Is 18 really old enough to choose a life path?

Maturity is based on individuals' exposure to life Jen.. No matter how careful one is with regard to choices, however, there are so many external factors that rule us. So, taking things in one's stride and expecting the best for us would be the way to go!

From my own view, at age 18 is not enough. You still have a long process to do, many experiences to have. Many things to learn and share among others. As we grow old, our experiences in lives makes as strong, especially in the heart. Maybe at age 18, we already can make choices, but still it does not fully guarantee that this choices are good for us or for anyone special to us. I suggest just go with the flow and make God the center of your life, because i believe that if you make him your goal,partner,friend,whatever it is..you will find success in everything that you do. :)

HI JEN, I think it's way too young & don't think the school should put those kind of restrictions on a child. I wish people would let kids be kids & not push them to being an adult before they really are.

I don't think the age number is really the important factor. Some people are sure of what they want to pursue, while others are uncertain. This can be the case at any age. But, it's good to make some decision so that we can keep moving. If the path turns out to be not to our liking, we can always change direction.

When I was 18 I knew absolutely everything. All adults 21 and older were just stupid old people. However, by the time I turned 25, I realized how really little I knew, and had time to correct some of the decisions I'd made at 18. That said, it is good the schools make the young choose. It is important to at least start a career path. One can always change further on down the line. Choosing early makes one at least focus on something constructive.

Yes its too young to pick a permanent path,but one should get headed in the direction that we might want to go.Always with the idea that it is not set in stone and can be changed if a better path is found. So she could say this is what i think i want to do with my life. but don't be surprised i mighjt change my mind.

She maybe will find a general direction. I am surprised that they can get an entire degree by the time they graduate. My daughter had a semester. Here you must be 16 and still attend the high school a minimum of 3 hours daily ( cannot lose that federal and state money) In sixth grade, so about twelve, my daughter wanted to be a school counselor because "I can do better than the ones they have now". When she found she would need an education degree she was not so interested. She is a stay at home mom, but has a ministerial degree with an additional music emphasis. I have changed many times over the years and I am still undecided.

Over here, kids have to choose at 16. The subjects they choose in senior high school are important to get into university so they have to not only decide what they want to do but they have to know what is needed to get there. It's crazy. What if you make the wrong choice and that career path is actually not for you, or, like you say, what if for a million reasons you change your mind? I think they should have a break from school and do work experience in a few different fields for a couple of years. Then, they can return to school refreshed and with a clearer more mature idea of the direction in which they want to go. I have had this idea for a long, long time.

I know I am nowhere near what I planned years ago. So much have changed and I can really say that where I am right now is actually not part of the plan I had. I don't know if 18 is too young or too late to choose something for life, but I do know that it would be best to have a plan and somebody to guide you to it as early as possible. However, I do agree that at 14 there is still so much to learn and to choose from. It would actually be hard for many to REALLY know what path to take at that point age. For me, I believe that preparation is really good and having an early plan helps a lot, but I would very much want that plan to be flexible at all times, because experience can change a person's mind and heart.

Dearra says, "NO"

I think that 18 years old is really too young to find the right path for the rest of your life. If in fact there is a path that suits us for our entire working life. For most people I don't think there is as we evolve over time and our interests change, then our jobs normally do as well. I had no idea what I wanted to do at school, so I left at 15 and worked in a factory for 18 months. I then started an apprenticeship at age 17 working on cars. At the time I thought that was a great career, but regretted it a few years later. I stuck at it though for 16 years as it was what I knew and what paid me the best, but I did not enjoy doing it for many of those years. Now as I approach 40, I am doing something enjoyable, but it is not something that I see myself doing for the rest of my working life. Who knows what the future brings. Now I wish I had stayed at school, tried harder and had gone on to university and into a higher paying career. I may not have stuck at it for life, but at least I would most likely have had a better income along the way.

I believe that age does not really gives an idea that one is able to choose the paths in life. What may be a determiner is knowledge and experience. If you look at it, we have been forced to choose our path even before the age of eighteen. In our school, by the age of fifteen, one would have to choose between science stream, accounting, economy and other art stream. By that time, most high school students would not have much idea about all these subjects which will determine their future career. They need to be exposed to the subjects before arranging them into taking those subjects.

A nice topic.I think,it depends on one's maturity.My son is 25 now,but I know he is still not mature enough to make right decisions.On the other hand,I know kids of 8 or 9 whose parents have been slum dwellers.They are far more mature than my son.I have seen them taking right decisions when they have to opt for the right choice from among multiple of them.Here in our country,India,a boy or a girl of 18 is considered mature enough to use his or her franchise.The truth is that these kids have no idea about the policies of different political parties and their impact on the country's future.Consequently they are easily swayed away by the rhetoric of cunning political leaders.

I think that 18 is the right age to choose what path you are going to be in. When I was 18, I had to choose my course that I would be taking up in college. Some parents would like to choose for their own children, but my parents made me do it by myself. When you are 18, you already know somewhat what you want and what you like doing. But these decisions can still change after they graduate. I was enrolled in a law course. When I started college, I really thought I was going to end us a lawyer. Now that I am nearing graduation, I have no plans in being a lawyer. I just realized that I really did not like the idea of studying so many books in a short span of time. Anyway, going back to the question, I do believe that at 18, they can already decide for themselves. Parents must be there only for guidance.

Shell probably change her mind a dozen time before she graduates just like we did. but at 14 is really to long from that time to find out what she wants to do in life. By the age of 18 might have a better idea of what she realy wants to do more than now. LIke I went to work steady for first time when I was about 55 years old they asked me where did I want to be in 5 years!. I told the rich lolol but not working at that job . some kids already knojw way before what they want to do its just getting there is the thing to work for

This is actually my downfall. At a young age, I've already recognized that the world indeed has a lot to offer. This made it difficult for me to choose my own life path. I've jumped from one path to another. So I envy those young people who are able to decide right away. But I bet that for a handful who are decided, there's thousands who are not yet.

I completely agree with you.Like you mentioned it's not that they aren't capable it's just there is so many different directions they can go in. And as youth age their likes and dislikes will change. Something they think they may like to do as a career now may not be the same in two or three years yet alone for a lifetime as their career. It does take more time and consideration to figure out what they want. Some go to college and still aren't sure of what exactly it is that they would like to do.

compare with the same age teenage, I always found that I'm mature than my friend. it's because my parents educate me to be independent and do everything by myself. even so, yes, 18 years old is very young to choose life path, but there are a lot of teenage made a great achievement in their young age, even younger than 18!. I do make my own choice since around 18-19 years, but the decision I made is like decision without thinking further or just kind of "hurry decision". I made a lot of stupid mistake then regret it after years, but then that's make me learn more and know myself better.

hi dear Jen its the same over here. When I was a teenager I wanted to go to Bible School. My father said he would not even give me a dime for something like this. My father was rich and parents here are supposed to pay for the first tuition after school their children have, so finance them studying till they have a diploma for the first time etc. He wanted me in a medical profession but I was and am lousy in maths and science so I said no thanks. Finally we agreed on me studying to be a librarian. It was only three years at an University of Applied Science, so very much like school. I pulled it through and graduated but when I finished I found out that there simply were no jobs. So with a fresh diploma I did all kinds of jobs and later had a retraining as a banker financed by the Unemployment Agency to get young academics off the street so to say. Finished that as well and guess what I do for 19 years now?Never worked as a librarian, only half a year as a banker, and now I am doing Workers Compensation where I read - medical stuff - all the time. Ha ha ha.

Hi Jen! We have lots of phase in life. Each and ever phase helps us to gain experience to invade the next phase. But we always need some guidance to work on the phase for the first time! As you said 14 is not the right age to choose the correct degree program! We need to have some guidance to choose it! Also, 18 is too young to get married! You might be fully matured mentally to run a family life. But you would have not grown up physically completely to have a child after marriage! I think marriage at 18 is like child marriage! In India girls get married by 21 to 25 and boys by 24 to 27. I think this is an optimum age to start marriage relationship mentally and physically! Anyways! Everything happens at higher cost and we are not in a position to make it to happen at the time we need. Only god decides everything and he make the people to stand at right place at right time with right choice and feelings! Happy lotting!