As a kid I loved playing the Game of Life. I could get a cool job, earn a lot of money, live in a nice house, get married and have kids all with the spin of wheel. Although sometimes I didn’t land on the spaces I wanted, I was guaranteed a happy ending in retirement. However, it is not as fun when the game turns real. Students become the players as soon as they enter college, making many decisions that will ultimately affect the rest of their lives. While this is necessary in some ways, in other ways it is very stressful and misleading.
College years are meant for exploring one's interests and passions, yet students are usually expected to know what they want to do with their life by their second year. Three or four semesters may seem like enough time to decide on a major; however, as my first year comes to a close, I have discovered time flies by fast. Focusing first on area requirements, I have not taken any classes for my potential majors yet, leaving me with only one and a half semesters to decide to pursue them or not.
I have several first-year friends who are in a similar situation. While one of them recently realized her original major was too demanding and scoured the Internet for another that would fit her interests, another still does not know which major would suit her. Both now feel pressured to pick something, even though they are not confident in this decision.
While I have been feeling some of this pressure as well, I recently found the courage not to let it overtake me. A few days ago, I took a quiz that was supposed to tell me which careers suited my personality. Though some of the questions were an easy “yes” or “no” for me, others made me hesitate. These answers depended mainly upon the situation or my mood; therefore, I chose “neutral.”
Because of this, I received a large number of career results. Though I could envision myself in some of the careers, like education or business administration, a few did not suit me at all — I certainly could not see myself becoming a rancher or a funeral director. While I didn’t find this quiz very helpful at first, I now see these results as a source of reassurance. My personality — for which the quiz gave pretty accurate results — would work well in a variety of careers. Even if I decide later I don’t like the majors I am interested in now, there will still be many options available to me.
This past week I also helped with Days on the Lawn as an admissions volunteer, answering questions outside Peabody Hall. During my shift, a conversation with a prospective student and her dad helped put things into perspective. The student was admitted into the College and interested in cognitive science, but she was also considering transferring into the Engineering School. We weighed her different options and, with the help of another volunteer, realized she would only need to write a few essays if she decided to study engineering.
While the student did not make a definite decision that day, her dad reassured her that was perfectly fine. He expressed his hope for her to explore her interests while in college. Unbeknownst to him, his words were an encouragement to me as well. While I have a career in mind right now, I must continue to remain open to other opportunities.
Perhaps the greatest encouragement I received was from Dean of Students Allen Groves himself when he visited my dorm for “Donuts with the Deans.” We talked mainly about majors and how hard it could be to choose one. He reassured us that, even though we will have to declare a major soon, it is possible to change our major during our third and possibly even fourth year.
While it is not a desirable situation, many students are able to change their major and graduate in a reasonable amount of time. Though I am not sure if Groves ever switched majors, I do know his life has taken him many places that he most likely did not expect as an undergraduate.
These personal experiences have showed me it is okay for college students to be versatile in their decisions. While it is good to have an area of interest, one must also be open to a variety of options.
Despite the stress this uncertainty can bring, I find it quite exciting. Whether I decide to stay in the same career for many years or take on a variety of jobs throughout my life, I can ultimately pursue whichever profession makes me happy. As second year quickly approaches, I must not panic and worry about the future but be patient and see where the Game of Life takes me.
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