“What do you want to be when you grow up” is a common question that we all have heard time after time. When you were five-years-old, the answer was probably along the lines of a firefighter, astronaut, movie star, or president. As middle school arrived, the answer to the inevitable question started to change a little. Maybe you answered a teacher, police officer, nurse, or doctor. Then for most, in high school and college, the shift begins where the answers get more serious. For some, it has remained the same since you were a little kid, and you are still working towards becoming a master of that profession. But for many of us, it changes multiple times over the years.
College is when everything starts to become very serious. Now, we are going to school for a specific purpose to get that degree. Whether the degree is mechanical engineering, business, nursing, etc., we all have a vision of what we’d somewhat like to do when we graduate… or so it seems that way.
I, like many people I know, am still one that has no idea what I want to be when I grow up. Yes, by now we have chosen majors, and we are all on the path to getting a summer internship or job after graduation. The reality is that four or five years of getting a degree is going to fly by, and before we blink, we will be out of college and onto new adventure in the “real world”. The pressure begins to settle in that it’s a competitive time to be searching for a job. Not knowing can seem more stressful than ever now.
Often thinking back to being five-years-old when we were all big dreamers and had beautiful aspirations, where has that gone? The reality of doing anything less than amazing in anyone’s eye, but your own are not going be lived up to. The pressures of society can often be dream crushing. Taking a job because it pays the bills or makes our parents happy is overshadowing choosing something that we love to do.
It's becoming more and more rare to find someone who genuinely loves their job. I think college should be a time of experimenting with different fields to see what suits you, as well as finding something to do that makes you happy. If you love playing the piano, dancing, playing a sport, or writing for the fun of it, don’t stop because you have to choose a “big girl or boy job”. Favorite pastimes should not be hindered. Incorporating this into everyday life can be a possibility, whether it becomes a full-time job or simply a hobby. Lead with what makes you the happiest. Finding a career path that excites and ignites a passion with your goals will fall into place.
Even though we are in college, it doesn’t mean we have to have all the answers. Especially to one of the most common, yet difficult and complex question to answer: What do you want to be when you grow up?
