“What do you want to be when you grow up?” This question was always fun when we were young. Our answers revealed our most imaginative thoughts and wildest dreams about the distant future. Some always had consistent answers. My 16-year-old sister has declared herself a kindergarten teacher since she was actually in kindergarten. But others, like myself, changed our minds all the time.
I remember briefly fantasizing about being an architect in grade school, and weeks later, I dramatically decided that I just had to be a palm reading, crystal-ball-analyst-type shrink after being inspired by a random science fiction novel I picked up at the annual Scholastic Book Fair. Various times throughout each school year, you could ask me what job I pictured myself having and always expect a completely different response.
The question became much less enjoyable to answer in high school. By then, I had gained a sense of reality in that I should soon decide on a career that was both manageable for me to study in college and could eventually allow me to earn a true living. It was difficult to decide on one specific path because I have always had skills and interests in many different areas. I earned similar grades in every subject, had several different hobbies, and was an active member in a wide variety of clubs and organizations.
Eventually, I began to flatly reply, “I don’t know,” when asked about college and career goals since I continued to change my mind so frequently. I remember feeling so lame at graduation when others around me had just mentioned their big plans, like leaving the country for the majority of the next school year, or jumping right into their prestigious engineering programs hundreds of miles away from our hometown. Meanwhile, I was going to a university 10 minutes away from my house, and my major was officially declared as “Undecided.”
This indecisiveness continued throughout my entire first year of college. My life was constantly changing, and new opportunities frequently arose, leaving me to further question what would be best for my future. At first, I was afraid that not declaring a major right off the bat would make me fall behind academically and socially. However, I realized some major things about the real world and about myself that reassured me it was the best choice I could have possibly made. My decision to just wait affected me in countless ways, and I am ultimately pleased with where life has taken me in only one year at my school.
1. I found I was not alone as an undeclared major.
It is completely normal to have no idea what you want your career to be when you are only 18 years old. Within the first week of classes, I met so many peers in my same boat, and I felt better knowing that I was not the only major-less student on campus.
Furthermore, I actually noticed a significant number of people my age who took a bunch of classes for one major during the first semester, and later decided they did not like what they were studying and quickly switched to something different after winter break. Yes, those students wasted time getting credit they ended up not needing, but it is not a bad thing to completely switch your major, either. It is just as important to rule out disinterests as it is to discover the things that will lead toward a true calling.
2. General education courses are a blessing.
A “Foundation of Knowledge” curriculum is required at my university. It wasn’t like I had any other classes to fit into my schedule, so I fulfilled almost all of these general education requirements by the end of the school year.
Getting those requirements out of the way was great, but because of that, I had to finally decide on my major by late second semester. It was not as hard to decide what area of study interested me the most, though, since I got a nice feel for a variety of the academic departments throughout my first year.
Another plus for taking basically only gen eds was that my schedule was easy and filled with mostly 100 level classes, so my GPA was incredible from the get-go.
3. Looking beyond the classroom for inspiration leads to incredible opportunities.
Since I did not know of the one sole area to which I wanted to devote my entirety of college studies, I decided to invest my time around campus as fully as possible. I sang in the choir and joined the women’s club soccer team. I went through recruitment and pledged a sorority. I adventured through every nook and cranny of the library, and I worked out at the health center several times a week. I ran for a position and was elected to student government. I even studied abroad just weeks after completing my second semester, and I had never even been outside of the country before.
These are just a few of the ways I used every aspect of my school to my full advantage. Not being tied down to one focus area, along with remaining curious about all that my school had to offer, permitted me to branch out of my comfort zone and embrace everything that was happening around campus.
4. Having an unknown intended major was not always seen as professional.
While most of the effects from going straight into college with an undeclared status were beneficial for my situation, I noticed one major personal drawback.
I was heavily involved in organizations at my high school, which allowed me to become friends with so many different types of people, and it built up my resume. I wanted to do the same right away in college and applied for so many different positions, such as Freshman Orientation Leader and Resident Assistant. Because of my varied skills and prior experiences, I was called back to final interviews for those positions. Ultimately, though, I did not make the cut for either job, and I figure that not knowing my major was a big reason.
When asked about what I intended to study, I would awkwardly pause and respond something along the lines of: “Umm… I don’t really know.” These positions were to potentially serve as a guide to new students at our university. The reason people go to college is, obviously, to learn about their future career field. Why should I have been hired for these important jobs on campus when I didn’t even know where I was headed?
The insights I eventually gained toward the end of my experiences as a wandering first-year student helped put the pieces of my lifelong puzzle of indecision together. I may change my mind slightly about my future career, but I am no longer worried and know that I am at least traveling on the right path at the moment. I know I am destined for greatness. I will find new tasks to conquer, goals to reach, and dreams to follow that I cannot even imagine today.
To all those teenagers who don’t know what they want to do with their lives quite yet, please know that it is OK. For those who do know, that is fantastic! I am not encouraging everyone to refuse to declare a major as they enter college. I am simply saying that if you are currently lost in this huge transitional point of your life, keep your head up. Gradually, everything will fall into place and you will finally find that answer you have always been looking for.
