This is the last post I will write on Odyssey.
I am about to embark on the journey that is my new, full-time career as a school social worker. It is my passion. Writing is still a passion of mine, but it's not my main passion.
I joined the Millennials of Michigan team back in February 2017 after I realized how much I missed writing. I left my journalism career behind to focus on finishing my master of social work degree in late 2016. As much as I loved journalism, the passion I once had for it was fading; I was burned out, exhausted and realized I didn't care as much.
It was a disheartening realization. I still have a deep love and appreciation for journalism - I even miss it sometimes, but the long, grueling hours, low pay and lack of benefits got to me. It wasn't right of me to stay on board when my heart was no longer in it - that's unfair to me and the newspaper I worked for.
That's where I'm at with my journey on Odyssey. I love writing, but now is time for me to put all of my time and energy into the position I worked so hard for.
Another factor is I feel that my interests and topics are not within Odyssey audience's interests. Odyssey is a platform that is geared toward the Millennial and Gen Z generations. Many of the trending topics on Odyssey are for high school and college students. I'm almost two years away from 30 and my content won't resonate with a 21-year old in their junior year of college.
My college years are long behind me. I can't relate to columns about college parties, high school graduations and what to buy for a college dorm. As an older millennial, I find it harder to relate to Odyssey and come up with ideas that will resonate with Odyssey's audience. I'm simply no longer at the stage in my life that Odyssey articles are geared towards: high school students and college students.
In conclusion, I want to thank Odyssey for providing me with a platform to share my thoughts with the world. I am thinking about starting a personal blog, but for now, I'm going to focus on what is most important to me: being the best school social worker I can be.