My cousin called me this weekend to catch up. During this conversation she told me she plans on switching her life plans – again. The college sophomore called me a couple of weeks ago to tell me she was going to switch her major and the other day when I talked to her she wanted to transfer out of school into a specialized program at a career school in a completely different city across the country. Let’s revisit her academic path thus far…

For as long as I can remember, my cousin was infatuated with New York. It was something she could never stop talking about. She expressed her love for the city as her “destiny”. So it was no surprise when she told me she was moving from the west coast to New York for college. She really loved being in the City and the people she met at school, but before her first semester was even up she decided it would be best to move back home. The classes weren’t keeping her attention and she wasn’t happy at school. She went home and enrolled in the local college and took summer classes to catch up on the classes she had missed.

Throughout this time she changed her mind on her major probably ten times. From Spanish language and literature to English lit to art history to international business she’s had a lot of ideas on what she’d like to experience when she “grows up”. She talked for a while of studying abroad for a full year in France or maybe Brazil or possibly Spain or maybe she would split the year into two semesters in different cities. But now, she doesn’t want to be where she is – the classes are just not for her and, as a result, she’s not performing to her fullest potential. She’s an extremely bright girl who can really do well, but she just needs to find her niche. She lives for fashion and truly enjoys working with it. Her new plan is to go to fashion school to really hone her skills and see what she can do from there.

My advice to her thus far has been this. She obviously has a lot of ambition. No one ever knows exactly what they want to do. Even after students graduate, they may not work in the field in which they majored and they can still excel. The most important thing is being happy where you are. If you’re miserable and you dread doing your work then perhaps the place you’re in is just not for you. I’d say think of what you like to do and really try to become really good at it. Take my cousin, for instance. If she ends up going to fashion school, she’s certain to learn very specific skills for the industry and then she can get a job where she’ll be able to showcase those skills and enjoy herself.

I recently spoke to a salon owner who was completely miserable once she moved from Colombia to the United States. Her life wasn’t the same as it was back at home and she gained a lot of weight from her serious depression. But once she went to school and found something she really liked to do, her quality of life became much better. She lost the weight and really enjoyed herself. She is now successful with one of the top salons in South Florida and never dreads a day of work.

The challenge is this: finding something you’re good at and that you really enjoy doing. And it may take career switching, extra schooling, changing jobs many-a-time. But once you find your place you’ll be that much happier and successful! Keep at it.

-Amanda Fornecker