Patrick on the Edge: What About LIfe After College?

With college (and the rest of my life) looming high over my head, I've thought a lot about life after college lately. It started out with the normal questions. What do I want to do? Where do I want to live? and how many millions of dollars do I want to make? But eventually, I started thinking about the things that aren't as obvious, but much more important. What will happen if I don't like my job? What will I sacrifice for my or my family's wellbeing? What is more important, the lucrative nature of my job, or the fact that I enjoy what I do?

Right now, I don't know concrete answers to any of these questions, because I have no experience to base my answers on. I'm starting to get a more big picture perspective of the working world, but it's not making it look any nicer. My view of a career is waking every morning at 5 or earlier to beat the commute, spending 8 hours behind a desk, then spending at least an hour commuting to get back home. I don't like that. Even after being in school for 12 odd years, that sort of repetition scares me. I don't think I could ever thrive at a job as mundane as something that I describe as "same old same old" day in and day out to my wife. It might be a product of my involvement in the Attention Deficit Generation, but I think it's more about the fact that I don't want to have a career that has little to no impact. I've been told my whole live that I can make a difference, and to me that's kind of a challenge to make a difference. It doesn't matter if I affect 10 or 10,000 people, as long as I believe in my work, I'll be content. 

I don't know what I'm going to do with the rest of my life. I have my dreams, options, and backups, but I don't know what will happen in college because that is what will make the most impact in my career choice. But, I know that I only have a finite time left until I'm stuck in a job with no way out. I want to make sure I want that job, and don't only do it because it pays for my house and car. Also, when I sit down at my desk every morning, I want to think for a second and smile, because I know I'm making a living doing what I love.