The three dreaded words we never thought we would label ourselves.
It seems like yesterday I was opening my letter of acceptance into Michigan State University as a naive 17-year-old. Now I lay here in my bed, 21 years old, and I'm pondering what will come next in my life.
Post-college plans have become the most discussed topic in my life right now. You see old friends, new friends, family and all you seem to say and hear is:
"What are your plans after college?"
"Where do you want to live next year?"
"Do you have a job lined up?"
But what they're actually asking you is...
"What do you want to do for the rest of your life?"
Your whole life everything is mapped out for you: go to preschool, elementary school, middle school, high school, college and then comes the unknown. In one week I will be beginning my last semester of school... ever. I was one of those kids who would do anything to skip school: fake a tummy ache, penny under the tongue to fake a fever, or even convince my mother that staying home and studying would be more beneficial to me than actually going to school and learning. It's funny though, now that I am leaving school all I want to do is learn more.
Last year I was enjoying my last few days of Junior year and I was talking to a friend about their post college plans since he was graduating. So I said to him, "Are you excited to start your job and make money?" and his response was "I'm about to start a career in two weeks that I will have for the REST OF MY LIFE."
So it got me thinking... why are we rushing into our careers? I'm 21 years old and in the past four years I have made a complete 180 of who I am and who I want to be. In another four years my brain will be at it's full development and quite frankly I know I'll probably make another complete 180. I don't know about you but I have NO IDEA what I want to do for the rest of my life. But am I worried? Not in the slightest.
My bucket list is about three pages long and when am I ever going to be able to cross these things off? When I have a steady job and about two weeks vacation per year? Absolutey not. That time will probably be spent flying home to good ol' Michigan to visit my family and friends.
So I challenge you to not follow the status quo and to do what you want to do right here and now. There is no better time to think for yourself and only yourself. So do yourself a favor, think of your dream job and pursue it right now. Nothing is permanent and if it ends up being the stupidest decision you make it'll most likely also be the best decision you ever make.
"I have no regrets. I don't believe in looking back. What I am proudest of? Working really hard... and achieving as much as I could."
–Elena Kagan
