Dear Mac,       

I’m about to start my fourth year this Fall, and I still have no idea what I want to do next. Most of my friends know what they are going to do, but I have no clue. I don’t know what my degree will get me, and I don’t know what kinds of jobs I want to do, or what I would be good at. Before, it seemed okay, because I still “had time”, but I’m starting to panic now, because I’m starting my fourth year, and I should know what I want to do with the rest of my life! I’m freaking out, and I don’t know what to do!

-Futureless

Dear “Futureless”,

First of all, just because you don’t know what it is, doesn’t mean you don’t have a future. It’s very common to have doubts and questions about the future, and you are definitely not alone in having them. The first place to start is to think about what interests you, what you like, and what you are qualified to do. Look at the kinds of things you’ve enjoyed doing in the past: What subjects do you like the most? Do you like research? What kinds of job and volunteer experiences do you have? The Student Success Centre website has many resources for career planning (under the “careers” tab). You can also try talking to a Career Counsellor, either at the Student Success Centre (Gilmour Hall, 110), or at your faculty office. You can also try searching up different careers you might be interested in on the internet to see what requirements they may have. You could also try searching up different careers your degree could lead to (e.g. careers in psychology, careers in gerontology, careers in communications, etc.) If you’re interested, you could even try talking to one of your professors, many of them are very helpful, and may be able to help guide you in identifying your strengths, weaknesses, and areas of focus and interest.

See if you’re interested in pursuing graduate studies, talk to professors or your academic advisors and see if they have any insight about grad school for you. Think about whether you think you want to go straight to grad school, or take some time off to work or travel, or have some personal time.

One other thing to remember is that just because you’re going into your fourth year, does not mean that choosing a career is “now or never”. Many people change their careers throughout their lives. It’s okay to worry, but don’t feel like you have to have your entire life planned out right now. You still have time, and you have a lot of options.

-Mac

Dear Mac,

I think my housemate is stealing my food. We are living in our house for the Summer, after living in the same res this year. I often notice that my food is missing. There are only 3 of us living in the basement, and we all share a fridge, but I’m pretty sure I know which of my housemates is doing it. I’m getting super frustrated, but we are all really good friends, and we are going to have to live together all year, so I don’t know what to do!

-Hungry

Dear Hungry,

This kind of situation can be tough, because when you’re living with close friends, you want to have fun, but you also need to remember to set rules. You might be pretty sure which one of your housemates is taking your food, but remember that you might not know for sure. Something you can suggest is having a “house meeting” where you can set ground rules for living together. Here, you can mention specific rules for sharing food and fridge-space. This way, you aren’t singling out one person, and it is also a constructive way to prevent problems in the future. If this doesn’t work out, try talking to your housemates individually, or leaving notes on your food saying “do not eat”, or labelling it with your name.

-Mac