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Comment by JayPeaEm | Hacker News Reader

> I don't think a lot of people know what they want.

> Just a lack of other goals for which to substitute.

Ding ding.

I've mentored students/grads from aforementioned prestigious Universities and most of them just genuinely don't know what they want

After a few drinks, many have voiced a fear of there being so many options in life and not knowing which would be more fulfilling for them.

Many reach a goal (graduation~), don't know what's really next, look around at nearby peers/family, and simply emulate what they see.

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I was a mediocre student in a decent university and I basically chose my course because bunch of older seniors we looked up to suggested that the course had good job "prospects". The only thing I discovered from that course is that I loved writing code in Fortran while doing one of the electives (I actually wrote it on paper in my exam because we didn't have access to computers). I call that my the most lucky and important break.

I never worked on anything related to what I mainly studied and am thankfully programming now (not in Fortran though) and know that this is what I wanted all along.

I agree that many people don’t know what they want. However, I think this is less about emulation and more about improving ones options while figuring that out.

Consulting, Finance, and Bigtech offer a combination of rapid salary growth, low career risk, and a resume item that almost ensures that you pass the CV stage at every future interview. If you’re unsure about your path it is a great way to ensure you have many doors to choose from once you do.

"Often it is inertia rather than greed that is the driving force behind choosing these majors and careers (although we might assume high beginning salaries would also have something to do with it). Rather than risking the loss of the praise that their psyches have, at this point, been conditioned to need, students lose themselves in the pack and follow a well-worn path. They play it safe. They feel almost forced to choose a career that isn’t “beneath” them" [1]

I think that risk-aversion is part of what keeps people from choosing what they really want to do.

[1] https://academyedstudies.files.wordpress.com/2015/06/jonesro...

> After a few drinks, many have voiced a fear of there being so many options in life and not knowing which would be more fulfilling for them.

They better get used to it, because that is life :)

I understand why, those of us without anyone to emulate professionally have a tough path with pitfalls and charlatans in every direction.

It seems like today, it’s not about creating opportunities to pursue. Instead value is created by eliminating opportunities.

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