What do you want to be when you grow up?
The age old question. The first time I heard this question, I was in kindergarten. We were instructed to dress up as something we would want to be when we grew up, and dozens of little firefighters, police officers, doctors and princesses strolled into the classroom. From that day until I walked across the stage at my high school graduation, I've wanted to be a slew of different things. These include an actress, a detective, a marine biologist, a doctor, a psychiatrist, an author, an environmental scientist and a forensic criminologist. And those are just the ones I can remember.
When it came time to apply for college, I was super interested in journalism, so that seemed like the natural route for me to take. I arrived on campus as an eager college freshman, ready to learn everything that I could about the world of journalism. However, I soon realized that while I enjoyed journalism classes, I didn't want to be a journalist. I felt completely disillusioned. How could I love to write so much, but not want to pursue a career in it? I spent the entirety of freshmen year trying to convince myself otherwise, but I couldn't ignore the fact that my major didn't feel like it was the one for me anymore.
Finding a major that's right for you is difficult. I, like most people, have a wide range of interests and things I'd like to learn about. I was worried that I would never be able to narrow them down. Saying yes to one subject felt like I was closing the door on other opportunities that I could have in other fields of study. I was scared of majoring in something where I would struggle to get a job, and I feared judgmental views from family. I feared friends would look at my degree as a waste because it wasn't a "useful" degree, like business or something more conventional.
However, I've come to realize that what you major in doesn't necessarily have to be the field you work in. There are psych majors who work in marketing, and there are english majors who end up directing movies. It's entirety possible to have a successful career that isn't in the field you majored in. Your college major is not the be-all and end-all. Take some classes in other subjects that you want to learn more about. Declare a minor, or even a double major. Join an extracurricular activity that caters to an interest outside of what you're studying. And as long as you major in something you're absolutely passionate about and you're willing to put in 100 percent of the time and the effort, you'll not only make it work, but you'll be successful.
