Once you get into high school, your interactions with people become centered around a very limited list of topics for the most part. The two things that top the list are school and work. It makes sense to an extent because those are the things that take up most of your time. Once you get later into your high school years, people start asking you where you plan on going to college. It's a harmless question and a good way to make small talk. So you tell them. This part of the conversation usually doesn't have too many problems. Then they'll ask, "Do you know what you're going for?" and that's where all of the issues start to arise.

Take it from someone who has already been through it: there is no right answer to this question. Everyone, for some reason, always has to come up with a negative thing to say, or at the very least they'll come up with a somewhat back-handed compliment. Depending on what you do plan to go for, people will for some reason feel inclined to tell you many things about fields of study they know nothing about. Those comments range from, "It's going to be tough to find work in that field, you know," to, "That's not going to make you a lot of money," and, "You'll have to go back and get some other degree because that one alone won't get you anywhere."

As someone who majored in psychology for my bachelor's degree, I've heard all of these things and more. Then when I reassure people that I'm going back for a master's degree (not that it's any of their business), they'll say, "Oh good! What are you getting your master's in?" and the whole cycle starts again. (In case you're curious, I'm planning on getting my degree in Social Welfare/Social Work.)

Eventually, you do graduate. And the simple truth is whatever happens next, you're going to be fine. Maybe you end up getting an awesome job in your field, or maybe you end up in a career that you hadn't even thought about when you were in college but it's one that suits you. Or maybe it's neither and you work a few placeholder jobs until the right one comes along. No matter what, though, there's no wrong way to get through post-grad life either, even when people try to make you feel otherwise. Everyone will ask you questions as though you are somehow going to land yourself in your life-long, take me to retirement, job three months out of college. Most of us know that that's not realistic.

There's a lot of pressure on you from your late teens into your twenties. Everyone is going to talk to you like you're supposed to have your future totally planned out. It's easy for me to say don't let them bother you, but the reality of it is that it's extremely bothersome. It puts more unnecessary pressure on you as though you don't already put enough pressure on yourself. But at the end of the day, you know what's right for you, and they don't. Your college degree and your career choices are your choices alone and no one can take those away from you. It's easy to let people make you doubt those choices but for the sake of your own sanity try not to let them.

The world can seem like a big and scary place on its own without the people in your life adding to it. But the thing to remember when life and school and jobs and people all seem too confusing to handle is that you're going to be okay. No matter what you're going to figure everything out. You might switch majors or go back for a different degree or find out that the degree you got opened odd doors that you hadn't thought of. Or maybe completely unrelated doors will just pop up altogether. But whatever the case may be, it's all going to work out. People will always have their opinions and beliefs on how you should live your life but the only beliefs that matter on that front are yours.

When it comes to college experiences and career choices, there isn't a one-size-fits-all right and wrong. There is only right for you and wrong for you.