Oh! The Places You"ll Go!

"Today is your day.
You’re off to Great Places!
You’re off and away! You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself any direction you choose.
You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the guy who’ll decide where to go."
- Dr. Seuss

Today marks the beginning of the eighth week of classes. I went into this semester conflicted on numerous fronts regarding my educational and professional career path. The options spun in my head with little clarity. I am truly passionate about several things. But how do I bottle up all my passions into a purpose. My passions: people; communicating; environment; and problem solving. I sought numerous options in a hope of uncovering the "right" path for me. My options are confusing and convoluted and difficult for anyone to ascertain, even myself. There are several of combinations including graduating a semester early, graduate school internationally vs. in the United States, gap year before graduate school, cooperative education (co-op). On top of that, I am in the midst of choosing a specialty within the numerous different fields that I am passionate about: meteorology, hydrology, environmental management, etc. There is so much anxiety that exists today amongst students. The competition is unbelievable. And the pressure is extreme. I was so focused on choosing the "right" path. But I didn't have a definition of "right." Does anyone really? All of these options and anxieties only made the pressure insurmountable.

And now eight weeks in, I am still just as conflicted. However, I feel like I have learned a few things in the last few weeks - thanks to Dr. Seuss. I often reference my childhood hero who vividly portrayed many of life's moral lessons. Similarly to Dr. Seuss, I am not caught up or plagued by the lust for success. I need to remind myself that I am on the hunt for a career that isn't a career, but a passion. We may not get it right the first time, but I realized that everything in life is a learning opportunity. With the knowledge that you gain, you are only that much closer to the "great places" that "you will go." I believe that I am the type of person that will create the opportunity that fulfills my passions by enabling me to interact and help people while using science and logic to solve problems. At the age of twenty-one, I do not need to know exactly what that is yet. As long as I can say that what I am doing doesn't interfere with my morals and that I did my best, I will be happy. Knowing this takes the pressure off slightly. Phew! While I still have to make a decision by the end of October, I know that whatever that decision will be, it will be the right one because there will be no wrong decision. My mountain is waiting to be discovered!

"Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So…get on your way!"