It's a pretty intimidating feeling to suddenly decide that you don't actually know what you want to do anymore. It is like the world, as you knew it, has come crashing down around you. This is especially difficult to accept as reality because you have seemed so aligned with your intentions. At one point in time, you had a plan in place of what you wanted to achieve and the means by which you would pursue it.
At least you thought that you had a plan in place.
You had a general idea of what steps you would need to take in order to get to your ultimate career goal. As a result, you diligently planned each move as an undergraduate, thus far, to take the steps necessary to move you in the general direction of this goal.
At least you thought that you were taking all the necessary steps.
You researched this career path for countless hours. You have constructed a spreadsheet with all of the most recent prerequisite courses that you are required to take to get into certain graduate programs that have degrees in your field. The list that you keep stored on your computer is always being checked as you inquire about the opportunities that are going to make you stand out on your graduate school application as well as making sure that you are checking off the basics that admissions counselors are most certainly going to be looking for.
At least you thought that you had done your research.
You had the passion to pursue this long-researched career path after looking into it over the course of a year or maybe several. In your head, you could place yourself in the shoes of a professional in this field, and you enjoyed it.
At least you thought that you had the passion to carry you through this career option.
It's a really good idea to explore areas of study, especially when you are looking for a field that suits you. It's also a really good idea to gain exposure to certain careers that you think are potentially for you. This is important because, oftentimes, the way we imagine things does not always align with reality perfectly. While this is OK and not something to get upset about, it is also a good realization to have.
Once you gain shadowing experience with a specific occupation, then you would have truly dipped your toes into this field. You will have an actual idea of what your daily duties would be as a professional in this field. Even though you have not completed specific training for this career and also the fact that working in this occupation is vastly different from merely shadowing somebody else in the field, these moments are crucial to determining if you can truly see yourself doing this type of work
And if you can't, that's OK.
It's jarring to have this thought, but it is better to have it sooner rather than later. It may seem like everything you have worked so hard to complete as an undergrad preparing for a specific career is now thrown away; what a waste of time. Yet, this has not been a waste of your time by any means. You have determined that something no longer fits your career goals, life values, and professional pursuits. This has been an incredibly important use of your time.
Life is full of setbacks and unexpected events. The world will not end just because you once thought that you knew what you wanted to do after your undergraduate studies. This is just another learning experience for you to work through as you get a little more serious about contemplating what your life goals are.
If you are the undergraduate who is asking what to do when you just don't know what you want to do anymore, do not panic.
Everyone goes through a moment in time when they just don't know. Use this time to really focus your time and energy exploring what all is out there.
You truly don't know what you may find until you start searching.
