Someone recently asked me how I'll know when I finally "make it."
The first image that came to mind was what I'd been telling myself my whole life. I want to be the next editor-in-chief for Cosmopolitan Magazine, live in a penthouse apartment on the Upper East Side and never have to worry about where my next paycheck is coming from.
But that didn't feel right. How can I base my entire life's work on a paycheck and a title? But isn't that what work is about? Isn't that why I've taken AP classes since the ninth grade, studied for hours in high school to get into the honors program at my college, spent my summers inside of an office working my ass off at an internship? Isn't that what parents and teachers have drilled into my head since I was younger? "Get a job that pays well and lets you move up the ladder quickly" has been the career advice I've received all my life.
So why don't I think achieving those things would make me feel like I've "made it," like what I've spent my whole life working for was finally worth it in the end?
I don't want children and I don't know if marriage is for me, so what's going to finally let me feel like I've accomplished everything I want in life?
It finally clicked -- I don't want to be in charge of something for the title, I want to be in charge in order to help other people learn what I've spent years studying. I want to make a change by giving that opportunity to others. I want to teach.
I had a professor for the last two semesters that challenged me every day, whether I liked it or not. He pushed me to go beyond what I thought my limits were and helped give me the confidence and skills to get the internship of my dreams.
I want to be that professor for another student. I want a student to come into my office crying tears of joy because he/she just got accepted to the graduate program, job or internship of their dreams, simply because of what I taught them.
I don't want to change the world -- I want to change someone else's world. I don't want to be someone's boss, I want to be someone's mentor.
Deciding what to do after college can be stressful. In a world full of opportunity, it's hard to commit to one dream. So, next time you're unsure of what you want to do, ask yourself, "how will I know when I've made it?"
