Please tell me I'm not the only one who is a little lost. So many people seem to have it all together. You ask them what they're studying and they confidently reply that they are studying business, they plan to become a nurse, they've always wanted to be a teacher, or they are applying to law school.

I am not one of those people. I don't really know what I want to be doing next year, let alone five or ten years from now. While I feel blessed to have so many opportunities at my disposal, I don't know which way to go. I wish I could say that I have aspired to the same career since I was a little girl, or had a definite dream for my future. But I don't.

I don't know what I wanna be when I grow up. When you're little, it's easy. You say ballerina or veterinarian, or maybe even singer or fire-fighter. But you grow up, and you realize that not all paths are realistically attainable. You start to think about money, about fulfilling your personal potential, about where you want to live someday and who you want to be surrounded by. I long for simplicity, and the innocence encompassed by childhood.

I know what I'm good at, and I know what I like. Many things appeal to me. However, the stress of choosing a career path while taking classes and being an involved and busy student with life itself to deal with is sometimes too much to bear. Sometimes it's hard to know which way to turn.

Everyone says, "Don't worry about it. You don't need to know yet." But to a type A individual like myself, I do need to know. I want to set goals and go after them with everything I've got. There's just one problem: What the heck is my goal?

I want to be successful, I know that. But, what does success really mean to me as a person? In what field will my passions grow? What career should I aspire to? Doing what position? Who knows. The fear of choosing the wrong path and feeling like a failure looms above my head often.

So, for all the other teens out there being forced to prematurely select a path that ultimately determines your future, you're not alone.

Sincerely,

A Confused College Student