A common question that I may receive once a week or more is “what do you want to be when you grow up?” Although a rather annoying question, it does give me the opportunity to reflect and think about what truly I do want to do. I don’t believe I have an answer to the question but with some planning, I can get a much better idea of the direction I want to go. Five years from now I may have decided to take my life in a completely different direction but the planning is an interesting thought exercise and could provide direction for a very complicated future. By using myBlueprint I was able to get a better understanding of who I am, to begin to plan my immediate future, and my long term future.
Who am I Surveys
The surveys we took were myBlueprint tools designed to help students get a better understanding of who they are. These surveys aren’t perfect and are sure to be incorrect in some kind of way. These results should be taken with a grain of salt, but that doesn’t mean that these surveys are pointless; rather these surveys are a piece of info that can spark deep thought and reflection.
The first survey we completed revealed my personality. The test is similar to the Myers-Briggs personality test that has become quite well known but formatted in a way that gives you an insight into the importance of each trait.
After reading the results, I was very surprised and confused about how these results came to be. I may be slightly extroverted but I don’t find myself very feeling and perceiving at all. It said that I make decisions based on feelings more than facts; which I mostly agree with. However, it also said that I think before I act; which is quite far from the truth. Although I disagree with the majority of that result it did make me think about who I think I am.
The third survey I completed discussed my interests. It asked questions to understand what topics and ideas interest me the most. It revealed my top interest areas and gave explanations for where I could find these find interests.
The interest areas above seem to very well describe me. I have always been one to follow my own path; I choose to follow my own dreams or ideas rather than be boxed in by constraints and rules. At the same time, I have been curious, always asking questions since I was young. These two traits combine to someone can work hard to solve problems. It also suggests that I am willing to put in a ton of effort to reach my goals especially if those goals are related to something I really I am passionate about.
My High School Plan
As I look to my future at school I used myBluprint to plan my classes for the next 2 years. I kept in mind where I wanted to go in my post-secondary life as well as my current interests.
With my strong focus on athletics, the two spares will allow me to focus my efforts on the subjects and courses I take as well as my the athletics I participate in. However, one of the spares will be filled with a TA block for the majority of the year supplying me with the credits to graduate. As seen above I chose to take exclusively high pressure and workload courses. These high-level courses are very important to development as a learner because they will enable me to understand who I am as a learner and human being better. These courses will also give me the opportunity to explore potential career’s and areas I could choose to take my life.
Potential Futures
I explored different options within three major categories:
- University or college
- Apprenticeship
- Straight into the workplace
I researched 3 potential careers within those categories and created a table that compared them all. I looked at a number of different
| Baker (apprenticeship) | Law degree – Lawyer (University) | Professional Athlete (Workplace) | |
| Pay | 21,000 – 56,000 | 40,000 – 270,000 | 29,000 – 74,000 |
| My Match | 59 % | 78 % | 79 % |
| Outlook | 2/3 stars | 3/3 stars | Unknown |
| Education | Apprenticeship | Undergrad degree + Law degree | Secondary |
| My Passion for it | 3/10 | 7/10 | 9/10 |
Looking at these categories I must try to think about what matters most to me. My enjoyment and quality of my job are very important to me so it does narrow down my potential careers a little. I would certainly enjoy the money that a lawyer rakes in but at the same time chasing my dreams as an athlete might be one of the most rewarding careers possibly for me. The most important part of this activity is that it inspires thought for me. By making me think about what I could become it sets myself off on the right foot to be aware of what I have to reach a life that serves my goals well.
I am still only 15 and with tons of development left to go, you never know who I will become. I could take a guess that I am going to be a successful mathematician but you can never really know what you’ll love and be successful at until you actually give it a shot. By participating in the activities exploring who I am I can get a much better feeling of what I want to do with my future. I can look at who I am to get a much better understanding of what I need to do to reach the goals of my life.
