Every college student is told that we must know our major, career and life plan. We are expected to live by this plan from the second we graduate high school. Our parents continuously put pressure on us to succeed, constantly asking questions from an early age such as, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” to “What is your major and how are you going to make a good income with that degree?” A sum of college students face this pressure every day, but don't know what their future holds for them or how to find their way. We sit in a lecture hall contemplating if this is a major we want to pursue, and if a job in a certain field will make us happy. Ultimately, we don't know. And I'm here to tell you, that’s perfectly acceptable.
Not knowing and failing is a key to success, there is nothing wrong with failing. Without trying new things because of the unknown, there is no room for progress. Finding one's true interests is a result of failure from past experiences, but parents of college students are so terrified of their child failing they don't get to go through these experiences. Giving us the ability to try new things will allow us to find our true passions, it will help us find our major, career and life plan. Success comes from being unsure, and now is the time to be unsure in our lives. We don’t know what we want to “be” when we grow up, or what we will do with the degree we graduate with. College gives us the opportunity to live and discover those answers, to broaden our interests, to become a special version of our true selves. Being unsure is more than OK, it's acceptable, it's something that will help you find yourself.
So college students, take that leap of faith. Change your major, read that new book, join that club you have a slight interest in, take an odd class you never thought you would, find a new adventure to embark on. You never know when you will fall in love and find your new passion in new situations. A passion that will drive you to create your life path and a career you will wake up to five years later and smile at. Your parents want what is best for you, for you to be happy and confident in the individual you have decided to be and they will love you regardless. Don’t be afraid of the unknown, as failure is a path to success and happiness. It’s acceptable to be unsure.
