Growing up, I have been told by people in society that I needed to have "realistic" goals about what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I didn't know what my big dream was until my sophomore year of high school when students from the high school paper came in to recruit for a Journalism class. Once I took that class the beginning of junior year, I fell in love with writing and editing. I loved being able to tell a story and having a voice even though I am just one person.
My big dream is to work in New York City with The New York Times. Yes, I do understand that this is a very ambitious goal and that it will take a lot for me to get there, but it's a good thing that I am an ambitious person. When someone looks at me funny and tells me that I should set smaller goals that are more realistic, I don't let this get me down; instead, it empowers me. Let me tell you why that is.
Let's look at the facts. There are people who work for The New York Times who not long ago were in my shoes - just a college student pursuing her big dream. All of the major newspapers and most of the minor ones offer internships for college students - and some of these internships can definitely turn into a potential job. So yes, it might be difficult to get your foot in the door but it is not impossible. Someone has done it before, so why not you?
This can apply no matter what career you want to go into. Everyone has to start somewhere and there is absolutely nothing wrong with starting small-scale and working your way up to where you want to be. Sometimes this is the best kind of thing, because when you are working for your dream, you don't go in with a big head thinking that you are amazing, but you are humble and understand that there are so many other people who want to be in your shoes right now and in the future.
So the next time that you ask someone what they want to do and they give you a really ambitious answer, remember your big dream and think about how you would feel if someone tried to get you to not pursue it or told you that it would be too hard to do. Persistence and passion can get you wherever you need or want to get to, so don't let anyone tell you differently.