Undecided

Every college student’s favorite questions at the Thanksgiving table are, “What’s your major?” and, “What are you going to do when you graduate?”

Maybe you have your definite answer, in which case, your plan is to just repeat yourself over and over again all night. But maybe you have no direction right now and you have to answer with that, which is probably more difficult and naturally evokes more questions from your conversation partner. In any case, however, you must remember that even though these questions are annoying, your family and friends just love you and care about you. They are just eager to know what you’ll be doing after college because, well, it’s a big deal and it’s exciting!

Many college students begin college not knowing what they want to do; they’re in that “undecided” group for as long as they can be until the school makes them pick something. I’ve come up with three tips that have helped me, and hopefully they can help you too.

1. Know what isn’t your calling.

This is a good place to start because it’s easy to quickly eliminate options that you know already aren’t a good choice for you. Get them off the list and out of your way first; it’ll help make your visualizations more clear.

Here’s my personal list, for example. Paths that are not Annie’s calling:

• Lawyer.

• Doctor.

• Dentist.

• Police officer.

• Firefighter.

• EMT.

• The U.S. Armed Forces.

• Skilled trade jobs.

• Careers heavy in mathematics.

• Careers that put my mental health at serious risk.

• Careers where I feel like a robot and I don’t feel emotionally and/or spiritually fulfilled.

• Careers that force me to sacrifice so much, that my family is severely and negatively affected by my work. Any career that requires us to move way too frequently. Any career that keeps me at work so much, I never am home to spend quality time with my family and I never have time to enjoy my life. I want to be home for dinner every night.

Note: I have all the respect in the world for people who do lead lives in these career paths. I don’t know what would we do without them. These paths just are not for me, personally.

It’s awesome to know these things about yourself and the sooner, the better. It’s awesome especially if you know you don’t want to go to law, medical, or dental school, because both of those paths call for many years in school and many years in debt. And, needless to say, first responder careers and the U.S. Armed Forces require many sacrifices as well.

2. Leave no stone unturned, even if you have just the slightest curiosity to turn it over.

If you stumble upon something in this beautiful world that makes you curious, don’t ignore it! If your schedule can afford it, explore a new area through taking a class you may not normally take. It’s an easy way to gauge your interest.

Perhaps you’ve been a business major since day one, but you saw floating piles of trash in the water behind the library and you got angry. Take a chance on an environmental policy or global conservation class. Or maybe you’re majoring in health sciences, but you saw a really cool show on TV about Renaissance art and now you can’t get enough. Find an art or art history class.

You may hate it, but then you know you explored it and gave it a chance. Plus, you’ll forever have new knowledge on a cool topic, making you a very sophisticated and worldly young adult. Or you may love it. Then you may find yourself totally switching majors or working towards a minor in that area.

I wanted to get a required humanities course out of my way one semester, so I thought an art history course looked really interesting. I ended up looking forward to it every week and so much of the knowledge I gained has stuck with me even two years later. Was this any requirement of my social sciences degree? Not at all. I may or may not pursue the minor; I don’t know yet. But I know now for sure that I have a side passion for art history, thanks to this one exploratory semester.

3. Determine your priorities.

Many of us young people think about what we see our life looking like one day. I’m no stranger to this myself, surely. Some people, and all due respect to them, may be willing to sacrifice doing what they really love for certain luxuries they want. If that’s what you want and what works for you, then that’s awesome! You might be studying topics you don’t truly have a passion for or feel less than excited about, but you have high-paying and stable career paths in your future.

For some people, it’s not worth it. I’m one of them. Unfortunately, HGTV has ruined me because their shows have given me way too many ideas and I’d have to be a millionaire to have my dream home. But my white picket fence, swimming pool, and marble countertops are not worth it if I wake up hating my life every day from 9 to 5, wishing I was doing something else. It kind of sucks, but it’s true. It’s my truth, at least. It’s important to think about what your priorities are because they will definitely influence your choice of major and eventually your life career(s).

By knowing what isn’t your calling, leaving no stone unturned, and determining your priorities, it should be easier to work out your college plans and pick your major. It is one of those big life decisions, but just remember to follow your heart. Keep on learning and growing, and your major may even find you.