When I was 11, I wanted to be a doctor. When I was 13, a stand-up comedian. My dreams changed, but I always thought there was time to figure out what my true niche was. Now, I have come to realize: I don’t know what I want to do. Suddenly I’m running out of time to figure it out.

It is nearly impossible to sit down and say, “I know exactly what it is I would like to do with the rest of my life.” Making the decision that could make or break your happiness, living standards and basically every other aspect of your life is one of the most difficult things that teenagers have to deal with during adolescence.

When I go to my counselor to ask for guidance on the subject, I’m always asked, “What are you interested in?” Well, it depends on which day you ask me. People like a lot of things, and it is a monumental undertaking to try and settle on an interest that is your true passion.

With college fast approaching, this back-of-my-mind thought has shoved its way to the front of my preoccupation and muddled my every thought with worry about my future and where I want to take it. I know that I want to go to college but as far as what I am going to do once I get there, I am clueless.

Choosing a career always comes across as one of the pesky problems that never gets the worry it should. There needs to be more guidance on this, but not like aptitude tests. It’s not a matter of what students are good at but rather what their true passion is. If there was just a little more help available, it would make the whole world easier to decide where to take our futures. Until then, it’s pin-the-career-on-the-future, and I’m all over the place.

By Kevin Beerman