A plan from and for a 19 year old college student

Sound unreliable? Yes. Yes it does. As a new college student I have found an immense amount of pressure to write down and commit to a plan for the rest of my life, which God willing, will be a long one. I don't find pressure from authoritative figures necessarily, but the atmosphere seems to be one constantly asking, what's your major?

Here's the thing about majors. Call me romantic, or idealist, or whatever, but I think the link between majors and the rest of your life is waaaay to close. I have no idea what I want to do in 15 years. I honestly have no clue. I can't even see myself anywhere really. HOWEVER, right now I really like my ethics class and my drawing class and my writing class last semester was good too. I like learning about writing and I also like to waitress. I like to go on walks and I like to work out. School is the setting where I can facilitate the like I have pertaining to knowledge. That does not mean I need to plan the rest of my life on what classes I'm taking now. I feel like too many kids center their education on a career and don't get an education. Instead htey come out geared for one thing and one thing only. That thing is the center of their life and it determines everything. Does tha sound weird to anytone else? I am learning about what I find interesting and letting that guide me. If I don't know what I want to do, WHY WHY WHY would I sign a paper saying what I'll commit to? I refuse to base my eduaction on something I have no certainty about. Hell, I like waitressing, maybe I'll do that. Maybe I'll move to a tiny house on the Oregon Coast and waitress and write in my spare time and garden and live poorly adn actually NOT care about the monetary value of my career.

I've realized that one of the things that bothers me the most about our society is that we are SO focused on making the big bucks. Men feel they have to provide for their families, women feel they have to prove themselves in the work place, and college students feel they have to have the best paying job in the city. I really think this stems from pressure put on college and high school students to plan out their lives. Students are told that they won't be successful unless they know what they want. Kids are pressured to plan out their major to cater to their ideal career so that they can earn the most money. Is it possbile that universities want to pressure us to plan so that we will get high paying jobs and donate to the alumni fund? I have a weird feeling about believing that universities really just want to help you find yourself. If that was the case, why rush it? I'M 19!!!!!!!! I'm a baby! How cna I be expected to know?

So for know, I'm comfortable now knowing. I'm also comfortable with majors like comparative literature and culture. I'm comfortable saying 'I have no idea' to people to smirk and ask me what I'll do with that. God forbid, maybe I'll be happy, instead of cramped in a cubicale because a test some advisor gave me told me I'm good in human relations and other such BS. I'm comfortable knowing I probably won't get a high paying job and I'm comfortable knowing that in 15 years whatever I'll be doing I'll be happy.

much love