What do you want to be when you grow up?
Maybe you’re pursuing your passion – music, science, art, math – or maybe you just don’t know. If you’re in the latter situation, this may be tough to explain to your family over Christmas dinner. Honestly, it’s okay to not know what you want to do with your future.
80% of college students in the U.S. change their major at least once, so even those who have picked a path may end up on a different one.
Colleges have come to understand that many students are not sure, giving them the option of enrolling with an undeclared major. Some universities let students wait as long as until their senior year in college to declare, and offer a surplus of general degrees to fit many job descriptions.
College may not even be necessary. The growth of social media has developed a new type of career, the influencer. Influencers include Instagram models, Youtubers, and bloggers, who make hefty salaries by exposing their followers to new brands and creating digital content. At this point, gaining an online following doesn’t require a college degree. This path to success is unpredictable and often uncontrollable. Nobody can plan on becoming an influencer- sadly, we can’t all be instafamous.
Many people have passions, like video games or ping-pong, that aren’t considered conventional career opportunities. Not knowing what professional direction to take doesn’t make someone passionless or boring.
Lastly, if you don’t know what you want to do, you can be lazy, take the day off, or try anything you want. Who needs commitment to a laborious activity with no guarantee of success? You’re in high school. Sleep in, watch a movie, who cares? You have all the time in the world to figure it out.