I used to believe that I knew what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. It was a different occupation every year. Singer at five. Dancer at seven.
Actress, fashion designer, soccer player, stylist, writer…
The list grew and grew until one day, it started to shrink. I found as I grew older, that most of these things were impossible, and those that weren't, were simply a waste of time.
In high school, reality hit me so hard it nearly ran me over. I had four years to decide my future, and suddenly the same question that I'd been asked since kindergarten didn't have an answer anymore. What I've come to realize upon entering my senior year of college, is that I'm not the only one who feels this way, and it's okay.
Most of us know what we like and dislike. We all have various hobbies and interests that make up the parts of who we are. If we're lucky, some of these interests lead to an occupation later in life. But, for those of us who aren't, it isn't the end of the world. The truth is, we're all still young even though it might feel like we're on the road to becoming jobless and unmarried with gray strands at the age of 25.
It's not uncommon to feel this way. You might graduate with a Bachelor's in chemical engineering, and one day decide that you want to be an astronaut. Nothing is stopping you from achieving this goal. We, as a society, tend to put time restrictions on our lives. We believe that we must finish college within four years, get a job and find someone to settle down with before thirty, have 2.5 kids, and become homeowners, just to have a successful life. We don't often hear the stories about those that deviate from this standard. We don't hear about the person that switched majors junior year and graduated two semesters late, or the person who majored in accounting and ended up in a marketing firm.
These stories might not be ideal to the average college student, but they often lead to good things. When you know what you want, it's easier to make decisions guide you to success. It might take longer for some of us, but the important part is that we're still moving forward.
In the end, that's really all that matters.
