I have had a Magic 8 Ball sitting somewhere in my room for the past five years for a merely aesthetic value.

But it is starting to look more and more like a valuable and trustworthy item.

Since I have started making decisions about my life after Tech, I have realized I have no idea what I really want to do.

Here is where the 8 Ball factors in as a great tool.

I ask the Magic 8 Ball, "Should I get a job and start working next summer?"

It tells me, "Cannot predict now." Obviously a job is a hazy choice, so I move on to my next option.

"Should I go to graduate school?"

It answers, "It is decidedly so." Wow, a definite answer to a very serious question.

So I should go to grad school. Now I need to know if I should go out of state or stay close to home.

The 8 Ball's answer, "Ask again later," gives me little hope at the moment.

Now, before you roll your eyes and write me off as a hopeless decision-maker who does not take her future seriously, keep in mind how many other people have been reduced to such drastic measures.

Think about all the fortune cookies that have been cracked open over the years and those little slips of paper that have been saved.

Remember the numerous coins that have been flipped.

Consider all the daily horoscopes that run in newspapers across the world and all the psychic hotlines.

And don't forget the "Jump to Conclusions Mat" from "Office Space."

The human race has always been desperate to find a way to make up our minds.

Andrew Jackson became commonly quoted because of his decision during the Battle of Bunker Hill in the Civil War.

"If I can see the whites of their eyes, then it's time to fire on them."

Remember that even you have done it.

Perhaps as you were walking to class one morning, you thought to yourself, "If I see two more butterflies before I get to GTM, then I will skip my afternoon class."

Or, "If I go another week without biting my fingernails, then I will not make myself go home next weekend."

Well, at least I think things like that.

But I'm the person who consults my Magic 8 Ball on which graduate school to choose for my master's degree.

Speaking of which, it's time for me to ask again, so let me leave you with a few rules of 8 Ball etiquette.

First of all, ask your question out loud while shaking it, and always be sure the eight is facing the palm of your hand.

When you turn it over, the answer might not appear immediately, because the little 20-sided polygon, or icosahedron, with all the answers is stuck in the blue liquid. Do not rush the 8 Ball.

After all, this is your future. Be patient for the answers.

However, a very small jolt always helps.

Michelle Hudgens is a senior journalism major from Pineville and serves as associate editor for The Tech Talk.