When people ask me what I want to be and what career I want, I tell them, “I don’t want to work my whole life at a career I hate, but that pays good money.” It’s a strange answer, but most of the people I know, including my father and grandfather, have done just that, and it’s not for me.

“It’s okay,” they tell me. “We have other hobbies, like golf and playing with the dog, to keep us happy.” To me, choosing a job you hate but that pays the most money is not the way to choose a career or a life
I tell people I don’t know what career I want to choose, but I do know what skill it must involve — leadership. I’m only 15. I’m still at the age to discover what I want to do. I don’t push myself to learn about potential careers, but I focus instead on learning about leadership styles and teamwork. Whatever career I choose it will involve leading, and I will love the job because I love to lead. 

As captain of my school’s volleyball team, I like explaining game strategy and how I want to do something. I like to explain how we should collaborate to make it happen.

I have an understanding of each player, what motivates them how to inspire them to do better. A lot of team members respect me, so they listen. They respect me because of how I play. They know they can learn from me. Some are younger than I am. Being friendly with them and having a good relationship with them makes them respect me better. It’s that respect that I enjoy because it tells me I’m doing something right that changes lives for the better. That’s the best career choice a person could have. Whether I go into business, computers, medicine, or law, being a leader will be in demand. If I can lead, I can go into any career choice. Why?

If there’s no leader, no one knows what to do. Leaders keep people on the same page. 

As a leader, it’s important to be able to determine a course of action, consider others suggestions, but ultimately reject all but the course you’ve determined.

As the leader, you have the most responsibility, so it’s up to you to decide the course. The course could change, but, in the end, you hold the responsibility for that decision.

So, ultimately, I will be looking not for a job, not for what makes the most money, but for something that involves what I love doing — leading others. I believe that if I focus on a skill set and a mindset and become the best leader I can be, the choice of career I choose will show up.