Quite frankly, we aren't given the proper amount of time to make the best decisions. Though many people believe they know what they want to do with their lives, more often than not their first inclination is the wrong one.

It all begins when you're a freshman, searching for what might be your place in the workforce of the world -- to find your niche in all of the madness. You have two years to figure your life out before declaring a major field of study. It sounds like plenty of time with respect to the grand scale of life; however, as you mature and come into your own, you realize that you're unsure of what you really would like to focus on. So, what do you do? You pick a major. You have to. That's not to say you won't pick what's right for you, but this choice goes unchallenged for about a year, as you feel your way around at first. Then, after a year or so within the classes of your major, you begin to understand that you may have chosen unwisely. By this time, you are now three years into a four- to five-year (sometimes more) stint as a college student.

So, now what? If you're lucky, many of your credits from your first choice of major might just transfer over into your next, more educated decision choice. Usually that's not the case, but at least you will have formulated one path that is not suited for you, allowing you to avoid any irrecoverable damage.

Think about this. Imagine college requiring five years (instead of four) -- of course, tuition would have to be adjusted accordingly. This would give you, let's say, three years instead of two to unlock your potential and come a little bit closer to understanding yourself, finding what you really want to do with your life before you declare into a major you may later regret. This wouldn't necessarily mean more credits to take, or more classes or more homework or anything of that nature. All that it would mean is a better chance at using your college time to its maximum potential and leaving with some particular evidence of what you accomplished during your tenure. This evidence, being in the form of useful work-related knowledge, would then be used in facilitating yourself in the working force.

I have many friends who have graduated from this fine institution, along with other various colleges, and while it is somewhat comical, the fact remains that almost all of them appear to share one diluted notion about their years at college that have now passed them by -- they miss them dearly. Most of these people are not content with their present working situation. Though I realize that part of what they miss is the irreplaceable good times and camaraderie amongst friends, they wouldn't notice this void as easily if it were filled with days that included an occupation that was distinctively enjoyable.

Hopefully most of you have not encountered problems such as this; however, I suspect that there are more of you out there than one might conceive. I, unfortunately, am one of those people. However, I realized much too late into my college years what I really wanted to do with my life and what would make me happy beyond belief. That happens to be writing, which is a far cry from civil engineering. So, I press on, with the notion of not giving up on my dreams but with the desire to finish the college ascent I began a long time ago.

A fine woman once told me that if you can realize the one thing that you enjoy most in life, no matter what it is, and wake up every day to pursue it as your career, then you will find yourself at the pinnacle of happiness. I believe she was on to something.