"What do you want to do once you graduate?"
It's the question we've all probably heard at one point or another. For some students, the answer has always been along the same lines. They'd respond with a college they want to go to, or a major they want to pursue, or even the specific place they want to work. But for some people like me, it's a little harder to answer— but not because I don't know what I want to do. It's because I have so many things I want to do and one sentence can't cover it all.
I want to write something. I want to write a movie script. Or a book. I want to work with movie directors, or even direct something of my own. I want to create characters that can later appear on screen.
I want to work for a journalism company. Whether it's a magazine or newspaper, I want to continue to write for girls and guys my age about anything that's relevant—college, pop culture, music, media. All of it.
I want to do publicist work for artists. I want to get rising musicians the attention they deserve after being recruited. Whether it's through interviewing them, writing reviews on their music, or publishing articles that advertise when and how to hear them, I want to still be around music.
I want to direct and produce. I want to work with cameras and create music videos and movies and be the one to tell my cast to take 5.
I want to be on stage as much as possible. I want to keep singing and acting in any way that I can.
There is a bad reputation for students who can't answer what they want to do after college.
But then if you respond similarly to me, with more than one answer, people might complain that you sound indecisive and unsure about your future.
I'm here hoping to stop the stigma around students wanting to do more than what your major "allows." I'm a musical theatre major— hoping to do more than just be on a stage. I'm a writer— hoping to not always be stationed behind a laptop.
So what if your answer to "what you want to do" can't be defined in one single sentence. What if you have more or less to say? Your major doesn't define you, so don't let your answer define you.
"What do you want to do once you graduate?" A lot. A lot more than one sentence.
