Thoughts of giving up dreams?

[Flying Pig]

Littleguy....

bosshawk is someone to talk to.  As far as careers in military aviation and intelligence Paul really has done both fields at some of the highest levels. Hes the real deal.  He doesnt need me to toot his horn for him but I just did so there!

[CAP4117]

There has been some really great advice here. It sounds like you are doing a really good job of building a strong foundation for yourself in high school, and I agree with others here that it is the best thing you can do right now.

By the time that you finish HS, you will have been through five or six ideas of what you want to do and discarded all of them.  If you are still into aviation and intel, focus your college on what will get you to that goal.

I think this is really important. I'm not saying this will happen to you, but sometime during high school or college you might find yourself heading in a completely different direction, and that's 100% okay. I know from experience that it can be unsettling to change your mind away from something you have grown up wanting to do (I did a complete 180 the year after I graduated high school). When it happened to me, I put a lot of pressure on myself to keep going in something I no longer wanted to do because I felt I'd be "giving up" otherwise. Whatever happens, it's important to remember that you have a lot of time to figure things out and a lot of great experiences ahead of you, no matter what path you choose.

[abdsp51]

I will offer this piece of advice as well.

You have to do what makes you happy, whatever that may be.  Make the decisions bested suited for you and in time others, but and be able to look in the mirror in the morning and evening and know that you can live with the choices you made that day and the ones you will make tomorrow.  Remember too that dreams change as do goals and ideas, but they are always worth striving for and let no one tell you they are foolish or not worth pursuing.

[CAP4117]

Remember too that dreams change as do goals and ideas, but they are always worth striving for and let no one tell you they are foolish or not worth pursuing.

+1000 Very well said.

[41839j]

As a freshman in high school, you are at an excellent age to be asking the questions you are.  My advice is to NEVER give up your dreams.  They might change and probably will, but that is OK. 

Do the best you can to get on the path you want.  Maybe it won't lead to what you think you want at this age, BUT it will lead to something that you have an interest in.  Don't just settle because it is easier or someone else tells you that you aren't good enough or won't make it.

I had both teachers and my parents put me down in the past, I regret actually believing them at the time. 

If at the end, you can honestly say you have done your level best, then it is easy to live with whatever the outcome is.  If you don't, you will always regret what might have been.

[Walkman]

One of my squadron mates is a former cadet & an AF Intel officer. PM sent.

[AngelWings]

Thank you all for the great advice, kind words, and help given. I really appreciate it, and am somewhat happy to see I'm not the only one who has gone/is going through this.

[MajorPayne]

Right now concentrate on High School as your primary objective. True the AF is reducing it's fleet and subsequently it's pilot quota. But Intel is actually a better job for career progression, advancement, and post military employment over the long term. If you're getting A's+B's start thinking about AP classes and enhancing your extra-curricular activities, this will enhance your college application. If your primary goal is being a pilot, all the uniformed services, including the USCG, have aviation programs.

I'll focus on more extra-curricular activities and shoot for as many AP classes as possible. I've heard the intel jobs have extra benifits and that they have an easier time getting careers after the Air Force. I want to eventually work in an aviation corporation like Lockheed Martin or Pratt and Whitney, so either job has its benifits.

I came across this thread when I got home from school and could not believe how similar our situations were. I currently am a sophomore in highschool and have aspirations of flying C-17s in the Air Force someday. Like yourself I often find myself wondering if I am "smart enough" or as I would put it in my words, "Air Force material". I find myself often pointing out the downsides to myself rather than the benefits.

  I do have a bit of advice for you, and please do not get discouraged by this but take it into consideration. Taking AP classes is a great way to make yourself stand out and give yourself a boost when it comes to college applications. You also have to realize when you are over reaching yourself. I have found that my life is plenty busy with two AP classes and CAP. Don't get me wrong, what you are doing is great and I wish that I had started thinking how you are a little bit sooner, but in my opinion it is better to take classes you know you can achieve good grades in than take AP classes you might end up witha D in. Trust me I am in that same boat now.

   All of that said, I wish you the best of luck and as others have already said, shoot for the stars. I just wanted to bring up the point that you should try not to over reach yourself in the process of achieving your goal. Best of luck to you!

[SarDragon]

I know of a 30-something woman who was diagnosed with cancer four years ago. She was an athletic, outdoorsy girl. About nine months after her diagnosis, she and her twin sister ran the Disney Marathon in Orlando, on their 29th birthday. The day before, they ran the Half-marathon. That's almost 40 miles in two days. This trip had been planned for almost two years, and she wasn't going to give up on it.

Live your dream. Don't let people try to talk you out of it. Don't talk yourself out of it. As others have said above, do the best you can, and go for the gold. You'll never regret trying.

[AngelWings]

Right now concentrate on High School as your primary objective. True the AF is reducing it's fleet and subsequently it's pilot quota. But Intel is actually a better job for career progression, advancement, and post military employment over the long term. If you're getting A's+B's start thinking about AP classes and enhancing your extra-curricular activities, this will enhance your college application. If your primary goal is being a pilot, all the uniformed services, including the USCG, have aviation programs.

I'll focus on more extra-curricular activities and shoot for as many AP classes as possible. I've heard the intel jobs have extra benifits and that they have an easier time getting careers after the Air Force. I want to eventually work in an aviation corporation like Lockheed Martin or Pratt and Whitney, so either job has its benifits.

I came across this thread when I got home from school and could not believe how similar our situations were. I currently am a sophomore in highschool and have aspirations of flying C-17s in the Air Force someday. Like yourself I often find myself wondering if I am "smart enough" or as I would put it in my words, "Air Force material". I find myself often pointing out the downsides to myself rather than the benefits.

  I do have a bit of advice for you, and please do not get discouraged by this but take it into consideration. Taking AP classes is a great way to make yourself stand out and give yourself a boost when it comes to college applications. You also have to realize when you are over reaching yourself. I have found that my life is plenty busy with two AP classes and CAP. Don't get me wrong, what you are doing is great and I wish that I had started thinking how you are a little bit sooner, but in my opinion it is better to take classes you know you can achieve good grades in than take AP classes you might end up witha D in. Trust me I am in that same boat now.

   All of that said, I wish you the best of luck and as others have already said, shoot for the stars. I just wanted to bring up the point that you should try not to over reach yourself in the process of achieving your goal. Best of luck to you!

Great advice. I know not to over reach myself. Been there, done that. Best of luck to you too!

[AngelWings]

I know of a 30-something woman who was diagnosed with cancer four years ago. She was an athletic, outdoorsy girl. About nine months after her diagnosis, she and her twin sister ran the Disney Marathon in Orlando, on their 29th birthday. The day before, they ran the Half-marathon. That's almost 40 miles in two days. This trip had been planned for almost two years, and she wasn't going to give up on it.

Live your dream. Don't let people try to talk you out of it. Don't talk yourself out of it. As others have said above, do the best you can, and go for the gold. You'll never regret trying.

That is amazing. I think that might be a new motivational story for me. Thank you for sharing!