As a college student, especially in my senior year, I spend a lot of my time thinking about what my future may hold. Will I end up with a job in my field? Will I even enjoy working in my field of study? Or will I go down an entirely different route and end up doing something entirely unexpected? It has often seemed like everyone around me has their lives planned out, and like I may be the only one who doesn’t yet know what I want to do after college. This is surely a thought process that most college students go through over their time at school, and that made me curious to see what other people around my age had hoped for in terms of their own futures.

I asked ten college students what their hopes for their own futures are, and I received a wide variety of responses. Here are some of the responses I received.

“As a college student I hope for a future where I’m in a position or job that I truly adore so I can look back and say that my time at college wasn’t a waste. I’m also able to stand on my own two feet and be able to provide for myself and my loved ones.” –Jess Leftin

"My hope as a college student in healthcare is to one day be able to make a positive impact on at least one person I come across. At that moment I will be able to say that the debt, endless stress, and all nighters are worth it." -Ekta Patel

“To get a job I’m going to be happy with.” –Kim Hamilton

“As a college student, my hopes for the future are sort of split between short term and long term. Short term, I hope to graduate from Lesley with a MA in clinical mental health counseling program with a trauma specialization. I am in a dual degree program so it’s been a long haul nonstop. I’ve thought about taking a break after an surfing in Costa Rica or Thailand for a bit (where I have enjoyed staying in the past) but it would really depend on the job offers I get when graduating as I may want to finish up my post grad hours for licensure. My long term goals would be to be involved with an international organization that implements crisis intervention after an acute trauma ie. Natural disaster, civil conflict etc. while there is an immediate (well with this president not so much) desire for aid on a physical level the push for aid on a psychological level is not as apparent and I believe it can be crucial to someone’s well-being. Who knows where I’ll end up really? I’ll probably end up doing something that doesn’t use this degree that thousands of dollars was poured into haha… Probably won’t end up in the United States but famous last words.” –Vera Bednar

“I’d have to say succeed in my own way using the knowledge I received from college. Whether that be from in or outside the classroom. Success doesn’t mean getting a lot of money but having that sense of accomplishment and pride that makes me feel like I don’t have anything to regret.” –Abby Lynch

“What I would like for my future, and this is certainly one of the reasons I went to college in the first place, is so that I can use the things I’ve learned to make myself better at the things I want to do. I know that I want to keep going with the marine science thing, and that there are many ways that I could work on helping the environment, protecting animals, or making the interactions between humans and the ocean more productive and less destructive. Even that insight is something that I’ve developed during my time in higher education so I really hope that whatever I end up doing, I’ll be able to build on everything I’ve learned and done these past few years.” –Eric Alpert

“My hopes for the future are to secure a good, steady job. I’d like to do it in my field but it’s such a hard industry I doubt I’ll be able to.” –Ryan Sullivan

“After 4 years of leading young Naval Engineers through a variety of obstacles, I simply hope they’re ready for what comes after college. It’s easy for students to focus on academia, but the real obstacles aren’t strenuous exams or 5:30am wake up calls. The real obstacles come when we make decisions that affect other people’s lives. Whether it’s sailing through the battering waves of the North Atlantic or facing the bitter cold waves of mental anguish, each Naval Engineer I’ve trained with will need to make decisions. No matter what decision they make, I pray they will make it with the utmost confidence in themselves. Within each of them is a sense of endurance that was forged here through the toil of the past four years. I hope this endurance will help them navigate towards blissful lives and that they will serve as beacons of hope for their loved ones in the worst of storms. I can only hope that I’ve done my duty to myself and those in my charge when college ends and grand the adventure begins.” –Robert Peterson

“Honestly? I just want to have a future worth remembering. To witness something beautiful, and to live my life the way I want. Anything else is a mystery if I’m going to be honest. Happiness is the one word I would use to describe what I hope for in my future.” –Talon Stout

“Right now I’m working on graduating with a geology degree and everyone keeps asking me what the hell I’m going to do with that. But I hope that I can get into a good grad school and become a high school science teacher. Tutoring at school really opened my eyes that there are so many students in university that don’t even understand how the earth they live on works. One student of mine wasn’t even sure there were other planets out there. That’s when I just wanted to set up a classroom and start teaching everyone everything there is about our earth and solar system. And if I don’t become a teacher I hope to win the lottery or work on my farm selling Christmas trees.” –Nellie Reeves

Something that I learned from these conversations is that I am definitely not the only college student who doesn’t have my entire life planned out down to every last detail. In a world where most students leave school and start their lives with a huge amount of debt hanging over their heads, it is understandable that many of us are unsure of how our lives will play out. There are so many factors in the world that could change the course of your life at any time, and it is impossible to make a plan for every possible circumstance.

I may not know my exact plan right now, but it is definitely reassuring to know that many other people do not have a specific plan either.