One of the most difficult decisions a teenager needs to make is deciding what he or she wants to do for the rest of their life. If you step back and think about the choice, it really seems impossible. I am talking about college and how students are often questioned by their parents and elders about what they are going to major in and what they "want to be when they grow up." Of course, though, it eventually comes time for a decision to be made about what career or field of study you would like to pursue. That's where we, the students, realize that this is the real thing and we have to put our hearts and minds into everything we study here on in.

I've been in the game for two years already and boy does time fly. It seems like only yesterday I was enjoying my first summer vacation, no longer as a high school student, but as someone ready to enter college. And here I am going into my junior year at college.

For those incoming freshmen who just graduated from high school, I first extend my congratulations to you and welcome you to a whole new experience. I am also going to remind you, as a colleague now, that determining what you want to be when you grow up is a difficult task. With all the classes there are to choose from and having a limit as to which ones you can actually take, it is important to pick and choose wisely. Of course, the possibilities of various classes are endless, but unfortunately time is short and we can't spend forever in college deciding what we're going to do tomorrow.

College can be one of the best times of your life. The memories and excitement will remain with you always. As you continue through school, you realize that all the questioning by adults about what you want to do is not only a conversation piece, but also free advice on life. As you mature, you will learn to take that advice with you and remember it wherever you go. The infamous question of "what do you want to do when you grow up?" is like a learning process. For some, the answer changes with time. For others, it remains the same. But that answer enables students to learn what they want in life and whether they have the desire to make it a reality.

(Jennifer Hettinger is a 1998 graduate of Mineola High School. She recently completed her sophomore year at Hofstra University, where she is majoring in broadcast journalism. She is currently interning at the Mineola American.)