The first time I heard the question "What do you want to be when you grow up, Holly?" was probably when I was three. The most recent time I heard a version of this question was last night, when I told my grandmother what I was majoring in and she said, "Well, what do you want to do with that?"
As a Creative and Professional Writing major, I get this question a lot. And I guess I kind of get it -- it's not an obvious major like accounting or journalism, where people pretty much can assume with accuracy what you'll be doing some day. People always give me a weird look when I tell them what my major is, and they always ask the same question as my grandmother, "Well, what do you want to do with that?"
My answer never once changes: I don't know.
All that I know is that I am doing what I love: spending my days at school reading, writing, and analyzing literature. I go from class to class and legitimately love being at school. And for now, that's what's important.
Too often we look into the future and expect to be able to map out exactly what will happen then by the choices we make now. While there are certainly ways to help you into the future you want, nothing is for sure. At the end of the day, no matter how stable your major seems, any of us are susceptible to unemployment and unhappiness. So why not spend our time now doing what we love and worry about later later?
My best advice to those who are spending their time worrying about what they want to be when they grow up is to just try and not to. I know that this seems like something near impossible in a world that is so driven by career and education, but it will certainly make your life easier. Spend some time exploring and devoting your time to doing what you like to do. If you like reading and writing, take classes that hone your skills and highlight your talents. There is no such thing as a major that makes no money or a talent that is useless. More likely than not, if you spend your time getting better at what your already good at and passionate about, rather than wasting time on something that seems more "stable" but isn't your passion, a job will come your way because you're good at what you do.
Don't try so hard to pin down your future now; let your future find you when it is time.
