When we are young, we get asked “What is your dream job?” A question asked to many children, who dream of being astronauts, superheroes, and rockstars. When High School rolls around, we get questioned about majors and potential colleges. It is all very stressful; I never wanted to think of my future when I was busy reveling in the present. I never had an answer to any of these questions. As a child, I was confused when the words “dream” and “job” were placed side by side, because the jobs that my parents had and that my aunts and my uncles had did not sound like dreams. In High School, I was average at everything with a little bit more interest in my English class. I wondered why I should have to know my future career at seventeen, when all I wanted was a car.
Entering University as a first-year student, I enrolled into the Exploratory Studies program. I thought “Exploratory Studies” was a funny way of saying “I have no idea what to major in.” I was undecided and took all gen-ed courses that I would have to complete anyway, so I figured I had some time. In college, time goes fast. I was climbing up the undergraduate ladder and watching semesters go by. I felt the pressure to decide on a major.
I won’t lie and say I don’t have any regrets throughout my college experience and the choices I made. I settled on becoming an English major the second half of my sophomore year, and truly found love for it. I definitely wish I was able to come into university already knowing I wanted to major in English, but I was held back by my lack of experience and worries of not finding a well-paid job after graduation.
College is scary, and so is thinking about future careers and future salaries. I applaud people who choose to take a gap year or two between high school and college, and at times I wish I had done that. On the other hand, I wonder how I would have even discovered my interest in English studies if I had not gone to university right away. Those general education requirements, especially the writing courses, is how I discovered my passion. I talked to professors, advisors, the career development center, my parents, and my peers in order to listen to as many perspectives as I could. All those people helped me a lot on my journey but in the end, it was up to me. I’m still unsure of my future, and who I will become, but right now I am certain that I will end up where I need to be as long as I continue to trust my instincts and do what I love.