Indecisiveness became my best trait
How I became a jack of all trades across multiple fields.
There are two types of college students, or at least I feel like there are. Ones that step foot on a college campus and know exactly what they want to do, as if their ancestors rose up from the dead and delivered the future, and ones that got lost in the academic catalog.
I wanted to believe that I was the first, the one who knew exactly what I was going to be after I graduated. Fortunately for me, I am definitely the later, the one who completely got lost in the catalog.
When you hear the word indecisive what do you think? Often there is a connotation of ineffectiveness or failure, there definitely isn’t a feeling of opportunity or success. However, I beg the question: why do we think this?
Why is indecisiveness not considered a good quality when it comes to certain aspects of our lives?
Indecisiveness, especially when implemented in life decision making, can help people that may not know what decision is correct, experience other viable options that they may not have had a chance to if they made a hasty initial decision. Indecisiveness also gives people the option of “maybe,” that allows them to try on or shortly pursue something until they know that it isn’t the right option for them.
In my defense, I was part of the first generation in my family to pursue higher education and I didn’t have anyone to look up to before and for a majority of my time in college. I knew I wanted to do something science-related, but I never really knew what science and a degree in science could lead to.
Throughout my undergraduate years, I went through majors like I went through boyfriends. I first started a fling with nursing, flirted with biology and pre-med, and eventually committed to biochemistry & molecular biology. However, although students are often scrutinized about the amount of time it takes for them to settle on a major and for not having an exact academic plan before entering college, I found that my promiscuity was one of the best “mistakes” I made.
Sure it took me an extra year to graduate, but it takes a lot of science majors that extra year, it also gave me the time to try and participate in a myriad of clubs, conferences, and programs that helped me gain skills that most science programs don’t cater to.
During those times I was a member of the Mathematics, Engineer, Science Achievement program that introduced me to countless non-profits that I partner with today. I was accepted into the CalTEACH internship, a University of California program that prepares science majors to teach in secondary schools, which was vital in helping me secure a teaching associate position at the university I’m at now. I also currently work in a graduate writing center, which helped me improve my writing and communication skills. Lastly, all of these programs and clubs gave me leadership skills and speaking skills that helped me become a better science communicator, writer, and mentor. All of which allows me to connect and help so many students at all stages of their academic journey.
So the next time you don’t know what to do or you’re in a moment of indecisiveness, maybe it’s a decision that you should choose both decisions. Maybe it’s a decision that should be explored.
