When Should You Have Your Life Figured Out?

We are constantly worried about time. Am I late? Am I early? When should I accomplish this milestone? What goals do I need to reach? There is an “ideal” timeline that many have become accustomed to: go to high school, graduate from college, get a job right away, get married and start a family. However, as society evolves, it seems as though this timeline is changing quite a bit. As we rethink how we spend our time, and when we reach certain milestones, people face uncertainty as to when they should have their life figured out. 

This pressure to know what you want in life starts in high school. Many teachers ask you what you want to be when you’re older, and what you want your major to be in college. To me, it always felt weird to ask a 16-year-old to have their life figured out completely when they literally just learned how to drive  a car. At 16, I did not know what I wanted in life. I was  worried about what I was going to have for dinner that night or who I would  hang out with after school.

Once you get to college, the pressure is put on even harder. Now everyone is  an “adult” and should know what major they want to be in or what job they want to have for the next 40+ years. The thing is, hardly any college kids confidently know what they want to do with their life. Many college kids don’t even know if they want to be in college! They go because it is socially acceptable or expected of them. People think that a college degree will somehow provide a clear path for the rest of their lives. College is not a bad thing by any means, but expecting yourself to know what you want to do for the rest of your life can be quite daunting. 

I’m here to tell you that it is okay not to have life figured out as a teen or in your twenties. It’s okay to not have life figured out at any age. Life is a process of constant revelation and discovery. No one truly knows how to do life. Over time, we learn more about ourselves, and grow into ourselves, allowing us to know what we truly want in life.

No one can have their life figured out by a set time, so do not feel bad if you are doing things differently from other people. We all live different lives and have different experiences. Your journey may not look like everyone else’s, and that’s completely okay! 

Written by: Sydney Karlos