Some people have got it all figured out. I am not one of those people. I’m a hot mess and I’m starting to learn that that’s okay. I’m writing this with all my fellow college students in mind who are too afraid to admit that their future after schooling is hazy and uncertain.
With the New Year starting it seems like everyone around me knows exactly where their life is headed; goals and courses set for success. Meanwhile, I’m over here on my third major in three semesters, still not quite convinced that this one is going to be the one. I can barely decide what I want to drink at a restaurant, let alone what I want my career to be.
Not only am I expected to know what I want to do for the rest of my life, I am also supposed to find something that’s practical, applicable to the real world, and that I’m enthusiastic about pursuing.
For too long I was terrified of not having the next fifteen years of my life planned out, terrified of my apprehension and uncertainty when deciding my major, terrified of not knowing.
Today, I embrace that the future is mine to mold and change as I grow and develop. I embrace my uncertainty in my major, knowing that it is not written in stone and that with the stroke of a pen I can change it without the apocalyptic consequences I once thought would ensue. I embrace the fact that I don’t know everything, in fact, I hardly know anything.
College is all about finding yourself and discovering the type of person you want to be. So take some classes outside of your major, you just might find yourself a minor. Don’t be afraid to change the course you’ve set for yourself because no matter what you’re going to be okay.
For those of you who feel like you’re the only one who hasn’t got it all figured out I promise that you’re not alone. I was an accounting major who took a law class, loved it, switched to the paralegal program, hated it, took a psych class, loved it and is currently majoring in psychology. Maybe I’ll stay a psych major, maybe I won’t; either way it’s going to be alright.
So maybe you have to stay an extra semester or a whole year. It’s not the end of the world. Don’t sweat the small stuff. Believe that you can, and will, make a great future for yourself. Even if you have a couple detours and the trips a little longer than you initially anticipated. Enjoy the ride.
Sheetal Tadiparty
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