Every individual has their own perception of what their final loss of childhood and final fleeting moments of youth are.
Some think it’s turning 18 or the loss of their virginity. For others, it’s moving out.
For me, it was realizing that in approximately eight months I will be graduating college and, like many others, I have absolutely no clue what I want to do with my life.
When we were young, we wanted to be princesses, rockstars, rocket scientists, the president and so on — my plan was to be all of the above — but fast forward a decade, I’m expected to limit myself to just one major.
My requirements for a major were simple: no math and one that allowed me to travel. So what seemed like a random game of roulette, I landed on public relations, and off I went — leaving my home state with my clothes in a trash bag and a hopeful longing to find my passion.
Guess what? I never did.
I love college. I love my friends, classes and environment, but I never really found the one thing most students come here to find: to become properly equipped with the skills to succeed in the workforce and, most importantly, to find a way to support ourselves in one of the most expensive cities in the United States.
For a lucky few, their path is set.
Pre-med? Next step is medical school. Want to be a lawyer? Next step is law school. Chose a random major and got jipped out of a year and a half of school due to the pandemic? Well, now seems like a good time to panic.
I know I shouldn’t panic. We are all ambitious and passionate, longing to make something of ourselves, but there is something so intimidating about knowing I am just as lost about what I want to do with my life as I was the day I graduated high school. The difference is reality is flying at me fast.
It’s frustrating that all my life my parents and teachers have told me “college is where you’ll find your passion” or “college is where it will all fall into place” but it just never really clicked for me.
Luckily, since this topic has been on my mind for a while now, I have gained some advice along the way by expressing my concern to just about anyone who will listen.
Here’s what I’ve learned:
You have time.
It’s okay not knowing what you want. Life is a game of trial and error and as students, there’s always room and time for error.
Network
Meet as many people as you can. If I’ve learned anything throughout college, it’s that connections will get you farther than any test score or GPA will ever get you.
Get an internship.
So many students that I have met throughout my college experience ended up working in a company that they had interned with.
Give yourself grace.
If you’re anything like me, you have the immense pressure on your shoulders — how to make your family proud, how to make yourself proud, how to make it work in the “real” world and how to be financially stable and independent.
This is normal.
Look around you. I can almost guarantee that the guy sitting right next to you with his massive textbook and copious notes, who seems to be the next Steve Jobs, is just as lost as you.
We all go through this and at the end of the day, it will work out. We’re all in this together. Take a deep breath, work hard and keep an open mind. Your great job opportunity could be just around the corner.
Roxanna Boren is a senior studying public relations.
