Confused Career

Lately, I’ve been in something of a crisis when it comes to deciding what I want to do with my life. Most college degrees, it seems like, require you to know exactly what you want to do within the first two years for you to make it out within four years. That did not happen with me….haha. I went into my Freshman year of college as a Criminal Justice major. Then, at orientation, I changed it to Nursing. Sophomore year it switched to Chemistry. Once I switched colleges a third time spring semester of Sophomore year, it became Science Education with an emphasis in Chemistry. Junior year that became Science Education with an emphasis in Biology. Towards the end of Junior year it started inching towards Biology in order to become a Physician’s Assistant.

Phew….I got a little stressed out just typing all that….

Anyway, it is incredibly apparent that from the beginning of my college career I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. Not much has changed since then. I’ve gone from major to major searching for that one career path that will make me excited to get up and go to work every morning. It wasn’t until recently, though, that I realized my search has been less about what I really want to do/feel good about doing and more about what my family and others expect out of me.

My generation is the first in my family to go to college. Out of them, I’ve always gotten the best grades, so my family always expected me to get out of college and make lots of money by being a doctor, PA, lawyer, chemist, etc. My mom on the other hand, always wanted to be a teacher, but without a college degree or the willpower to go back to college has instead focused on trying to get me to become a teacher instead. Now, I am definitely a people pleasing type of person, especially when it comes to my family, so all of this has very much caused me to wonder if my degree changes have been entirely my pursuit of happiness or my desire to please someone in my family. Honestly, it has been incredibly frustrating and confusing.

Last night, I got so depressed about it and the way I felt my life was heading that I completely broke down to my boyfriend who suggested I write down a list of 50 career choices I think I would like doing (even if I didn’t have the talents at the moment or it seemed impossible) or have wanted to do going back to my childhood. 50 is kind of a lot, so the career choices started becoming a bit crazy. You would think writing down so many options would be overwhelming, but surprisingly, it helped a lot. Allowing myself to dream and imagine new possibilities for my life other than just what would make me lots of money helped to give me a better outlook on life and what it could be. I actually started believing in myself a bit more!

Because it helped me so much, I decided to post it on here. I know some are a bit far fetched, but that’s what makes it fun!

1. PA
2. Cake Decorator/Baker
3. Shamu’s Trainer
4. Actress
5. Blogger
6. YouTuber
7. Teacher
8. OBGYN
9. Stay at Home Mom
10. Journalist
11. Counselor
12. Author
13. Wedding Planner
14. Web Designer
15. Disney World Character
16. Duck Farmer
17. Chef
18. Script Writer
19. Model
20. Wedding Dress Store Person
21. Nurse
22. Midwife
23. Nonprofit for Aged Out Foster Kids
24. Medieval Times Character
25. FBI agent
26. Penguin Keeper
27. Singer
28. Dog Breeder
29. Lawyer
30. Judge
31. Photographer
32. Investigator
33. Genetic Counselor
34. Press Secretary
35. Paralegal
36. Crocheter
37. Editor
38. Therapist
39. Zoologist
40. Reality star
41. Assistant
42. Interviewer
43. Professional Couch Potato
44. Birds of Prey Specialist
45. Makeup Artist
46. TV Show Host
47. Disney Cast Member
48. Party Planner
49. Match Maker
50. Foster Parent