New River Valley Times

Anxious About Your Career? UVA Has a Center for That

After moving into my first-year dorm in August 2021, nothing could have prepared me for how many times I would be asked this question. 

This simple inquiry felt to me like an interrogation, carrying an indescribable weight and leaving a sour taste in my mouth. And the next question, about what I wanted to do after graduation, was even worse.

The truth was, I had virtually no idea what I wanted to do with my life, let alone what major I intended to declare. Anytime I thought I had it figured out, I abruptly changed my mind and started back at square one.

So that’s how I ended up at the University of Virginia’s Career Center, which has been an immense help in channeling my career anxiety into productive action.

It’s also where I found out my anxiety about my future isn’t unique. There is a host of unknowns about the future job market, and it is easy to get spun up by what’s in the news. Some reports declare this is a pretty good market for graduates, while other stories say the opposite.

But here I am worrying about a career when I’m still unsettled on a major.

I’ve been told college is the time to learn about myself and to develop my passions. I know it’s not uncommon for students like me in the College of Arts & Sciences to arrive in Charlottesville without an intended major in mind. 

Original source can be found here