I let my major choose me and I paid for it.
I settled on being a businessman by the time I entered my senior year in high school. I met with current business students on various college tours asking for their insight and experience. I even joined a Black student business program to help ensure my success in the field and surround me with people that easily identify with me.
So, I was surprised when I spoke to my psychology teacher at our last parent-teacher conference. He told me that he didn’t think that that career path would be best for me. I thought he was wrong and that I could do it. What I know now is that he really meant he didn’t think I would like that industry based on my personality. He psychoanalyzed me without me even knowing it.
But at the time I thought I knew everything.
I felt ecstatic when I got accepted into my school’s business marketing program. Marketing required creativity, which would give me some freedom from a stuffy suit, something I never wanted to become.
I proudly walked into the school of business during my college orientation. My parents were proud and I was really interested in all the information they reviewed. I envisioned myself in boardrooms as the chief marketing officer. Again I saw suits.
I kept reassuring myself, “I can do it.”
I started my first semester strong. Sometime around midterms, I felt unmotivated. I felt like I just went through the motions. My business classes seemed interesting enough, but I sensed a disconnect. It became more difficult for me to see myself in this world.
I thought about a lot during winter break. Should I change my major? What else am I good at? Passionate about? I settled on wanting to become a businessman years ago. It encompassed my entire collegiate focus. I was at a loss.
I continued the academic year following my same major. Then I decided I needed a break from school. I needed to do some soul-searching. It sounds intense and dramatic, but it was necessary.
I figured a lot about myself focusing on work during my absence from school. The professional world wasn’t as professional as some professors make it seem. It wasn’t a difficult place to navigate nor did it require a perfect understanding of the content.
Actually, it was quite fun. I learned my strengths and weaknesses in work and I figured out what I wanted to do with my life.
My love for writing didn’t begin until college in an intro English class. We wrote about a health crisis in a small town in Texas named McAllen, a persuasive essay about a retail brand and a personal reflective essay.
I enjoyed writing each assignment. And I started writing outside of school. I also love aesthetics. Pictures and videos are art. Well-taken photos and videos offer a powerful and inspiring visual to its audience. I found something I was both passionate and well-versed in.
So, when I re-enrolled in college, following the journalism track was a no-brainer.
I also felt there were a lot of problems in the media that I could help fix, like bias, stronger government and public scrutiny, and issues of ethics. The news is now disseminated via social media and other avenues, spurring the “fake news” problem. Media depiction of race and other public matters help fuel me to continue in this direction.
Once, I received my school of journalism packet I knew I was on the right track. The journalism school boasts award-winning professors from some of the largest news media companies. I have had the honor of being taught by some of these people.
All things considered, I made the right decision.
