From our infancy, some of us may have confidently answered when asked what we wanted to become.
A doctor. A lawyer. A teacher. An engineer. A pilot.
Those answers, sometimes given before we fully understood what those professions meant, gradually became part of the picture we created for our future. As we moved through school, our academic choices, friendships and even the expectations placed upon us began to shape the path we imagined for ourselves. Then came university.
For many first-year students, arriving on campus can appear to be the beginning of a carefully planned journey — a program has been selected, a career has been imagined. Perhaps family members have celebrated the decision, friends have been told about it and years of preparation have finally led to this moment.
But what happens when the path no longer feels right? That is a question that more students should be allowed to ask without feeling that they have failed. The beginning of a school year is often filled with messages about new beginnings, exciting opportunities and achieving goals. Those messages are important, but they can sometimes create an impression that students are expected to know exactly where they are going from the moment they step onto campus. They do not. Nobody is guaranteed to know what the future holds.
A student may enter a program convinced it is exactly what they want, only to discover that the reality is different from what they imagined. The courses may be more difficult than expected. The workload may become overwhelming. The subject that once seemed fascinating may no longer hold the same interest. A student may discover another discipline that speaks more strongly to their interests.
Sometimes, life itself changes the equation. Financial circumstances can change. Family responsibilities can emerge. A student’s priorities can shift. New experiences can change how they understand themselves and the world around them. None of this means the original decision was necessarily a mistake. Sometimes, we simply learn more about ourselves after making a decision.
There is an unfortunate tendency to view changing programs, changing careers, or changing plans as evidence of failure. We praise people who remain on the same path for years but can be quick to question those who decide to turn around. But changing direction can require courage. It takes honesty to admit that something is no longer working. It takes humility to reconsider a decision that may have once seemed certain. And it takes courage to begin again when people around us may already have expectations about where we should be going.
In the case of new students, this is particularly important to remember. The first difficult course does not necessarily mean you chose the wrong program. A disappointing first semester does not mean you are incapable. And discovering that you do not enjoy something you once thought you would does not mean your future has been ruined.
At the same time, students should not feel pressured to remain somewhere simply because they have already invested time, money or energy into it. There is a difference between perseverance and refusing to change when it is necessary. University is not only a place where students acquire degrees. It is also a place of discovery. We discover subjects we enjoy, people who influence us, causes we care about and, perhaps most importantly, parts of ourselves that we did not know existed.
That discovery may sometimes lead us away from the path we originally imagined. And that is okay.
The goal should not be to make every decision perfectly the first time. The goal should be to remain willing to learn from our experiences and make better decisions as we gain a clearer understanding of ourselves.
For those beginning a new academic year, perhaps the question should not always be, “Am I on the right path?” Perhaps it should be, “Is this path still right for me?” There is a difference.
The first question can make uncertainty appear as failure. The second recognizes that our understanding of ourselves can change. If the answer is no, turning around does not mean you are going backward.
It may mean you have finally realized where you need to go. The future was never guaranteed to any of us. We can plan for it, prepare for it and work toward it, but none of us knows exactly what waits around the corner.
What matters is what we do when the road changes. So, to the student beginning university this year, give yourself permission to discover. Give yourself permission to struggle. Give yourself permission to reconsider. And if you eventually realize that the program you chose is not where you belong, do not mistake changing direction for giving up.
Sometimes, finding your way forward begins with turning around.
Bonne chance!!
