Year four, here we go

Senior year. Huh. So many thoughts and emotions rush through my head and heart at the same time that it's hard to untangle them all enough to make sense of them. On the one hand, I am extremely excited and ready to be finished. All of these theories and books and lectures need to be done so that I can get out into the "real world" (whatever that means!) and apply this knowledge that I've crammed into my head over the past few years. I'm ready to be away from homework, assigned reading, people telling me how many words and pages I need to write, or how long I need to be in a certain school setting, etc. I want to be able to come home in the evening and just relax without feeling bad about it. Of course being an education major makes that last one a little trickier and less likely, but still...

The truth is that I think I'm ready for something new. This feeling always comes up every few years and I figured this college thing wouldn't be any different. I get bored of where I'm at, used to what I'm doing, and ready for a new adventure. And here I am again. This time around is more frustrating than others in the past because I'm now questioning my choice of major and the past three years. Being in 400-level education classes, I can't help but think "This is not at all what I want to do. Please don't ever make me do this!" Great timing, I know! This feeling has been creeping up on me for a little while now, so I wasn't entirely caught off guard, but it's hard nevertheless and is making this year extra hard. All I do right now revolves around becoming a teacher, which, it turns out, I don't want to become anymore... Oh golly!

If I had to fast forward a few years, there are three options I can think of off the top of my head that would be happy:

1. Professional Passion: I would have a master's degree in higher education/student development, co-run an amazing orientation program and spend my days building relationships with college students, challenging them and helping them grow. Of course the thought of having to go to more schooling is not super appealing right now, but it could happen. The end goal sounds like a dream, so I could probably push through a few more years of classes I'm actually interested in...
2. Family lover: I would live in Norway, have a wonderful family, wear a cozy sweater every day and just love on the people around me. I could bake and cook all day long, fill the house with delicious treats, and spend time with the people I love. Of course, we would live in a cozy little (or nice-sized...) cottage with a fireplace and low ceilings with wooden beams. Yes, I know Norway is a cold and often dark place (5 hours of sunlight a day in the winter isn't much, I know), but that's why we'd have the sweaters and fires and snuggles! Trust me, it would be a beautiful place y'all would want to visit.
3. Thirty, Flirty, and Thriving: I would live with wonderful friends in a beautiful apartment above my little - but very successful and popular - breakfast place/bakery/coffee shop/children's book store/flower shop and wear cute dresses and shoes and aprons every day. I could spread smiles and cupcakes all day long to make people happy. Perfect!

So these are my "I'm ready for senior year to be over and we're only 2.5 weeks into it (!)" thoughts. I'll add my "Why I think college should never, ever, ever end" thoughts some other time.