By now, at whatever stage you have reached in the societal disguise for a prison also known as college, you have gone through a few panic attacks about your major, if it's right for you, and the future. However, if you're just starting, take a seat, you will need this soon enough if you already don't.

Gone are the days when we were all satisfied to let our parents, families or dreams that we had by virtue of television shows we watched determine what we became in the future. We are taking charge of it now!

At least I know I am.

Until starting college, I was quite okay with pursuing a career in medicine which had sort of been already determined by my family. Most African children know that the only five acceptable careers are: a doctor, a lawyer, a nurse, an engineer or a disgrace to the family. Yes, it really is that deep. Imagine me then, a doe-eyed freshman biology major, realizing that the criminal justice class I was forced to take was so beautiful and maybe I could actually put my argumentative talent to some use. Lord knows, I always had something to argue about. I fell in love with the major that was essentially pre-law and my passion for biology died down. Through no fault of mine, I was thrown into two years of panic attacks, family meetings, wondering if I will ever amount to anything and of course, how I would pay off my heinous amount of student loans.

Now this article is not to tell about how I finally found a way to make it work and how everything is all dandy in my life because it is not. Yet. This article is to say that if you find yourself ever feeling this way regardless of if you are a freshman, sophomore, junior, senior or even in some graduate school for a major that you're not so passionate about, you are not the only one. I cannot tell you how many times I question myself for letting go of one thing I loved for another thing that I loved more. Or how many times I have to stop myself from descending into an abyss of what-ifs and what-have-i-dones after going to the doctor's or even watching "Grey's Anatomy."

But I also cannot tell you how many times I am proud of myself when I watch my role models go about their daily lives knowing that will soon be me. Or when I stand up for someone in what little way I can. Or just when I let myself accept that it is okay to pursue my happiness.

The future is too long and way too important to have it dictated by a fear of failure, a familial tradition, wish or because you are holding on to a dream you had in kindergarten. People change, the things we want in life change as we grow up to know there are other paths and that is very okay. It is, in fact, more than fine. It is fine to be a style blogger instead of some cardiologist or scientist. It is okay to be a doctor instead of a lawyer like the generations before you. It is okay to be an artist even though you also are a great engineering student. It is okay as long as that is what sets your heart on fire. It is even more okay to not know what it is that sets said heart on fire yet. Life and happiness is not a destination, but a journey and so what if you don't quite know what you want to be as long as you're moving towards something?

So yes, I might go off and have a panic attack about the fact that I might not become a medical doctor, or go cry about letting go of the dream that I have had since I was six years old right after this. But you know what? Afterwards, I will go and get into an argument and articulate my opinion on a topic I am passionate about and feel better about myself. Or even better, I will go watch How to Get Away with Murder and revel in the fact that I am the next Annalise Keating. Whatever I do, I will follow my heart and have fun while doing it.