# Future Paths in Home Repairs

Part of the Home Repairs Merit Badge Digital Resource Guide: [Introduction & Overview](https://merit-badge.university/merit-badges/home-repairs/guide/index.md)

*7. Careers & Hobbies*

> **7.** Do ONE of the following:

This final requirement asks you to choose one future-facing path. You can either explore a **career** related to home repairs or think about how these skills could support a **hobby or healthy lifestyle**. Both options are about seeing this badge as the beginning of something larger, not the end of a checklist.

## Your Options

- **[Req 7a — Exploring a Home Repair Career](https://merit-badge.university/merit-badges/home-repairs/guide/req7a/)**: Research a job in maintenance, trades, or repair work. You will learn about training, duties, pay, and advancement.
- **[Req 7b — Building a DIY Hobby or Lifestyle](https://merit-badge.university/merit-badges/home-repairs/guide/req7b/)**: Think about how repair skills can become a practical hobby and a long-term habit of caring for your surroundings.

## How to Choose

**Choosing Your Final Option** — Pick the path that gives you the most useful discussion with your counselor

- [ ] **Choose Req 7a** if you want to learn how skilled repair work turns into a job or trade.
- [ ] **Choose Req 7b** if you are more interested in personal projects, saving money, and becoming more self-reliant at home.
- [ ] **What you will gain:** Req 7a helps you understand professional pathways; Req 7b helps you picture how repair skills can shape your daily life and future goals.

> **Tip**
>
> If you enjoyed the structured systems in electrical or plumbing work, Req 7a may feel natural. If you loved fixing real things around the house and want to keep doing that, Req 7b may be the better fit.

Start with the career path page, then compare it with the hobby-and-lifestyle option before deciding which one you want to discuss most deeply with your counselor.

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- Previous: [Drawer and Cabinet Hardware](https://merit-badge.university/merit-badges/home-repairs/guide/req6h/index.md)
- Next: [Exploring a Home Repair Career](https://merit-badge.university/merit-badges/home-repairs/guide/req7a/index.md)