[human_person]

When I was in my early 20s I was struggling to figure out what I wanted to do, signing up for a 40 year career in just one area seemed so limiting and a little depressing.

I ended up making a list of all the jobs/roles that could be interesting and then for each job I made a list of skills and trainings that would be necessary/helpful. For example becoming a software engineer would require learning how to code, but if I wanted to join the foreign service I would be better off learning a new language.

Then I looked for skills that overlapped across careers and tried to find opportunities that would allow me to learn/improve on those skills. By focusing on what I would learn in a role, I didnt feel like I was committing to a life of drudgery and I kept the option to switch between careers open.

I would also second the person who told you to aim for the $$$. If you can earn a lot of money (and not spend it) in your early 20s it gives you a lot more freedom and flexibility later on. Because I saved a large percent of my software engineering salary, I was able to start a PhD program in my early 30s while many of my friends who spent their 20s (happily) earning less money are now starting to freak out about finances and dont have as much freedom when looking for employment.

[yieldcrv]

For me software engineer was an easy answer because it didn't require licenses, certifications, and specifically not a region locked license like law, accounting, medical professions

but paid similarly

I also had the acumen for it, but I could easily see myself doing law or finance. Especially now that I know where I want to live, in comparison to then. It’s just that launching a software practice has just consumed even more industries now, and is a bigger field