When I was a senior in high school, I had a very detailed, intricate plan -- a plan so detailed, I knew where I wanted to be in the fall of 2018, where I wanted to live by the time I was 25, and the exact career trajectory I'd embark on from 2014 to 2018, to spur my grad school auditions that last winter, which, in turn, would blossom into me having a professor/performer in a major city by the year 2025. (I was one of those obnoxious, over-planning kids. I still kinda am.)
My plan hit the fan.
All around me, many of my peers' plans are hitting the fan.
To be completely honest, what I'm currently finishing up my degree in, I probably won't use very much once I bust out of college. I started my freshman year at the University of Michigan in the fall of 2014 as a French horn performance major. (Yeah, you read that right, as in, I'm going to college to become very good at blowing into a curly tube of metal.) I knew that I liked music from a young age, so, when I got into the School of Music, Theatre, and Dance, I was elated, and it was a no-brainer that I would attend. Now, I'm not saying that I regret my degree choice at all, because I'm still 1.5 years out from graduation, and I've met some of the darned lovliest people I can imagine at school, but I'd like to impart on you some of the (small amount) of wisdom I've collected as I went from a high school senior with a plan, to a college junior who's re-doing, re-discovering, and re-planning.
To the High School Senior Without a Plan: Get to know yourself. Your personality could play a HUGE role in how successful you feel in your major. Trust me. I'm a big-picture, "Let's get it done!" kind of girl in a major where you have to be inclined to practice phrases till your lips feel like they're going to fall off. During my junior year at the University of Michigan, I took a fundraising class, and I realized my personality is way more suited for fundraising for symphonies instead of performing with them. It would've been nice to have this figured out two years sooner...but I'm happy with where I'm at now.
To the High School Senior Without a Plan: Network. And I don't mean roll into a business cocktail party with arms primed for elbow-rubbin' and a clipboard in hand to write down everyone's contact information. I mean, let's say your dad's friend is a consultant, and maybe one day you might like to go into consulting. See if he'd like to have coffee with you, so you can talk to him all about his career and life. This way, you can find out if you might like a career path or not, in a more casual setting.
Bonus points: adults will usually buy high school students coffee.
To the High School Senior Without a Plan: Go have a goddamn adventure. I was talking to my boss at the cafe where I work, and he casually mentioned that he obtained a travel/work visa to New freakin' Zealand, where he worked for two months, soaking up the sun and culture (author's note: the drinking age in New Zealand is 18, for those of you who are interested). Go travel for a little while. If you're thinking of just hanging out at home, working in a restaurant while you formulate your next step, why not go to that exact thing ACROSS THE WORLD?
To the High School Senior Without a Plan: Do not fret. People without plans form plans, and people with plans light their plans on fire. No one is expected to have their entire life figured out when they're 18. And it's not like there's one track through college--a conglomeration of majors-- that will yield success. You don't have to go into STEM if it's not your thing, you don't have to go into business if it's not your thing. Heck, don't go to college if it's not your thing. There are 4-year schools, 2-year schools, trade schools, or you could go backpacking through Peru and sit next to someone on a train who'll change your life forever.
To the High School Senior Without a Plan: Let yourself be spontaneous (if you want). I applied to business school literally because I got bored one day. That one decision changed my life! I swiped right on a dating app one random evening and met the love of my life. I waltzed into a campus cafe and basically said, "Please, employ me!" and now I'm working with the coolest people I know. These little actions, which seemed inconsequential, really shaped my life. Take a class at the community center you're interested in, get a job you never thought you'd have, do you!
To the High School Senior Without a Plan: Remember your cheerleaders back home. Your parents, siblings, family, friends, and teachers all want you to be successful. They'll root for you, and they'll probably help pick you up if you fall. They can also be valuable resources as you swim out into uncharted waters. Ask your mom about her first minimum-wage, summertime job. Ask your cousin if there's anything he'd change about his college experience. Ask your best friend's older sister how she likes being in the military. These people have fantastic stories, which you can draw inspiration from.
I called my mom crying one night during my sophomore year of college, convinced I'd throw my French horn out the window, fail out of music school, and live in a box. She comforted me, said she believed in me, and then asked me if I had any other plans, plans that still involved music, but maybe with something else, too.
I'm still going through the re-planning process myself, but, even in my uncertainty, I'm really freakin' excited.
