As a student more than halfway through my degree, I’ve often had to face this question: what do you want to do with your life? My parents ask me with a caring concern, wanting me to have a plan for success. My friends ask me so we can rant and stress about our impending futures. And I ask myself, because in all honesty, I have absolutely no clue.
Of course, I have goals. I know what I love and I have a dream career in mind. But I have no plan for how I’m going to get there. This scares me sometimes, but I’ve come to the realization that as long as I work hard, everything will eventually make sense. Hopefully.
So for now, I’m going to let things happen the way they’re supposed to happen. Maybe this isn’t as safe or reliable as having specific steps to get where I need to go. But making a strict plan isn’t foolproof either. Life is messy and unpredictable; sometimes, things don’t work out exactly the way you planned. And that’s okay.
As scary as it is to not have a plan, it’s also normal for people in their twenties. We’re still young; we’re still figuring it out. We go to one of the top universities in Canada, and even though hiring rates are typically low for anyone coming out of university or college, at least I’ll have a degree under my belt and the knowledge that I voluntarily worked hard for four years. I’ll look for jobs that make me happy, which will hopefully lead to a career that’ll make me feel fulfilled.
It’s important to get your priorities straight and work towards a goal. But I’ve also realized that stressing out about the future is not going to make the journey any easier. Making time to enjoy and experience new things in life is also important. I’ve considered taking a year off to travel and discover inspiration in places I’ve never been. Some of these new experiences might even lead to new opportunities and life realizations. Connecting with different people in new situations might lead to opportunities for a job that I never even knew existed. Sometimes you have to embrace the unknown to get where you want to go.
My point is that I have goals for my future. I’m trying to not let my hazy, unmarked plan stress me out. After I graduate, I may struggle, I may feel lost and confused, and it may take me a long time to reach my goals. But no matter what, I’ll embrace the unpredictability of my life’s journey.
