This was a very demanding semester for me. As a journalism major, I took courses that resembled a part-time job and required a tremendous amount of time, effort, and energy. Thankfully, the support system that I have around me really helped me push forward when I felt like I was falling backward.
On a number of occasions this semester, I thought about changing my major from Journalism to Culinary Arts. I started to feel bad about feeling this way. I mean, I've wanted to be a journalist since I was in elementary school and I've worked towards achieving that goal ever since then. But little did I know, questioning what you want to do is healthy and not harmful.
Every journalist has a story as to how difficult the profession is. Regardless of how long someone has been in the business, or if they're a student journalist trying to get into the profession, it goes without saying that they will endure peaks and valleys. People will refuse to do interviews, people will criticize articles and from personal experience, any confidence that was once had gets tossed in the trash. This sounds extreme, but it's a part of the process. For me, I had doubts as to if I could be successful in this profession.
But here's the interesting part – it was great that I had that doubt for two reasons. One, it was humbling. I can't speak for anyone else, but it's humbling when you realize that you're far from a finished product and you have to improve. But the second thing that was interesting was that it made me love journalism even more.
It's funny how things work. I work extremely hard on an assignment, thinking that I'm one step closer to where I need to be, only to be pushed back down on my rear end. But sometimes, when you get knocked down on your rear end, it causes you to look up and look forward.
When I looked up this semester, I realized as bad as it seems, there's nothing else I'd rather do than be a journalist.
Questioning if journalism was for me caused me to take risks and dream big. Once I came to the conclusion that this major was for me, I figured I might as well take a chance on things that I never thought I could do, including dream big. I imagined myself being successful and what that ultimately did was push me to work harder and dream bigger.
Questioning my major happened to be one of the best things that happened to me. It showed me that there is no plan B because there's nothing that I'd rather do. It also gave me hope for the future. A grade or academic misfortunes doesn't mean that the end is near. If anyone questions their major, it could be for the best. It could bring about a newfound energy and hope, or it could show someone that this might not be the best outlet for them. But if that's the case, it will lead them to their true calling.
Questioning your major isn't a bad thing. It might lead you to your destiny.