The age old question. We've been asked that question since we've been old enough to talk and I find myself today, as a 21 year old college student, still being asked that same question. Only now it usually comes in the form of "What's your major and what are your career aspirations?" Every time I get asked that question I want to curl up in a shell and pray the person walks away. But, in my attempt to not be a coward, I usually respond with some bogus answer that will make them think highly of me and make me think that I actually have a plan and know what I'm doing. Although I usually fool them, I can't fool myself. I was actually honest with someone the other day who asked, "So, what do you want to do after college?" in which I replied, "I'm not sure." Well that didn't really seem to impress him as he went on to tell me about how I need to "hurry up and figure things out" and how "my daughter knew what she wanted to do her freshman year of high school" and so on and so forth until I smiled and agreed with him of how wonderful his daughter is and how I need to get my life together. Conversations like that just always make me wonder why I haven't figured it out yet and I'm always left feeling guilty for not knowing. Because I'm 21 years old and I should have my life figured out by now, right? I should've had it figured out in high school when I was applying to colleges, or actually before that, sophomore year when I was deciding what to do my senior project on, or maybe even before that, in middle school when I was being told I needed to work harder so I can excel in high school and get into college so I can secure a job that I'm not even sure I want...yeah, a job I'm not even sure I want. I don't know where we got caught up in obtaining the "American Dream" but I'm not even sure I know what that is anymore. If it means going to college so I can have the security of working a 9 to 5 job, then I don't want it. If we truly live in the land of opportunity, then we can't only give one option when it comes to having a successful life. We need to allow room for dreams and give people a chance to pursue them without mocking or ridicule. The last thing someone wants to hear when sharing their dreams with someone is, "Yeah, good luck with that." Let's motivate one another to pursue whatever it is we want to do, whether that be to go to college and chase after a career or whether it be something completely different. No matter what you choose, however, neither one is the right or wrong way. Not attending college and pursuing dreams of mine may be completely wrong to someone else, but maybe to me it's the right thing to do and no one has the authority to tell me otherwise. Let's be a generation who encourages one another to follow our hearts instead of following a system. There's so much happiness and freedom that can be found in following your heart and going after what you love, and I refuse to live my life in any other way.
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