Figuring out what to do when you grow up is tough

There is a few days of class left and a week of finals. It’s exciting, but I know a lot of people are people saying, “Another year has gone by, and I still don’t know what to do with my life." Here are a few tips to getting a head start on figuring out what you want to do with your life!

The first thing you should realize is that you probably want to do many things with your life. Your enthusiasm for starting to search and realize what you want to do later is applauded. Many college students pick their major freshman or sophomore year, and think sooner or later they will stumble into the career that suits them best. Often this does not work out as well as they hope, so the sooner you start your search for your “real life” interest, the more likely you will end up being happy in your career.

Figuring out what you want to do when you “grow up” is a hard decision, but there are a few things that you do not need to worry about when picking a path to find your life goal. First, your major will not define what you spend your life doing. If you major in political science and later decide to become a physical education teacher, it is okay. The world is not going to come to a screeching halt crashing and burning. It is going to take some work, but it is still a possible. Any major can lead to a variety of things. Ask your parents what they majored then compare what they are doing now – it may not seem to add up, but in the end they did what made them happy. For more information about what you can do with your major check out our website. We offer wonderful information about all majors, and if you are still interested in finding more information you can always make an appointment with a Career Counselor.

Second, college is an opportunity to find what you are passionate about. If there is anything to take into consideration when you are finding your career, think about whether you like it or not. Passion is important. If you do not like what you are doing every day of every year then how are you going to keep doing it? Make sure you are happy in your field, and if you are not – change it up. Figuring it out now is a lot easier than figuring it out when you graduate college, and already have a job, family and bills. College makes it easy to try out new classes and internships are great experience to see if you like a career field or not. For example, if you are majoring in physical education and decide you cannot stand teaching to your own peers, there is a good chance you may want to try out some classes, and maybe change direction. Keep your options open.

Third, your summer can be used productively by talking to people. Anyone is a good resource when it comes down to questions like, “How did you end up where you are today?” There is never just one way to get a job you dream of. People take all kinds of paths to end up where they are. Backgrounds and education comes in all different packages. Your professors at The College at Brockport could have been majors in history and may now be teaching you communication. You never know what someone did with their life before you ask. Take this summer to make conversation.

And finally, never get discouraged. It is okay that you are in college and cannot decide how you want to spend the rest of your life. It may take a while for you to figure out your calling and decide where you will be happy. Take advantage of the several opportunities at Career Services. We have four internship programs open to all majors. Internships are one of the most effective ways to figuring out what you want to do with your life. Even if you hate the internship – you will learn something. Go out there at try everything you are interested in! There is no experience that can’t help you.

And please do not forget to have fun this summer!