If you hadn’t already experienced a derailment of your path to accomplish your goals prior to college you are sure to experience it during college. People may joke that your degree path will change throughout college and what you say you want to do your freshman year will be far from what you actually do, trust me they are right. I was not prepared to be completely wrong and end up doing something I had never imagined I’d be doing.
Derailments are not always a bad thing, sure they can be scary but as we’ve been told our whole lives change is a good thing. Take a moment and let that sink in, “change is a good thing”. That statement will be put to the test many times throughout your college career. Sometimes change will feel like the end of the world or unfair but it’s exactly the opposite. As cliché as it is I’d encourage you to take a deep breath and think “hey guess what I’ll make it past this, there is so many opportunities to come”.
My college goals were to get in, get my bachelors, and get out into the workforce as quick as possible. I’m ending my senior year completing my bachelors but what I didn’t know I’d do and hadn’t thought I wanted to do is sign myself up for another four years of college to obtain my Doctors of Veterinary Medicine degree. I can’t tell you how many times along the way I had complete derailments on my path to accomplish my goal; however, those derailments have led me to do something I never thought I could or would even attempt to do. Derailments come in different shape and sizes whether it be a change of people you choose to surround yourself with, hobbies, or course work.
It isn’t beneficial to take the easy road and it took me a while to see that. Sometimes a change in our long-term goals can be extremely frustrating but I would challenge you to view it as a new adventure that will reap new opportunities. Setting absolute goals can sometimes be self-limiting. Overall, my challenge to you is embrace the moments of derailment/change and turn those moments into beneficial life changing opportunities.
-Kaitlyan Reed