When I was a child, my mother pushed me to be as creative as possible. She always told me to read, write, go outside and use my imagination. Now at 20 years old, I am thankful for that push.
This fall, I will be a little over the half way point in my college career. Junior year! When I stared college my freshman year, my plan was to major in Spanish and minor in English. Then after my first semester, I decided to drop the Spanish part of it and major in English education.
Now as I start my junior year, I am majoring in journalism. Before you tell me that this is a bad decision or ask me why I would choose such a field or ask if this is really what I want to do, or tell me that I will never make a good living, note I have made my decision and I really do think this is the right path for me.
Yes, I know that journalists have a bad reputation. I know that most people think that journalists are liars, or are biased, but that is not the truth. Not at all. Most journalists just want to go out and report the facts. Find the truth and tell the truth.
Most of us have heard of Stephen Glass and do not appreciate the reputation he has given us. He is one of the very few journalists who got away with fabricating facts and lying 100 percent about what he was reporting. It is crazy to think that one ill-minded person could ruin the reputation of an entire career field.
I myself have always loved to write. I have also loved the idea of helping others. So this career would be a win win for me.
Also, yes I know the internet is making it harder for me to do my job. But, the news has to come from somewhere. Somebody has to go and investigate the facts that are below the surface. Facebook and Twitter are not going to do it.
I honestly have grown to love the weird and or dirty looks people give me when I tell them I am going to school to be a journalist. No, I do not plan to work for TMZ, no I do not want to sit on television and talk bad about celebrities and politicians, I want to be out in the field, doing research, really getting to know people and report on things that are going on with real people. And most imporatantly, I want to tell the truth about what is going on in the world, even if people are too afraid to hear it.
If it was not for my mom, I honestly do not think I would know what I want to do with my life. Being pushed to love to read and write by her is something that I will forever be thankful for. Yes, this career choice may not pay that of a doctor or a lawyer but at least I have found something that I love, and that I know I will be good at.
