"So, what do you want to do?"

Starting a new job and meeting coworkers has me struggling to answer this question at least once a week. Many of my coworkers are in nursing school or a related medical or psych field, so usually the first question I get asked is, "are you in school?" or, "where did you work before this job?" Whatever the exact line of questioning, I eventually end up revealing that I have my master's, worked as a therapist, and then decided to ditch that career to go back to school to study environmental science.

"Oh! That's interesting. So, what exactly do you want to do?" They all inevitably ask.

"...er, I'm not sure."

After I admit I have no idea what I want to do in the (very large and diverse) field, I usually get asked if I am going for another master's or if I am doing a particular program at a school. And again I have to admit that I don't know. Because I truly don't! I don't know what career path I want to take, so I don't know how much school I will need. The more I am asked these questions by curious coworkers, the more anxious and unsure I become.

When I first decided to leave counseling as a career, I was primarily interested in pursuing education and a career in wildlife biology (specifically ornithology), conservation, or rehabilitation. I figured I would narrow it down soon enough. I took a couple classes (while still working part-time as a therapist), and my interests expanded to consider jobs in habitat restoration, naturalism, and environmental biology. Now, one year and a mere four classes later, I have interests all over the field and feel further from a defined career path than before I even started! Even areas I previously had zero interest in are now on the table, such as environmental engineering, waste management, and agriculture. Not to mention areas I had no idea even existed until recently, like conservation psychology....

So. I am taking three classes between two schools this fall, with one of the schools starting in a little over a week and the other starting in about a month. I think it is about time that I meet with a counselor at each school to take a more serious look at what I want to do.