"So, what do you want to do with that degree?"
I start chewing on my nails. I tap my foot at a faster pace than I was seconds before. I catch my breath, trying to form a statement.
The only thing I can say: I don't know. Honestly, I don't... and that's okay.
As a liberal arts student, I have received this question almost any time college is brought up. I understand why it is asked -- people are curious, they may not even know what that degree is, or they want to help give insight. It's not always a nosy question, but it can cause more anxiety than the college application process ever did. Sometimes I even dread talking about my major or program because I don't want to be embarrassed answering this question.
The funny thing is that it's okay to say that you don't know what you want to do with your degree. Hell, it's even okay to say that you might not even keep that degree. College is a time of change and discovery so it would only make sense to not be sure of what you want in your future. So, when people ask you what the game plan is for your future, be honest.
About 80 percent of students in the United States end up changing their major at least once, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. This means the the vast majority of students go into a program that isn't for them and find something new. A lot of the time, you don't even take courses that dive deep into your major until your sophomore or junior year of university. In those two to three years, you can change your mind a million times.
So, if it's common fact that students change their majors multiple times, why does everyone want to know exactly what the future plan is? Isn't the point of college to find out what you want to do with the rest of your life? To try new things, take courses that you find interesting, snag a few internships, and work crappy jobs in fields that sound cool? If that's what college is for, go with it. Stop panicking about people who want to know exactly what you want to do. You don't have to know -- at least, not yet. (Some people complete undergrad and still don't even know what they want to do.)
We live in a society where we're expected to figure out what we want to do with our entire lives around the age of twenty. To me, this seems crazy. Sure, we can pick something that seems interesting or something that we're passionate about, but the vast majority of us won't know until we try and fail... and then try and fail again until we figure out where we're supposed to be.
The next time someone asks you where you want to be with your major, what career you want, or what your major will do for you, don't be afraid to answer truthfully. Say you don't know if you don't know. It's okay.
