I Combined My Two Passions Into My Dream Career

We dream of what we want to become as kids, whether it sounds realistic or not. At first, I wanted to become an author, writing stories and immersing readers in a completely different world. I wrote stories, constantly and I loved it. When we had to write book summaries in fifth grade, I stayed in during recess and write. I once wrote a full four-page summary of just a few chapters of a book. Then in middle school, I set my sights on becoming a singer or actor. I joined drama club and choir. I still wrote, but not as much. In high school, I wanted to go into singing. I even looked at music colleges at the college fair.

My junior year, I didn’t know where I wanted to go to college. My ACT scores weren’t as good as I hoped, and I needed to find a realistic career path. I wasn’t yet ready to live far away from my family. My friends were going to colleges across state but I wanted to do something different. I struggled with what I wanted to be and do with my life. I decided to go to a local technical college. I could get my basic classes out of the way while still working and figuring out what I wanted to do.

I Ended Up Combining Two Things I’m Passionate About

Deep down, I always knew I would end up becoming some kind of writer. I lost my passion for writing when I got to middle school but gained it back the last couple years of high school. I didn’t know what kind of writer, but I knew I wanted to write for the rest of my life. My mom suggested I go into music journalism. I love writing, I love music. I didn’t know how I’d make it work, my high school doesn’t offer any journalism classes. Anything I should learn about journalism, I couldn’t learn until I got to college.

Fast forward a few years. I went to Madison College for three years—a year longer than I would have liked. I took basically all the journalism classes they offered, plus the first two practicums, and wrote for the campus newspaper.

I am now at University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, writing for the campus newspaper as a multimedia journalism major. I started an internship with an entertainment/gossip news site, writing about what I love, and a position with a website for college students, writing about what I know and relate to. I am from a small town in Wisconsin just trying to make something of myself. My sisters both got jobs right out of college doing exactly what studied.

My Dream Can Still Be a Reality

Dreams can seem far-fetched, but they can also come true. People dream of becoming something or someone and then they end up doing it, no matter how crazy sounded at first.

I want to be an entertainment journalist. I want to write about celebrities, movies, television, music. I don’t know how much of it I can make real, but I’m on the right track. Sometimes I question my decision to major in journalism. I’ve broken down at times because I didn’t know what to do with my life. I still question if I’m doing the right thing.

When we’re younger, people ask, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” We’re asked that question the first part of our life, even when we get to college. Why did you choose this particular career? Is it your family’s business? Is it something you’re passionate about?

If you care enough and work hard enough, your dream job can become reality. We may struggle or feel frustrated. And sometimes times it seems like it’s never going to happen—but it will. Being passionate about something, going to the right college, getting help, working hard. You can make your dream a reality.