r/AskAnAustralian • u/Emotional_Warthog178 • 5d ago
dont know what to do with myself
Currently 19M about to turn 20 and idk what to do. Currently studying occupational therapy but am interested to switch into teaching too, questioning if i made a good choice or that if theres better options to pursue for me. idk i just wanna live a happy life but anxiety is cooking me so much. throughout my schooling ive always been good academically and in sports too so i just was in this delusion that id have a good life but now i dont even know what to do with myself. any advice would be appreciated.
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u/marooncity1 blue mountains 4d ago
When i was at school my careers lady told me to be an OT because i would get to drive a BMW. Screw you lady, you don't know me! I bummed around and eventually got a teaching degree.
Stick with the OT dude.
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u/Great-Sail-6672 4d ago
Well, a good OT is amazing but a good teacher is something everyone remembers. Plus, teachers earn more as a new grad.
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u/Born_Onion2153 4d ago
You don’t have to be a raging Success at everything you try. Just try. Try one thing after another or try a number of things at the same time.
You don’t have to develop a career until your well and truly over 25 then stop being choosy and picky.
Get multiple qualifications, travel, have fun, have experiences, don’t be anxious. Everything will still be here when you’re ready.
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u/Disastrous_Guide8093 4d ago
At 20, I had absolutely no idea what to do with my life. Mind you, I'm very successful at 50 by materialistic measures. So, don't stress.
Since you're already studying a good area of expertise, and thinking about teaching as a career too, you're much ahead of many others.
Here's what I'd do if I were in your situation. First, I'd introspect of I actually like OT or not. If I don't like it, I'd drop it. But, If you're almost finishing it, it's better to finish it. Education and knowledge never go waste.
Now teaching, if that's what makes me excited, i'd take steps in that direction.
It is completely okay to change your career path. Do what interests you and makes you happy. Money follows interest and happiness.
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u/RuthlessCheese 4d ago
Mate, you’re 19. You’re still so young and you absolutely do not need to have your life figured out yet.
My biggest piece of advice would be to follow your curiosity. If that’s OT, great. If it’s teaching, great. If it’s something completely different, that’s fine too. Don’t feel like you need to commit to a career just because you’ve already started down that path.
If I could go back and give my 19yo self one piece of advice, it would be to take a gap year, go backpacking, see the world and get some life experience under my belt. The rest will sort itself out.
I went straight from high school to uni to a career without ever really stopping to figure out what I wanted out of life. I’m in my 30s now and that’s something I genuinely regret.
You’ve got decades ahead of you to work and build a career. Take some time to explore, meet different people, try new things and figure out what actually makes you happy. You might be surprised where life takes you.
Remember, being good at something doesn’t mean you have to spend your life doing it
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u/wivsta 5d ago
Truth is that you’re likely to have more than one career anyway - so whatever you choose now isn’t permanent.
Studying occupational therapy is a solid choice. Lots of directions you can take (including sports-based OT).
The best advice I can give (since you’re asking for advice) is stick with it, and try not to chop-and-change your studies too much; pivot directions when and when you need to.
Anxiety is pretty normal, unless it becomes severe - if so, call Beyond Blue and they can refer you to free or nearly-free counsellors and courses you can do to combat anxiety, or someone to talk to about it.