Ah, college, the “Good Years” as our teachers and parents have expressed to us since we all were so very young. These are the years you are supposed to find your dream career and also have a little fun. As kids we had some big dreams. The way my mom sometimes to used put it is that in college you have to follow or find your “dream” (meaning career; she said dream to make it easier for me to understand when I asked about college when I was four and a half) and pursuing it, to the point where your dream becomes something you can wake up to and be ready to rush out the door and enjoy every moment of your day.

What's your situation? Have no clue where you are headed? Have an idea but you are just not sure? You may be stuck in the same situation I was in this year and stuck in a major that does not fit you or is not leading you toward your dream career. I wasted time by not going ahead and admitting to myself that the major I had chosen was not a good fit for me. I hope through my story that you can get closer to finding the major that will lead you to your dream career.

So think about your dreams as a kid. What did you want to be? I wanted to be a Veterinarian, better yet, an Equine (horse) Veterinarian. I always have had a “soft spot” for animals (especially horses), but very quickly that dream was crushed when I realized that “soft spot” was a major down set to my dream career. I did a mentor ship at a Veterinarian clinic for a Health Sciences class my senior year of high school. It took me a long time to realize I was not made of the stern stuff you need in order to care for a sick animal (I left every day in tears, I was always so heartbroken by the sick animals and also the heartbreak of an animal being put down).

So what do all my parents and my teachers and my brothers and everyone else say about what I should do? They said to go into Chemistry and go into the private sector with a high paying career, where I will never want for food or shelter or water or clothes. Of course, really appreciating and admiring them and their advice, I decided to go for it. Very soon, sitting in Intro to Chemistry I, I realized my reality… I HATE CHEMISTRY… and the calculus that goes with it as well. I learned quickly that in order to have a career, you have to enjoy what you are learning about, and for me, that was not Chemistry... (if you are majoring in Chemistry or want to, it is an amazing career and you go for it I will stand and applaud because it is a hard and well admirable career, not trying to scare anyone off). But, as I thought, and as I searched deep inside me… ME… not everyone else, once I focused on myself, I believe I found (for sure) my dream career: Music Therapy. Music has always been my passion and I also love helping others with stress and just giving good advice. Music Therapy is just right for me. I will get to use my talents to help people through music and through my words and my experiences in life deal with stresses they can’t handle just on their own. Find your talents and passions and they could lead you in the right direction.

Anyway, enough of my story. What do I mean by “Finding Your Dream” in College? I mean that you, the individual, have to find your dream. What do you want in life? What is your dream career? What is your passion? What is your dream for the future? Now, when you reach your high school/college years, think on these. I always had rooted myself in high school to the dream that being a Veterinarian was the only career for me, and through my first semester of college I listened to everyone around me instead of listening to myself. I did not focus on what my talents and my passions are. When you do that, you only limit yourself. When you finally realize your talents and passions, you will have the big breakthrough of “oh my gosh, I know who I am supposed to be;” it will be a revelation. It might take you a week, maybe a month, maybe an entire semester or even a year. What matters is the end of your revelation journey, finding out who you are and what you are going to do with your life.

So now I say to you, in college, be a little selfish, find out who YOU are meant to be, what YOUR dream is, and run with it with all YOU got. Only you can make the final say, only you can decide who you are, what you will make of this life, and only you have the power to take your dream a soar into the skies. I know at times you will feel confused and not sure of what you want to do. Just breathe and focus in on yourself and who you are, what your dream is and who you want to be. In time, like me, you too will find your dream.