Damn yo, I walked up in here and got straight DE-PRESSED. Let me lighten it up. I've never been much of a good student. In high school I was an artsy-fartsy type masquerading around as a jock. I fucked off with my studies quite a bit. Never was great at math or science. So I won't be providing planet Earth with a cure for some debilitating disease, and I won't come up with some new formula that'll help us understand the world better. And I can't dunk. But check this out--I have this ability to use letters to make words that convey thoughts and emotions. Then I can connect a bunch of those to make sentences. String a couple of those nifty suckers together and I've got a whole paragraph. Start locking them in place and then--I can create beauty! It's fucking awesome. I'm okay at it, and I'm trying to get better. I'm not gonna sit here and fool myself--I've got a hell of a long ways to go as a writer... Like, a long way! But I've had people who have read my work say that it affected them or made them feel something in some way. Truth is, even just one person who says something like that makes me feel like what I do is worthwhile and has an impact on society. If even just a small one. But one of these days, it's going to be a big one! Just gotta keep working hard.
Nice stuff man. No cure for a debilitating disease? You may be on track more than you think. Honest reflection on life and appreciating the power of ideas and the written word. Sounds like a sure cure for ignorance. I expect that it's likely that I've got some upcoming 8th graders that'll benefit greatly from reading your response to this question. Typically, I've seem to have several each year that would identify with your experiences. Thanks.
This is my aim, what I've always said to myself: whatever I do in life, be it as a job or a passion (essentially, writing) I'm not really going to be doing it for money. Sure, money would be nice, but if I were doing it for cash I would be doing a degree in business or math or tech, something with more job placements and higher-paying positions. I do what I do for the chance to effect someone's life - in any way. Even if it's just making someone stop and think for a few seconds as they read an article in a magazine. If it's a book that changes someone's life, that would be fantastic. I've already managed to make close friends, family, cry with my writing. It's an achievement, much more than any paid work I have done and will probably ever do - the validation and confirmation that what I do, at least some people consider it good. At least some people are affected by it.