“Do it with passion or not at all.” I am not sure who said this, but I owe them a huge thank you. In high school, you're forced to take a certain number of Math and English and Science credits, regardless of who you are or where your interests lie. It’s annoying, no doubt, but it’s also necessary. By taking a variety of classes, you are able to discover what your interests are and what they aren’t. By the time you go off to college, you have an idea of what you want to study and what you want to be. Sounds fool-proof, right?
Except it isn’t. People change and grow constantly. You have to in order to survive, but we also have to so that you're able to become who you are really meant to be. Nobody stays the same forever. We’re people, and people change their minds.
When I was 16, I spent the summer as a volunteer in a classroom for children with special needs. After that ended, I randomly got asked to be a camp counselor for children with developmental disabilities, including autism. It changed my life, so I decided right then and there that someday I wanted to be a teacher. I took a child development class during my senior year, student taught second grade, taught a preschool class, and applied to colleges as an Early Childhood Major and go to a school that is recognized for having an awesome education program. I should be so happy, right? I found my passion and I go to a school that allows me to pursue it.
Well, three years changes a lot. I’m not 16 anymore. Your high school years do nothing to prepare you for when you think you want to make a total career change. The way I see the world is totally different and so many of my thoughts and opinions have changed. And while I couldn’t be more grateful for the opportunities I have been given and exposed to, it has changed my perspective on life. As of right now, I have no idea if I want to be a teacher anymore. Not knowing what you want to do with your life is terrifying, but I would rather not know than know I am doing something that I don’t really care about.
If there is one thing I believe in, it’s that your job should be something you love. Your life should be invested in the things that you love, forget the money or the benefits. If you don’t love something, why put so much time and effort into getting a degree, an internship, and a job dedicated to it? Life is really short and so many terrible things happen that are beyond our control. We owe it to ourselves to do something that we enjoy, no matter what it may be (unless it’s illegal). If you don’t love it, don’t do it.
