Take a moment to remember how you answered the following when you were younger:
“What do you want to be when you grow up?”
The first time I heard this question was in Grade 1. My class had an assignment where we had to draw a picture of our dream job and practice spelling out the name of it. Seven-year-old me had never given her future much thought. We didn’t have a lot of time to complete the assignment, so I quickly decided that I wanted to be a vet. V-E-T. I liked animals and watched Zoboomafoo a lot, so I figured it would work out. Plus, all of my friends had written “vet” as their own answers.
I carried my “dream” of becoming a vet with me into careers class in high school, but I didn’t have as huge of a passion for it as I led people to believe. Part of the reason why I never changed my answer was because I felt insecure. I didn’t know myself very well at the time and had no idea what kind of jobs were out there that were a good fit for me, which was worrisome. Finding the perfect job was a goal driven into my head for years.
I learned it doesn’t necessarily get easier when you’re older. In fact, when you’ve become older, it’s no longer a question of what you want to become that you hear, but rather how you’re going to attain that dream job you’ve been aiming for since childhood. It seems expected that you’re well on your way to getting that job when you pursue post-secondary education.
So what if you haven’t found your dream job yet?
I’ll admit that I’m still undecided about what kind of work I want to go into. I realized sometime after careers class that my real interest was writing—which is what led me to pursue journalism at Carleton—but I think a lot about working in other fields. In the back of my mind, I know it’s great to have more than one option, but the constant pressure I feel to settle on the right job leaves me more conflicted than anything. Add that to the envy I feel of those around me who are so sure of themselves, their decisions and their futures…
I know a number of people who have always known exactly what they want to do, but I also know from talking to my peers that many feel the same way that I do. Some have even said they feel completely lost when it comes to career talk. I was feeling particularly stressed about this recently, until I came across this quote on Tumblr:
I don’t know who Coulter is and I don’t know where or when she said this, but I do know that the post has more than 114,200 notes as I write this. Thousands of people have found solace in these words that remind us that it is perfectly fine to have more than one passion.
Sure, the expectation to know what you want to do for the rest of your life is high, and it’s probably more convenient to have a clear vision of your future. But you don’t have to have your whole life figured out already. The reality is that people change what they do all the time. It’s never too late to explore different interests.
Not having found your “passion” in your early twenties is not something to be ashamed of either. There’s so much out there in this world beyond the scope of what you already know. There are places you haven’t been, people you haven’t met and situations you haven’t encountered. The more you experience, the more you will understand what’s out there for you.
Perhaps you’ll never choose one thing to devote yourself to and that’s fine. As long as you know you want something there are things you can do to help you figure out what it is. It’s important to remember that indecisiveness is no excuse for passivity.
We live in a world full of opportunities and it’s up to you to be proactive about exploring the various fields that may interest you. You’ll never figure out who you are or what you want out of life without taking on new challenges. That said, make a decision. Where it leads you might be great. Alternatively, you may find that the path you took is not for you, in which case you can try something else.
Being in university is a great way to learn what you like and what works for you. Try out different electives and join various clubs. Rather than thinking of your years at university at as a time constraint during which you have to create a sure-fire plan for your future to put in action the moment you graduate, consider it the beginning of just one of the journeys you’ll venture on in life.
As for myself, I’ve found that studying a variety of subjects and getting involved on campus in different ways has allowed me to grow as a person and discover who I really am. I’m more sure of myself and I have a clearer idea of where I want to go in life. No, I haven’t found my “life’s calling,” but I have a lot of interests and I’m willing to go wherever they take me.
If you are someone who knows what you want, by all means work hard to get to where you need to be. But should you find yourself in a position similar to that which many others and I are in, just know that’s okay, too. There’s plenty of time.