One Student Shares Story of How Her Vision for the Future Changed Throughout College Years
When I was in the first grade, I remember writing down all of the things I wanted to be when I grew up; an astronaut, a teacher, a mommy, a puppy. I wanted to be anything I found inspiring and fun.
As I grew older and realized that I could be anything but a puppy, I realized the many other things I wanted to be along with my original ideas; a lawyer, a doctor, and an actress.
As I reached high school, I thought I had my dreams limited down to what I wanted to study in college. I wanted to be a television broadcaster and work in New York City.
After my freshman year at MU, I switched majors and decided I wanted to study Public Relations. What do I want to be now? I couldn’t tell you.
I honestly wish I had a clear image of what I could see myself pursuing as a career. The truth is that I can see myself doing a lot. I still feel like the little girl who imagined flying to the moon in a space shuttle, teaching kids the alphabet and becoming a movie star.
Although those dreams have slightly changed to be more realistic and tailored to my current interests, I find myself constantly wondering the same question: “What do I want to be when I grow up?”
This has been the toughest question I have had to answer during my entire college career. I still tend to get caught up in moments of stress thinking about it. I am sure every senior feels overwhelmed thinking about what they will be doing after graduation.
There are things I do wish I would have considered pursuing, possibly some of the careers listed above from my childhood.
Thankfully, I can say I am genuinely happy with the path I chose to study. Finding a job that makes you happy is every person’s goal. The question is how can we avoid the stress of finding a perfect career match?
After speaking with a close professor of mine, I have come to understand that I do not have to know exactly what I want to do right out of college. In fact, I am learning to find it easier to market myself as a diverse candidate for many areas of work.
Typing “public relations practitioner” or “public relations entry level job” into Google is not how I think I will find the job that will make me excited to wake up for work every morning.
I would rather learn about every type of career not only in public relations but also in similar fields such as marketing, social media, web writing, and event planning.
For almost anyone that has declared a major, I am sure that you had a vision of what you wanted to do with that degree as soon as you graduated. As for me? I declared my major without knowing what it was, the work it entailed, and what I could do with it. Honestly, I am still figuring that out.
If you are stressing over an unclear career path, stop and take a breath. You do not need to plan out the next fifty years of your life right now. It is literally impossible to do.
The only thing you need to focus on is finding your passion and pursuing something that feeds that fire. Doing so will make for a much simpler and enjoyable job search as well as life. Do not assume that you are limited to anything. As long as you have the knowledge, skills, and love for something, run with it.
My biggest concern is losing my passion for something because I am not able to utilize it in my career. How do I overcome that fear? By doing something that allows me to show my enthusiasm for what I find enjoyable in my life.
If I choose a career path that affords me the opportunity to go to work everyday knowing that I will be doing something I enjoy, I can ensure that I never lose my drive to do the things I love.
The best advice that I learned about not knowing what I want to do after graduation is that I do not have to know. I do not need to have my vision of a perfect career set in stone and remain unwavering until I reach it. That will simply leave me with a heck of a lot of pressure to live up to the hype that I created.
I do, however, have a vision of who I want to be as a person and what kind of lifestyle I will enjoy the most. Fitness, nutrition, and overall health and wellness is important to me, so finding a job that allows me to keep those aspects of my life high on my list of priorities is key.
You should do the same. Decide what is most valuable to you and find a career that suits your personality and lifestyle.
Always be conscious of your goals and what you want out of life, but do not feel pressured into having everything figured out by the time you graduate from college. It is best to take the time to find yourself before choosing a career, rather than settling for something you will live to regret.
What it really comes down to is what makes you happy, right? So choose to live a happy life.
PHOTO COURTESY of Victoria Jordan
