As a young elementary student you are asked the question “what do you want to be when you grow up?” You have an immediate answer, you raise your hand, and might even hold both hands up because you are so eager to not only respond to the class but are most likely wanting to share your aspirations with the world.
As time goes on you go through the little and big, ups and downs life throws your way thinking about what school you want to go to for college, what major you would like to study, and what it will take for you to make it there.
You took all the classes your high school and outside local places offered to gain more insight on what you would be doing. You have done the research on the variety of schools that offer your major and their curriculums. You have said goodbyes to hometown friends, mom, and dad; but now you are here, in college.
Freshman year you took foundation and general education classes, while pondering what courses to take the following year. Sophomore year you entered into the world of major classes and your life completed a full 180º turn. The time is now, and it is your second semester of junior year, but instead of everything going right, it feels like everything is going horribly wrong.
You observe students from other majors, as they make their way fulfilling their project assignments as well as their social life, while you are up until 2 in the morning from a Friday night doing work and you are barely half way done with the assignment. Most of the students you walk by in passing are always smiling and cheerful as they wave and say “hey, how’s it going?” while you are trying to make the effort with a half smile because it’s hard enough to even get out of bed and change out of your pajamas just to put cozy but ‘presentable’ clothes on every morning.
Right now you have taken 4 steps forward but it only seems as if you only took 2. The world may appear as if it is spinning around you off of its’ axis. In a hole of confusion you may look around to find yourself at the bottom of. You are telling yourself it is too late. Well it’s not.
You are taking steps forward to lead you in a direction and path that you want to head in. Though the route has been altered from the original plan back in elementary, you are still leading on instead of going backwards. The world is not spinning but rather you are not used to change. You pretty much had ‘everything’ figured out since you were 5 years old, so this may be slightly discomforting. Yes you are confused but you are not at the bottom of a hole, you just need to learn how to organize your wild and numerous amounts of thoughts in mind. It is not too late to enjoy life and do what makes you truly happy.
You are in college to to earn your right of stating credentials you have, this does not mean outside of class assignments, whether it would be during your free time, holiday breaks, or even after college that you cannot take on other learning opportunities. You do not go through life only knowing one thing but rather take each day learning additional material, virtues, and assets. The same thing goes with college. Try to look for a new lesson in each class you attend. By seeing the negatives that are current, write them down and turn them into a positive, stating what you would like to have or need in your future life path.
Having a bachelors degree in one subject does not mean that you cannot enjoy other walks of life. Essentially things don’t go according to plan sometimes, but some advice; it’s okay. Go out and experience things you have never done before or are interested in. Take photographs ant the beach nearby, write a few poems on the dreams you had the night before, create a short film of a movie scene you have thought a million times about re-creating. You thought you knew where life would take you, but you don’t and none of us do, but that is the fun in it all.
Photos in order by:
Andrew Neel https://unsplash.com/photos/QLqNalPe0RA
Rob Bye https://unsplash.com/photos/BY34glOW7wA
Avi Richards https://unsplash.com/photos/fvp40XPr0Ak