Feeling Lost and Without Direction

Anyone else out there indecisive about their future? I know I am. I picked to go to college for business school because I could go into any industry easily without needing additional education. Basically I was indecisive. I am now graduating in the spring and have gathered two majors that are fairly different. And I can’t choose which field to go into!

One of my industries hires full-time workers very early, like now, and the other won’t have job opportunities up until February or March. So I am now, finally, faced with a choice. A choice that I have procrastinated for years, which just places more pressure on me.

In my search of a dozen or so online job boards, I have found some jobs that would have been totally satisfying for me that don’t even require a college degree, so I am even doubting my choice to go to college while conversely beating myself up for not having enough ambition. Or at least, not the right kind of ambition.

So what do I do?

First, I asked myself how long I could take the job search before I just couldn’t take any more. After some introspection, I set a goal. I want to accept a job offer by the end of the calendar year (December 31). So that means I will likely go into the industry that hires early. Okay, well no one’s career goes in a straight line their whole life. Making this decision now certainly doesn’t discount my skills or opportunities in the other industry. It just means I have to work a little harder to keep my finger on the pulse (ie. being active in professional associations, reading the right news, making professional connections, etc).

So as of drafting this blog, I do have one job offer on the table, and I’m hoping for another in a couple weeks before I have to make my decision. While neither is perfect, I have realized that perfection just doesn’t exist. There is no one gig that will fit all my checkmarks. And even if there was I certainly wouldn’t find it fresh out of college in a pandemic.

Cheers to good enough!

Have you ever had to make a difficult choice, especially about your future? Have you ever procrastinated on important decisions? Are you going through this process right now, whether it be looking for a job or applying to colleges?