“What do you want to do for the rest of your life?” This is the heaviest question you could possibly ask a college student. Even if they know for certain what they want, there’s always a lingering afterthought… “Will I be able to do it?”
Going into college, the university requires you to determine your intended major. Whether you change it later or whether you don’t know, you list a major or you go into college unintended. From the time we enter college, intended major or not, we are expected to have a clear goal and set a clear path to obtaining it.
I know I’m speaking for a majority of college students when I say that sometimes I just don’t know anymore. I don’t know exactly what I want to do for the rest of my life. I don’t know whether I want to be a (blank) major, or a (blank) major. A lot of adults condemn or shame college students for not having a clear path set for themselves. You know, that’s fine. Some college students really need to figure out what they want because some don’t even have a general idea where they want to go. Okay, yes, please show concern for them.
On the other hand, what if you’re like me? There are SO many different jobs and fields of study that I can see myself going into. I love writing and I love speaking my mind. I love studying people and cultures. I love knowing the law and the why behind how things happen. I love helping people and making the world a little better off than how it was. How I am supposed to combine or pick the things that I love and somehow incorporate that into ONE major.
Recently, I even found myself presented with the option of majoring in three degrees. If I want to, I can graduate in four years with three bachelor degrees. Like what? I can’t say that I wouldn’t want to get three degrees, but that could be a bit strenuous.
What I’m trying to say is that your major isn’t definitive. You could have one, two, three, or ten degrees and they still don’t create a clear path for us. As a college student or a high school senior going into college, don’t stress the goal or the path to the goal. Stress the experiences. Let everything you do in college define your dreams. Even for me, whether I major in one thing or twenty, as long as you follow your passions and you grab every opportunity you can, the path will make itself.
