It was 6:30 p.m. on a Friday night and my shift had just begun. I could already hear the customers hounding at me for price checks and coupons and I immediately think, "I should've called out."

As I go through the rest of my shift, all I'm thinking about is tomorrow's deadline and all the homework I have to complete by the end of the night. Work, school, sleep, repeat was my schedule and it drained me artistically. I felt my will to create slip away from me and I couldn't stand it. I pulled through because I knew this anxiety is temporary, but a part of me was scared that this would be what the rest of my life is like.

If I stay in this job any longer, my legacy will lie in how many store credit cards I get customers to open and my college degree will be used as a paperweight. In my heart, I knew I couldn't let this happen, so I did what any brave hero would do. I quit.

I worked at a department store for about three years, and for the most part, I loved it. I really liked the environment and it worked well with my school schedule. But after I became comfortable, things started to change. I realized that there was no room to grow, and that left me uninspired. I knew that, no matter how great I was, my manager will always call me by the wrong name. No matter how many credit card applications I got, I would not be recognized at morning rallies, and no matter how nice I was, I would always be seen as weak.

As I walked through the employee break room, I noticed everyone's conversations surrounded around minimal problems in the work environment. Their biggest concerns were who's cleaning the fitting room and who's opening the bank. A majority of the conversation was gossip and it was like taking a trip back to high school every time I clocked in.

I needed to move forward, not backward.

I quit my job because I knew I'd be safe there. I knew I was good at what I was doing and that it was easy. In life, the easiest way is not the best way. I need challenge, I need fire to fuel my passion and I need to do work that I'm actually proud of.

Also, it had nothing to do with what I was studying in college. It's been said that college is a time to find yourself and explore paths that you wouldn't usually go for.

That's all well and great, but I had a pretty good original plan and I was determined to stick to it.

I believe everyone should have a job they hate at first. Those are the ones that teach you good work ethic and inspire you to follow, or find, what you really want to do in life. Although I would never go back to the retail life, I am thankful I got the opportunity to work in a place that showed me exactly what I don't want to do.

Now that I left my job, I can focus on freelancing, getting a job in the journalism field and doing what I love with nothing holding me back. I am happier, healthier and in a better mental state.

Bottom line: If you're in a shitty situation, change it. If you're unhappy, that's on you to fix. There is possibility for a better life out there, you just have to make it happen.