By: Jolie Femia

As a young hopeful college student, I have sought every opportunity to improve my resume, or get the next job to prepare for the future. This led me to feelings of overwhelming doom and pressure that I must accept every academic and professional opportunity that came my way. I used to think there is a linear path I must take to get to the next step in my future career. I convinced myself there is a rule book, and list of prerequisites for the end goal to being successful and finding a job that is self-fulfilling. Everyone is different but for me, that future was law school. A turning point in my path happened last year, when I met with a pre-law advisor, and after she asked why I was there, I remember saying “so basically what should I be doing right now, to prepare for law school?”. I expected to be given a rigorous timeline with set steps, resume builders and internships, yet to my surprise the advisor said, “you should be doing things that make you happy”. I remember being shocked. I’d never heard such informal career advice, but it has stuck with me to this day. Every time I overwhelm myself with the thought of what I “should '' be doing, or comparing myself to what others are achieving, I forget the most important question we should be asking ourselves and that is what do I “want” to be doing. We, as ambitious college students, should be doing more of what brings self-fulfillment and less of what brings external validation. Career discovery is about the connections you make, and the exploration of your own ideas. Those things do not need to have pressure attached to them. We are all on a different path, with different passions and therefore have different priorities. It is up to us! Success is not self-destructive. We can make decisions that bring happiness and help us reach our goals!