In the wise words of Asher Roth, “I love College.” But I don’t want to stay here for the rest of my life. In fact, I would love to skip through it all and just start my life, in the real world.
Don’t get me wrong, I have a beautiful campus, some eccentric friends and roommates, and I’ve often been described a socialite. My professors have become my mentors and colleagues. My classes are both interesting and informative to my career path. I am about twenty minutes from the beach where we spend our days fishing, tanning, or partying. But the nights all come to end at some point; the pitchers empty and the shots turned into both poor decisions and the best stories. The papers become repetitive after your 60th credit hour and the days become wasted time until the nights begin again.
I am one of the few lucky people that knows exactly what they want to do in life. Actually, what I will do in life, and I simply just want to start already. If it wasn't for me skipping a few prerequisites, I would have never gotten the taste for my future field, and I wouldn't be sitting on my computer right now writing about the overwhelming urge to begin my career. Like I said earlier, I love college, I really do. But there is something that is so enticing about working. About the stimulating feeling I get following leads on stories and even more so when I get in front of the camera.
You know that sensation that you get when everything seems to be going right for once? Now, imagine being able to feel like that every day that you're working. It's almost intoxicating – doing what you love. However, I don't want to continually waste my days on courses that aren't relevant, busy work, and essays that were created just to receive a grade slapped upon it. I don't want to follow stories that I am not the one personally researching and reporting. I don't want to review county crime logs and filter through mug shots to find a golden needle in a haystack that I can't further look into. I want to be the one doing the heavy lifting. I want to feel the rush of pursuing a career that challenges every fiber in my body.
There are so many things that, despite professor's best attempts, can't be taught in a classroom. Problem solving isn't just a theoretical and situational concept, it's an everyday battle. One that I am more than excited to fight. I want to start now so that I can be yelled at when I do something wrong, so I can fix it for next time. I want to start now so that I can wake up each day, ready to take on any story that will inform my audience of their surroundings. I want to start now because I know what I would want to hear being discussed, about what issues need light, and not just ones that are in the limelight. I want to start now because I know that my passion for working is at it's highest; I've felt the rush of the job and I want to have that be a constant, not just something I was graded on for a semester. I don't see a point in putting out a fire that's burning madly. But the sad truth is, I have to wait until society sees a degree, not pure fervor and devotion.
