Hopeful, but a bit lost

[Majo]

Hi! I'm Majo. I'm 17 at the time of this post, but I will be 18 in about a few months. Virtual pet sites and sims have been a big part of my life for a long time. I'd like to make my own some day, but I realize I probably won't have the resources or skills required for a few more years. I plan to go to college for graphic arts and digital media, but depending on what I take more to, I may try web design and coding.

I already have a vague concept in my head, one I'm hoping to continue to flesh out and modify as I mature more and gain the necessary skills. As of right now my art is a bit sub par and I have only a basic understanding of html. Lore writing is the only skill I have to offer at the moment. For a long time now I've felt rather lost on what I want to make of my life, but for once I feel as though I'm behind a cause I have some passion for. 

Though I may not start real development for a few years, I hope this forum will be able to help make make the connections necessary to become a game owner in the future and possibly connect with future team members. I don't know where to begin, but I'm sure I will find good things on this forum. Thanks to @Grif for recommending this site to me. I greatly appreciate being sent this direction. It will most likely be a great asset to my future if I continue down this path.

[Mobotropolis]

Hello, and welcome. 

Odds are good that you have a long road ahead of you and plenty of time to find the answer to " who am I "? The best thing you can do to find the answer would be to Try. Pretty much everything. Then you should, perhaps, take note of the things that you enjoy doing. If you're not comfortable and/or financially prepared to dabble around with your own site perhaps you would be willing to help out one of the current game owners. There are plenty of people looking for help around the Network.

You say that writing is your strongest skill but time can also be valuable. Perhaps you can find a game owner who might be willing to train you to take over a task and free up some time for them to work on other things. 

 

[Majo]

@Mobotropolis Thanks for the response and advice! It's much appreciated. 

I've been thinking about my future for a very long time. I think even since middle school I've been very conscious in seeking out advice and realistically going over the pros and cons of potential occupations I find myself interested in. For the past year I've felt kind of lost, but I've finally decided on sticking on my passion for creative avenues instead of worrying about substantial income. I just don't feel like I'd be happy working and doing a job where I can't let my creative side shine. 

I have experience working in developing a roleplay server and being part of an administrative team. For two years I worked with a similar website, but due to some personal reasons decided to step away from that particular community. I'd love to help out other pet sites, but I don't know where to begin. I guess the best place to start would be advertising my experience here. 

[Mobotropolis]

There are a few people looking for help here. 

I think that it's fine to be indecisive about your career trajectory even as you prepare to go to college. The endgame to your time in school should be to get a degree. Once you have that you'll have the opportunity to do many things. You may even be able to apply your degree towards jobs that are outside of your field of study. Since it's fairly common for people to change their career paths these days people won't bat a lash if you get a degree in, say, Finance but decide to pursue a career in Digital Media. 

One thing I do when I desire knowledge or perhaps some advice is read. I'm at the point where I read 3-4 books every two weeks about various subjects. If I lived remotely close to a book store I'd buy/read more, but them's the breaks. 

When it comes to Passion the book I found most insightful is So Good They Can't Ignore You. 

Now, I wouldn't go as far as to say that " Follow Your Passion " is a myth. I knew what I wanted to do with my life pretty much the moment I made my first Angelfire web site. I will say that knowing HTML/CSS and Programming Theory before I formally took those classes not only made my time in college easier but made me a top student. Acquiring skills early and getting good at what I planned to do gave me a competitive edge. I think, in ways, it has also made me happier knowing what I do and do well. 

That's why I suggest that you don't wait to dive into making a site or helping on a site.

The sooner you start, the better.