Even though college is a great time to figure out who you are, that doesn’t take away any of the pressure of figuring out what you are supposed to do with the rest of your life. Whether it’s declaring your major or finding an internship so that you can start networking early, there are so many different and potentially life-altering decisions you have to make in the span of 4 years. I don’t mean to sound melodramatic by saying life-altering, and it’s not to say that you can’t change your mind or major a few different times. But if you are looking to save yourself some money and spare yourself an extra year at school, then you have to make up your mind at some point.
I am, by nature, a pretty indecisive person as it is. When I first got to WSU and saw pictures of my athlete friends who had continued on to the collegiate level, I kept wondering what my life could have been like if I had pursued college athletics. When I joined my sorority, I kept up with my Rho Gamma group and wondered if my sorority was the exact perfect fit for me. But both of these things would only alter the next four years of my life. Choosing a major, on the either hand, could potentially decide much more of my future than that tiny sliver of time.
Thankfully, I have wise parents who knew how to deal with my panic. So, if you’re reading this and currently panicking about what you are going to do with your life, here’s a piece of advice from each of my parents.
1. It is not, in fact, too late to change your mind on what you are going to do. There is no reason to continue doing something that doesn’t make you totally and extremely happy, just because you are too stubborn in your ways. So many people have told me that they got their “dream job,” only to figure out it wasn’t as dreamy as they had imagined. But, after realizing this, they found what actually made them excited about getting up in the morning, and they pursued it and made it their reality. Pick something you think you will love, and if you don’t end up loving it, pick again.
2. If you keep comparing your life to what it might have been if you had chosen differently, you will never feel content with what you have. See also: everything happens for a reason. When I stopped comparing my life to other potential lives, I finally figured out that my life was actually pretty great, and it is awesome to be blessed with everything that I am.
Life might kick you around sometimes, but most of the time life gives you lots of ingredients to make something great. And again, if you don’t like what you have, throw away those ingredients, go back to the store, and start over again. There is no certain age you have to have your life together, and the more pressure you put on yourself to do so, the unhappier you will be. So, as a reminder to myself and anyone else panicking: it’ll be okay. You might figure it out today, and you might figure it out 10 years down the road. You just have to remember to enjoy the walk to get there.
