I don't know what I want to do with my life!

[Penguin]

This post came out of nowhere, but I wasn't sure where else to post this.

I am going to be 17 in a month, and I start my last year of high school in September. For the last few years, I've been constantly thinking about what I want to do with my life, with my interests taken into consideration. The occupations that I've looked into the most include being a real estate broker, car salesmen, lawyer, and just a general business owner (entrepreneur). I have a great interest in politics, economics, law, geography, and finance.

The real thing that I want to do in life though, is to open up a business. I have tons of ideas (ranging from a juicery, to a greenhouse type of idea, to a burger joint which would serve quality food at an affordable cost). I want to be in charge of my money, and I want to make my own money. I am willing to work hard, and I am willing to take risks. For the last year, I've been aiming on becoming a lawyer, and while I have gotten a firsthand impression on what it is like (I've been interning with a criminal trial lawyer for a few months), I just feel like I could accomplish so much more in life running a business, in hopes of becoming big through the process of trial and error.

I believe that with new, innovative ideas, anything can be achieved. I've realized that most successful entrepreneurs all started out very young with confidence in their ideas. I have been told for all of my life that 90% of businesses fail, and while that may be true, why cant I be that 10%? If I really have enough confidence in my idea, then I will keep going forward and keep taking that risk, just because I truly feel that my idea can grow into something more. I've realized that nearly all of America's self-made millionaires and billionaires all started with very little, and that each of these entrepreneurs all had something in common-- they all started at a young age. Through my research, I've come to the conclusion that it is all about trial and error. Most business owners seem to immediately lose all hope once one business they own fails.

Currently I have a little over $3000 saved up and I plan on saving as much as I can. I haven't spent a penny, and I do not plan on doing that. I plan on going to college, however it would be hard to run a business while attending (I would have to think this over more, whether I'd want to run a business through my college years).

In a nutshell: I kind of want to be a lawyer, but deep down I know that what I really want to do is run a business and hopefully expand. I don't want to be that little guy working for the big guy managing my paycheck. I am sounding like a giant douchebag, but I want to be the big guy managing my employees' paycheck.

Should I go for my business ideas and take some risks starting next year or the year after? I don't want to risk all of my money, but the good thing is that I'll be living rent-free through college, and I wont be paying for food expenses or anything (my dad is nice enough to cover everything). I need some opinions.

Also my apologies for rambling on and for not organizing these paragraphs.

[Paul]

Education, experience, maturity, contacts and reputation should be your first objectives on your pathway to owning and operating a successful business. Running a side business is great in the mean time BUT don’t get caught up in an unrealistic dream.

You are so young and know what you want to do. Take the opportunity to dedicate the next few years to development of yourself in preparation for the ultimate goal. Go to school, work for a company, have a side business, get involved with business organizations, learn! Learn! Learn! And Save! Save! Save!

I know it is hard to be patient but try to plan your life backwards. Think about being 25 or 30 and looking back. Do you want to be the educated experienced person prepared financially for real business responsibilities, or do you want to look back at multiple failed businesses attempts with little to show for the effort?

Being the “boss” isn’t as romantic as it may seem. That will come eventually, but in the mean time take advantage of the opportunity to prepare for what you want.

Just an opinion from an old guy. Take it for what it’s worth.

BTW-being a lawyer IS a business! I know plenty of lawyers with large staff and attorneys working for them. Building that is not much different from building any other kind of business.

[Penguin]

Education, experience, maturity, contacts and reputation should be your first objectives on your pathway to owning and operating a successful business. Running a side business is great in the mean time BUT don’t get caught up in an unrealistic dream.

You are so young and know what you want to do. Take the opportunity to dedicate the next few years to development of yourself in preparation for the ultimate goal. Go to school, work for a company, have a side business, get involved with business organizations, learn! Learn! Learn! And Save! Save! Save!

I know it is hard to be patient but try to plan your life backwards. Think about being 25 or 30 and looking back. Do you want to be the educated experienced person prepared financially for real business responsibilities, or do you want to look back at multiple failed businesses attempts with little to show for the effort?

Being the “boss” isn’t as romantic as it may seem. That will come eventually, but in the mean time take advantage of the opportunity to prepare for what you want.

Just an opinion from an old guy. Take it for what it’s worth.

BTW-being a lawyer IS a business! I know plenty of lawyers with large staff and attorneys working for them. Building that is not much different from building any other kind of business.

Thank you so much for the advice! I had a feeling that running a business while attending college wouldn't be in my best interest. I will definitely go to college (as I said previously), however I will consider taking another route. Originally, I planned on going to college, potentially experiment with business through my college years, then go to law school, find a firm to work at, practice law as a lawyer for a few years and then move onto starting an actual business. I've rethought that completely, and while I do like the idea of being lawyer, and as much as I'd enjoy being one, I feel like I could accomplish so much more and could be so much happier getting into business. Also I do know that the whole partnering concept is doing business, and the lawyer profession in general.

What I may do instead, is go to college and develop connections with fellow students who could potentially be partners in the future (either way I'm going to college though), major in business administration, graduate and start a business fresh out of college. One reason why I'd consider the lawyer bit is because I would want a primary job, in case the business thing doesn't work out too well. On the other hand, I could very well just rely on my business to earn a living (if it'd be profitable). Now I am just speculating, but yeah.

More thoughts please! I'm really just rambling on anyway.

[Freelancier]

I had several jobs and a few businesses during the 5 years while I was in college... but learning came first. The job was just to get the experience doing different things. Turned out that one of my businesses turned into my career... software consulting. Sometimes it works out that way. Just remember that college is not just about books, but about the experiences you can gain.

I wouldn't major in BA, though. It's hard to compete with people who will have an MBA. Combine it with something else you're interested in so that you can get into an industry that interests you.

[Penguin]

I had several jobs and a few businesses during the 5 years while I was in college... but learning came first. The job was just to get the experience doing different things. Turned out that one of my businesses turned into my career... software consulting. Sometimes it works out that way. Just remember that college is not just about books, but about the experiences you can gain.

I wouldn't major in BA, though. It's hard to compete with people who will have an MBA. Combine it with something else you're interested in so that you can get into an industry that interests you.

I know what you mean, BA is a useless major, same with the liberal arts.

[Freelancier]

I didn't say it was "useless", just that you haven't separated yourself from the very crowded field of middle managers and you haven't even gotten experience at being a bottom-level manager, so you're fighting an uphill battle without enough ammunition. I got an engineering degree and figured out 15 years later that I needed to know more about how to run a business (business administration) in order to successfully run a business. I wished I had figured that out sooner.

So... combine the business learning with learning about an industry that interests you that is growing and easy enough to get into out of college. Position yourself for success.

[tallen]

To become successful in business, I believe that you need to have passion (and talent, skill, experience...) not just for business in general but also for the particular business you are trying to start.

Second point, operating a side business while holding down a "real job" is a great way to gain experience, try things out, etc... but at some point you will likely face real tension between the demands of your business vs. your "real job." Develop an exit plan -- how will you give up (or scale back) the side-business if it starts to draw too much of your time and energy away from meeting the expectations of your "real job?" Alternatively (or in addition), plan for what it will take to transition from the business being just a side-business to it actually becoming your real job... How you live your live -- what your needs, expenses, and responsibilities are -- how much you are a saver vs. a spender, and how much risk you are willing to take, are all factors -- as is your passion for what it is that you are doing.

Edited to add: By the way, going to college IS a "real job" in the sense that you should invest as much if not more time and energy into your studies as you would give to any full-time employer. If you don't take your studies seriously (whatever field you choose to study), you are only cheating yourself (and whoever else is helping to pay your tuition). So whatever field you choose to study is one that you should have a real interest, even passion, for -- even if it is one of the "useless" liberal arts. (But they are NOT useless -- you learn how to learn, how to think critically, how to express yourself, about the context for civilization, about the human condition, etc..., etc.... -- all things that will help you tremendously as a lawyer, or business person, or any other career that involves interacting with other people (can you think of a career that doesn't?))

[M.Ehrmantraut]

Thank you so much for the advice! I had a feeling that running a business while attending college wouldn't be in my best interest. I will definitely go to college (as I said previously), however I will consider taking another route. Originally, I planned on going to college, potentially experiment with business through my college years, then go to law school, find a firm to work at, practice law as a lawyer for a few years and then move onto starting an actual business. I've rethought that completely, and while I do like the idea of being lawyer, and as much as I'd enjoy being one, I feel like I could accomplish so much more and could be so much happier getting into business. Also I do know that the whole partnering concept is doing business, and the lawyer profession in general.

What I may do instead, is go to college and develop connections with fellow students who could potentially be partners in the future (either way I'm going to college though), major in business administration, graduate and start a business fresh out of college. One reason why I'd consider the lawyer bit is because I would want a primary job, in case the business thing doesn't work out too well. On the other hand, I could very well just rely on my business to earn a living (if it'd be profitable). Now I am just speculating, but yeah.

More thoughts please! I'm really just rambling on anyway.

Sounds like you've got a good head on your shoulders and are ahead of the pack considering most of the people around your age I speak with, keep at it with focus and determination and things will work out fine for you.

[billbenson]

I had several jobs and a few businesses during the 5 years while I was in college... but learning came first. The job was just to get the experience doing different things. Turned out that one of my businesses turned into my career... software consulting. Sometimes it works out that way. Just remember that college is not just about books, but about the experiences you can gain.

I wouldn't major in BA, though. It's hard to compete with people who will have an MBA. Combine it with something else you're interested in so that you can get into an industry that interests you.

Ideally a college degree teaches you how to learn. Today a BS is better than a BA, but both have value. Neither will do more than get you your first job. But neither is bad, depending on what you want to do. I'd go for the BS though.

[Owen]

This post came out of nowhere, but I wasn't sure where else to post this.

I am going to be 17 in a month, and I start my last year of high school in September. For the last few years, I've been constantly thinking about what I want to do with my life, with my interests taken into consideration. The occupations that I've looked into the most include being a real estate broker, car salesmen, lawyer, and just a general business owner (entrepreneur). I have a great interest in politics, economics, law, geography, and finance.

The real thing that I want to do in life though, is to open up a business. I have tons of ideas (ranging from a juicery, to a greenhouse type of idea, to a burger joint which would serve quality food at an affordable cost). I want to be in charge of my money, and I want to make my own money. I am willing to work hard, and I am willing to take risks. For the last year, I've been aiming on becoming a lawyer, and while I have gotten a firsthand impression on what it is like (I've been interning with a criminal trial lawyer for a few months), I just feel like I could accomplish so much more in life running a business, in hopes of becoming big through the process of trial and error.

I believe that with new, innovative ideas, anything can be achieved. I've realized that most successful entrepreneurs all started out very young with confidence in their ideas. I have been told for all of my life that 90% of businesses fail, and while that may be true, why cant I be that 10%? If I really have enough confidence in my idea, then I will keep going forward and keep taking that risk, just because I truly feel that my idea can grow into something more. I've realized that nearly all of America's self-made millionaires and billionaires all started with very little, and that each of these entrepreneurs all had something in common-- they all started at a young age. Through my research, I've come to the conclusion that it is all about trial and error. Most business owners seem to immediately lose all hope once one business they own fails.

Currently I have a little over $3000 saved up and I plan on saving as much as I can. I haven't spent a penny, and I do not plan on doing that. I plan on going to college, however it would be hard to run a business while attending (I would have to think this over more, whether I'd want to run a business through my college years).

In a nutshell: I kind of want to be a lawyer, but deep down I know that what I really want to do is run a business and hopefully expand. I don't want to be that little guy working for the big guy managing my paycheck. I am sounding like a giant douchebag, but I want to be the big guy managing my employees' paycheck.

Should I go for my business ideas and take some risks starting next year or the year after? I don't want to risk all of my money, but the good thing is that I'll be living rent-free through college, and I wont be paying for food expenses or anything (my dad is nice enough to cover everything). I need some opinions.

Also my apologies for rambling on and for not organizing these paragraphs.

Welcome to childhood, Young Blood. Believe me, I was in your shoes a good 1 - 2 years ago. I'm younger than you though, (by almost a year, I just turned 16) but it did take quite a while to get a grasp on what I wanted to do, let alone stick to one business idea. You will go back and forth especially if you have ADHD or ADD like myself, believe me it's a huge living hell trying to concentrate on one thing.

Anyways, try some things out. Study law for a bit, talk to some lawyers (maybe), watch some videos about what being a lawyer is like, then after all that decide whether or not you want to do it. Do the same thing will every career path. Take all the careers left and decide. Just remember, you have another year to worry about it.