You graduate highschool and are overjoyed and excited for what comes next. You're free! No more 8 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. days according to your new schedule. No more being bossed around from public school teachers on what to do each day. You finally feel like you have the freedom to do what you want and be who you want.. although that's not really the case.
College is great, don't get me wrong. You get unlimited freedom, can make your own class schedule based on days you want to be in school and times, can join groups/clubs/greek life to expand your social life, the list goes on and on. However, college years are the ones where you start to fully transition into an adult.
At 20 years old we are expected to know exactly what we want to do for the rest of our lives. We pick a major based on what we "think" we want to do because we are pressured into choosing something, then we have to focus on this as our main study. But what if you end up hating this path? What if you switch majors and don't even like that decision? How is a 20 year old student suppose to figure out what her calling is in life in a measly 4 years?
To break the stress down into categories we will go year by year.
-Freshman year is the best, you're straight out of highschool, don't really have any worries, pick a major based on what you think you love, hang out every day and party every weekend. There is hardly any stress in freshman year.
-Sophomore comes along and you are still partying and still enjoying your college life but your studies may get a bit harder or you might start questioning why you're doing this or if you are even interested in what your studying. You start to feel the pressure but blow it off saying you know you will just push through.
-Junior year is the year I personally feel is the toughest. This is when you start getting nervous about your future and if the career path your headed for is really meant for you. You start switching your major and thinking of new goals and plans to fall back on. It's a scary year to live through, especially if your not really sure what your plan is.
-Senior year, I would like to believe you are confident with your major, your career path and your future goals. However, I don't know if one can ever really be sure if what they picked to do was really meant for them.
How does one know if their job field is really their dream job? If we can't experience every career path how do we know we wouldn't like one more then the other?
Perhaps I would feel differently if I went away to college and experienced something completely new. Sometimes I wish I did make that decision. However, it all comes down to one person and that one person is you. YOU are only in control of how your life is going to go and where its going to go.
Thinking about the future is scary, especially in this day and age because of the cost of living, even just to make it by. Then getting a job fresh out of college is somewhat challenging, especially if you want a job where you're happy and making decent money.
At the end of this long journey the most important thing to remember is whatever you do, do it with all your heart. Love what you do, embrace it. We only have one life and if we aren't working a job that is going to keep us interested and upbeat everyday then what is our purpose? Always remember, to follow your true passions in life, because that is the greatest beauty.
