Finding Your Way

Mallory Jordan
Kappa Kappa Gamma

In high school you are given a plan.  Whether it’s the plan you choose or a plan your parents make for you, you are given certain expectations that you are to uphold in college.  So what happens when you realize those plans and expectations are just not for you?  How do you tell people you do not want to be doctor or a lawyer or whatever?

Some people will tell you that they had no expectations for you.  They will say that they simply wanted you to be happy and find your passion.  Well I disagree.  Your peers, teachers and parents all put pressure on you, even if they do not realize it.  The point of college is to experiment and change your mind.  It’s breaking the news to everyone that seems to be the hardest. 

For me, I still haven’t really broken the news. I think everyone I grew up with still believes that my major is undeclared with a Pre-Law focus.  Boy, could they be more wrong. I did come to Fayetteville with those motives.  In high school, I was convinced that law was the right path for me, and everyone I expressed that to encouraged me to pursue it.  So when I began my freshman year that was the plan.  I wanted to be a brunette Elle Woods. 

Shortly after, I realized perhaps this wasn’t right for me.  I started working for an attorney in town and soon found that the attorney lifestyle was not the bliss I imagined.  I didn’t want to be behind a desk.  I didn’t want to be invisible behind all the paperwork that was piled in front me.  That is when I decided I should seek advice. 

I met with my advisor and in the thick of our conversation he made me realize that I needed to take a new direction.  He put me in a journalism class and insisted I try it out.  I was skeptical to say the least.  Shockingly, I loved it.  I started volunteering at UATV and the path changed its course from there.  I realized that I loved being in the know.  I wanted to discover something new every day.  Journalism was for me, and my love for television told me broadcast was it!

If you asked me in high school if I ever thought I’d want to be in the broadcast journalism industry, I would have probably laughed in your face.  In high school, the options seem so limited.  To be successful you must be a doctor, a pharmacist, a lawyer, an architect.  You are given the preconceived notion that those options are the only ones people will take seriously.  But, what I am here to tell you is, don't be afraid to find your own way.  What I found in college was a completely new world that had unlimited options.  There are majors and jobs you probably have never even thought about, but what if those majors are perfect for you? What if you are wasting your time doing what you are expected instead of what you love? 

The fact is, some people never change.  Some people will still pressure you to do what “they think” you are supposed to do.  I still have friends and family tell me they see me as a lawyer. However, the only reason they say this is because I apparently like to argue. I imagine it takes more than a love for argumentation and a good tailored suit to be a lawyer.

When others discourage you, you have to remember that the only person living your life is you.  So if you want to change your mind, do it!  As the graduation speech from the Twilight Saga says, “Change your mind. Then change it again, because nothing is permanent.  So make as many mistakes as you can. That way, someday, when they ask again what we want to be, we won't have to guess. We'll know."

Mallory is a sophomore studying broadcast journalism and marketing. You may contact her at malmjordan25@gmail.com.