If you're like me, you're a college student stressing out about the process of finding a job and the perfect future (and it's driving you insane.) You might have a rough idea of a major or a basic career path, but you're not really sure what you want to do or if you're even in the right area of what you want. I am currently in a self-proclaimed "quarter-life crisis" because I've been panicking about my major and what I want to do with the rest of my life.
Do I want to keep my major? Do I want to add another major? Do I want a master's degree? Do I want to go to law school? These are four of the hundred questions that have been taking over my thought process in the last few months.
However, I do know that right now, at the age of 20, I'm not expected to have everything figured out perfectly. I still have questions about my future, my goals, all of that, and it's okay to at this point in my life. While it might seem like everybody else has it figured out, has their dream internship for their perfect career, has complete knowledge of what they want, the truth is that that isn't completely true. Other people are going through what you're going through, even if they aren't as vocal about their particular situation. Don't think that you're alone in this.
Do I wish that I had everything figured out? Obviously. If I knew where I wanted to be in twenty years, I would be ecstatic. But the more realistic situation is that I haven't really got a clue. Ideally, I'll figure out my final major situation within the next year to at least have my undergraduate education path figured out.
Additionally, as I explore the world more and interact with more professionals, I will hopefully have a clue about a possible career and plans for graduate education. But if it takes more time to figure everything out, that's completely fine. Everyone figures out their life at their own pace, and just because some people take longer than others doesn't discredit you in any way.
This past semester has been a real roller coaster for me in terms of figuring out what I want to do and struggling with not having a clear path. However, I can take what I have learned so far in my classes and experiences with others to figure some of the things on my "to do" list out.
I'm not expecting all of the answers today, but if I can let them be figured out over time and be more understanding that some major decisions don't just hit you as a young college student, I can live a slightly-less stressed life letting those decisions come to me.
