The process of choosing a career path is complicated. Almost every student has had the college talk with their parents or friends at the dinner table, on the bus, or in the classroom. What do you want to do? Where do you want to go? The most frequent answer is a shrug of the shoulders and a mellow “I don’t know.”

   With students in a frenzy to find a set of career options, we ask a necessary question: Is it important to know what you want to do heading in to college?

   Dr. John Pellitteri, a counseling psychologist and professor at Queens College, advises high school seniors to go into college with some form of direction and consider all possible careers.

   To get a feel for different fields, high school students should talk to people that work in the fields that they are considering and utilize online resources.

   Understanding yourself before you decide is essential. Pellitteri estimates that around 60%-70% of the workforce are unsatisfied with their career.

   Dr. Gary Brannigan, a psychology professor at the City University of New York, estimates that about a third of college students change their major during their studies. He also says that it’s a matter of testing multiple areas to figure out what you want to do.

  However, Brannigan warns against changing majors late in college. Switching into a major that is credit-heavy, such as a STEM field, can be challenging. You will be scrambling in your last years for the necessary credits. It is important to consider how many credits are required for the major at your specific college.

   Brannigan believes that switching your major in your first or second year is fine, but you are pushing it after that.

   He explains that involving yourself with local opportunities related to your major is great exposure. These real-world experiences can be incredibly influential on your decision.

   Darren Donaldson and Sean Devlin are seniors set on majoring in criminal justice. They both did research on their career options, and focused more on what they would make, rather than anything else.

   Darren said his back-up plan is to become a plumber. Not because he had any clear talents or passions geared towards being a plumber, but just because plumbers make good money. Sean picked accounting as his secondary option, citing an accounting class he has been taking at Eastern.

   “I’m not even that good at math, I just think I’m good at accounting,” Sean said.

   Neither has a true grasp on exactly what they want to do. And that’s okay.

   Eastern alumnus Jeff Herman has advice for students juggling their options. “First off, don’t ever feel like what you decide to do now for a career pigeonholes you for the next 30 years.”

   Herman went to Hofstra University to fulfill his dream of working in broadcast journalism. He was a part of ETV, a Voyager editor for three years, read morning announcements, and did play by-play for school sporting events.

    Herman said that you will find something you’re passionate about: music, law, sports. “Something that inspires you, makes you research more about it, makes you work at it and be better at it, but it doesn’t feel like work,” he said.

   While Herman emphasized the importance of following your passion, the objective of paying off the bills and college loan debt should be at the back of students’ minds when thinking about what they want to major in.

   If you’re about to go to college but you don’t know what you want to do in life, don’t worry. You’ve got time. The first step is to figure out what you love to do. The second step is figuring out what classes to take so you can make a living doing that very thing.