Dear Elsa,
I am not sure where I'm going in my life.
I'm a year away from graduating college with a degree in Religious Studies - not a very marketable degree when it comes to getting a job. I have mediocre grades, no money, and more importantly, I don't know what I want to do for the rest of my life. Grad school is pretty much out of the picture.
I used to have specific goals and plans earlier in my life... but then I realized that they really weren't my interests. The plans that were my own got lost in a jumble of events, primarily the death of my mom last year.
At times, I'd like to pursue writing as a career. But it's like somebody disconnected the creativity and ambition wires in my mind. Why even write, when so many books have the same storyline?
The other path I would possibly like to take would be to work with survivors of domestic and sexual violence. But then I question my ability again. Am I just trying to solve my own issues of an abusive past?
I'm wondering how apathy took over my optimism. I'm having difficulties trying to motivate myself to start school. Will this indecisiveness ever end?
Sincere thanks,
School Dazed and Confused
Dear Dazed and Confused,
Oh my! Your chart is shocking. It’s painful to look at, but it’s very easy to read.
Now I am loathe to tell someone what they ought to do with their life. For one thing, I don’t want the responsibility! But your case is exceptional, so here’s what I think, in plain language:
Regardless of supposed impracticality, I don’t think religious studies is a bad choice of study for you. On the contrary, you’re a faith-based person. You’re all about what you believe. Although you're lost in the moment, over the course of your lifetime I think you’ll go back again and again to what you’ve learned in school. And this will work for you! So maybe you can see that in the grand design, you’ve not made a mistake. You've made an investment in your future.
Article comments