If you've ever woken up one day and thought, “Holy cow — what on earth am I going to do with myself for the rest of my existence?”, good news: There's a website that might be able to help you out. It's called WTF Should I Do with My Life?, and it tells you… well, WTF you should do with your life. True, a single website may not solve all your problems — but it might help you gain a little perspective, which will in turn make those problems easier to deal with.
Life crises aren't limited to age; older folks who thought they'd sorted their existences out years ago are just as prone to the occasional “OMG, what is my LIFE???” freak-out as recent college graduates are (hi there, quarter-life crisis!). WTF Should I Do with My Life? offers a one-click solution to help you piece together your scattered psyche, giving you suggestions and pointing you towards some useful information to help you put them in practice. It's kind of like WTF Should I Make for Dinner?, only with a longer-term focus: It deals with career choices, career changes, living situations, and other big, defining life moments. It starts out by presenting you with this simple screen:
And setting you off on whatever new path you might travel by inviting you to click the “Tell me!” button.
I'm pretty happy with where I'm at right now; however, in the interest of science (or something), I put the site to the test. So, WTF Should I Do With My Life? — tell me: WTF should I do with my life?
Option 1: Make Beautiful, Hand-Letter Pieces of Art
Huh. Can't say I would have chosen that one for myself — I'm not sure I have a steady enough hand for it — but let's take a closer look, shall we? Clicking “Okay!” brings you to a page chock full of information penned by Suzy Lee, a 28-year-old calligrapher who lives in San Diego. According to Lee, here's what you need to know about becoming one yourself:
- Requirements: Be curious, be prepared to make mistakes, and keep trying.
- Startup costs: Super cheap — about $12, which will get you a nib, a pen holder, ink, and paper.
- How much it pays: It varies. You set your own rates for your services; some people, Lee writes, “totally understand and value your work,” while others get “annoyed with your pricing and will say things like, 'How long is it really going to take you to write that?'” After five years of working on her calligraphy every day (while holding down a day job), she's finally at a point where she can do it as her full-time job. “I can't afford the luxuries with this pay as it is now, but that's not why I'm doing it anyway, so I can't complain,” she says.
Option 2: Eat Delicious Things Professionally
HECK. YES.
This time, clicking “Okay!” brings you to a Wiki How page about how to become a taste tester. It's not as informative as Lee's page on calligraphy was, but it does lay out the basic requirements. You need to:
- Be over the age of 18 (check);
- Get educated (a four-year culinary degree is recommended);
- Pick your specialty (if you want one, that is);
- And most importantly, develop your palate.
Good to know.
Option 3: String Together Interesting Words for Other People to Read
What a coincidence! I am a writer! I've freelanced on and off throughout my career, so I think I'll pass on reading up about it (been there, done that) — if you're curious about what it takes to be a freelance writer, though, the page the “Okay!” button brings you to a page by Ned Hepburn that's definitely worth checking out.
Option 4: Uh... This:
I don't know what exactly what a “creative entrepreneur” is, so let's find out more by clicking “Okay!” This time, our info page is provided by Nada Alic, who works for Etsy on the business side of things. It looks like being a “creative entrepreneur” is essentially being a small business owner with a creative product — art, jewelry, woodworking, and so on.
- Requirements: Start with a good product, tell your story, make sure you learn how to run a business, and work through a lot of trial and error until you figure out what works best.
- Startup costs: Writes Alic, “It really depends on a lot of different things.” The materials required to make, say, fine jewelry are often more expensive than those required to knit scarves; the cost of the equipment you need to make your product, too, can vary. It could be anywhere between a few bucks to a few hundred bucks — and don't forget to factor in things like whether or not you want to host your own website or sell on a platform, whether or not you need to invest in a good camera to take product shots, hire a designer to help with your brand identity, and so on.
- How much it pays: Again, it varies. Alic offers a simple formula to figure out how to price your work: Materials + Labor + Expenses + Profit = Wholesale X 2 = Retail. You'll also have to decide whether or not your business is profitable enough for you to run full-time, or if you'll need to have a day job alongside it. It's kind of up to you, so go forth and experiment!
And that's just a tiny selection of the things WTF Should I Do with My Life? might suggest. A quick round of fast clicking also brought up options like being a fashion designer, being a baker, living in Slab City, getting married, body snatching (what?!), and joining the Peace Corps; it's a total crapshoot what you'll get. No matter how ridiculous it is, though, it's always fascinating reading — and I think it could be used as a useful tool to help you at least open your mind to different ways of living, even if it won't solve all your life-related problems for you. So go on. Give it a shot. WTF should you be doing with your life?
Images: Ben Raynal/Flickr; WTF Should I Do with My Life? (5)
