When I Grow Up, I Want to Be …

By Linda Davies

What do you want to be when you grow up? Here are some ideas to get you started. You could even write about these in your journal!

1. What do you like to do? Do you like taking care of animals, working on computers, or dancing? The things you like are clues about the talents you have.

2. Talk to a grown-up. Talk to a parent or teacher about your talents and interests. They can help you find more information.

3. Get curious. Talk to people who do interesting jobs. Ask about what they do, what education they needed, and why they love their jobs. Find books or information online about different jobs too.

4. Experiment! As you get older, take classes in school to learn more about what you love. Try new subjects too! Maybe you could go to work with someone for a day to watch and learn. This is called job shadowing.

5. Learn about lots of things. Lots of kids don’t know yet what they’d like to do when they grow up. That’s OK. Learn lots of skills and subjects like science, cooking, baby-sitting, or sports.

6. Watch and learn. When you grow up, you can also be a mom or dad. Have you thought about the kind of mom or dad you’d want to be? Watch the parents around you to see what you want to do when you’re a parent.

7. Pray for help. When Joseph Smith was only 14, he had lots of questions too. This scripture helped him, and it can help you: “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, … and it shall be given him” (James 1:5). God cares about the questions that matter to us.

Go to FriendWIGU.lds.org to learn about some things you could do when you grow up!