Choosing a Future

The careers advisor sat across from a teenager named Sam. Sam was leaving school in June and did not know what to do next.

“What do you enjoy?” the advisor asked.

“I like fixing things. Computers, phones, that sort of thing.”

The advisor nodded. “Then you should think about training as a repair technician. It’s a real opportunity. There’s a big company near the station that takes new people every year.”

“But my parents want me to be a director or a president of something,” Sam said. “Someone important.”

“You can be important in any job,” the advisor said. “An expert who fixes things is important too. The best employee is the one who enjoys the work.”

Sam thought about this. “So if I train hard, I could succeed?”

“You could. People who follow their interest are usually more successful than people who chase a title.”

“And if I hate it?”

“Then you try something else. You’re seventeen. You have time.”

Sam smiled. For the first time that week, the future did not feel so heavy.