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To “I Need Options,” From Gabby

Dear Gabby,
I am a freshman and I don’t know what I want to do in the future. This is troubling because a lot of people I know have their futures planned out already. I can’t even choose a college because I don’t know what to major in. I also doubt I’ll earn any scholarships, either.
I don’t know what my passion is, and so I don’t know how to plan out my future. What should I do?
I Need Options

Dear Needs Options,
There are very few fourteen-year olds who have their futures mapped out already. Even those who think they do will most likely change their minds a few time before it’s all said and done.
You don’t need to know what you want to major in to apply to college. Look at schools which don’t require you to declare your major right away — most private schools are like this. Public schools generally do, but you can always change your major.
More importantly – you have three years left to make up your mind. Freshman year is too early to worry about your major. If you explore different things now and find out what you’re interested in, your major will take care of itself.
I can’t tell you what your passion should be. But I can give you a couple ideas.
If you want to do something really meaningful, go into STEM. Climate change will be the critical issue of our generation — become the person who engineers a carbon-dioxide sucking machine, or invents a faster, longer range rocket that delivers a colony to Mars. You could save the human race.
If you want to impact lives more immediately and directly, go into law. For example, the government is not required to provide undocumented children detained by immigration services with a public defender. The few who can get an attorney have a 500% better chance of remaining in the US than those who can’t. Do pro-bono work and help people out.
Or, if you want to make money, go into investment banking!
The world is yours.

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