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I have two educational crises in the course of a year.
When COVID hit, I made a huge decision to transfer colleges and leave all my friends behind to pursue education instead of social work. I am more confident about education as a career path than social work but it still doesn't feel right. I feel like I don't have enough passion for it. I feel like I am disappointing myself by not knowing exactly what I want to do with my life. I could be doing great things with my life but here I am still living at home at 21 years old.
I know all these things are totally normal for someone of my age and that nobody follows the exact same schedule in life. I can't help but feel disappointed in myself all the same. Any advice for me?
Maegan, Nike Sales Rep & Career CoachHelping you know your value to get your next job
1.88k
04/01/21 at 11:37PM UTC
Hey Mackenzie,
What does feel right? If I could wave a magic wand and give you exactly what you want, what would you choose?
Heres the secret : You don't have to know what you want to do with the rest of your life right NOW. It isn't in concrete. There is nothing wrong with being in a period of figuring it out. You can plan your next step and see where that takes you. Just knowing you are moving forward can give you so much relief - the career you pick next, I can almost guarantee you, will not be the career you are in for life.
FEEL the disappointment. Feel all of it - let it be there. Process it, consider what it feels like, why you are feeling it, and what you want to do about it next. Life is 50/50 good and bad. It's all about feeling it and deciding what you are going to feel next.
Megan HamiltonSpeaking, Visibility and Confidence Expert
729
03/15/21 at 7:26PM UTC
Hi Mackenzie! Our brains will often trick us into thinking things because it's trying to protect us from what we perceive as fearful and potentially threatening. It sounds like you might be telling yourself a story (you *should* be in a different place in your life), and something you could consider is flipping the switch. Maybe this period of your life is meant to be low key as you navigate through your studies and new career path. Maybe there's a hobby or something you could do on the side that would ignite your passion or creativity? Not sure if you journal at all, but often just writing it all out can help you uncover some of the reasons you might be thinking this way/putting pressure on yourself. I've changed careers about 5 or 6 times in my life, and experience shows me that it always works out. Is that helpful?
