What Do I Want to Be When I Grow Up?

Maya's grandma puts out big fires as a firefighter. Maya's uncle wakes up at 4 in the morning to bake fresh bread for the whole town. Maya's neighbor fixes broken bones at the hospital. Every single person you know has a job — and there are more than 12,000 different kinds of jobs just in the United States!

In this lesson you will: - Learn what a "job" really means - Meet five different kinds of workers and see what they do all day - Figure out what YOU like to do, and which jobs match it - Learn that every job — big or small — helps other people

Look around you right now. Someone built the chair you're sitting in — that was a carpenter. Someone grew the food you ate for breakfast — that was a farmer. Someone taught you how to read — that's a teacher. A garbage collector keeps your street clean. A veterinarian takes care of sick animals. A pilot flies airplanes across the ocean. None of these jobs are more important than the others — a town needs ALL of them to work well together, like puzzle pieces.

The best way to think about a future job is to think about what you already love doing. Do you like helping people who are sad or hurt? You might enjoy being a nurse, doctor, or teacher. Do you like building and fixing things? You might enjoy being an engineer, electrician, or carpenter. Do you like drawing, singing, or making up stories? You might enjoy being an artist, architect, or author. There is no wrong answer — what matters is paying attention to what makes you excited.

A doctor helps a sick person feel better. A bus driver helps people get to school and work safely. A chef helps a hungry family enjoy dinner. Even jobs that seem small, like a mail carrier delivering a birthday card, can make someone's whole day. When you pick a job someday, you'll be helping people too — that's what makes work matter.