As a teenager, I think about the number of decisions that I’ve already had to make, and I know there is a lifetime ahead of making hundreds more. “What do you want to do?” “Where do you want to go to dinner?” “Which type of car do you like?” “What color do you want to paint your room?” The list goes on and on, and these are not even the difficult decisions.

One of the most recent ones I have made is where to go to college. Naturally, this decision involves the obvious considerations of cost, location and available major. Yet the more serious consideration is where would I be most likely to make my dreams become reality.

This sounds rather “adult-like,” and serious but it should not be too overwhelming. After all, if the time and effort is put forth in the college search it will narrow things down. If you like big cities then think New York City, Los Angeles or Chicago. Suburban and especially rural colleges will probably not be worth a visit. Do you have a special interest such as health science or art?

Keep away from schools that primarily focus on business. If you absolutely must play the sport that you have enjoyed since kindergarten, then don’t even start touring campuses until you have made certain this exists for you.

More importantly, be thoughtful in your decisions not expecting others to make them for you. Having others make decisions when they don’t live with the outcome is not an ideal way of taking responsibility. Parents, mentors, and guidance counselors can give great input but ultimately you will be the one coping with the final decision.

The key thing is that the decisions that you make will determine your destiny. If you are passionate about a certain subject and successful at it then do your research. What do the job prospects look like? Can you live on the average salary? Is the career available where you wish to live? Maybe a marine biologist should live near the coastline. Perhaps a future stock broker might consider a major city like New York.

If you seek change and wish to challenge yourself then maybe it’s time to consider moving away from home. The quote “A ship is safe in harbor, but that’s not what ships are for.” related to me in my decisions.

While I love the comfort and security of home, I knew that I wanted to move out of my home state. This decision will probably influence where I work, marry, raise children, etc, but this is what life is. Staying put, and comfortable is not what my journey is, and I am finally in a place to determine my fate and start a lifetime of decisions, decisions, and decisions.