“What do I want to be when I grow up?” is a question that’s been on my mind my entire life. When I was in kindergarten, I wanted to be a policewoman. As I got older, I aspired to be a lawyer. Around grade 12, that changed to wanting to be an author or journalist. Then, in university, I decided I wanted to be an English teacher.
Recently, however, I started to question what exactly I wanted to do. Did I truly want to be a teacher? I quickly discovered that I didn’t and that I had no clue what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. Fortunately, a few weeks later, I was sitting in my women’s gender studies class, listening to a guest lecturer explain her bouts of activism, and felt moved. I kept thinking, “I would love to do this if I could.” I switched my major to human rights that weekend in hopes of being an activist working with a national organization, feeling content with my decision.
As a student in post-secondary, you will have to make some big decisions. One of the many major decisions you’ll have to make is deciding what you want to do as a career and declaring a major based on that. This may require generous amounts of time analyzing what you’re passionate about, interested in, and driven towards.
Here’s a secret: for some, it’ll be scary. Coming from the point-of-view of someone that thought she had all of the time in the world to decide: it’s scary. It may be daunting to decide what you want to do but the great part of it all is discovering the things that you love to do. Looking for a job and starting a career are important milestones, especially for students.
An important aspect of this process that I learned and want to stress is that it’s okay not to know. You may feel like all of your friends have it together or that everyone knows what they’re meant to do but that’s not always true. There are many like us who are just trying to find what they’re interested in. At some point, you’ll have to make a decision but it’s important to know that there are many resources and people willing to help, like friends, family, mentors, and school counsellors. The inspiration can come from anywhere; a class, a movie, a conversation you have with a friend, or even one of your readings. The ideas can come from anywhere, meaning the inspirations and opportunities are both endless.
The most important thing to remember is that you have time and there is an abundance of careers out there. All you have to do is explore.

Camille Robinson is a second-year Human Rights student at Carleton University and an aspiring writer. She hopes to work with an international organization, travel the entire globe, and publish a novel. You can follow her ramblings on Twitter: @crawbins, and on her blog: www.thecanvascalendar.blogspot.com.