Change can be difficult. Whether it is in the physical or emotional sense, change tends to bring forth many new situations that never once were in the realm of possibilities. However, change is exhilarating and without it, I would not function. I am a lover of variety, which I consider a strength as a student or employee. Pushing the boundaries is what my life is all about. However, when things change course, I can’t help but play the what-if game. So when I woke up yesterday morning with a career revelation, I wasn’t sure if I should be jumping for joy or heading for the hills.

I’ve started to use an elimination method to figure out what career experiences I would like to have before I graduate and what I ultimately want to do. I’m going to start with the recent internships and work my way back to understand what career options will offer the qualities that I seek. After all, a career is a mutual relationship. You have to like it as much as it likes you in order to perform your best in my opinion. My summer “relationships” were both interesting and informative. But with every relationship, there is a chance of heartbreak.

As a psychology and economics major, I have options. With a diverse major like many liberal arts majors tend to be, there is never a shortage of potential paths, but often a shortage of time to figure out which is the yellow brick road to Oz. This past summer, I look the road less taken by doing psychology research at a large state university. I call it the road less taken only because research in a large university is not something I considered until presented the opportunity by a faculty member at Scripps (Lesson- talk to your professors about internship options. They can work magic). So off I went with a rather large suitcase and some ruby red slippers for a six-week internship experience in a social psychology lab.

It is hard to describe my experience in the lab mostly because I feel like I am constantly contradicting myself as I speak: I enjoyed the experience, but there were flaws. I liked the people, but that made me reconsider my decision to make research a career. The subjects were interesting, but the variety I sought for was lacking. As with any internship experience, there are critiques, but an internship is only a taste of the greater picture. Therefore, most of the knowledge I acquired was from talking to people within the lab itself, specifically graduate students and professors. Variety is great, but I soon ate my words when I heard the MANY opinions about social psychology research.

For starters, there are many career paths that can be taken from psychology, but a PhD program, such as the one being pursued by the graduate students in this lab, is not for sissies. Graduate school admissions rates are minuscule in many fields of study and social psychology is close to the top of that list. But after you have a PhD (as if it is just that simple), what do you do? Well, that was my question exactly. What would I do? By speaking to graduate students who once asked the same question, my answer soon emerged. Research. Most PhD programs groom students to become top-notch researchers and professors of their field. All the resources from a PhD program sharpen one’s skills for close to six years in order to achieve that title. Easier said than done, my friend. Six years? Six years ago I was counting down the days until the release of the Harry Potter movie. Though I am incredibly grateful for the incredible work my professors do, I have never believed that my place was within the world of academia. But suddenly after hearing this option, I began to wonder if I was skipping over this possibility too quickly.

The reality of it is that I was/am afraid of letting an opportunity for success pass by. However, my recent reflections have clarified and reassured my decision that Psychology research is not the best fit for me at this time. It’s a big change to give up a potential route of success, but it is even more rejuvenating and exciting to know that another path may possibly be my golden brick road.

As of now, I have made a slight detour from the original path, but it feels good. My greatest piece of advice is to listen to your gut feeling, but don’t be afraid to challenge it. Take up experiences you normally would not pursue just to understand what you should be pursuing. That change may help you discover something new about yourself that you can use to your benefit in the future. “We aren’t in Kansas anymore,” but by making the trip, we will figure out where we should be.