College is an aspect of many young adults life, making friends, having the time of your life and, most importantly, being incredibly poor. The fundamentals of success develops in college when you’re sitting in a two-hour lecture debating whether you should buy coffee or eat lunch. In society, to live a standard middle-class life means getting a four-year degree, in which an individual begins working after graduating until retirement. With that thought clear in mind, I was ecstatic to begin the adventure of college.

Since freshman year, I’ve been debating on what career path I should choose for the rest of my life. When I left high school, I was certain on becoming a doctor, to please my parents. One of the flawed parts of being a first-generation student is choosing a career. Specifically, being a first-generation student of two African parents meant picking one of four career options: a doctor, engineer, lawyer, or pharmacist -- so my options were limited.

As a child, I knew I couldn’t just pick any career, so I chose the most difficult one with years of school. I watched countless hours of “Grey’s Anatomy” thinking that becoming Meredith Grey would be so “cool." The show depicted romance, tragedy, comedy and relentless work to save lives. If I became a doctor, I would make my parents proud and show their hard work didn’t go to waste. I told everyone I wanted to become a doctor but truly was never interested in that career.

Last year, I felt so lost. I was 18-years-old with my whole life ahead and scared to make any decisions. I began as a physiology major, confident in my choice without a doubt in my abilities. I was accepted into my top university, I could do anything. My first semester was strenuous, missing my friends with countless amounts of assignments to complete every night, I became stressed and unsure of why I was at the University of Minnesota. I would wake up each morning and wonder why I was attending school, to begin with. Slowly, I began hating it with each passing day and wasn’t thrilled with the experience. Suddenly, misery flooded my thoughts and felt as if I disappointed everyone in my life.

The first semester ended, feeling absolutely defeated, I decided to change my major to undeclared and discover what I was interested in. Winter break came along, and I made an abrupt decision to shave my head, thinking my problems would be solved immediately. However, that plan faultered and didn't work. I started freshman year with a concrete plan and here I was on a path with no destination.

Freshman year ended and I wondered if I should take a break and figure myself out. Beginning to think, I should travel and fulfill every college students dream of aimlessly backpacking across Europe to countries like France and Italy, but that was just dreaming. Now, being a sophomore and almost finishing my second semester, I’ve realized that being lost was okay. A major doesn’t define my life or who I want to become.

College is a small component of the journey everyone is taking. Attending college taught me that shaving my head doesn’t solve problems, exploring different options were necessary, and I wasn’t alone. Finally, I’ve chosen a major and I’m walking down the right path in life and maybe it’s not becoming a doctor, lawyer or engineer, but at least I see the end of the road.