Everyone comes into college with some idea of what they want to do in life. They may not know what major to pick or if that's really what they want to do, but still, there is always a general idea present, whether people realize it or not. And, sometimes, that idea may just be a wrong one or one that someone else is pushing on them. I was great at science and math, so my teachers wanted me to do engineering. I had great grades and a good college application filled with extracurricular activities, but what I didn't have was the perspective I needed.
I did have some teachers in my life who were taken aback when I mentioned engineering was my plan. They usually rebutted a little bit but would concede after a minute or two and just assume maybe they hadn't seen the whole person.
My realization that maybe this wasn't my path came before I even got to college. I was sitting in an interview for Air Force ROTC at the University of South Carolina talking to a man I'd known for close to half an hour. He was telling me about how he loved mowing his lawn. Mowing his lawn was what he did to relax, it made him happy and was something he truly enjoyed doing that, to him, didn't seem like a chore. He then asked me what I enjoy doing and without thinking, I answered, "Playing saxophone and teaching people."
He knew I was applying to be an engineering major at USC and in the Air Force ROTC scholarship program application. And, his next question was, "Why are you not majoring in music?" I really didn't have a great answer. After talking for a while longer, he offered me his command scholarship, in any major I chose, to go to USC with my tuition paid for. We talked for another hour before I left, and I had a week to call him back about either accepting the scholarship or competing in a national pool, and I had a lot of time to think about what wanted to study.
Sometimes, it's really funny how things pan out. It's weird to think that in less than an hour someone would have the audacity to say, "I don't think you should be an engineering major, your heart is in teaching and music." It's also odd to think about teachers and mentors who you've known for years who have made similar statements but always remained neutral in their opinions because they didn't wish to disrupt your plan.
At the end of that week, I knew that I didn't want to go to USC, so I decided to compete in the national pool for scholarships. I had also decided that I wasn't sure what I wanted to major in, so I chose to compete as a non-technical major, just to leave the door open for myself. But what I did know was that I really did enjoy teaching other people not only in music but in NJROTC, or tutoring. I also knew that I really did love everything about music and band.
What eventually led me to major in music was a conglomerate of things, but it was primarily realizing that I could spend every day doing what I love to do. They say, "If you do what you love, you'll never work a day in your life," and that's very true. Yes, I have had so many late frustrating nights the past two years, and I know there are more to come, but, instead of mind-numbingly completing calculus problems and chemistry homework, I'm focused on something that makes me happy even when the 32nd note run just won't quite stay in time under my fingers.
