One of the first questions people will ask you, after "where are you going to school?" is "what are you going to study?" Repeat after me, "I DO NOT KNOW!" Yes, that is a perfectly acceptable answer. You are not supposed to know at 18 (ish) what you want to do for the rest of your life!

Part of the college experience is helping you to figure that out and slowly narrowing down your interests until you arrive at where you want to be. There are a select few who know from age 10 exactly what they want to do and they never stray from that path. But for the majority of us, it takes trial and error, classes, professors, internships, self reflection and a few personality or career assessments to figure it out.

Typically you do not have to declare a major until your Junior year of college. That gives you two full years to take all the required core courses and sample some classes you think you might be interested in as electives. Hopefully by that time you have narrowed down your career options to an area or subject and then you can fully explore it by declaring it your major. Even if you declare a major on your college application, you can always change it, as often as you change your mind.

Personally, I entered college with a declared major. Then I changed it three times. When junior year came and I had to settle on a major (to be able to finish in 4 years) I still did not know what I wanted to do, so I chose my two favorite subjects, English Literature and Fine Arts. I majored in English and minored in Fine Arts and hoped those subjects would give me a broad enough education to find a job (I had no idea what that job would be). It was not until two years after I graduated that I figured out what I wanted to do and entered a Master's program, I am a school counselor and adjunct professor.

In no way am I saying that this is the ideal path to follow, but I do use it as an example to you. The stress and anxiety that I often see in high schools students trying to decide what they want to do with their life is unnecessary. College is four (or more) years of discovering yourself, thinking about a career, choosing a major, getting an education. It's a journey. It is a step in the right direction to opening your world and trying new things. Take your time, pay attention to how you feel and what works for you. Your goal is to narrow down your focus to a few options. Pick a school that has at least those options and more, and start to explore.

Keep in mind that many schools offer double majors or minors, so you can keep your two top options. Also, as you can see from my example, your job does not have to mirror your major exactly.

Start with the basics:

• Self Assessment - Try a personality assessment like Myers Briggs to help you examine your interests, motivations, learning styles, and what excites you.
• Abilities - Think about your strengths, weaknesses and skills. What are your best subjects? What comes easily to you?
• Values - What is important to you in work? (IE helping others, being outdoors, job security, status, working in a group etc.)
• Career exploration - Learn about the types of jobs and careers that go with a major. What can you do with this major? Then try it out, part time work or summer internship is the best way to see if it fits you.
• Reality - Honestly evaluate your options. Your Dad wants you to be a doctor but you hate science, not a good choice for you.