Say it - live it - like you mean it You know those songs that were popular when you were a teenager? Songs like "Jack & Diane" ("Hold on to 16 as long as you can -- changes come around real soon make us women and men") and the quintessential "Working for the Weekend" (no quote needed -- the name says it all)? I've decided that pretty much no matter what, people (being people) are never going to be satisfied. Songs caution teens to hold on to 16 as long as they can, but when I was 16, all I wanted was to be 25 (or insert your preconceived ideal age here) and on my own with college done and my real life under way. Now that I'm about 6 years past 25 -- I can say with some degree of certainty that I would never want to be 16 again. You're not a kid, not an adult, people don't really take you seriously, you're supposed to do as your told. I don't think I'd want to do all that stuff over. But. What I wouldn't mind doing over is the exploring part. College, I guess. Well, some of it. When I was a junior in high school, I got involved with something at school that eventually became my career. I thought that was it -- I'd found what I wanted, why keep going? The thing is, people are still just starting to develop at that age. I don't think they should be expected to choose the path of the rest of their lives at 18. You remember the jokes about some college classmate or other who would change majors all the time or just hadn't declared one? That wasn't me. I never wavered. But what if I had? What if I had been remotely interested in art or design back then? Or what if I'd done something completely unconventional for a woman and had gone into the contracting business with my dad? Learning how to build something from nothing sounds so appealing. Now. It didn't then. I read a story about a 16-year-old kid who says he wants to be a pediatric neuropathologist (or something). The kid's had a hard life and lives in a group home right now and it's great that he has a goal. But he's immersing himself in this life and who knows if that's what he'll want in 10 or 15 years. He's a junior in high school and is already making plans to take college courses during his senior year. He's got his life all mapped out. A friend of ours is a lawyer. I'm pretty certain he doesn't like it much. He went to a prestigous college, majored in economics, went to a good law school -- and will probably still be paying for it for a while to come. What's he love to do? He loves to cook. If I ever have kids, I hope I will teach them to take their time and figure out what they really love to do before choosing some career they may regret later. I have a lot of friends who do. Oh sure, we could switch careers. But to what? And do we really want to start all over when we're just starting to be able to afford life? Does anyone have a job they love? If you do, I'd love to hear what it is.