My goal in life has always been to just survive on my own, everything after that is a luxury. We live in a time of constant chaos. I have lived through three ‘once in a lifetime’ economic crashes.  Therefore, while I still have hopes and aspirations that I want to work toward, I know that the first step is just getting my foot in the door. My initial plan is to go to college and try to find a job right out of the gate, I know that it won’t be easy, and it won’t be fast. But, there’s nothing else you can do.

However, it’s not all that bad because I sort of enjoy that lifestyle. I always enjoyed the structure that school provided me, and I almost look forward to going into the workforce because I know that it will at least give me a purpose. Furthermore, I’m going to do my best to stay close to home, not just for financial reasons, but for personal reasons too. I’ve always preferred staying close to home, and I don’t particularly enjoy stepping out of my comfort zone, but I know that that will be necessary for me to succeed in life. In the end, I have hope for the future. I know that life isn’t easy and that it is probably going to be a long and grueling journey, but I know that for every failure, there is another opportunity somewhere.

Furthermore, when it comes to employment, I do have goals that extend beyond being able to survive. I’ve always wanted to be a scientist, a biologist, to be specific. I’ve always been fascinated with the living world in a thousand different ways. There’s just so much to learn: why do these creatures evolve the way they do, why do similar patterns show up all over the world, how did life even start? I want to learn the answer to all of these questions and more. I realize that science is not nearly as glorious as it is portrayed as being, but I accepted that reality a long time ago. I’m ready to put in the hours of research, the double and triple-checking, and all the other hard work the job entails. I’ll probably never discover anything new, but it will be satisfying enough to look. 

Moving past economics and onto life goals, I have a couple of things I want to accomplish before I die. I want to buy a home, to be able to have someplace to fall back on if all else fails. I want to travel to as many parks all over the world as I can, because some of those parks may not exist in a while. Lastly, I want to be remembered. It’s a very lofty goal that comes off as extremely arrogant, but I would like a chance to explain myself before you make your judgment. I want to be remembered, not because I care about my appearance or legacy, but because it would mean that I had made a real difference. If it’s not worth remembering, then did it matter? I want my life and my work to matter.