My parents always referred to college as the “glory years.” Growing up, college was the answer to all of my first-world adolescent problems. It was where I was going to make my lifelong friends, find my husband and make great strides towards my career. College was supposed to be the adult version of Disney World: a place where all my dreams came true. Or so I thought.
As a freshman I had high hopes. I was motivated, energized and ready to conquer. I was also seriously naïve. I thought that everything would sort of work itself out while I partied, made friends and watched Hulu. Now, two months into my senior year, I’ve changed my major three times and I still find myself undecided when it comes to the big question all seniors have to answer: WHAT COMES NEXT?
By the time you reach the glamorous age of 21, everyone wants to know what you plan on doing with your life. You’re an adult, you can legally drink, and, surely, they assume, you know what you want to do after graduation.
However, the truth is, somewhere in between attending classes and binge drinking, I forgot to decide on a concrete career.
My roommate and I have lied awake at night restlessly panicking about our future because it is our senior year and we haven’t the slightest clue where we’re headed.
I know my interests and I know where my potential lies, but I still can’t tell you what I want to be when I grow up.
In the midst of self-destructively overthinking my life’s choices, I have come to the conclusion that it is okay not to know what I’m doing just yet because truthfully four years is simply not enough time to get it all together.
As a college senior, it is easy to freak-out that the ending is near, but the truth is graduation is only the beginning. College is the first time students have the opportunity to choose exactly what they want to study but not everyone knows they want to be a doctor or teacher right away. For others (like me) it takes a few semesters and internships to understand what you enjoy doing.
My friends have lived with me all throughout college, they know me better than anyone and they have helped me see the light at the end of the tunnel, showing me the endless options I have for my future career.
What myself and many students fail to realize is plenty of college graduates are still searching for their dream job using their twenties as a time of trial and error. Though some of us come out of college with job offers and life-partners, for the rest of us, well we’re still learning what we want and that’s perfectly fine.
