Im going into college, but i dont know what i want to be!?

Question

When i sit and think about what i want to be, i come up with a billion choices, and it is really frustrating. I want to be everything in life and do it all. I know that really isnt possible, but how can i narrow down my choices on what i want to be in life.

Answer 1

Michael,
This is a question that many students struggle with. How can I decide (at 18!) what I want to do with the rest of my life? Sometimes it's a daunting question that you don't really want to answer.

I was a university career counselor for 9 years, and here's my best advice:

1. Major in something you will LOVE to study. You'll work harder at it, and be able to survive all that reading, those quizzes and tests, papers, long nights at the library, etc.

2. Visit your career services center starting your freshman year, and keep going! Starting early, they can help with interest and personality assessments (quizzes you'll enjoy taking!), books and resources, and later, resumes, interviewing skills, connections to internships, summer jobs, mentors/networking contacts, and on-campus interviewing for jobs after you graduate.

3. If you think you have an interest in a particular path, start doing it as soon as possible! I worked with a freshman who was determined to get a very competative fashion design internship. She got it, and commuted from Philly to NYC three times a week - for no pay - to work for famous designer Anna Sui.

4. Internships are key - start getting internships during your summer months as soon as you can. Freshman sometimes get looked over, but try anyway. If you can get three or more internships before you graduate, in fields you're interested in, you have a 60% likely chance of being offered a permanent job with that company.

5. Remember, most people don't figure out what they wanna be when they grow up until they reach age 26 or 27! That means, even if you pick a major, pick a career, and start working, you might have 2-3 jobs before that age - and experience helps you to shape your career path.

6. Someone went there before you. Seek out alumni contact through the career services or alumni offices, people doing the jobs you're interested in. Contact them for short "interviews" where you ask questions about their job. You'll learn a lot and make potential career-long contacts.

7. Never narrow your choices. Start out with everything, and examine, read, try, learn, experience as many as you can. You'll soon learn what you like and don't like. And remember, you can always change your mind and pursue a different career later (most people change careers 6-7 times in their life).

8. Finally, remember that you'll have to get up every morning to go to this job. If you love your job, then great, but if not, Mondays will look pretty bleak. Success comes from pursuing your dreams and goals, things that make you happy, and creating the paths to get there. Choosing a career because it makes money doesn't mean you'll be happy, but choosing a career you love means your heart is in it, and most likely, the money will follow too.

Best of luck to you!
Michelle Watson Gellas
(former career counselor for Villanova University, Lehigh University, Ursinus College, and Loyola Marymount University)

Answer 2

Contrary to current popular opinion, that is what college is for. If you haven't already foreclosed on every other avenue career-wise, your first couple of jobs will probably either tell you what you want to be, or just as helpful, what you absolutely dont want to be.
Make sure you don't put yourself into situations that you can't get out of for a while so that you can get an idea what your good ant as well as what you like. I was in the same situation, and took some long ways to get where I am now, but it's a real good position to be in. If I may make a suggestion, pursue a general business degree at the college you are at, if you change your direction later, I believe you will not be disadvantaged, even if you head to medicine or engineering later. If you still don't make up your mind by the time you graduate, you still have a marketable degree to offer you a fair income to work with until you do find something you like. I should have done it this way.

Good luck to you.

Answer 3

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Answer 4

Don't worry--you don't need to decide that just yet. Statistically, a majority of college students change their majors at least once. Most colleges won't even let you declare a major until the end of your sophomore year. So, enroll in a college, take the core courses and see what you like. You can even transfer if you don't like the college.
But, if you're really confused, why not sit down with your school counselor? I'm sure there are some subjects and areas that you find more interesting than others. Your guidance counselor might be able to help you narrow your focus and make some general decisions.
This probably all seems so intimidating right now, but nothing you do is set in stone; if you make a choice that you end up hating, you can change it (unless you enlist in the Army or something like that).

Answer 5

If you are just going to college you have plenty of time. Start by taking a wide variety of courses. If you have to pick a major right away, make it one that doesn't limit you too early. Think about what classes (if any) you enjoyed in High School. What do you like to learn about? What did you wish you could have learned more about?

Just remember that college students often change their majors 3 or 4 times or more. So don't feel like you have to decide now. When you find something you think you might want to do for a living you'll know. For now, keep your options open and have fun!

Answer 6

I understand what you're going through! I'm partway through college, and I'm satisfied with my choice, but I still see so many other things that I would enjoy doing. When I was narrowing down my choices, it came down to realizing what I liked to do, what I was good at, and what I had experienced. So for me, I decided to become an elementary school teacher. I had a lot of experience working with kids and knew that I enjoyed it, and I'm also organized and like some of the mundane type things teachers have to do (sorting papers, cutting out big construction paper shapes, etc :o)). The major you should choose is something that will lead to a viable career (unless you want to teach or know of a specific job you could get, don't major in ancient Greek history, for example ;o)) and that you also enjoy. Look at the things you are good at, and see where they might fit into your choices. Narrow it down, talk to other people, and possibly research your options. Check out the link below. Most of all, remember that you can always change your major. If you take a class or two in whatever you've chosen and it's not what you thought it would be, no big deal. You will fit in with the MANY other people who have changed majors. Good luck!

Answer 7

Good question. It took me to time to go to college to figure it out. I could have reduced that to once if I didn't pick a degree to try and impress my father. The second time I went, I went with an open mind and a good idea of what I like to do.

DONT'S:
Don't go into college and choose a career just because of money. That doesn't work.

Don't go into college and choose a career to impress someone. That also does not work.

DO'S
Do go through all of the general stuff in you freshman and sophomore years. They wicked help

Do pay attention to how you feel in the class. If you find the class easy, your enjoying it and you find your helping your other students you may have a match.

Do try different things. There is a wide diversity of jobs out there.

Do find something you like doing. A job isn't really a job if you like it.

You have your whole life ahead of you. See what you like, what you enjoy and what you are good at. This is one of the few times in life where this is literally All About YOU!

Answer 8

I'm in college right now. I just finished my freshman year and let me tell you, everyone is in this stage right now. I am the type of person who is interested in a little of everything so I decided to go to a liberal arts college where they let me explore and discover my interests on my own. There are so many things to do and I was so lost a few months ago because I realized there are is so much out there...what am I going to do with myself? But looking around as some of the students who are so focused and passionate about their work, I realize, its not about whether or not you can do it and be good at it (because thats what I thought was the best before; pick the things that I don't mind doing and am pretty decent at). Its about doing it and realizing you don't want to stop doing it, you want to sit there and do some more, it doesn't feel like work or school, it feels like something you find enjoyable and you probably would love to do for many many years.

For example, I came from a science high school and I was good at science, history, lit, psych. But after one year in college, I realized that most of the work in those courses I took, I just did them without passion; I did them because I had to. But when I pick up a camera or start doing drafting on Autocad I get excited and don't think about stopping. I think in the last few weeks I discovered an area that I might have a passion in and will take courses in the graphic arts next year to test it out.

I hope my own experience helped you out a little. Good luck!

Answer 9

Although our society seems to believe that we should know our absolute path in life by the age of 18, this is truly a ridiculous and archaic concept. Maybe back in the day when the farmer's kids all stayed around and continued to work the "family Land", one might have had a better sense of that. But with an ever-expanding global economy and the continuing explosions in all the scientific arenas, your possibilities are truly infinite. But that is the truly cool part of living - in the true sense of that word. You get to be whoever you want to be, whenever you want to create that possibility. And, nothing is ever written in stone - the only guarantees in life are that it will continue to change, twist and turn, into areas that may not have even crossed your mind yet. I am on my umpeenth career it seems, but am never closed down around the idea of "what do I want to be when i grow up?". I actually ask myself that quite frequently, and hope to conitue to always be filled with "possiblities", because change is as good as it is inevitable. By the way, I have worked since I was 14, hold a BA in Pol. Sci. from the Univ. of Michigan, a Juris Doctorate (J.D.) from Hasting College of Law. I have sold ice cream bars, waitressed in a high end restaurant, done writing and editing for a coastal zone civil engineering lab, done keypuch work,been a , a receptionist, an accounts receivable clerk & headed up the department, corporate banking staff assistant to the V.P., some modeling, worked in personnel placement, did outside sales of adverstising space, done legal editing at a publishing firm, made phone calls to raise funds for churches out of en environmental office, been a lawyer, a loan officer and corporate banker, and also a successful realtor for nearly two decades..at least that's what comes to mind ....and I turned 52 about a month ago. So, I ask YOU,......what do you think II should want to be when I grow up????

Answer 10

It's not uncommon to feel the way you feel. Give yourself time, there is no time-line that says you have to know at the age of 18,25, or 35. Some people already have jobs, and still don't know what they want to be when they grow up. You can't do everything, so do what feels right for you, as much as possible.
College is a great place to start. Good luck, but you are not going to need it.

Answer 11

it's okay, don't stress too much
first you need to get all your generals out of the way anyway and then figure out what you really enjoy doing. everybody has their favorite subject and you can hop from major to major for at least a little while if you have the money, or you could sit in different classes when you have free time and find what interests you. then you need to decide on your major and start figuring out what sort of jobs you can get with your choice for instance if you pick a science based major then you could be anything from an astronomer to a doctor. an english major could become a teacher or a journalist, and so on and so forth

talk to your friends and see what they want to do, usually you share many interests with your friends so maybe you'll want to do something similar

just take it easy and make sure you love what you're doing because you'll very likey be doing it for quite some time

good luck!