I started out my first year at USC with a "Pre-PA" emphasis (Physician's Assistant). After taking a few chemistry courses at USC's gleaming department, I realized that maybe this route was not for me. So, I dropped the pre-med title and just stuck with my major alone. Things were easier and somewhat more enjoyable without the pre-med courses. I realized that I liked the idea of pre-med more so than the reality of it. Now I know.
My second year at USC I decided to pursue Journalism. I've always been a good writer and have dreamed of becoming the real-life Carrie Bradshaw Sex and the City writer since I was a little kid. I still didn't change my major, but I changed my career route mentality, beginning to research graduate programs for journalism and getting into writing for different media sources. After some research and more exposure to different fields of interest, I decided to drop the journalism career-route. It just didn't seem attainable in the long run to me, personally, though I still maintained writing as a hobby to fuel my passion.
Alas, the start of my third year at USC: I felt wiser, more experienced, more knowledgeable, and decided to pursue something that I had always stored in the back of my mind. I was going to become a Psychologist. That was relative to my major, Cognitive Science, anyway. A new career background search began again, looking into graduate programs, criteria needed for said programs, the number of loans needed, etc. I talked with a Psychology Professor of mine as he gave me some guidance upon what I should expect in terms of the time it will take to become a Psychologist and the prestige many of these programs look for within prospective applicants. After some back and forth and thinking, I decided to hold off on this for the time being. It was not sticking with me anymore.
I'm now less than two semesters away from graduating. I came into this school thinking I was going to become a P.A. And now, I'm only just beginning to realize how big this world is and how many different routes you can take and I'm not sure which one I want to pursue. I don't say this with animosity though, in fact, a bit of relief. We are pumped into a system right after high school, in which we are expected to know what we want to do for the rest of our lives at the mere age of 18-22, on average. Some of us may know exactly what it is we want to devote ourselves to, and that is absolutely okay. But, some of us may not know. Or in my case, realize they may have multiple interests and need some time to figure it out. And guess what, that is also absolutely okay.
I'm not sure what the future holds but I'm excited to embark on this journey we call life upon graduation and figure it out as I go. Maybe some of my earlier career mentalities will stick later on. Maybe they won't. Reality is, I would not have known had I not gave it a go. I have some ideas of what I can see myself doing long-term but I'm not going to force it. Everything happens when it's meant to and I know I've still got plenty of learning to do and experiences to have. I'm getting a taste of the real world to come and I know that whatever I may set my mind to eventually, I will succeed. So, if you're on a similar boat, embrace it.
Sometimes, you have to get a little bit lost to find your direction.
