When I was twelve, I wanted to be an author. When I was thirteen, I wanted to be an art teacher. When I was fifteen, I wanted to be an interior designer. When I was sixteen, my mom said, "You like web design, why don't you be a web designer?"
And that's when it hit me. The past six years have been aimed with my career goal in mind - but what if I never made that decision? What if I wake up one day and realize that I hate web design and don't want to do it anymore? As unlikely as that is, it's still a thought that crosses my mind from time to time.
A lot of people start college without knowing what they want their career to be. It's really a daunting task - deciding what path you are going to take for the rest of your life. (It's almost as scary as choosing a faction in Divergent - the book that I am currently reading) Luckily for you, making the wrong choice right now won't screw you over for the rest of the time you're alive.
College is about exploring. Most of us don't have the unlimited funds to truly explore all of our options, which is really a shame. It can be a little unsettling to be in an environment where everybody knows what they want to do and where they're going, while you just want to pass your math class and have something decent in the cafeteria for lunch that day. That's why deciding on your major is so important.
Here are a few thoughts to keep in mind:
01. Think about what makes you happy. What are your favorite things to do? What do you spend time doing that makes time fly, and how can you translate that into a job setting?
02. Travel. Experience new things and new places. There could be something out there that you had no idea existed.
03. Try something new. Take classes with subjects that seem interesting to you. Broaden your horizons.
04. General Studies. Start off college taking general studies courses. This gives you more time to figure out what you want to do while still working towards a degree.
05. Take a break. If you've run out of general studies classes to take, it's ok to take a break from school instead of spending more money on classes you might not end up needing. A break from school can help you clear your mind and realize what you'd like to continue studying.
06. Work. If anything, working a job you hate will inspire you to pick a better career path, and working a job you love will confirm what you want to keep doing.
07. Relax. I know it can be scary not knowing where your life is going, but it can also be exciting. If you don't have your life already planned out, then it leaves room for anything to happen. Just make sure you're able to pay the bills and doing something you love in the mean time.
Here's a little secret for you - even the people who have their lives planned out and know what they want to do right now will probably change their mind down the road somewhere. Life is unpredictable, and we have the ability to try so many different things in this day and age.
College Rule #12
College doesn't define who you are for the rest of your life. Now's the time to explore.
I can't tell you what to pick as your major. I can't tell you when you're going to know or how to get that lightbulb to click on. All I can tell you is that you don't have to live in fear of being left behind in life because you don't know what you want to do. It will come to you eventually - it's ok not to know. Explore your choices and go on adventures. Learn the meaning of hard work and being a good person. Defining who you are as a person will help you decide what you want to do with your life.
PS. I drew that Morph (from Treasure Planet, I'm saddened to find out a lot of people have no idea what that is) on Art Academy: Sketchpad for the WiiU. If anyone has a WiiU and wants to be friends, you should add me! - ohemjayy
Peace. Love. Explore.
Good post and very true. If you don't know what you want to be, it's not too bad in the beginning but I hope everyone takes your checklist to heart, and uses college to explore and be a better self. I love that movie Treasure Planet! I haven't seen it in years sadly but I want to watch it now.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting reading about this, because in Australia we only really offer one kind of degree that will let you start off taking a range of subjects and then pick a 'major', the rest of us hit the ground running studying a specific field, so we don't really have that leisure. I'm sure you guys also offer specific degrees, but there seems to be a lot more variety, from what I hear/pick up on anyway. Just another difference from the other side of the world, I guess!
ReplyDeleteWe can major in "general studies" which is just a Bachelor's Degree that you earn through taking core classes like math, science, english, etc. When students don't know what they want to major in, they usually take a lot of these core classes their first year because they're a requirement for pretty much every major anyway. Depending on where you go to school and the specific major, you can start off doing classes for your major right away - but the end goal is to end up with a specific degree that you have to take certain classes for. So I don't think it's too much different than in Australia, but it definitely sounds like you guys are more focused on the specifics of your field.
DeleteAs we grow up, our idea of what we want to major in can change so much.. Unless we're one of those kids who somehow sticks with one, haha.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what you say about many people starting college with no knowledge about what they want to have as their career. Heck, colleges forces students to choose something when they apply at the age of 17.. Unless they get lucky enough and score under undeclared. What you're saying about college is all true. Definitely try out something new because you never know until you try it out, right? All of these tips are really helpful to keep in mind- especially for those who are not completely sure with what they want to do. There are plenty of choices out there and might as well do something that you like, right?
Continuing on from Jess' comment, we're the same in the UK. We chose one degree then we're allowed to experiment with other smaller stuff inside that same degree.
ReplyDeleteHow far are you into divergent? I'm tempting to read the books before seeing the film
I think it's insane that people are expected to know what they want to do for the rest of their lives at such a young age. I feel like the past seven years of my life have been completely wasted, all because I had no idea what I wanted to do and felt myself being pushed into the wrong things. I never should've gone to university, but I felt pushed into it.
ReplyDeleteI left school seven years ago and have just now found what I think I actually want to do with my life. It's madness.