At age 17, I wanted to be a journalist or pursue Public Relations because I loved to write and stay on top with news and trends. I wanted to help shape, brand and maintain company reputations in a way that would benefit them and society.
At age 18, I wanted to be an attorney because the idea of helping others fight for what they deserved and helping others achieve that, made me feel like I was making the difference in the world that I craved to do.
At age 19, I wanted to go into Human Resources because I enjoyed feeling of being in charge. I wanted to help others with their problems, be the one others turn to, support people in getting what they deserved and I wanted to help manage and be the building blocks of a business or company.
At age 20, I started to consider going for my Ph.D. in Psychiatry after graduation, because over the years, my love for helping other people had grown. I had become more involved and passtionate about studying the effects of depression and I hoped that one day I would be the reason someone did not pull the trigger.
At age 21, I am now a senior in college. I am a double major in Psychology and Communicaitons. I am involved in a peer counseling group for students with eating disorders, Her Campus Media, I conduct my own research experiments and I hold an on-campus job with admissions recruiting prospective students to our university. While I may be involved with a wide spectrum of interest, the experiences I get help me continue to blossom and make me more sure that I am heading in the right direction.
I feel that we are raised and shaped with the intentions that we must know what we want to do for the rest of our lives at such an early age. The question: “what do you want to be when you grow up?” is a question of popular choice for people as young as kindergarteners. But the truth is, I did not know what I wanted to be then and I am still unsure of what I want to do now. However, I do know what makes me happy and I know that in time, I am going to find that dream job for me.
If you fall along in the same boat as I, do not feel like you are taking steps backyards or that you are heading in the wrong direction, because you are not. You will find what makes makes you happy. If you need help finding your destination, here are some tips on how to make it more reachable:
1. Check out your campus Center for Career Development. They can assist you in resume building, receiving career advice, help you find an internship or job or prepare you for interviews.
2. Apply for an internship! Do something in an area that you may be interested in, even if you are unsure if it is something you actually want to do. An internship can get you a great hands-on experience and can help you realize if that career is something you do, (or don’t) want to pursue.
3. Network. If there is one thing I have learned from having a large range interests, it’s that it never hurts to build as many networks as possible. You never know who you will meet and who will be able to help you down the road.
4. Never disregard your ambitions. Take a moment to think about what you would love to do if money were out of the picture. Afterall, if you are going to have to become a morning person, it is best to start becoming a morning person for something you love.
5. Talk to professionals who work in certain fields you may be interested in. No one knows a position better than someone who actually works in it. This can help you learn more and see if that position is what is right for you.