The Case for an Individualized Path

“That’s not a major.” I’ve heard those words from more students than I can count — usually said with a sigh, as if their particular calling were an inconvenient shape that no school could quite hold. A woman drawn to both counseling and ministry. A man who wanted to weave together writing and theology. A worship leader hungry for the arts and discipleship.

For years I watched people like this flatten their callings to fit a category. And I began to wonder: what if the category is the problem, not the person?

God doesn’t call in categories

When you read Scripture, you don’t find God handing out standardized roles. You find a shepherd-king, a tentmaker-theologian, a physician who wrote a Gospel. Calling tends to be gloriously specific — a particular person, with particular gifts, sent to a particular place.

We are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand. — Ephesians 2:10

If that’s true, then an education that forces every student down the same three or four tracks may be quietly working against the very thing it’s meant to serve.

Freedom needs a guide

Now, freedom without guidance isn’t a gift — it’s a burden. Hand someone a blank page and say “design your own program,” and most people freeze. That’s where the mentor comes in. An individualized path isn’t a solo improvisation; it’s a duet. You bring the calling and the questions; your mentor brings structure, wisdom, and a map of what to read and in what order.

Together you turn a vague sense of “I want to do this” into a coherent, thoughtful plan — one that holds together and actually leads somewhere.

The most faithful option

I’ve come to believe that for many students, the individualized path isn’t the exotic exception. It’s the most faithful option — the one that takes seriously both the uniqueness of the student and the specificity of God’s call on their life.

So if you’ve ever been told your calling “isn’t a major,” I’d gently push back. Maybe it isn’t. Maybe it’s something better: a path with your name on it, waiting to be designed.