A lot has happened in my three and a half years as a college student. I’ve lived in three different houses and/or apartments, been hospitalized, gotten engaged, been diagnosed with two major medical disorders, changed jobs three times, adopted a cat, had two surgeries, transferred schools, changed majors twice, and dealt with the death of my uncle and grandmother. School has always been a priority in my life, as I have always enjoyed it. Inevitably however, life got in the way. As spring semester quickly approaches, I can’t help but dwell on the fact that if I hadn’t taken a semester off, gotten sick, transferred schools or changed majors, I would be graduating come June. The excitement of school has definitely worn off, and to be honest, I am burned out on the whole idea.
An issue I face is one I imagine many students do: I don’t know what I want to do with the entirety of my life. It seems a little ridiculous to me that at the age of 17 or 18, we are supposed to know what we want to do with our WHOLE LIVES! I thought I did, but now I’m not so sure. I want to be a teacher, a nurse, a writer, a fashion designer and an artist all at the same time. I spent the first two years of my college career preparing to become an educator, a dream I still have. I’m just worried, like with all of the options I’m interested in, that I won’t be happy doing it forever. This semester however, I’m taking a part-time class load and making a strategy to figure out what I want to do with myself. If you’re facing the same issues as me, maybe you’ll find my game plan helpful as well.
First, I’m going to look at the realistic aspects of a career in my interests.
I’m a shoot-for-the-moon kind of dreamer, but I have to be realistic when it comes to a career. Is being a professional artist really an option while living in Akron, Ohio, organizing a wedding and planning for a family? Probably not. I could be wrong, though, and that brings me to my second point…
I need to do some research.
What can I do with a degree in the subjects I’m interested in that aren’t as cut and dry as teaching or nursing? What can I do with a degree in fashion, art or writing? These are questions I need to answer in order to feel like I’m not short-changing myself an opportunity to do something that is enjoyable as well as conducive to the lifestyle I want to keep up.
Making a pro/con list for every option is the last thing on my decision-making list.
After compiling research in each major I’m still interested in at this point, I need to know what the benefits and risks of each are. Teaching and nursing feel safe. They are good reliable careers that the world will never not have a demand for. If I don’t look into my other interests though, I could be missing out on something that feels like my “true calling.”
