Every time a relative, family friend or customer trying to make small talk asks me what I'm studying or what I'm planning to do with my life, I die a little bit on the inside.
Okay, maybe not that dramatic, but I fill with a sense of panic at the reminder that I really have no clue what I'm doing. My days consist of going to class, work and trying not to have a mental breakdown. I feel like every day is a constant struggle of me not knowing how to do something.
We expect teenagers to leave their hometowns at 18 years old when merely a few months ago we still had to ask to use the restroom and had assigned lunch periods. The transition to college comes with not only increased schoolwork and responsibility, but elevated emotions as well. While no one is asking you to have your life plan figured out after one semester in college, it's still scary with all of the opportunities and uncertainties.
People like to put on a facade, acting like they have it all together. It's overwhelming to see everyone announcing the awesome new job or internship they got or the award they just won. It makes us feel like we're wasting our time, like we aren't going anywhere in life compared to the cool new things everyone else is doing.
The truth is life is unpredictable and is constantly throwing us curve balls. We can never be sure of what's to come and that's not necessarily all bad. We have the ability to change our majors, to try new things and to make mistakes. College is four years to go through plenty of new experiences and figure out what we're good at, what we like and what we want to do.
The truth is I'm still figuring my life out. And that's okay.