“Don’t let it get to you.” These are the words I heard from a friend of mine yesterday, after being told by a professor that I would have a rough time finding a job with the major I had chosen (I’m a communications major, by the way). Normally, this wouldn’t be a matter to get worked up over; it’s just that her tone of voice and the way she pursed her lips at the sound of the word “journalism” really irked me. You would think that after hearing that from someone, especially a professor, one might get a little defensive, and inwardly, I was. However, after being a collegiate student for the past three years, I have learned a couple of things: patience and acceptance.

I’ve figured out that, in life, you come into contact with people who have opinions (God forbid, right?). When looking into people’s words, sometimes, they can be taken offensively, and that isn’t always a bad thing. Those words can make a person stronger and help them see that just because someone says something that might seem rude or intolerable at the time, doesn’t mean it has to weigh on your heart. That is where patience comes in. Learning to take words with a grain of salt is just one of the many lessons we have to learn, and if it was the easiest lesson of them all, I wouldn’t mind it for a second.

Now, I’ve accepted the fact that, yes, I chose a degree that might give me a harder time finding employment than another degree would, say, nursing or education. I’m not going into this blind, and I feel that if I can say that, then there is a certain degree of maturity that I have inherited. I’m responsible for my own choices just like everyone else is. I think we all get so caught up in whether or not we are doing the right thing based on the opinions we hear from the people around us, and that can be a huge mistake. We need to remember that in the end, we make our own decisions, and when it is all said and done, you only need to worry about what you did; not what others have done.

So yes, I accept that I might have to work a few freelance jobs before finding a full time position somewhere. And yes, I accept the fact that I am definitely not going to be making as much money as, say, Donald Trump, but I also accept that I will be happy. I accept that, no matter the circumstances, I will have chosen the path that makes my heart content, and in turn, help me live without regret. So thank you to the person who told me that I would “have a rough time finding a job” with my degree. Your words have inspired me, and hopefully others reading this will see, that our choices are not based upon others’ opinions, but on our own.