Coast Guard was not looking for active duty members, but would be happy to have you in the Reserves.

 

Don't feel that you have to decide right now what to do. I graduated from college without knowing what kind of degree I really wanted or what I wanted to do with my life. You can make general moves in the direction you want until a direction becomes clear to you (which it still has not for me and I'm 53). If school is important to you, choose that even if you are unsure what to major in. If new friends are important to you then make moves to get new friends even if unsure that the next group of people will be right for you. But do not let life pass you by as you wait for just the right thing. Make a move even if unsure how it will work out. If it doesn't work out, make another and another until you are happy.

[Chad]

I am 39 years old and live in New Orleans.

 

When I was your age, I did not have those problems. It seems like maybe, you had some bad luck, like your friends moving away ex.ex.

 

I actually moved to New Mexico when I was around 19. I left because of a girl, I just needed to be far away, to stop thinking about her. (I stayed 9 months there)

 

Then when I was about 23 I moved to Mississippi, for ((kinda)) the same reasons as you. And I stayed there for around 9 months.

 

But both times I got home sick, and came back home. But as I think now, I may have stayed longer, if I had met the right girl.

 

 

I think maybe your main problem is, that you don't have the right people in your life. And your young and you want to live like young people do.

 

Due to time factors I must keep this short, so I guess this old man is gonna give you some advise.

 

 

 

 

I think you should do a semester or 2 at college. You would get (3) benefits from this. First you get an education, that will make finding jobs easier. Second you will be around lots of people your own age. Third it will easier than moving to a new state.

 

After high school, I went to a college about 1 hour away from my house. I lived in the dorm. I did not get an education there, but I sure as hell had a lot of fun.

 

 

I would also consider the US Coast Guard. When I was your age, I did not even consider doing things like that. But now that I am older, I wonder what that would have been like, and how I may be different today.

 

 

 

But my personal feeling is, you should find a college, somewhat near your house (with a good male/female ratio, a good bar scene, and somewhat large.) And do a semester there living in the dorm. It would be less than six months.

 

And if you don't like college, you can move to another state, or join the US Coast Guard.

 

 

 

But most importantly do what (you) want to do.

 

Chad.

Edited June 29, 2012 by Chad