Tom,
I will be graduating from college in May and am at a loss for what I should do with my life. Majored in Biology but that was just because I liked the classes. I have no idea what I want or what career is right for me. A bunch of my friends have gotten research jobs, applied to med school, whatever. I am just freaking out because I don’t know if I want to do this for my entire life. I don’t want to add more student loan debt just to hate my job. What should I do?
Signed,
Senior Scaries
Dear Senior Scaries,
This is probably one of the most common concerns for college students. Up until this point, you have had your entire life planned out. Your biggest decisions up until this point have been whether or not to go to college, what college to go to, and what subject to major in. None of these decisions compares to the weight of a career choice. However, one thing you have to consider is that most people work for an incredibly long time. Like 40 years!!! It may seem like the choice you make right now is your only opportunity to choose your career path, but that is not true. As long as you remember that you can always change the path you are on, then you don’t have to worry so much about this one decision.
Ok, now that we all take a collective sigh of relief, we can address what your options are. Unfortunately, I am not gonna narrow it down for you. The brutal but liberating truth is, the options are literally endless. Besides from the fact that you likely have some significant debt to pay off, there is nothing stopping you from doing anything except yourself.
Try Something Fun!
My advice to you is take some valuable time to analyze yourself. Maybe get some feedback from others if that helps. Often, our close friends and loved ones are more aware of our true nature than we are, funny as that may sound. What is the purpose of this analysis? This is to understand what you like and what you are good at. You want a career or job that you can get excited about.
To simplify it even more, your next job should explore your interests further. If you are interested in a field or a job, try it out! Obviously, there are barriers to entry in every field, but if you take an entry level job, you will get a glimpse at the ins and outs of the field. Don’t treat your choice as the end all, but simply as an experiment. The closer that choice is aligned with your authentic self, the better it will work out for you!Check out my blog on the authentic self for more information.
I recommend you do something unique, fun, and something that totally resembles you! This is your opportunity to take risks, explore and experiment with life. Because there is no time like the present.
-Tom