A View of “Career” from a College Frosh

I recently finished my freshman year at Stanford University. I have felt happy here, in this moment and place. Lucky. I have learned and made friends and had fun. In this present, I am content.

Regarding the future, though, I am completely, nauseatingly, terrifyingly lost.

“Looking for internships?”

“How you gonna put that Stanford degree to use?”

“What do you want to do?”

“How’s the job search going?”

“What are you passionate about?”

Oh, these questions kill me slowly. Adults and classmates alike love to prod me about the future, as if by now I should have already drawn up some sort of Stanford-grade blueprint, a polished step-by-step career plan. You should have a destination, their questions seem to scream. You should be walking in a direction. But how do I find a direction? And, once I find one, how do I get going?

High school was nice because we only had one horizon-bound thing to worry about: college. Walk in that direction, and here’s how to do it. Study hard, be interesting, don’t get caught drinking. The future is college. Worry about college.

Well, here I am. I am a college sophomore at Stanford University. I have interests, sure. Passions, even. But I don’t understand career, and I don’t know how to find one. I cringe at the future.

“But what do you want to do with your life?”

Um.

Marc Huerta Osborn has a passion for writing. Driven by a desire to create and explore, Marc studies English and Spanish language at Stanford University. He believes strongly in the power of words to inspire growth and enact change. Marc plans to graduate in 2019. Read more >