College is really a crazy and confusing time. We are flattened between the walls of being a teenager reliant on our parents and being an autonomous, financially-independent adults. We can't move much in either direction. College looks different for everyone. For some people, college is strictly a means to get an academic degree. For some, it means thriving in sports. For others, college is a social environment for friends and future husbands.

But, for most of us, college is a means of finding ourselves before the train of real life hits us head on.

It can be really scary at times as graduation gets closer and closer. But, in the end we will somehow figure it out. We have to remember that we are the ones who shape our future, that a career does not define our entire lives, and that we should never stop chasing our passions.

As a college junior who does still not have a set career path, I get envious when I talk to people who have known what they want to do since they were 15. I know my potential and passions, I am just not sure the best way to channel those. If you toss tuition costs, years of studying, and a relationship, it gets even more complicated.

For those of you who don't have a set career path yet, here are some things I have learned.

1. Do your research

Look at career paths projected salary, job outlook, and/or the need for higher education. Find a few careers that you think will fit your strengths. Then start looking at grad programs in these careers to see if one catches your attention. Keep your options open, but in a narrowed-down manner so you are not overwhelmed. Consider shadowing in other professions to see what it is actually like. Then ask yourself... can I see myself doing this everyday?

2. Talk to people

It is so important to get an outside opinion. Many times people see things in you that it is difficult to see in yourself. Talk to professors, mentors, friends, parents, and people who work in a certain field. Take any advice you can get, but remember not to let people make your decisions for you.

3. Pray about it

Your career is part of your vocation in life. God made us with special talents and gifts that we can use to benefit others and society as a whole. Ask God where he is leading you and try to listen. It is important be patient with "finding an answer" because God's timing may be different from ours.

4. Follow your gut

One of my biggest flaws is second guessing myself. This had made all decisions a lot more difficult for me. I am trying to work on being more intentional with my decisions and trusting myself. It is important to do what feels right and stay away from what feels wrong. If you strictly depend on salary and facts about a certain career, you may end up not liking it long term.

5. Consider taking a year off

Taking a year off often has a bad connotation, but it can end up being the best decision of your life. Whether you want to do a year of service, travel, or just get experience in different fields, taking time away from school will give you the space to think about what you really want to do.

5. Enjoy where you are RIGHT NOW

Being in college is such a special time in life. Don't let anxiety over the future wreck the here and now. Embrace the uncertainty, questions, and self-exploration. Embrace where you are right now. Trust that you will work it out and you will end up where you are supposed to be.

If you feel like real life is coming at you like a train, don't be afraid to hop on the side and see where the tracks lead.

“Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves, like locked rooms and like books that are now written in a very foreign tongue. Do not now seek the answers, which cannot be given you because you would not be able to live them. And the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps you will then gradually, without noticing it, live along some distant day into the answer.” -Rainer Rilke