Steffanie Richardson

What do you do when you don’t know what to do? I’ve always been back and forth with what I should do for college. I think about it constantly, considering the fact that my dad asks me about it every single day. Not having a plan for college is quite stressful because trying to choose what classes you are going to be taking in college tends to be a little bit more difficult, usually due to the fact that they are chosen based on what you’re going to do in the future.

Going into college and being undecided for a career can stress someone out. You try to think about what you really stand out in, but what if you don’t stand out in anything? In the back of your head, you are always hearing your father or mother nagging you about what you are going to do for college and your goals for college and life. I have goals and I know that I want to be successful at what I do for a living, but I don’t know what I want to be successful in.

At first, I wanted to be a marine biologist, which sounds so cool because I’d be able to work with sea animals and be in the water, but then I started thinking about other options. I told my whole family that I wanted to be a nurse in the Air Force, and then two months later, that didn’t sound interesting to me anymore. If I’m already having second thoughts about what I want to do for the rest of my life, then I shouldn’t be doing it at all. After that, I wanted to be an underwater welder.

Going from a nurse in the Air Force to an underwater welder is what really freaked me out about the whole idea, since they are two completely different careers. Trying to figure out what you want to do for the rest of your life while only being 17 years old is a ton of pressure to put on a kid.

Being undecided isn’t always a bad thing, but at least having an idea of what you want to do is helpful. I’ve come to the conclusion that I want to do something mechanical; I love doing hands-on jobs, and I hate just sitting still all day. Once you find something that you love, you’re set and will never look back.

Julia Murillo

Through my years of school I had always been asked by teachers, “what do you want to be when you grow up?” How was I supposed to know at seven or eight? I was supposed to decide what I wanted to be or do for the rest of my life right there and then? Growing up, I always thought I would end up somewhere in law enforcement. I dreamed of being a cop and I spent hours watching the television show “Cops” while singing the theme song. I wanted to be a first responder and have everyone see me as a hero; I would be invincible. As years went by, I had more time to think about it and law enforcement did not feel like the right path for me, but business did.

It’s crazy how many times I changed my mind. To think that entering high school all the classes I chose to take would help me out in law school. I found myself hitting a wall for a period of time; I had no idea what I was going to do. I had the constant pressure on my shoulders of having to figure out what my major was and having to figure it out soon. The next thing I knew, I had schools emailing me asking if I wanted to continue my athletics and education at their school. Wait, I have to know my major and if I want to continue playing sports by a certain deadline? Well, I did, and it was a bumpy ride getting there.

I finally figured it all out: I wanted to major in marketing and minor in sales. It was the perfect choice for me. I can talk for hours on end. I’m good with new people, and I’ve always enjoyed going out and venturing to new places. A business major allows me to have all those things. Sadly, that was only one of many things I needed to figure out.

The next step was which college to choose. Luckily for me, there were only three options and it was a quick decision. I chose to attend University of Wisconsin-Whitewater where I will be in their business program. This will be perfect with all the classes that are available for me to take. It is a nerve-wracking situation, but I’m excited for the new start and to finally be able to accomplish what I have set my mind to do: attend a four-year university, continue my education and be successful in everything I do.