According to Frank Financial Aid’s article, “What Percentage of Students Change Majors?” 80% of college students change their majors at least once. Second guessing your passion and changing your major is totally normal, and it shouldn’t be something to be ashamed of.

Finding yourself can be a very difficult task; it can be quite a journey, but a lot of students go into college believing that they know their passion only to realize that they’ve made a mistake. This process can take forever or it can be very short, all depending on you. In high school, this pressure is felt the most. The pressure is on and you feel the need to figure out who you are. The fear of never knowing who you are lives within many people. No student or person is an exception, this includes us here at Middle College.

MCHS teacher Amy Holte, shared the complex process of coming to terms with her real passion. She said, “If you had asked me after college what my passion was, I would not have been able to tell you. At that time, I was living at home with my parents, working retail at Williams Sonoma.”

Feeling lost and confused is common for someone that is stressed about figuring themselves out. In most of these situations all you need is patience and determination.

“I can see now that I was tapping into a passion I have for cooking, but I was never drawn to be a chef or work in a restaurant. Cooking is more of a side passion. I had offers to become a manager, but it just didn’t feel like a good fit. I worked there for about eight months until I decided to move to Japan and teach there,” Holte said.

Having second thoughts may seem troublesome, but they’re all part of the journey. The revelation of not knowing your true passion pushes you to chase after your real passion.

Everyone’s journey and pace is different. Occasionally people find their passion through other people. Senior Emiliano Mendoza shared, “I’ve always wanted to be a nurse since my mom is a nurse. I look up to her. She’s the most hard working person I know. I have a spot in my heart for nurses and all they do. I hope to be like them some day.”

All high school students feel a little bit of pressure. Seniors at MCHS begin to face frightening thoughts about the future.

Senior Mariana Mora stated, “We go to college/university in a few months and we are paying for it. Not everyone will receive help to pay for college. It’s a pressure to not know what you are going to do with your life and wasting money on classes that perhaps were pointless to take depending on your career path.”

There is no assigned age where it’s required to find your passion. It can be hard and sometimes all you need is a push of encouragement.

Junior Cecy Rivera shared some advice.

She said, “I think a lot of the time we already know what we want to pursue but are afraid or lack the resources to say and do it. Essentially, I would say go back to the beginning. What did you enjoy doing most as a child? When were you happiest, and what were you doing? It may be hard, it may be really hard, but the opportunity is always there if you look hard enough.”

Discovering your passion is important, but you should learn to balance out the process with your mental health.

Holte said, “Sometimes the passion has to balance with your personal life. Though finding a career passion is important, there is such a thing as work/life balance, and you have to find your passion outside of work too. My family, travel, cooking and books are also my passions, and I have to find time to work those into my life too, otherwise the balance gets thrown off and my mental health suffers.”

Whether your journey is long or short, the final product is definitely worthwhile.

Holte said, “I feel that all of my choices have led me to this position. I love my work. I have always loved education, but being here at MCHS with students who are creative and insightful is a dream come true.”