My Future

I think a lot. My mind is constantly going; whether it is day-dreaming, contemplating my future, thinking about the present, or reflecting over something I am reading or learning about. My last birthday was full of thinking. Over the last few years I have had a lot of changes in my life, seems on my birthday I would focus on the happy things but instead I just kept thinking about how my life wasn't exactly how I thought it would be: the good and the bad.
Up until the age of 16, I thought I would be a veterinarian, then I got a job at a vet office. At the time I was obsessed with CSI so I changed the idea of my future to forensic psychologist. Then I got to college and thought, "math teacher!" Three years later, two math classes failed I decided maybe math wasn't the direction I should go. At the time I had a job working with at-risk youth and decided to go back into psychology and go on to get my masters in counseling. Fast forward another three years, I am completely burnt out at school and feeling pretty burnt out at work as well.
Don't get me wrong, I love what I do but it is a draining job. I am a very compassionate-empathetic person and take on a lot of the grief that the kids have. I have gotten a lot better at being able to take myself out of their problems but I don't know that I don't want to not feel what they are feeling. What happens in a few more years when I don't hurt when I hear a story about abuse? I don't want to become hard, emotionless.
This feeling is a big reason why I decided to take the next year off, I don't know what I want to do with the rest of my life. I kind of think it sucks that I have to make that decision. Next Monday I have an appointment with a career advisor to help me decide my future. I really hope I can figure something out because I don't want to be stuck in Laramie the rest of my life. I also want to do something worthwhile with my future!