I’m OK with not knowing what the hell I’m doing with my life, and you should be too

With college comes pressure, and a lot of it. What should my major be? What kind of career can I start with this degree? Does my minor suit my major? Should I double-major?

This study abroad trip seems interesting but the topic doesn’t suit my major. How do I find time to get involved in a club or organization which will look good on my resume? The minds of college students are flooded with these thoughts and questions.

During high school we are constantly being told to get good grades so we can get into a good college in order to get a degree with the hopes of obtaining a well paid, full-time job. Sometimes we’re told to be realistic when deciding on a major, other times we’re told to follow our aspirations—to go for the job which pays well and has a high employment placement rate or to go down the career path we’ve always dreamed of since children that may not pay as well or offer as many jobs.

Some of us go on as business majors because “there’s always business jobs available” or we follow our heart and go into marine biology with the dreams of making a career out of training dolphins because who in their right mind wouldn’t want to get paid to swim with dolphins? That’s if you can even find a job.

Most of us are stressing out because we don’t know what the hell we want to do with our lives. We lose sleep at night in our tiny lofted dorm beds at the thought of spending thousands of dollars per semester enrolled in a major we’re not even entirely sure we want to study, amongst all the other pressures of being the perfectly well-rounded college student.

Fear no more, fellow college students, because it’s OK to not know what you’re doing. No college experience is perfect. Use this time to broaden your experiences and most importantly, learn about yourself.

We only have a few years here as Buckeyes at THE Ohio State University, so why not make the best of it? So get out there, take a study break and treat yourself to that chocolate milkshake at Sloopy’s even though it’s probably 1,000+ calories. Go out on a Thursday night with your friends even though you have an 8 AM Friday morning— just be sure to catch Bullwinkle’s dollar bombs before midnight.

Go on that study abroad trip to London to study fashion even though you’re studying to be an engineer. If you love art, take an art class not because it’s required for your major, but because you love art. Volunteer at the Wexner Medical Center, not because you’re interested in the medical field, but because you enjoy volunteering your time to help others—also (hint) it’s conveniently located next to campus.

We don’t learn about ourselves if we don’t take chances or make mistakes. College is the time to find your calling in life and go for it. Maybe your decision to volunteer at the local elementary school with help you realize you’d rather pursue a career in education versus chemistry—because let’s be real here, who genuinely enjoys chemistry?

I don’t know what the hell I’m doing with my life but I’m OK with it. I’d rather spend years paying off loans and working at a job I genuinely enjoy because I spent time in college finding myself versus taking the “safe” path and later realizing I don’t enjoy it.