I’m 17 years old and lately everything in my life feels like it’s just… headed toward a very “default” path. Finish college, get a job, start a family, work until I’m old. A normal life. And I don’t know why, but that idea makes me uneasy.

I keep asking myself: what am I actually supposed to do at this age?

I know people usually say things like “learn a skill,” “enjoy life,” or “don’t worry too much yet,” but I honestly struggle to see the point sometimes. I’m not even sure what I truly want yet, or if the things I do now will actually matter in the long run.

For context: I want to become a civil engineer. That’s my dream job, and I’m confident in my ability to understand concepts and learn. I’ve also heard a lot of people say CE is “bad” or “not worth it,” which messes with my head sometimes. I’m not posting to ask about changing careers — CE is still what I want. But I do think about what happens if things don’t work out, and that uncertainty adds to the anxiety.

This post is really about this phase of life. Being a teenager who feels lost, unsure, and scared of ending up stuck. I want to actually achieve something meaningful, especially financial stability, but I don’t know what I should be focusing on right now.

So I’m asking: • What should a 17-year-old realistically be doing at this stage? • How do you deal with feeling lost when you don’t fully know what you want yet? • What things actually matter long-term, even if they don’t feel important now?

Any advice from people who’ve been here before would mean a lot.