“What are you doing after graduation?”

It’s typically the first question out of relatives’ mouths during holiday dinners, and it’s the scariest for any college student to be faced with. There is this strange pressure surrounding young adults that tells us that we must choose our career paths at eighteen and stick with said career path for the rest of our lives.

Sometimes, people just know their passions and goals. But many others, like myself, don’t. I went into college thinking I knew what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. Then, as I was met with new experiences, I found my true passion.

It was terrifying to tell my family I wanted to change my post-graduation decisions. It was one of the toughest conversations I’ve ever had to have. It was especially difficult because I was switching from an affluent career to one of a lower income.

I relied heavily on God to prepare me and carry me through. He was there every step of the way. Just like He will be there for you, if and when you decide to venture down another path. God puts us in situations so we can learn and grow.

It’s important to remember that we are never done growing. Every experience changes us and forms us into the person God wanted us to be. Our relationship with God also changes and grows. We rely on Him or thank Him. We may even be angry with Him. But He has nothing but the best intentions for us.

It can be difficult to discern your calling. Sometimes, it takes what might feel like an exhausted amount of experiences and signs to point you in the right direction. He wants what is best for us, and that can sometimes include a nudge in the right direction.

For God is not a God of disorder but of peace—as in all the congregations of the Lord’s people.

1 Corinthians 14:33

And guess what?

This may even happen later in life. Many people have second careers. They find that who they were at twenty is not who they are at fifty. This, too, is completely normal and natural. They were meant to be in a different field and they found their new passion.

It can be difficult to make the change.
It’s scary.

From changing your major in college at eighteen to changing careers at thirty-five, it never gets easier.

While you may be uncomfortable with the idea, in the beginning, trust in God. Put your faith in Him.

Now is the time to grow your relationship with God. When situations get difficult, it can be easy to turn away from God. But changing career paths is the perfect time to lean into His warm and all-knowing embrace.

There is a peace which comes with finding your passion. Chasing money does not yield happiness. Find your passion, work hard, and the money will come. Remember, it’s completely normal for your ideas and opinions to shift over time. What you enjoy at twenty may be completely different at age fifty, and that’s because you are not the exact same person.

He will walk beside you, every step of the way. Take a deep breath, then leap.