When in doubt, take the scenic route 

If you don’t know what to do in life, like you really have no clue how to spend your time as a young person, there is a case for simply doing whatever you want to do. I don’t mean wasting away on the couch watching TV and binge eating, but doing something that excites you and interests you, even if it doesn’t pay. Even better, doing something that you would pay to do, just for the experience. Doing something that, if absolutely nothing else, could turn into a story worth telling later on.

Let’s examine one example— James Beard in his 20s. He aimlessly moved between his hometown and LA, winding up making finger food for people at parties. The parties came naturally to him— he was a social guy. The finger food came naturally to him, too— he loved to prepare food, and to eat. Taking this path led him to more affluent communities that adored his finger food and he got opportunities to learn from notable chefs. Only through this experience did he become the James Beard of chef fame, and the founder of the James Beard Award.

No matter what happened afterward, making finger food for LA socialites in the early 20th century could make for captivating tales later on.

Naturally, this is one example, and there is survivorship bias in it. But the point is, whether or not this path leads to abject success, you win either way. You either become James Beard successful, or you have some interesting stories to tell, or both. 

When in doubt, take the scenic route.

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Thanks to D5 Render for the gorgeous 3D render.