By: Porscha Colville
Every day we are forced to make hundreds of decisions. What to wear; what to eat; who to talk to; where to go. If you’re anything like me, coming to a conclusion on even the small stuff can be a challenge.
You can only imagine the difficulty I had deciding on a major. As a freshman in college, I envisioned so many forms of my future self. One day I wanted to be a teacher, the next day a food scientist. I couldn’t possibly narrow down all of my interests and passions into one course of study. For a whole semester I felt like an undecided mess. I fed into the lie that I needed to have my whole life figured out before even stepping foot onto campus. In that fragile time, I came across a quote that turned that worry into hope.
“We’re all rough drafts of the people we’re becoming.”
Bob Goff’s words stopped me in my tracks. I realized that college is a chance to slow down, even though everything around me seemed as if it were pressuring me to speed up. The truth of the matter is that I didn’t need to have an established plan with a pocketful of answers to all of my questions. I had a four-year grace period to figure out the trajectory of my life and where it may lead. College is a time for exploration. It’s a safe place to test the waters and to potentially fail.
I’ve changed my major once and my minor four times since starting at the University. I thought hospitality was the perfect fit for me until I came across advertising, and I thought communications was the ideal minor, until I dove more into psychology. If you find yourself in a similar boat, know you’re not alone. According to Central College, 75% of students start college undecided or change their major at least once. The freedom and flexibility to explore your options is all part of the process. I took a year to test out classes within potential majors, visit clubs where I thought I’d find community, and even job shadow professionals in positions that I could see myself in one day. By examining all of my options, it became clear what track was right for me.
By the time sophomore year arrived, I committed to a major in advertising and public relations. I loved the opportunities I had to be creative, while also serving others through the field of advertising. Without taking the time to consider all of my possibilities, I could’ve easily found myself unhappy and disappointed in my current circumstances. While I found a home in the College of Journalism, I still had to make decisions and choices that would shape my career path. Under the umbrella of advertising and public relations, one can pursue a range of areas to have an emphasis in. I could’ve placed focus on brand management, media and analytics, the more creative route or public relations. Rather than racing to figure it all out, I took note of Bob Goff’s comforting words.
He summed it up perfectly. We are rough drafts with the ability to erase parts of our past, to rewrite our future, and to make some edits here and there. Today I am currently a senior at the university with plans to graduate in May. I don’t know entirely what my future holds, but if the past four years taught me anything, it’s that the unknown can be its own adventure. When the page is blank, what will your story read?