Like many college students, I had a very hard time deciding on my major. I had a wide range of interests, from acting to astronomy, and had difficulty narrowing my search as I began my first year of school. I started out in music, then moved to accounting before settling on my current concentration, journalism.

I did not make this decision by myself.

Before choosing journalism, I had countless conversations with my family, friends and career services office. I took aptitude and personality tests to help me learn about my strengths and careers that played to those strengths. I spent hours on Google and Youtube watching dozens of career videos, hoping to find one that sparked my curiosity.

We have a pretty narrow definition of "successful" careers in our society. These include medicine, law, STEM and business. Schools often have large departments in these subjects, with the rest getting looked over. Anything else can be seen as too difficult and impractical.

However, there are a lot of people who are not meant to be in those few careers.

There are so many other pathways out there for every individual, and each pathway is important. The notion that these careers don't have any jobs available can often be a myth. I know this from my own experience in journalism.

Journalism as a career was recommended to me by my mom, the person who knows me better than anyone else in the world. She thought journalism might be fitting because it combines my love of politics, writing and performing. I'm a big musical theatre geek, and she thought being on TV or the radio might excite me. She was right.

I dove into research about journalism as a career.

I looked at the Bureau of Labor Statistics and any other job site I could find to learn as much about this career as possible. The more I read the more I realized that I had found what I wanted to do, and I was thrilled. But then I came across a statistic that made my heart sink.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook, journalists are expected to have a 10 year projected job outlook of -9%, a substantial decline compared to the national average of 6-7%. I panicked the first time I saw this. How was I going to find a job when I graduated? Are there no decent reporters anymore?

I was talking to my dad about this unsettling discovery when he said something quite profound to me. "You are your own statistic," he said.

Now that I've been in college for a year, and started my first journalism internship, I really understand what he meant. The bottom line is-- don't let the experiences of others pave the way for your own experiences. Make your own path if others don't make it for you.

This is not easy, and you have to hustle hard to reach your goals. You have to make the grades, excel in extracurriculars and seek out opportunities 24/7. You have to network and advocate for yourself as much as possible. You have to be ambitious, curious and passionate about your dreams. This requires serious time and effort, and might be more challenging than if you chose a more run-of-the-mill career. But if you really love the career you're striving towards, you will make it.

So, don't shy away from unconventional careers. If you love something, and are willing to work hard enough to seize it, you will get there. You are your own statistic, so reach out and show it who's boss.