What do we learn from college? Everyone asks themselves this question before they enroll or start college orientation. Some people come in knowing what they want to do while others have no idea what they want to (i.e. me). College gives us four years of working towards something we want to do for the rest of our life. Sounds scary right? Wrong. We do come in nervous at first but with the right resources and right opportunities, we leave with new experiences and the chance at a career we feel we can now change the world with. How did this translate into my major or my career? Well, it all started with a website called Odyssey.

I’ve been writing on Odyssey for the past year and a half as a hobby and a way for me to keep up my love of writing. As my time went on, my articles started taking different approaches from being fun and goofy to being more serious in hopes to be able to send them to future employers or post on my LinkedIn. So, how did the thing that I used to dread in high school become something that I love and cherish so much?

Over time I started looking at writing as an escape and a way for me to get out all my crazy imagination tactics. When I wrote, I found an escape from all the negativities in life, and it felt like the only thing that mattered to me were the words that I wrote down. Not only was it an escape, but it was something I was good at.

After writing for some time, I realized that maybe what I wanted to do involved writing. But I didn’t quite know how to combine my major and my love to create a career. There are so many writers I admire, and I am sure many people who write and create ads have a background in writing, but I wasn’t sure if it was right for me.

Advertising is a huge category that gives you many opportunities for you, whether it is on the creative or business side. While this was exciting I still didn’t know which direction to go in. Combining writing and advertising could have a good effect, and if I added my love of sports, it could be a great job for me.

Do I know what writing on Odyssey will translate into? No. What I do know is that it has taught me deadlines, management, and how to be critical of my work. All of these qualities and skills are what employers looking for in for an employee. While I do get to do what I love, I also learn important qualities that can be used in my future in the workforce.

We come to college not knowing what we want to do and sometimes we figure it out. Our goal is to be happy in our career and be successful but sometimes we don’t even end up pursuing what we want. Take what you love and make a career out of it.

Going to your job happy every day is better than just going because it's what you have to do. If you want to be a teacher, you could be the person who inspires that struggling student to turn your life around. Choose what makes you happy because the outcomes and opportunities are endless.