Photo by Anna Haley

Many struggle when deciding a career path, debating between their passions and practicality.

When remembering elementary school, a single shared memory comes to mind as we were all asked one key question during ice breakers and “get-to-know-me’s”:

What do you want to be when you grow up?

And while we’re young, the question breezes by as silly. Dreams of someday being a hero pile up as giggles carry across the classroom. “I’m gonna be a fireman!” and “I wanna be a nurse like my mom” are shouted out, and the excitement in the room becomes palpable. Throughout our time in school, this question is asked again and again, and answers transition from life-saving heroes to D1 athletes and social media stars. After middle school, the decision becomes crucial as we race against time and college application deadlines. One final time, we’re asked, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” The same question that was provided years ago when grown up was miles away. But even if the question was simple, which direction do you go when your head is drowning out every protest your heart can express?

85% of my time is spent worrying about what career I’ll end up picking and spending every day for the rest of my life doing. Living in a small town like Texarkana my entire life, my college plans have always been to get out as soon as I turn my tassel and head somewhere large to explore opportunities and blend in with the rest of society. That is until the actual decision-making begins. Do I follow the burning passion in my heart or steer away from my ambitions and succumb to the mindset that work is work and the cycle repeats every day until we age out of the desired skills that the workforce seeks?

Logic

In today’s world, everything revolves around the economy, including the constant talk about inflation and gas prices. These complaints from parents leave teenagers wary when choosing majors and degree plans, potentially causing the issue of misconceived desires for the future. Even without input from mentors and relatives, the internal tussle between logic and wishes can cause a disoriented view of the path ahead. But how does one choose which branch of the split to follow? 

The first thought in most people’s minds is the cost of basic necessities. While digging through piles of options for programs, the research process begins its route and required years of education and salaries to team up to compete against others for the title of “The Chosen One”.

When the question hits, we have to weigh the value of working for money vs. working for fulfillment. In this case, the desire for monetary success takes the trophy, and we’re jostled into the world of employment. Soon after, however, as the common conclusion comes into play, it is revealed that only 50% of American employees found fulfillment in their chosen career if they thought logically when officially deciding. Still, they also enjoyed their salaries 13% more.

Truly, statistics like this are intimidating and a valid reason to be hesitant, but what if there was another way? Another option, another choice, another move waiting to be made…

Passion

From the beginning, we’re asked a constant question: what do you want to be when you grow up? Throughout the years, our answers change and become more serious and thought-out, until the time comes for decisions to be made.

After years of thought and recalling dreams of the past, a potent ache in the heart drives us towards achieving these desires. The need to fulfill the ambitions from our younger years serves as motivation and jump-starts the journey to the beginning of the future. 

Those who, 10 years ago, dreamt of someday becoming a hero are capturing their fantasies in senior portraits, dressed in their soon-to-be school colors with smiles of success painted across their faces. Those who, three years ago, embarked on the new expedition that is high school with minimal thoughts about the future because of the distance between freshman year and senior graduation. Those who, one year ago, sat in panic about the impending future and what they would do in the real world. Those who followed their heart amid stress and anxiety are starting the path to passion. These people find the value of ardent satisfaction worth more than money or salaries, with 60% of employees who chose based on intuition being “very satisfied” with their careers, compared to the 40% that used logic.

These two ways of thinking define most of the struggles that teenagers face when asked the repetitive question about their futures: what do you want to be when you grow up?

But what if we’re not made to know where we belong or how to begin? What if we have no control over finding where we fit in and who we fit with?

The point of puzzles is to connect what already belongs and what fits long before the game begins. Life is the puzzle; we are the pieces; you’ll find where you fit when you’ve arrived.