One of the first things you are asked to do when you start college is to decide what you want to do with the rest of your life. It seems like, at only 18 years old, you’re supposed to know if you want to spend decades sitting at a desk or saving lives for a living. The pressure to choose a major can be overwhelming, especially when everyone around you seems to have it all figured out. The truth is, it’s okay to explore your options to figure out the best career for you. In the meantime, here are a few things you can probably relate to if you’re undecided.
1. Getting the question “What’s your major?” or “What are you studying?” all the time.
You get these questions from your family, your friends and your teachers. Bascially, every adult you have a conversation with all want to know.
2. When you see that friend who has known what they want to be when they grew up since they could walk.
They may have played “doctor” when they were little, or they may have obsessed about how they couldn’t wait to be a teacher. Good for them, but when I was seven years old, my biggest concerns were what snack I was going to have and what show was going to be on Disney Channel.
3. Thinking you’ve figured what you want to do and then changing your mind two days later.
Some call it exploring your options, others call it being indecisive.
4. Other people telling you what career you should pursue.
I know they’re just trying to help; but giving me “advice” on what I should do with my life just makes me more confused — I don’t even know what I want to do with my own life.
5. Trying to get career inspiration from TV shows.
Glee made me want to channel my inner Rachel Berry and move to New York City to become a Broadway star. Gossip Girl made me want to follow the Waldorfs’ footsteps to design fashionable clothes for celebrities to wear. It’s easy to choose what you want to do based on the glamorous life you see others living, but it isn’t that simple. Watching Grey’s Anatomy isn’t the most realistic way to judge if you should be a surgeon. It’s best to do your research and decide based on the actual job — not the sugarcoated version.
6. The struggle of picking out classes.
Everyone around you seems to be signing up for major-related classes; but it can be difficult to take classes for requirements when you don’t have a decided path.
7. The pressure to just decide already.
You can feel pressured to just choose something and get it over with when everyone around you knows what they’re majoring in before they get to college. The reality, though, is a lot of those people will end up changing their minds at least once or twice.
Choosing your major and career might feel like the biggest decision you’ll ever make in your life. Yes, it’s important, which is why it requires time to figure it out; but it isn’t worth stressing over. Even if you don’t know what’s right for you now, it’s completely okay to take your time exploring different options.