Senior year of high school, the end of an era and the beginning of what will be a bright but challenging future. Senior year stands for a start in decision-making, where you decide to go to college and what you plan to do with your time there. A major is expected to be determined with the application, quite a significant thing to map out at the age of 18. And the pressure to have the future planned out only builds with each year you’re in college. Four years to figure out an entire career is intense and at times can be discouraging.
One thing I’ve learned from being completely indecisive in the majority of my decisions is, you have to find comfort and a sense of self in what you do. If you don’t enjoy any of your classes how will you enjoy a job centered on the same topics as your classwork? Granted, we all have to take general credits and introductory courses but you should be excited to do things within your major, as there truly is an overlap between college courses and the real world. I care a lot about others, so entering a materialistic industry (fashion), I questioned whether or not it would be right for me. But I’m not interested in the industry for those reasons and I’ve found that fashion extends far past surface stereotypes. Always remember, that a career doesn’t label or limit you as a person.
Some people have fortunately always known what they’ve wanted to do, but don’t be afraid if you’re far from having it figured out. It’s only natural to question a decision you made as a senior in high school. If you don’t end up where you started, it’s completely OK; if you have a gut feeling, you have to listen to it. Go after what you want, this is the time to make changes regarding your future.
If you are thinking about changing paths, consider why you started in the first place. Your initial reasoning must have had some implication for what you wanted for yourself. Through the years, people change and therefore interests do too, but you must have had enough intuition to choose what you did. I still question my major but I know that if I did change, it would be because I was intimidated. My intimidation ironically comes from such a strong passion and afraid of falling short of success in such a competitive field. They say there really is a difference between being just scared and not ready, and actually being on the wrong track.
Along the way of trying to decide what I wanted for myself, I’ve found comfort in the fact that nothing is ever completely concrete. If what you decide now doesn’t turn out to be what you want for yourself later on, there are ways to change paths. Don’t feel like you’re giving up if you decide change is what you want, you should never settle for anything less than what makes you happy. Trust yourself enough to know you've made the right decision, no one knows you better than you.
