“What do you want to do in the future?”

It’s the question relatives, family friends, even grocery workers, asked me while I was growing up. Every time I named a career, I had no clue whether or not I actually wanted to pursue it.

At first, it was forensic anthropologist – I watched too much Bones. Then, it was lawyer – I watched too much How to Get Away with Murder. I jumped between public policy, human resources, at least four different types of marketing, journalism, you name it.

I wish I could say I explored all these prospective careers because I was truly passionate about each of them. It was really because I felt an increasing pressure as I neared my 20s to find my “true calling.”

There’s an idea that you should have a dream career that you spend your adolescence and college years pursuing. Your elementary school teacher asks you to draw your dream job. Your high school counselor hands you a list of occupations related to a major. You choose colleges based on what they specialize in. You apply to a billion internships so you can kickstart your career.

When I arrived at UCLA, I found that almost all of my friends had known for a while what they wanted to do. I never had that north star. Though I’ve been lucky enough to get to try different types of work, I felt like I was falling behind.

Then, things started to shift. I watched several of my closest friends fall out of their proposed career tracks. My childhood best friend, who always said he was going to be a surgeon, found a greater passion in computer engineering and entrepreneurship during college. My roommate decided going to medical school was not for her, and is now pursuing public health and research instead.

When I started at Snowflake, I heard similar stories from all over. My manager left a traditional PR track after realizing employee communications fulfilled her more.

After seeing what others have gone through, my mindset shifted. I was pushing myself to stick to a career because I was made to believe that was the status quo and the way to a stable, secure life. Ultimately, that idea is unrealistic and stunts the ambitions of young adults entering a wild and unpredictable period in their lives.

Maybe why I’ve struggled before is because there is no perfect career for me. I’m creating my own path, unique to whatever passions I have at the time.

Employee communications was a path I stumbled upon and found that it suited my interests and skills well. Working in this field didn’t mean my search was over – it’s starting my journey. I found a great career to lead me to the next thing. I don’t know what that next thing is, or when it will come, but that’s the fun of it.

Snowflake has given me the freedom to find new discoveries and pave my path. My team encourages me to get a feel for what other teams do. My manager routinely checks if I’m reaching the fulfillment I want, and if not, finds ways to adjust my role to best suit my interests.

When Snowflake speaks about making your own personal impact, they mean it. Francis Mao (who I met and can verify is awesome) and Cameron Tekiyeh’s IMPACT stories are only a few examples of Snowflakes taking the wheel in their careers – either jumping into a related role or falling in love with a completely different one.

During my 12 weeks here, I was able to curate my intern project to make the impact I wanted, uncovering more of what I hope to accomplish in the future. For someone entering the workforce and navigating the rollercoaster that is your 20s, I’m immensely grateful for the support and flexibility I was given to allow my professional self to blossom.

I’ll be heading into my last year of college soon. My past self would have been terrified of entering the unknown. Now, the unknown is almost comforting. It’s a reminder that you don’t need to have it all figured out.