Why it’s OK for students not to know what they want to do

“Next term, I want to take intermediate Spanish, Native America: identity and adaptation, and the philosophy of education," I said. "That way, I have a couple of courses that might be good for the summer programme on the Navajo reservation, but I brush up on my Spanish just in case I spend a term in Buenos Aires.”

My adviser cupped his chin in both hands, his squinting eyes almost imperceptible in the space between his beard and beanie. I was in my sophomore year of university, and I had to enrol in my classes for the spring term.

My adviser gave a quick nod. “Well, it looks like you have it all figured out.”

As I look back, I realise that I did not have it all worked out. My course selection hinged on the experiences I wanted to have. All I knew was this: I wanted to work with people and travel the world. Everything else, including my major, was just details.

Luckily, I had the chance to study at a liberal arts college. Exploration was assumed and encouraged. What my adviser knew – and what I try to remember now in my practice – is that some students need the chance to explore widely as they find their way.

Why generalists triumph

In his book, Range: Why generalists triumph in a specialised world, David Epstein delves into the lives of successful people who explored young and specialised in their chosen fields later, from Roger Federer to Johannes Kepler to Vincent van Gogh. Exploration, for these generalists, was not a liability but rather an asset. 

Epstein argues that generalists:

Draw from a wider repertoire of transferable skills and knowledge

We learn from our experiences, which serve us in new, unfamiliar situations. Dedre Gentner, a professor of psychology at Northwestern University, calls this “analogical thinking”: we make sense of what is unknown by drawing comparisons with what is known. Through comparison, we come to new understandings and insights.

Consider how genetic algorithms in artificial intelligence borrow from biology’s theory of natural selection: solutions are implemented, tested and evaluated, the best results inform the next series of solutions, and the programme continually adapts and evolves. The wider our knowledge base, the more we can compare.

Recognise and recover from failure faster

It is fair to say that we all typically avoid failure, but there are two fundamentally different approaches: commit to our failures until they become moderate successes, or recognise a failure early and move on to something that might be more successful. Seth Godin, bestselling business author, criticises the notion that “winners never quit”. He argues that winners quit often when they recognise a loss for what it is and can pivot quickly.

Feel more confident and comfortable in their chosen professions

After trying out multiple disciplines, generalists make more informed decisions about where they want to invest their time and energy professionally. Epstein refers to this as “match quality”, or the extent to which someone’s work matches their sense of self, their skills and their interests. Committing to the first career you considered, Epstein argues, is like marrying your high-school sweetheart. Some people do, but most of us need to date before we find a good match. 

Our students as generalists

So how do we encourage our students to explore widely, take on failure and gain confidence in who they are?

1. We shift the focus of our counselling from the destination to the journey 

Our goal is not to have each of our students leave our office with their dream careers firmly fixed in their minds. Most of our students will change their minds in or after university. We are here to support a student on this step of their journey and to help them take their next best step forward. Where that path ultimately leads is still unknown.

2. We encourage failure 

If we only stick with what we know, we will never learn much. Encouraging our students to explore widely means putting them at risk of finding pitfalls, taking detours and changing paths entirely. When students open themselves up to different experiences, they will inevitably fail. They will also inevitably succeed. We have to reframe the narrative around failure as something to be embraced and learned from, not to be avoided.

3. We promote programmes that encourage multidisciplinary studies 

There are so many great university programmes that foster exploration across disciplines. Liberal arts programmes are specifically designed to provide a wider breadth of learning for our students who transfer across disciplines. Some of my students are concerned about becoming jacks of all trades, aces of none, but we oftentimes forget the second half of the age-old adage: “though oftentimes better than master of one”.

I am grateful for my liberal arts education and for the experience I had with my adviser when I was the counselled, not the counsellor. If we had charted out my four years of university on day one, I never would have had the chance to explore as widely as I did. I needed a generalist education, and so do many of our students.

The best way to find your way is to get a little lost, embrace the uncertainty and explore. But, more importantly, you will test your limits, widen your perspective and learn about who you are. Everything else – including your career – is just details.