I remember the months right before I was about to graduate high school. I had finally decided where I was going to college, and surprise, it was the same place as my then-boyfriend, now-fiancĂ©, who had just gotten back from 6 months of military training. All in all, life was pretty good. I was in love, I would have the comfort of my man with me, I knew my major, and I knew my next step…so not too much to worry about, right? The only issue was, I had picked my communications major not actually knowing what that really meant and what kind of jobs it would provide. I knew almost all my cousins had been communication majors and they all had interesting jobs. I knew I enjoyed reading and writing and connecting with people. My whole life my mom had called me a “social butterfly” and always said how she was proud of how polite and respectful to people I am. So, communications seemed like a pretty good fit.Â
Fast forward to now, though transferring from IUP to MU and not attending the same school as my S.O., I’m still a comm major, and I’m still in love. I know after school I’ll be getting married, and I know better about what my field means and what types of jobs I can get. Yet, I still have that same feeling I had at the end of high school of, what am I actually going to do? What career do I actually want? I know a little better what I’m interested in, but sometimes it feels like everyone but me has a plan, or at least some type of career goal to follow.Â
When I start to get too anxious, I need to remind myself to just take things one day at a time. I’ll apply for jobs that interest me and if I enjoy them, I’ll stay, and if not, I can look for another job. I’ve always been too much a planner, and I think that has stressed me out and convinced me I need to plan every little detail from now until I die. If you’re like me, let’s both take my own advice and calm down. Life is too short to be spending this day worrying about tomorrow. Work hard and do your best and try to be successful for maybe the next two or three steps. I heard somewhere that stressing about something before it’s time means putting yourself through it twice. I don’t want to spend my senior year stressed, confused, and upset that I can’t make up my mind. I’d rather continue to do well in what I’m doing right now and take these next steps slowly. I don’t want to live in fear of what the future will bring, I want to be happy and proud of myself for doing my best in my classes and my relationships, and I want that air to continue into job hunts, interviews, and careers. Employers would rather hire someone confident and poised anyway. Slow it down, take a breath, and reflect on how far you’ve come when deciding where you’re going. You don’t need to plan what you’re doing until retirement, start with your first job and see where that takes you. More than anything, be sure what you’re doing brings you happiness and fulfillment. Stay proud, stay hungry. Blessings for a great semester!Â
HXCO,
Lyss
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