What am I doing with my life?
What if my major doesn't get me a job?
What if I graduate and I realize I didn't really love what I studied?
Growing up is stressful, we all know that. As kids, we looked up to the "adults" in our life (And I use that term loosely... are we really adults at 18? Or even 20?) and thought they had everything figured out. They had jobs, went to school, and just seemed like they knew what they were doing. Now we're the ones being looked up to and we realize that no, we have no idea what the hell we're doing.
I've seen people go through majors faster than a roll of toilet paper. I've seen people transfer schools only to question whether they made the right choice. I've seen people running themselves ragged because they chose what others tell them is a useless major, but they're three years into the degree and can't change their mind at this point.
But do you know what else I've seen?
The rare person who understands that it's OK to just not know.
It's OK to not know what your plans for after college are. It's OK to panic a little bit because you don't know how you're going to pay off those loans you took out.
It's perfectly OK to be 16, 18, 20, 25 or even 50 years old, in school or working a full-time career, and not know what you're doing. It's OK to look around and think you're the only one who doesn't know, but remember that everyone else is doing the same when they look at you.
We're all great at putting on a face, whether we know it or not. You look around and see the confidence in everyone's eyes. But behind the look of confidence that everyone else seems to have lies the same insecurities that you have.
If you go through life constantly worried about not knowing, you'll waste your life away for nothing. Not knowing is an inherent part of growing up, and it should push you to do better, not hold you back.
I spent so long with my life planned out to the T, and when I realized that my plans weren't really what I wanted I felt like my life came crashing down. After knowing exactly what I wanted to do (just like every 16 year old thinks they know), I felt lost and hopeless when I didn't have a plan. I felt like everyone else had everything figured out while I had just lost that safety net.
I learned quickly that letting that feeling of not knowing overwhelm me would be my downfall. Constantly worrying about what job I'd have when I graduate was bogging my mind down and the anxiety inducing search into graduate school had me feeling like I'd never find the answer.
Ironically, the answer was to not worry, and that is my best advice to anyone who doesn't know what they want to do, how they'll go about achieving their dreams, how they'll pay off their student debt or what they want to study in school. Take every day as it comes and focus on making the best of that day. Don't let opportunities slip through your fingers, and don't destroy yourself in searching for them.
Enjoy your time regardless of your age. Stop stressing and if you don't know what you're doing with your life, just go with the flow. The answers will come to you in time, and until then, worrying will only be your downfall.
Relax. You're not weird or alone. Everyone else is just putting on the same confident act that you are unknowingly putting on for others.
