What Do You Want to Be When You Grow Up?

All though elementary and even high school, there was this question. What do you want to be when you grow up? As a five-year old, it was so exciting. Our minds ran wild. We were determined to be the best damn ice cream truck owner, princess, astronaut or snowman the world had ever seen. We were unwavering in our dreams and hopes.

Then, we got older.

Suddenly we are in high school, thinking about college, being asked what we wanted to do…what we wanted to be for the rest of our lives and we suddenly did not have that same confidence, that twinkle in our eye, that certainty and excitement for the future. Maybe some of us knew, but for the majority of us, it was like, “Holy sh**, what am I going to do.”

What changed?

Expectations. Our own expectations, the expectations of the people around us, the expectations we had for the world and for the careers and lives we desired…we had no idea what was coming our way. Speaking for myself, I did not even know what was out there.

What was the problem with this?

No one told us it was okay not to know.

Almost six years ago now, looking back at choosing a college and a major, I had basically no idea how much my interests would change so drastically, or how sudden realizations would be so life-changing. I had been saying I would be a teacher for years and I went into Oneonta so excited to start a career as an Elementary School Biology Teacher. I was dying to get into my science classes, to wear the lab bibs and goggles, to one day sit in front of 7-year olds explaining why the fake volcano I made was erupting. It took all of five minutes in my first biology class, on day 1 of classes, to realize how much I disliked the subject. My long-time nerdy interests for the topic flew out the window, faster than the first person in the class fell asleep (and believe me that happened pretty quickly). It was wild to think I started this huge college journey in a completely different place than where I would end up. It was terrifying.

Despite the major hurtle that this biology class was this first semester (and believe me I killed myself to keep up and do well in this class), I was able to take advantage of my education class. My professor was a combination of a soul-searching hippie and the evil step-mother in every Disney Princess movie. She wanted us to believe in ourselves and understand why we were destined for certain futures, but was also consistently testing our resilience and desire to be there. (Note: I drowned my laptop the week before our big portfolio presentation was due…just to add to the drama). It was through this class, I was able to explore my passion for people, working with them, and for them…I was in the wrong place for the right reason basically.

I took advantage of our career services and learned quickly that there were so many opportunities and fields perfect for people like me, who wanted to be Professional People-Persons (Note: Not a job title you find on LinkedIn or Indeed, unfortunately). I was drawn to the business field because of its high-involvement with people and teams, the constant evolution of new ways to do things, the possibilities to do something out of the box, and the opportunities to learn on any and every day. The weirdest part is that I never considered it, and then could not imagine myself doing anything else.

Do we challenge people to choose a destiny too soon?

If you think about, it is kind of ridiculous to ask or make a high school senior choose a life decision at such a young age. 18 year old me was a very different person than current 23 year old me (and thank god, because my style and hair do would not have survived past 2014). Don’t get me wrong, there are people I know who stayed on their desired paths to the tee from their elementary school dreams, but for so many it is impossible to choose something so soon. And, that is okay.

Through my small obstacle early on in college, I was able to learn so much about myself that helped me pick the best path for me. I was exposed to different professors, different knowledge and resources, and people who all influenced me and taught me about possibilities. So maybe we are forced to make this decision too soon, before we are really able to see the world from a much larger lense.

If you are a high school junior or senior and in that weird phase where you have to pick a major or school to go to, try not to freak out. Picking a school that has options gives you the opportunity to change you major when you realize that your destiny is not in the classroom, or in a lab, in an office, or in houses. I know more people that changed their majors then didn’t, so don’t feel the pressure to pick and stay with your first choice. If you are in classes even when you know you will be changing your major in the next semester, still take advantage of the content and the professors you are exposed to. You might have this wild revelation with a hippie professor that you never expected.

I think the biggest anxiety of asking this big questions (no, not a proposal) is having to choose something for “forever.” Remember that there are always opportunities to branch out and try something new. Whether that is in college, or in your office experimenting with new departments, roles or responsibilities, the opportunities are endless. Never limit yourself & always stay open-minded. It is OKAY not to know what you want to be or where you want to go, as long as you surround yourself with the knowledge and people to figure it out, and have the drive to find out. Even if you are halfway into your career and it is still not what you want to be when you grow up, there is still time to figure it out.

Did you know what you were gonna be when you were a kid?

Bean

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