Does making the wrong decision now mean ruining your future forever? This is a fear that many college students hold as they look ahead at the forked road, which seemingly splits into millions of different directions. Down each path holds a different future, and the question becomes, how do you know which is the right one?

The Whit Staff, however, begs a different question; have college students ever considered that maybe the issue isn’t that they may choose wrong, but that there are way too many paths to choose from to begin with? 

It’s called analysis paralysis, that feeling of being so overloaded by information (or in this case, choice) that you become paralyzed and unable to make or come to a decision. Its main catalyst is overthinking, your brain is working overtime to come to the best solution possible, so much so that you can no longer take action with the information at hand. 

Students face pressure to know what they want to “be” when they grow up from a young age. A survey from 2022 shows that around 52% of high school students feel pressure to make early decisions about their career paths. Meaning that this form of analysis paralysis is an elongated one, one that can last for years. 

The truth is, things don’t always go as planned. Maybe you studied law to become a lawyer, but can’t pass the bar. Maybe you do become a lawyer and realize this is not the job for you. Maybe you wanted to pursue teaching, but can’t pass the praxis exam. Careers are not linear for a majority of people. 

Take Henry M. Rowan for example, his career varied from thermal processing for metals and materials, to business, to then being known for donating the largest gift to date to a public college/university. 

If you are suffering from analysis paralysis, and are starting to get worried about what your future will look like, start by setting small personal and career goals. Ask yourself what you want your life to look like within the next year or two years. Try things within your realm of interest while you can. Go to that club meeting, ask your professors if they can guide you, and do something you’ve never done before. Trying new things will only allow you to gain a better understanding of your likes and dislikes, your preferences, declinations, what you’re good at, and who you are as a person.

It’s important to recognize that the issue of having too many choices or options on your plate, is in fact, a huge privilege. There are thousands and thousands of people in the world who do not have the opportunity to attend college or university in the first place, let alone decide from a huge array of career paths to go down. Remember how lucky you are to be here at this moment in time, and that it’s extremely normal and okay to not know what you want to do, even if your graduation is incoming. 

The Whit Staff recognizes that “success” is going to look different for everyone, and choosing what you want to do is a decision that should be given time and careful consideration. After all, it is your life, so it’s up to you to decide what you are going to do, and where you are going to go with it. 

For comments/questions about this story DM us on Instagram @thewhitatrowan or email opinion@gmail.com