When I was younger I wanted to be a lot of things. From what I can remember, I first wanted to be a teacher, probably because that’s what my mom is. Then I remember wanting to be Mrs. Claus, living up at the North Pole with Santa and his elves, eating jelly cookies and getting fat. After that, I wanted to be a chef. I loved to cook. And when I say “cook” I mean microwave. What parent is going to let an eight year old child cook on the stove with an open flame without adult supervision? Anyways, I made cookbooks and shared my recipes with my friends, my favorite of them all being chocolate covered dough. The dough was just flour and water and before I covered it with melted chocolate, I left it out on the kitchen counter to stale. It was delicious. Like all thirteen year old girls I wanted to be a superstar, thank you Hannah Montana, and then I realized that being a superstar was one in a million and at that point my imagination ceased to exist. I fell short when asked, “What do you want to be when you grow up?”
To be honest, I still don’t really know. It’s easier for me to answer what I don’t want to be. I don’t want to be discouraged by what other people might think. I don’t want to be consumed by materialistic things. And I don’t want to be alone. I went from thinking I would take on a specific role, a specific career, into realizing that I like doing a lot of things and I don’t want to be stuck doing one thing for the rest of my life. Instead of being asked when we’re younger, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” the question should be, “What do you want to do when you’re older?”
I want to continue to learn. In fact, I love to learn. I’ve always enjoyed going to class and I’ve always enjoyed reading. I don’t want to settle with just doing one thing and mastering one skill. I want to master them all. I have too many interests to go after one thing. If I could stay in school forever and get as many degrees as I could afford, I probably would.
A lot of students go into college with a set career path and a declared major from the get-go, but there are still a handful of people that don’t have a plan, and that’s okay. College is a great opportunity to try different things and learn about different fields of study. The great thing is, you are allowed to change your mind and your major. You can take as much time as you want. It’s not ideal only because people think your time in college should just be four years. It’s a standardized track that makes those who aren’t on it, scared. Too many people get discouraged when they fall behind and they often give up. Why do we push them so hard and then make them feel bad for trying?
In college, for the most part, you find what it is you want to do in life, and sometimes you go to college and realize that’s not where you should be. Society puts so much pressure on young adults to mature that it sometimes becomes detrimental to their well-being, affecting their time there at university and even when they return home. College doesn’t benefit everyone and some professions don’t even require the presumed “four year standard." Trade schools are a great alternative for those who prefer to not study a specific subject like political science or biology. Trade schools are typically also cheaper than a four year institution. Certain trade school profession examples: electrician, carpenter, and mechanic.
The competition, the parent stress, and the thought of having nothing without a college degree is absolutely absurd. In this day and age, it’s a routine to submit college applications in the fall of your senior year of high school and it’s a routine to wait impatiently at the window, watching for the mail to come with your acceptance or denial letter. Depending on the size of the packet, you just know.
We face the facts as we grow up, tailoring our futures to what we are told is “possible,” “smart,” and “beneficial,” reaching that state of financial stability so we can repopulate the earth; the cycle continues. We need to go back to when we were younger. We thought we were capable of doing anything, and we still are. We would play games and avoid hot lava, changing the rules whenever there was a slight chance of us losing. As kids we always wanted to win and that is one thing we still want for ourselves. Why can’t I be a chef and a superstar? I can just sing while I cook. Mrs. Claus can definitely teach the elves a thing or two. Why does it change when we grow up? Why do we conform? Why do we spend thousands of dollars on an education that might not get us anywhere in life? Learning doesn’t have a “societal time limit,” so why do we stop learning once we graduate?
I guess what I’m trying to say is, do whatever makes you happy. You may find that peaceful serenity sitting at a desk at your own cubicle or you may find your happy place sitting on a beach, painting a canvas of the sunset over the water. You can change your major as many times as needed and you can go back to school and get another degree when you’re fifty. Pick up a hobby and pursue that for a while, then drop it and pick up another. Try different things. Eat different foods. Write a book. Start a blog. Meet people from all around the world, but don’t stop acquiring knowledge and learning from experiences.
Learning is for everyone, but college isn’t – and that’s okay. You don't have to go to college to experience everything there is in life.
Do whatever makes your heart full. Do whatever it is that makes you smile so hard, your cheeks hurt.
