You are not bound to the decisions you make as a young adult.
Not always, anyway.
Yes, many of the choices we make in high school and college are going to have an immense impact on our futures. Any decision we've ever made has the possibility of doing that. When I look around at my fellow college students and friends, I see in many of them a lack of light in their eyes. The sparkle from the beginning of the semester has been blown out by the hours of work and worrying about our degrees. What once was excitement and hope about your major is now questioning your life choices every day, wondering if this is the right path for you.
Don't let your major dictate your future.
In fact, don't let anything dictate your future.
Just because you might be an English major, it doesn't mean you'll be a teacher. Just because you're a Biology major, it doesn't mean you'll be a scientist. If you want to be those things, then more power to you, and keep on trucking toward your goals. However, don't feel as though you're locked into a choice you made during a time in your life where you still had to ask for permission to use the restroom, yet were expected to decide the rest of your future by May 1.
Self discovery doesn't magically end after your teenage years. Life keeps going, and things keep changing. New places, new animals and new activities are being discovered every day – there's going to be something new in your life every day. Yes, we live in a society where we are told to go to work and make money because money gets us the things we want. Money means a stable, comfortable future. This is all fine and dandy, but don't let this destroy your dreams and your passions, either. That's a recipe for becoming sad.
Take advantage of what the world has to offer. Even if you just take a minute to lean back in your chair and listen to the birds chirp outside, it's a moment to breathe and appreciate that there's more to life than just what you've been taught in school or that degree you got and never ended up using.
High school does not determine your future. College does not determine your future. Professors, friends, family, society – none of them dictate who you are and what you like and what you want. Only you can decide what you like and what's best for you. It's never too late to change your mind.
I understand this sounds like the musings of a dreamer, and maybe I am to a degree. But, I like to think everyone has a bit of a dreamer in them. This world is a difficult place to live in. Sometimes, acting on your dreams is the best thing to do in our world today.
