As a child, almost anyone would hear a 10-word question whose answer may determine one's life.
"What do you want to do when you grow up?"
It may be a relative, a friend of one's parents, or a teacher who ask this question. The question may be asked when one's 3, 12, or somewhere in between. But it is almost certain that one has to answer this question at one time or another, orally or in writing.
For most children, they usually don't give much thought before answering. It is too soon for a 10-year-old to think about which career path one should take (at least that was the case when for me). As a result, the answer given by many are careers highly regarded by their parents, such as a doctor, an engineer, an astronaut, or a teacher. Of course, there are other answers, such as becoming rich, being a Mom/Dad, become a superhero, world domination (at some time or another, many of us DO dream of taking over the world, but very few of us even have a chance. I'll stop this aside now).
As we grow taller, the question become harder to answer, since there are new paths drawing our interest and the old choices may proof too difficult to complete. We may also lose interest in becoming what we said we wanted to be after we had grown up (or the answer to that 10-word question we gave when we were younger). Then some day you realize that you have grown up and you still have no idea when you want to do be.
When I was in primary school, I thought of becoming a doctor (the world will be grateful that I decided to choose a different career path, since I can be mistake-prone at times and I don't think I can handle life-or-death decisions). At high school, I thought of becoming a nuclear scientist or a game programmer. The world is spared once more when I decided to study mathematics instead of nuclear science (since my mind can wander off unexpectedly, I don't think I can be trusted to go deep inside a nuclear facility, even if I happen to work there). As for being a game programmer, the CS projects I did in first-year university drove me away from that. I just don't have the stamina to program for hours on end (I still do a little programming as a hobby, but only a little).
During my university years, I did not give much thought to this question. When a question of similar nature — "What do you want to do after you graduate?" — was raised, I often had trouble answering. That may have something to do with my choice of major (for those of you wondering, I focused my studies on combinatorics, it seems that this word is enough to scare people from asking anything further) does not lead to any particular career. As graduation drew closer, I began to give this question some more thought, yet I was unable to come up with anything definitive. You may say I am choosing the paths so that I can dodge the question, but I know I can't avoid answering this question forever.
As I leave school for possibly the last time, I have little idea on how to answer this 10-word question. Many say it is good to keep one's options open, but sooner or later I have to choose a path to take. Otherwise I will be stuck at the same place, unable to go anywhere.
I am not trying to be a psychologist (I can't even pretend to be one). Maybe now that I am starting my work life, the question "What do you want to do when you grow up?" comes up in my mind once again. Perhaps I will be able to answer this question with confidence soon. At the same time, I may never be able to have an answer for this question. I guess I'll find out as I continue to travel on this diverse trail we call life.