Back to the future

I don't know if it's everyone I know talking about what their future plans are (or lack therof) that's making me think about my future plans too.

At the moment, I think I have plans. My plans are to take the LSATs and apply to law schools, perhaps joint law/mpp programs.

However, today, on the commute home I got to thinking. What do I really want out of life? Will I be happy having a good job, and perhaps having upward mobility but doing something not terribly meaningful? I guess the meaning would come from attaining status, but that in itself, is not appealing to me (though I'll admit, I can't totally shun the allure of status/power).

On the other hand, I have a passion for working with children and non-profit type work, where the work has a direct impact on the people you're trying to help.

And on my third hand, I enjoy creating, building, making. I've always though industrial design would be great fun.

So I guess my dilemma is I don't want to specialize. I want to do it all, but I have to prioritize what I'm going to invest my energy and time into. Am I going to work on a law degree and get experience that will let me perhaps start a company and make things happen? Am I going to get the training I need to do work in the public sector? Am I going to go a different route than I've gone currently and try to break into the world of industrial design?

They will all require a significant investment in time, effort and money. But which of my interests/passions am I willing to place on the back burner or relegate to a hobby or perhaps retirement activity?

The pressure is great - because you don't want to get stuck doing something you hate, or live wondering "what if".