Don't Worry About Your Career Until You Know What You Want to Do
Deciding what you want to do with your life is one of the most difficult decisions a person can make. It's also one of the most important, since it will set the course for your life from here on out. This choice should be made before you worry about any other aspect of your life, including where you go to college or how much money you make. The reason for this is that knowing what you want to do with your life will help guide every other decision in a way that allows it all to fit together harmoniously. If there are major conflicts between different aspects of your life, then something isn't right and there's a problem somewhere that needs addressing. I hope my college student readers can appreciate this.
Now, I know you're probably thinking, "Duh!" but bear with me. It's a lot easier said than done to make this decision. Every option seems like a good one and it's easy to get lost in the possibilities. In my experience, it helps to start from the end and work backwards. Think about what your ideal life looks like at age 80 from an objective standpoint—not necessarily from your current viewpoint or even what you think of today as being ideal—and then try to get there from where you are now by making choices that will get you closer and closer each year until eventually getting there in the blink of an eye so long as everything goes right (which is unlikely). This isn't just some theory I'm throwing out here either; this is something I've actually done! It might be helpful for learning more about how to do things backwards when trying to figure out where you want your life to go.
When you've made your choice, write it down. It's easy to forget what you decided if you don't take the time to write it down. I sometimes use Evernote because it's accessible on all of my devices and I can easily organize things by utilizing tags. Write out the pros and cons of each option, as well as how feasible each option is given your current situation. Brainstorm ways to deal with any possible obstacles that stand in the way of achieving your goal(s) so that when they inevitably come up later, you'll already have a plan in place for dealing with them.
I'm sure this sounds terribly confusing, but trust me—if I can do this at age 19 for an entire lifetime ahead of me then surely anyone can do it for their intended major or career path! Writing things down also makes them easier to remember because there are physical reminders everywhere around us (and inside our heads). Don't underestimate the power of having a written record either; seeing all those words staring back at you from paper or screen has a way of making them seem more real than just floating around in your head only half-remembered like some dream sequence from Inception cut short before its full meaning could be understood…which reminds me…
We All Dream Of A Better Career But We All Live In The Same Reality—Accept It!
"That's not possible." "That won't work. You're crazy!" "Why would you want to do that?" I've heard these sorts of things countless times from friends and family when asking them for advice on my plans. When they say this, what they really mean is: "Sorry, I don't agree with your choice and it scares me." Don't take it personally. They just don't realize that there are other possibilities out there besides the ones they're familiar with. If you have the opportunity to try something new then go for it! Most people never get a chance like this in their lifetime so why not give yourself a chance to experience more, learn more, and grow as a person?
Maybe your ideal career isn't something you can support yourself doing right away or even within the next few years after college, but that doesn't mean you can never do it at all! There's always a way to make things work if you really want them bad enough. No matter what someone thinks of your idea or how ridiculous others may think it is at first glance, remember that no one knows everything about everything (including those who tell us we're wrong) and everyone has an opinion on everything under the sun. I've had a lot of careers but I'm still young, so take it from me that you don't have to know what you want to do at age 19 or even after graduating college. It's okay if you don't know—I didn't either! Just keep learning and exploring new possibilities because at some point the right opportunity will come along and everything will fall into place. Until then, find something worthwhile to do with your energy while working towards a better future for yourself.
The key here is not making any rash decisions on a whim just because it seems like a good idea at the time or you feel pressured from others to follow their advice on what they think is best for you rather than your own better judgment about what is actually best for yourself (and by extension, society)! If it doesn't feel right in your gut then chances are there's something wrong with it.
