As kids we are all asked that question, what do you want to be when you grow up? We all give those standard answers: superhero, ballerina, firefighter, or my personal favorite: a garbage collector. That was my sister’s answer. She has thankfully decided not to pursue that avenue and is currently working on a degree in something else. As we grow up, we go through different careers that we have in mind for our lives. I have personally gone through too many to count.

When I was 6, I wanted to be a ballerina. I took dance for one year. It was so much fun! I definitely think I could have done it. I love the music and have an appreciation for the art of dance. I still have a giant ballerina picture hanging in my room. However, I think I make a much better writer.

I discovered that I had a passion for writing around the 5^th grade. I wrote short stories all the time. I also found out that you were supposed to write in paragraphs that year. Writing is something that has always been super important to me. It’s still one of my favorite things to do. I always say “With reading, it’s like going into a whole new world and with writing, you get to create that world.”

The older I got, the more I realized that it was important to me to have a career where I could help people. I could possibly write on the side. Around the 8^th grade, my next career choice was to be a doctor. I thought it would be super fun to be able to help sick people - more specifically sick children. The science behind it really interested me. I had a lot of insecurities then, too. One of those just so happened to be that I wasn’t smart enough to be a doctor. Around the 10^th grade, I thought I would make a much better nurse, anyways. I told myself it would be a lot more personal, I could encourage people, and I would get out of school faster anyways.

Later, I decided I probably wasn’t cut out for the medical field. My senior year of high school, I planned on double majoring in Psychology and English and becoming a therapist. You couldn’t have told me that was the wrong thing for me then. I wouldn’t have heard you.

After my freshman year in college, I have decided that as much as I would love to make a career in the medical field, that is not where my passion is. I love to write. I love to encourage people through writing. I love everything about this art. It is my passion.

So, while we might have these crazy ideas as kids or even high schoolers of the answer to the question “What do you want to be when you grow up?”, we do have time to find what our heart’s desire is. Right now, I am a full-time student, part-time cashier, and part-time writer. It’s not exactly the easiest thing I have ever done, but I do make ends meet.

And I get to pursue what I love at the same time. It’s a win-win.

Have a great week!

Hope you enjoyed both of my articles this week!

Sydney