Every college kid has been there.

You’re having a seemingly harmless conversation with one of your parents’ friends, talking about your time at school, and enjoying stories about their wild days in their fraternity. But suddenly, the all too well-known and dreaded words are uttered, and it’s enough to make your palms itch and your brow start to sweat.

You’ve just been asked the question.

I’m not talking about when your angry six foot younger brother demands to know who ate the rest of his leftover pizza, or when the girl you've been dating for two weeks asks, “Where is this relationship going?”

I’m talking about the big one. The question that makes most college students want to turn and run the other way.

“What do you want to do with your life after college?”

This question is a reframed version of what we all heard as kids, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” This new phrasing incites fear, because it assumes that you have grown up, are full of confidence and knowledge, and already know exactly where you’re headed with your life. The question brings up fear of the future, of the unknown, of failure, and ultimate unhappiness. Basically, impending doom.

And, like many, my knee-jerk reaction to this question is always an urge to run, literally run, far away from the person who asked you the question, build a fort out of pillows and blankets in my messy college living room, put on a Pixar movie, grab some snacks, and never return to the real world.

But, of course, I am a rational human being with a pretty decent grip on social norms, so instead, I smile, laugh, and give my most authentic answer —“I honestly have no clue.”

It’s not that I haven’t thought about my future — I definitely have ideas of where I’m headed, and tentative plans. But I still have a year before any of these plans should be put in motion. And at this point, I’m just trying to get through midterms.

The mediocrity and brutal honesty of my answer tends to shock many adults into a temporary silence, but I have found that being authentic about my future plans has helped me. Ultimately, it stimulates productive conversations about my potential career path with those older, wiser, and further down the path than me.

I encourage those who are in my shoes to talk to as many trusted career professionals as possible, as it will help you to come up with more ideas for your future, and it could even open doors to new possibilities.

But keep in mind that nobody knows you like you. Many will give suggestions that don’t seem that they would be a good fit, and though their advice may be valuable for someone else, some might not suit you. But these conversations are still valuable, because they can help you figure out what you don’t want out of a career.

Either way, continue to pursue the constructive and sometimes awkward conversations with smart and trusty adults. Consider getting a mentor, talk to friends who have graduated, or even talk to your boss at work. Those people can be the key to helping you figure out your next step in life.