Dear Indecisive,
What do you want to do for the rest of your life?
You don't know? That's okay. I don't, either.
I don't have the experience or self-awareness to answer that question. I've barely started my life. I turned 19 not too long ago. I still have a month and a half left of my first year of college. I did declare English as one of my majors, but I don't know what I'm going to do with it. I can't even decide what I want to each for lunch most of the time.
I am not qualified to make a decision of this magnitude, and that's OK. Not many are, especially when they're just starting out. Very few people actually know what they want to do when they enter college, and even fewer stick with that plan. Don't believe me?
According to the National Center for Education, about eighty six percent of students in four year institutions under the age of twenty five are undecided. This means that only 14 percent of students have a major in mind - but that will probably change. PennState published an article in 2013 stating that "an estimated 75 percent of students change their major at least once before graduation."
So, even if you think you know what you want to do, you might not.
Don't get me wrong. If you have a plan for yourself, and know exactly what you want to do, do it. Go for it. If you are super passionate about biology or French or dance, do not let me talk you down. That is not my intention. That is the exact opposite of why I am writing this.
I'm speaking to the undecided - to the people that may be teetering between two or three options or have no idea at all. I'm directing this to the people like me that have a million different paths that they could go down, but have no direction.
It is okay if you don't know. It is okay if you have an idea, but you're not one hundred percent about it. It is okay if you change your mind in the middle of your sophomore year. It is okay to not be sure, even if you're a senior.
I was talking to my mom a couple of days ago, and we were having a conversation about a similar topic. She told me that even though we're adults, we're still kids. At eighteen, nineteen, or even twenty, you don't have to have your life together. You're not expected to.
"No one has their lives together at that age. People will say they do, but they do not."
Stop pressuring yourself - it's not worth it. Not yet. Take classes that might not be in your field. Explore. Expand your horizons, as they say. Take the time to figure it out. It might not come quickly, and it probably won't, but when it does, you'll know.
Trust me.
Sincerely,
The Girl That Doesn't Know
