Thankfully, for me, deciding on a career was an extremely easy process.
I knew at the age of eleven that I wanted to be a fiction author. I enjoyed reading and writing creative stories from a young age, and in the sixth grade, my teacher told my mother I should look into being a writer when I grew up.
Since that moment I knew exactly what I want to do with my life. As I got older and closer to applying to college, it was a given that I would be an English major. Not long after starting at the College of Charleston, I also decided to declare a Communications minor and a concentration in Creative Writing.
Throughout the years, my friends, classmates, and strangers have asked what my major is. After I tell them, most of them reply with "So you want to be a teacher?" or even more commonly, "What are you going to do with that?" Since I have heard this so many times, I have developed a speech to tell whoever asks. Many people go on to tell me how cool it is that I want to write young adult, fiction novels, while other times I hear comments on the more negative side.
I have heard it all when it comes to my decision to major in what I am passionate about. 'You're not going to make any money', 'There are not enough job options in that field', and 'You should have a back up' are just a few comments I have heard since declaring my beloved English major.
Through everything that I have heard, I have never wavered about my decision. I am dead set and determined, and have been for quite some time, to have novels published and even movies produced when I am older. I have seen people who work just for money and not because they love their career. While I understand the importance of being financially stable, I do not want to live a life of going to a mundane job everyday and hating what I do. If I have to live a more simple life to do what I love, I am completely content with that.
So, for every college student who is struggling to find their major or calling, this is what I suggest: take your time in college to figure out what you love. Learn what classes you actually enjoy getting up for in the morning, what clubs you like volunteering for, or what you love to do in your free time (other than eating, sleeping, and Netflix).
Don't freak out when you realize this career won't make you $100,000 a year or your parents are leery about your decision. Be smart about your choices, but choose what will make you happy in the end. It is your life and you have to live it.
