When we are young, people always ask us what we want to be when we grow up. It’s a cute question that adults always have for their friends kids and children, as a right of passage, are expected to have a quick-draw answer to. As a former child, age 8-15, I would have told you I want to be a speech writer. Some secret ghost writer to a famous person with words that inspire all who hear them. I am sure you had an answer too. You may have wanted to be something your parents were, something inspirational, something you thought you were the best at. However, our minds change. We realize 8 years of school in medicine might be time consuming, cost too much, or we just lose interest. So if your are one of many undeclared students who don’t think they will be ready to “declare” by their second semester or later, I am here to say you are not alone.
When I first came to Trent I was a mature year student. I knew what I wanted to be but I knew that getting it would be tough. I am not talking about speech writing either, I am talking about teaching. Even with goals in mind, University is scary. I have watched a majority of friends switch majors, doubt themselves, and I will admit along the way I doubted myself too.
We grow from this. We learn, we adapt, we change, and ultimately it makes us stronger. So on this first day at Trent I ask of you not to put pressure on yourself to know the answer to that question. When your parents’ friends ask what your major is, instead of what you want to be, say whatever you want. Look at the bright side, saying, “I am a major in English literature with a minor in cultural studies and an emphasis in teacher education” might stop them in their tracks so much that if you change your mind, they will give up at asking. No one truly knows what they want to be when they grow up because, I believe, one never stops growing up. We learn, we add titles to our resume and we journey forward. I can only hope this is an exciting journey and that, for you dear Arthur reader, it has only just begun.
