When I started my freshman year of college, I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. Although I had a general idea of what I planned on majoring in (communication studies), I was unsure where I wanted to go with that path. I felt that everyone at college already knew what they were going to major in and what career path they wanted. Everyone, that is, except me.

As the year progressed, I knew that majoring in communication studies was the right area for me, and even decided to double major in sociology. However, I was still lost when it came to knowing what exactly I wanted to do with that. I tried so hard to figure out what I wanted to do. I spent hours researching what I could do with my degrees, but was no closer to deciding than when I started.

Then, this summer, I came to a realization: I don’t need to have my entire life figured out. At 19 years old, it is okay to be unsure of how I want to spend the next 30+ years of my life. True, there are some people my age who have their lives planned out, but there are also many more who do not.

Society is weird, because people put pressure on you to have everything figured out. However, that’s not smart, healthy, or realistic. Pressuring people to make long-term decisions places unneeded amounts of stress on them, and often causes them to make rash decisions they later regret. What we need to focus on is encouraging people to follow their passions and focus on finding what makes them happy.

I know that in time, my plan will fall into place. While I still don’t know what type of job I’ll be working at once I graduate, I know that because I am following my heart and pursuing my passions right now, I will be content wherever I end up. I have come to accept that in life, it is okay to not know everything. Things always have a way of coming together, and even though it might take some time, all the waiting will be worth it.