It’s Okay to Not Know
By Audrey
At only 18 years old, you’re expected to go to college and know what you want to do with your life. Deciding your major at such a young age is daunting - to think just a few months ago you were still living at home and had to ask permission to leave the house! Now, you are seen as an adult with responsibilities. You’re expected to feed yourself, do your own laundry, wake yourself up, ect. Going to college and transitioning into adulthood is hard enough, so don’t create more stress and panic for yourself if you don’t know what you want to do yet.
My Experience
My whole life, I thought I wanted to be a kindergarten teacher, as did my entire family. So, when I went off to college, it was no surprise to anyone when I chose an early childhood education major.
I was so confident that being a teacher was my calling, I took all education classes instead of taking the recommended core requirement classes. Before I knew it, I was observing a preschool class every Wednesday for weeks. What I thought would be my favorite day of the week became my LEAST.
I felt so lost, my entire life I worked towards becoming a teacher - there was nothing else I ever wanted to do. At this point, it was the end of my freshman year and I had to sign up for fall classes. After a long (and I mean LONG) time of self-reflection, I decided to switch majors to biology with a concentration in environmental science. While I’m passionate about helping children, I’m also passionate about the environment and being sustainable, so that seemed like the right thing to do.
That summer, I ended up taking Bio 1, Bio 2, and the lab to be caught up as a sophomore biology major. Fast forward to the end of fall semester, I once again feel lost, as I don’t know what I want to do. At that moment, I was in a panic and felt the need to do more self-reflecting.
I came to the conclusion that the common denominator from both my potential majors is wanting to make a positive difference. Being a teacher or environmentalist wasn’t my calling, but there were other ways for me to make an impact.
What Helped Me
After my second major switch, I made a list of all my skills. After I established the things I’m good at, I circled the skills that I actually enjoy. This is important because being good at something and enjoying it are two VERY different things. I realized that I think creatively and enjoy writing and creating in general. I then looked at different major programs and ended up changing my major for the third time to Communications with a concentration in Integrated Marketing and Communications (IMC) and a minor in Entrepreneurship.
For almost two years, I was freaking out about not knowing what to do and rushing into new majors because I felt like I had to. I wish I knew then what I know now, that it’s not a big deal if at 18 or 19 you still don’t have your life figured out - who really does? You can’t go through life thinking everything will go smoothly, because that’s just not true.
Now, I am 21 going on 22 entering my final year of college. Yes, I did stick with my third major change and my grades and attitude changed with it. I like to say the third time really is the charm. Class is a lot easier when your assignments are related to things you are not only good at, but also enjoy.
My Advice
So if you are starting college soon and still don’t know what you want to do, that’s okay! You are young and still trying to know who you are as a person, let alone what you want to do with your life. I recommend taking core classes first to understand your skills better. Another option is to go in undecided! Do what’s best for you and your situation; but just always remember that it’s okay to not know - college is the place to figure it out.
