Being a young twenty-something means a lot of pressure. What is your declared major? What are you planning on doing for the rest of your life? Are you buying a house after graduation? When are you getting married? Questions that seem to circulate over and over again.

Why is there such immense pressure to keep up with everyone else? Why do we HAVE to plan on getting married right after college graduation? WHY do we have to go to school as soon as you graduate high school? WHY is there such pressure to keep up with the Jones'?

I live in the South, and I have noticed people get married much younger here, and start having families very young. Is there anything wrong with this? Not at all, I admire it. But, this is not what I have planned for myself.

You would think that wouldn't matter to others what I plan on doing, but apparently it does. I can't tell you how many times I have been asked when "my boyfriend plans on proposing", or "when I plan on having babies". First of all, how long my boyfriend and I want to date and live together before we take the next step is our business, and kids right now are not in those plans. I enjoy being an Auntie currently. My dreams right now are to live life with my boyfriend, and finish school and kick off my sports broadcasting/journalism career. I dream of traveling all over Europe, getting my many dogs, and hopefully a big ol' farm house with a giant wrap around porch and my Yellow Jeep Wrangler. Those are my dreams, but apparently to society that's just "not okay" to "absolutely plan your future". Sure I have a somewhat plan, but things change all the time.

I moved far away right after high school by myself, for myself. I took a year off between graduation and college to figure my sh*t out, and get it together. In that gap year, I traveled all around the South, I took on a nanny job, and kicked a relationship that was going nowhere to the curb. I started to grow, but on my own terms. Most of the people I graduated with were going into their second year when I started my first year. Most people found their lovers for life before me. I changed my major last year, most people already knew what they were doing going into college.

There is nothing wrong taking your own path. Sure, we are in that age bracket where those annoying questions will be asked over and over again. You chose your path because that is what works for Y O U, not what works for everyone else. Someone will always have to comment about where you are in life, but just remember, you can't make everyone happy, and your purpose in life is not to please everyone.