Isabel Jenkins Assignment 5

I can't tell you how many times I've been asked this daunting question. Even my ten-year-old brother, overtaken by naive yet ignorant fantasies about college and life beyond, repeatedly pressures me about precisely where I want to go, what I want to major in, what I want to do with my life. And I don't ever really have an answer. Even as a child I didn't have one single plan - my mom says I wanted to open a restaurant while being a painter, my dad says I wanted to be a fashion and interior designer, and my grandma says I wanted to be an architect and build her a house. At some point in my life, I've probably considered just about every common profession. I'm easily bored. I suppose I've been most consistently fascinated by psychology and neuroscience, but I have difficulty seeing myself doing well as a counselor or researching in a lab. If I could find a way to do something in this field while simultaneously being able to work outdoors and not cooped up all the time, that would be perfect. Unfortunately I haven't figured anything out yet. Being completely honest, I don't have any long standing dreams or aspirations. Of course recognition and fame and money would be nice, but I don't crave that like some people do. Part of me wants to move to another country and become a jungle tour guide or something silly like that, but when you're in the Academy and have high grades and are good at math ... well, there's pressure and expectation to be something "big" like a doctor or an engineer. Which are probably the only professions I haven't been drawn to. Anyway, I know a lot of people end up in jobs they never expected. Exhibit A: my mom, who double majored in literature and psychology, realized she had nothing to do with her degrees, did funny jobs until I got to high school, and finally picked up a career as a software engineer. I try not to stress. Things will work out.