To The College Student That Can't Decide Which Career Path To Embark On

Let me start off by saying, "YOU'RE NOT ALONE!"

When I was growing up, I would be playing on my Great-Grandma's front porch playing school with my cousin, Erica. So for the longest time I thought I would go to college to become a teacher. When I got older, I realized how much teachers made and that didn't sound enticing. So I looked into jobs that usually got more pay, that's when I settled on becoming a Pharmacists. During high school, I realized that my least favorite subject was science, so therefore turned me away from going to school to become a Pharmacists. The subject I enjoyed most in school was math, I loved everything numbers, so I knew then I would go to school for business.

During my first year of college I thought I was going to get my degree in Business Management. At the end of my first semester I had changed my desire degree to Business Financial Services and also added a second: Marketing. After three years, I have my Associates Degree in both Business: Financial Services and Business: Marketing.

During my first semester I was also interested in interior design so I took an introductory class. While I am not one who loves school, I decided against getting my degree in interior design because the statement I remember the professor saying was, "To be an interior designer, you have to complete x amount of years of schooling, have x amount of years of work experience, take the NCIDQ (National Council for Interior Design Qualification), then be able to call yourself an actual Interior Designer, if you passed the test. The amount of time it would've taken to get there is what scared me and turned me away, that's why I thought being a Business major was the safest and easiest bet.

While I loved what I was learning in my business courses, I was still thinking about other careers I was interested in. During my last year of school I as interested in Architecture. I started looking into the course plan for that and it would've taken another two years to get just my associates. As I love the thought of designing buildings, I thought I should stick with business, because I was about done with getting my degree.

It's okay to take time off of school to figure out what you want to pursue in life.

I took a year off to make sure I still wanted to pursue my Bachelor's degree in business. I decided to do it because it only will take a couple more years to achieve. So I am taking online classes through Southern New Hampshire University to obtain my Bachelor's in Business Financial Services with a concentration in financial planning because I am intrigued by investing, more for my personal life but would hopefully enjoy working in that industry as well.

Now, since I have started writing for the Odyssey, I have considered studying English and Communications. I have ideas of what I would like to publish but haven't taken the time to start writing them. I also think it would be fun to work in a publishing house, reading all the time, getting to decide what to publish.

So if you are having a hard time deciding what to do for the rest of your life, just know that it's okay to change your mind.

You're not stuck doing whatever you decided to go to school for. My mom went to school to become a teacher. While she taught for a few years, she then became a department manager and within the last few years, she is now a Pharmacy technician. As people, we have a right to change our minds and achieve the dreams and goals we have planned for ourselves. While some of our interests stay the same, some we grow out of, which is OKAY! So whether you are a high school senior or a senior in college, it's okay to not have it all figured out.