1. #1

    My problem.

    Im 15 years old, soon to be 16, and I have a profession in mind which is very not ordinary. A teacher. But the amount of work, reading, studying and the overall nihilistic system is bringing me down. This makes me wonder if im truely wasting my life away on the computer, and xbox, and is the profession of a teacher really my calling. Its not like "oh my god, my friends are in there, i cant stop" its partially true, because Im not part of the "cool kids" - people tease, annoy, call me names and such, its fairly easy because my name is very weird, even in Finnish standards. its just that I have more true friends on xbox than in real life. My parents, especially my mother is concerned about my gaming, surfing internets and such. I know she means good, but at the same time i ask myself "when was the last time i did turn down a request by you huh? cant i have a hobby which includes the internet? some freedom atleast?"

    I want to work on the gaming industry, but im afraid my parents wont respect my decision. its my life, cant i decide what i want to do? I go through these questions multiple times a day, and i cant find an answer. If this sounds like a teenager *****ing about life and **** - your right. This is the only place i can discuss this, due to my personality. People who talk to me on xbox, dont understand the person i am. I say weird ****, and stuff, but in real life im very shy and calm. My teacher once told me that im too kind. I never get mad, altough frustration is my thing.

    I really dont know what to do with my life.
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  2. #2

    Re: My problem.

    any advice? Im sorry if this thread feels random or just out of place.
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  3. #3

    Re: My problem.

    If the games industry is where you wanna be, get in there! Your parents will be ok once they see you're making money in a field that makes you happy.
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  4. #4

    Re: My problem.

    Im sure lots of people go through this sort of stuff everyday and its just being normal if your wanting to find a future (gaming), i get called so many names at school i just don't give **** what they say i either aknowladge them and say "ohh yeah good one" or "thank you" and some times if i do that or ignore them they back off.



    Dude even my friends at school call me names so i take it up a knotch and give them a dead arm or nsult them back but anyway since your coming 16 then just think to your self only a couple years and i'l be free (well sort of), at least from school and everybody else.

    Well i hope this was something of advice and hope something works out.
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  5. #5

    Re: My problem.

    You should do what's in your heart mate, don't forget it's your life it's your education and you don't wanna look back thinking what if? Because it always happens, so just think for a moment and think this is your biggest opportunity to shine at what you want to do. If being a teacher is what you want or being in the games industry. What's stopping you really? A hobby is something you must do in your chill out time but your job must always come first. You'll learn that the hard way and there is nothing else you can do. Life isn't easy pal. Every kid soon realises that.

    Best of luck.
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  6. #6
    k2nph's Avatar Senior Member
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    Re: My problem.

    Originally Posted by BlazingDude123
    Im 15 years old, soon to be 16, and I have a profession in mind which is very not ordinary. A teacher. But the amount of work, reading, studying and the overall nihilistic system is bringing me down. This makes me wonder if im truely wasting my life away on the computer, and xbox, and is the profession of a teacher really my calling. Its not like "oh my god, my friends are in there, i cant stop" its partially true, because Im not part of the "cool kids" - people tease, annoy, call me names and such, its fairly easy because my name is very weird, even in Finnish standards. its just that I have more true friends on xbox than in real life. My parents, especially my mother is concerned about my gaming, surfing internets and such. I know she means good, but at the same time i ask myself "when was the last time i did turn down a request by you huh? cant i have a hobby which includes the internet? some freedom atleast?"

    I want to work on the gaming industry, but im afraid my parents wont respect my decision. its my life, cant i decide what i want to do? I go through these questions multiple times a day, and i cant find an answer. If this sounds like a teenager *****ing about life and **** - your right. This is the only place i can discuss this, due to my personality. People who talk to me on xbox, dont understand the person i am. I say weird ****, and stuff, but in real life im very shy and calm. My teacher once told me that im too kind. I never get mad, altough frustration is my thing.

    I really dont know what to do with my life.
    Hi BD, Im in the OTHG, so er, well, old!
    but i feel very strongly about this subject and this is why,
    when i was in my final year of school, i remember having to see the career officer about future employment prospects, at the time video games were, by todays standards still in their infancy, but i was instantly hooked and have remained so.
    when i was asked what i wanted to do for a living, i replied that" i would like to work in video games industry",
    the response was, and i swear this is true.
    The careers officer actually laughed and called it a flash in the pan, and that it was no way for someone to make a living, and that what i needed was a good steady secure job in one of the local factories!!
    What i actually needed was a career officer with a bit of vision and a drive to get young people into the employment that they actually wanted to do.
    I cant tell you the amount of times over the last 25 years, that ive sat through that careers talk in my head,
    wishing i could see that careers officer again and present her with the sales stats for something like the Call of duty franchise.
    But unfortunately, thats not the way the world works, so if you want it buddy, work hard and remain focussed on your goal, if you want it badly enough you will find a way.
    If your not sure, then write to some of the gaming companies in your country and see if you can get some part time work (maybe game testing: In the UK at present Rockstar games are looking for testers), this will give you a better insight to what actually goes on in the industry, and if its actually what you want.
    and just to put your mind at ease BlazingD, im 43 and still have no clue what i actually WANT to do!
    but it all turned out ok.
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  7. #7

    Re: My problem.

    About teenagers: People in your age group can be psychological terrorists. It's worse now than when I was your age 'm 30). When people are verbally abusive, it's because they are insecure and are trying to deflect negative attention from themselves, so it doesn't ever reflect any truth about you. I don't know if that helps, but keep it in mind if you can. It does get better, and the nice people end up winning, so hang in there!

    About parents: If you have a dream and a plan to succeed, give it 100%. Parents may doubt you at first, but if it works out they'll get behind you shortly. They want what's best for you, but they may not be able to see what that is. Just to give you an example, I'm pretty highly educated, and I was set up to get a head start making alot of money. I decided I wanted to go to a small town in Colorado and be a trash man. Not every parent's dream, but they see that it's working out, I'm thriving in every way but finance, and they are now behind be completely. At the same time, parents generally do have good advice to offer, so don't toss out everything they say.

    About the gaming industry: It's a very difficult industry to be successful in. Generally the people who succeed start by doing what they want to do on their own time for no money. What exactly do you want to do in the gaming industry? This is a good group of people and likely someone with experience in that exact field can give you good advice on getting started. There's no reason you can't start now, or at least start laying the foundation. I suggest working out what you want to do and then finding a mentor or two to get you going.

    Good luck to you!
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  8. #8

    Re: My problem.

    It's good to hear someone actually taking their future into consideration for once. The current generation seems so distracted by this fast-moving world to really consider that they can actually slow it down long enough to change their own destiny.

    Since you're 15, you have a fairly early head-start on this. A lot of people don't even consider higher education until they're in their mid-twenties and realized the hard way that retail or bartending wasn't what they want for themselves. But don't take this any lighter since you seemingly have time. Use this to your advantage and explore the opportunities on the horizon right now.

    You generally want to work in the videogames industry, like millions of other teenagers do. But that's such a general category that it could either help or hinder your search for what you want to do. In other words, you could have so many options that it will confuse you, or you will have so much to choose from that you will more easily find your calling.

    If you like writing, you could be a publicist, a news writer, work on web sites or magazines, etc. If you are a techy, you could be a web developer for game companies or program for games, you could even be the in-house IT guy to keep the development team's hardware running. If you're an artist, you could be a character designer, storyboard artist, concept artist, graphic designer for a website or magazine, level designer, etc.

    And you have so much knowledge in your reach if you try hard enough to look for it. For example, I have started programming as a hobby simply by reaching out online and snooping around for great reading materials and have become an intermediate so far. If you have any relevant interests and skills right now, start practicing practicing practicing. Draw, Program, Design, Write, Study. If you hit college age with something to bring to the table, your chances will be better than someone who is taking their first steps in their first term of college. It will also look better to your parents that you're pursuing something you've already started taking seriously before pouring lots of money into it.


    Also, there's nothing wrong with wanting to be a teacher. The thought of giving a generation of kids (and young adults) a hand up in life is very satisfying, and is a noble cause. Society needs teachers, or we will just hit a dead end in our development in all walks of life and civilization would possibly even deteriorate. If nobody wanted to be a teacher, it could be catastrophic. How badass does teaching sound now? The only thing is, you would need to get past your own problems with it. Don't worry about kids who think it's lame or strange, they will change nothing. The only thing you need to worry about is if you're up to the studying and determination it takes to be a good teacher. It's a very important responsibility to take on, but in my opinion it's worth the hard work in the end.
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  9. #9

    Re: My problem.

    thx for the replies, i may have said the op a bit too seriously, soundging like im depressed or something.

    thx for the help
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  10. #10

    Re: My problem.

    It's OK to be 15 and not know what you want to do with your life.

    I'm 30, and I'm still not sure
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