What Should I Be When I Grow Up?

How many 30-somethings do you know who are at a loss with what to do with themselves?

What should I be when I grow up? It’s a question that many — and not exclusively school-aged children — are asking these days. That’s why, Reuters reports, the UK government is making sure that when they’ve grown up, British school kids have tried out enough jobs to know exactly what it is that they want to do with their lives.

Under a new program, kids as young as nine years old are going to start getting career counseling advice. The idea is to not only give kids a head start on the path to a fulfilling job, but it’s also to offer children of varying socioeconomic backgrounds similar opportunities. The students will get mentors, will get to visit universities and will receive counseling via social networking sites like Facebook.

For all those 30-somethings for whom that masters degree in 19th century Russian literature didn’t translate into a viable career, for those who hate their jobs and maybe even for those who don’t even have one, maybe this idea should be more than just for the kids.

Photo courtesy StuartPilbrow via Flickr.