I wrote the following paper for my Introduction to Medical Science class. I know it sounds like it's for a class completely different but let me explain. I was a Biology major until late September of this term and it was not in my best interest to drop any classes. So, I was stuck with the class. Our assignment was to write about our first choice of career that pertained to the class, pick a second choice, write about why we are choosing those field and write about our impressions of these professions. Since I was, more or less, none of the above, I wrote this. I still got a good grade on it. Passed that class with a 99 because I missed one point on a quiz. Anyway, here's the paper.
My top two fields of interest are journalism and literature writing. I’ll focus on journalism first. I am interested in journalism for several reasons. I’m interested in journalism because I want to tell stories. I want to showcase what is happening in our communities, cities, states, and country whether positive or negative. I want to give those who may not have a voice or a way to get their story out there an avenue to do so. I want to change the way individuals view media and those involved with it. I’m also interested in journalism because it will give me the chance to express my opinions and values on issues that matter to me. More than all of that, I’m interested in journalism because it will give me a way to create positive change in the world with one photoshoot, one video, or one article at a time.
My impression of this field is that it’s not an easy one to get into and to do well in. Most individuals’ success in this field depends on two things: your content creating talent and who you know. Someone going into this field would have to have strong communication and interpersonal skills. Another impression I have of this field is that it can be extremely rewarding and gratifying. The feeling is so sweet when you see an article you wrote go viral or at least get more coverage than originally anticipated. Almost everything I have learned about this field so far has come from working closely with Odyssey for the past 8 months. I got first-hand experience with being a published journalist, the ins and outs of the article editing process, the feeling of happiness when a piece I’m proud of does well, and the feeling of sadness when someone criticizes and questions my career choice, something I wrote, or the legitimacy of the company I work for. Even though I know going into this field will not be a walk in the dog park, I would not have it any other way!
Literature has always been a thriving passion of mine. Throughout elementary and middle school, I was always that kid in class who had a book and was reading. I was the queen of quiet reading time in 2nd grade. Anyway, I’m interested in this field because I have honestly always enjoyed reading. Reading sort of gave me the chance to forget my worries for a little while and jump into the life of some character and follow their life story. I’ve also always been interested in writing my own stories. I have not actually had the chance to yet but being in college has renewed my interest. I’m interested in literature writing because I want to give other people the same escape I had.
My impression of this field is almost the exact same of the journalism field. Like journalism, literature writing and being an author is not easy. It is not easy to get into, stay in, and continuously do well. Like journalism, being an author is often about the ability to write and connections. An author’s entire being is probably on a roller coaster all the time so I think someone going into this field would need to know themselves well. This is something I will probably always be working on. I have not had a great amount of experience here yet but I hope to soon.
