This message goes out to all you panicking seniors and everyone else who has no clue what they’re doing with their life.
- The Stats: An estimated 75% of college students start undecided or change their major.
What does this indicate? First and foremost, no individual at the mere age of 17 or 18 knows how they want their life to play out, and nobody expects you to either. So take a deep breath and lift that torturous weight off your shoulders. Hounding adults pecking at you in your every waking moment, begging the question of what you plan to study are simply curious. Don’t allow them to let your panic sink in too deep; you are living for yourself, not to fulfill the expectations of others. In the midst of the chaos, work on gaining volunteer experience, take a year off to travel, or talk to a career counselor; any decision is the right decision as long as you are doing something and taking a step of action. Know that you’re not alone in your uncertainty.
- Your Major Is Not a Crystal Ball For the Future.
The predominant fear haunting the majority of college students is the universal belief that choosing the wrong major will set them on a pathway of regret and doom if a single step in the selection process is tampered with, but those students are under false pretenses. The subject you study in college is not as significant in the world of work as you may anticipate; research conveys that only 27% of citizens are working in a field directly related to their college major. Your career path will most likely deviate from your original plans, and that’s okay. The road is not as narrow as it seems. My most imperative piece of advice is to venture out into unexplored contingencies rather than doubting yourself and shutting down opportunities before they’ve begun; take a leap of faith and be open-minded.
- 18 Is Not the Magic Number.
There is no rule implying that once you turn 18 and step into young adulthood you are required to move out of your home, choose a major, and plan your entire life out within a few months. If you choose to take a gap year, get a job and save up money or even attend a community college, there is absolutely nothing wrong with your decision. Although we are accustomed to the rigidity of a tight school schedule, you will find that adulthood is more of a fluid process where you hold the reigns and take control. Whether you obtain your degree at the age of 21 or 25, it is not a predestination to your future. Forget the societal constraints and pressures and do what makes you thrive.
- General Education Requirements Exist.
If you hold the preconceived notion that college has designed an intricate trap to explode every high school senior’s brain into a million tiny pieces filled with stress, you may be slightly misled. Your first two years of college are designed as exploratory years in which you are required to complete a set of general education classes such as history, English, math, etc. Even if you enroll as an undecided major, it doesn’t significantly impact your education because you won’t be required to take major specific courses until your junior year anyways. The educational system understands that you need an adjustment period before stepping into the world of work with strong footing; use this opportunity to delve into a multitude of subjects that you may find interesting.
- Your Life Is Only Beginning.
Although you may feel as if you can already thumb over the wrinkles creasing under your transiently youthful skin as the stresses of adulthood are hitting you ruthlessly, you are still so young. You haven’t even dipped your curious toes into the ocean full of opportunities that are hidden in the folds of the future, and frankly it would be quite abnormal if you knew exactly what you wanted to do for the rest of your life into eternity. Choosing from a list of careers and attempting to make a decision at the beginning of your journey into adulthood is like taking an empty glass, dipping it in the ocean and filling it up with water and claiming these findings as the only contents of the underwater world. There are a multitude of thriving careers awaiting your intelligence and skills that are invisible to your curious, inexperienced eyes. The grade school chapter of your life is closing and your newly embarked pathway to the future is only beginning; variability is a companion to the best surprises.
