As a millennial, there is this lingering pressure to find your passion, the panacea that will solve all of life's ills and ensure a whole and fulfilled future. We rave about how we are different than our parent's generation because we want to love to work instead of work to live. And I spent the better part of the last two years of college trying to figure out what the hell my passion was and what the hell that even meant. I changed my prospective major from biology to neuroscience to comparative literature to public policy to sociology, finally declaring a double major in psychology and world politics after my fair share of tear-soaked nights and frantic phone calls home.

My parents reassured me every time I panicked that I would figure it all out in time, that everyone does eventually. And they were right, but finding my "passion" was hardly as magical as I had expected. It was less like falling in love and more like falling into a freezing river and trying to grab onto the nearest embankment—after exhausting literally every other major that seemed remotely interesting, I ended up picking the two subjects that I had loved in high school, but didn't recognize as possible paths. Global diplomacy and psychology were two of the only elective courses I took in high school that were fun, and after years of confusion and panic, they are the same courses that I came back to.

I am lucky enough to have found subjects that I am truly interested in; however, that is not the whole battle. I have no interest in becoming an academic, and so I must choose a career that goes beyond simply studying the material that fascinates me. And the millennial philosophy expects me to choose the career that follows my passion exactly, and will make me happy on its own. But it's not that easy. You see, beyond politics and psychology, there are other things that make me happy, from going to the beach to travelling to music. And I want a profession and a life that will fulfill not only my interests, but also the lifestyle that I want to lead. Unlike some in my generation, I will not be happy earning a minimal salary to do what I love. I need both, I need balance between work life and home life.

There is no job, real or imaginary, that I would do for no compensation. Because for 40 hours a week, anything, no matter how engaging and exciting, would be frustrating and feel compulsory at times. There is a fascination in our generation to find the job that will, of its own merit, make us happy. But I just don't buy the hype, because for me, that sounds quite fantastical. I want to have a job that is challenging and engaging and fulfilling, especially since I will most likely be working for the next 40 years. But at the same time, I want to have the means to enjoy the other 128 hours of the week, even if that means purchasing a really, really nice bed. It's a balance that the "find your passion" philosophy seems to sometimes advocate against.

When I was deciding on a college, everyone told me that I would find happiness and fulfillment at any of the handful of schools I had chosen to apply to. And at the end of the day, if I wasn't happy I could always transfer. The amount of anxiety and stress that went into choosing my home for the next four years is infinitely higher when attempting to choose the career path for the rest of my life. But the same caveats apply: if you aren't happy, then transfer, but if you put in the work when deciding, there is a good chance that there are a handful of jobs that will make you happy and fulfilled. I chose Hamilton College because of a feeling, because when I was driving up the Hill for the second time I turned to my mother and said, "we can buy a sweatshirt now because this is where I want to be." And maybe life is that simple, you have to put in the work and do the research that will lead you to the best options and then you have to do what feels right.

For all of the stock that our generation puts into finding the one thing that will make us happy, there is also merit in stepping back and seeing the whole picture. No job will make you happy all of the time, so you need the means to create that happiness for yourself. Nobody said it was easy, but if you take the time to think about it, you probably already know what you love to do and want to pursue. And don't forget, there are plenty of successful people out there that didn't end up doing what they decided on in college. And if I can figure it out, trust me, you can too.