"What do you want to be when you grow up?"
First Grade: Teacher
Fifth Grade: Professional Soccer Player
Eighth Grade: Athletic Trainer
Twelfth Grade: Sports Journalist
Now: I have absolutely no idea..
"What are you planning to do after college with your degree?"
The question we all hear way too much. We all just smile and try to come up with an answer that sounds promising because in all honesty, we have no idea! On the inside, we are scared to death. You can sit there and list off some possible options you have been thinking about, but you haven't got a clue if it's actually something you would love to do every single day of your life. As a communication studies major, I think about the possibilities every day. Maybe I'll go into sports marketing or sports writing, maybe social media, or maybe entertainment news? Should I go to grad school?
All we know for sure is that we want to find a job we are passionate about and one that allows us to make a difference. When you do something you're passionate about, it doesn't feel like work at all.
As I sit here in my dorm room thinking about the fact that I will be graduating in two more semesters, I can't help but to tear up a little. I am so not ready for the real world or real adult responsibilities. All these years I have spent studying and doing what seems like endless homework will be over in a matter of time. I never imagined being sad that school was soon to be over.
But then it all came to me in a wave of flying colors. I am 20 years old. My life is just beginning. We have been taught to never waste a minute, so that's exactly why we feel that we have to have our careers and life all figured out. Sure, you will start to have bills to pay and other mild responsibilities, but are they really holding you back that much?
Four years of college are about to rest behind me, both brutal and exciting at every turn. I'm tired of being stressed about what I am going to do for the rest of my life. I have been weighing the options ever since I can remember. We all have a purpose in life and I may not have found my calling yet. Until I am ready to commit to something, why settle down with a job that isn't exciting to me?
The more you sit there straining to come up with the perfect answer for a career, the more frustrated you are going to become. When you stop thinking about it, that's when the answer will just land in your hands.
Time isn't guaranteed for anyone, so until then, I plan to live my life to the fullest. I refuse to take it for granted. Why not have fun while I'm young and explore the world every chance I can get? These life experiences are not going to take away from me figuring out what I will do for a career; they are a critical part of it. I may be an adult now, but I am still growing up. We all are!
