“What do you want to be when you grow up?” It’s an innocent question that’s been asked by well-meaning adults ever since we were old enough to articulate an answer. Our six year old selves had big dreams, too, with answers like doctor, fashion designer, ballerina, teacher, or anything else that our imaginations could have fantasized about. The answers were also as confident as they were definitive. When a little kid tells you that they’re what they’re going to be, they’re pretty confident in their declaration, no matter how out of the blue it may seem.
In college, the wording of that classic question about our future is slightly changed, but the meaning is still there. It seems that everyone wants to know what you want to do for the rest of your life, but unless you’re one of the lucky few that has everything down to the color of their office figured out, you probably don’t have an answer.
So who are these lucky few who seem to have it all figured out, and how can we find our answer too?
One of the biggest misconceptions about college is that you go for the specific purpose of job training. Since college is an expensive investment, the goal is to study hard and get a well paying job. Of course everyone’s goal is to find a career, but the focus shouldn’t be simply going through the motions of learning a trade. Instead, we should take our time and find what we’re passionate about, and go from there. The great thing about being at such a large university like UMass is that there are constantly ways to explore your passions, even if you don’t kow what they are. College lasts four years, and most of that time is spent in class. If you don’t like the work you’re doing, or are not crazy about what you’re learning, it’s time to take things in a new direction. The true value of being in college is being excited about opening yourself up to new ideas and ways of thinking. Loving what you are learning is the first step on a path to a career. Once you’ve found that you can’t get enough of discussion on political theory, or that chemistry is your favorite class, you’re on the right track.
Now for the classic buzzword used by career services departments everywhere: internships. There’s a reason why our advisors are constantly bombarding our inboxes with emails about interning with any company, individual, or government worker they can find. INternships are a great opportunity to test out a day in the field you’re looking to work in, and a great way to find out if the work you envision yourself doing is really right for you. You may be a legal studies major looking to go to law school, but you find that spending months in an office doing paperwork is not as exciting as the courtroom dramas shown all over TV. Or, internships could have the complete opposite affect. Someone in nursing school could spend time volunteering at a hospital, and completely reaffirm that being a nurse is still their dream.
Finally, here’s one piece of overlooked advice. Spend time talking to people who are older than you, and who have chosen their careers already. They have a lot to tell you about what this process was like for them, and they love sharing advice to help you make your own mistakes, not repeat theirs. So listen closely to what mom, dad, your past teachers, or older family friends have to say. Someone who’s already been through this process can be your most valuable resource.
We spend a lot of our lives working, so much that it can even define us as individuals. But picking a career doesn’t have to define who we are, instead, it should add to us. Just remember that confident little kid who was so sure of what they wanted, channel that attidue and determination, and follow your passion.
Go confidently in the direction of your dreams, Collegiettes!