“So what do you want to do?"
We all know the number of times college students are asked this question is high. Some people are able to reply to the question with a clear straightforward response. However, for many of us, this question can be very frustrating.
Nowadays, society expects you to know what you want to do by the time you graduate college, or even as early as high school graduation. So much pressure is put on young adults to be able to quickly respond to the question, “What do you want to do?" Yes, we should be thinking about it and be headed in a mature and professional direction with our lives. But in my opinion, “I don't know" should be considered an acceptable answer to this question too.
It's okay not to know.
It's okay not to know, because at age 20 you haven't had enough experience in the professional world yet to really be able to know what you like and don't like, what interests you and what bores you so much it puts you to sleep.
It's okay not to know because that means you're still being open minded. We're told to keep an open mind in almost all scenarios, so why shouldn't this advice also apply to thinking about what you want to do for a career? When we claim to know exactly what we want to do and only focus on achieving that one goal, our open mindedness diminishes, and we miss out on a lot of possibly great opportunities. Whereas those who don't know what they want to do are able to taste test all sorts of fields, subject areas and career paths.
It's okay not to know because a majority of people don't! Don't let the few of your colleagues who have their whole life planned out intimidate you. In reality, many college students don't know what they want to do. Heck, a lot of adults don't know what they really want to do for years after they graduate. The average person changes jobs multiple times throughout their lifetime. Most people do not stick to one career their whole lives.
Most importantly, it's okay not to know what you want to do, because living in the present is more important than sitting around and imagining the future. Enjoy the now. Experience everything you can. See where your road takes you. And when you're ready, you'll know what interests you, what you like and what you want to do.
So the next time someone asks you, “What do you want to do?" take a deep breath, and be confident when you respond, “I don't know." Whether society wants you to believe it or not, it's really not the end of the world.
