Time for College? No Major? No Problem!

I remember it like it was yesterday – junior year. Senior year. The stress about money, the time spent researching colleges, visiting colleges, applying to colleges. Well, I didn’t visit that many, but I had friends who went all over the country. One of my friends applied to over ten schools, I think. It is a crazy time of life full of decisions that must be made.

In today’s society, it is pretty much assumed that students must attend college, mostly to have a piece of paper saying they sat in lectures and turned in papers for four-ish years. If you want a decently paying job, you have to have a bachelor’s in something, regardless of what it is. A pivotal piece of this process is deciding what to major in. In essence, what do you want to do with your life?This is a very daunting question for most sixteen/seventeen year olds. There are some students who know exactly what they want to do and how to get there. Then there are others who just really don’t know. The dean of my program at the first college I attended had a marvelous saying that he constantly reminded not only the undecideds, but the entire school. He would say, “You’re not undecided. You just haven’t gotten your marching orders yet!"

You Have A Purpose

It’s okay if you don’t have a grand vision for a marvelous vocation. It’s okay if you don’t know exactly what you’re called to do. You are not behind; you are not less than anyone else. You are not a waste of creation with no purpose. God just hasn’t given you a specific vocational calling yet! In Deuteronomy, Moses addresses the people of Israel,

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”

You may not have specific marching orders, the exact branch of service you want to enter, but you do have a purpose. God made you to bear his image and love like he loves. To serve like he serves. To love and care for this world that he has created. To teach others about him in word and deed. This is your ultimate destiny above all others.

Read Well, Think Well, Write Well

One of my favorite professors once said that you need only to be able to do three things to do well in life: read well, think well, and write well. If you can do these, you can fulfill your God-given purpose well…and learn just about any job/skill set. If you don’t have a specific major/career you want to pursue, opt for a General Studies degree. Enlarge your mind, get a taste of different disciplines, enjoy the marvels of our Creator!

Love the Lord with all your heart, mind, and soul, become like Jesus, and earnestly seek his guidance and the wisdom of wise, godly people. Try out different internships or volunteer opportunities, pray every day, and ask God to grow you in the knowledge and wisdom of him. He will answer you in his time. Be prepared for the adventure of a lifetime!