3.14.2010

One day I'll figure out what I want to be when I grow up....

When I was a kid, I would reach for the stars. My potential career list included rockstar, teacher, garbagewoman, astronaut, archaeologist, gymnast, doctor, artist, and lord knows what else. By the time I hit puberty, I had started to narrow the focus a little more to things slightly more realistic - writer, journalist, teacher, or similar. When I started college, I knew I was going to be a writer. Whether it was a Pulitzer-winning journalist, or a New York Times best-selling novelist, I was going to make a name for myself.

Now? I may as well be six-years-old again, drawing pictures of myself, waving out the window of a spaceship.

When I started college again last winter, I was set on a business degree. After living through ups and downs for years, stability and practicality sounded good. I reasoned that even if I didn't have a lot of interest in a lot of the classes, I could fake my way through, and still do well enough to insure a graduation with honors.

Recently, I've been rethinking that decision. I've been thinking back to the classes I've taken that I liked - LOVED - and excelled in. I've been wondering if I'd ever get as excited about accounting or salesmanship as I did about speech and interpersonal communications. I've been realizing that I am not nearly analytical enough to get through another two years of business courses. And I've been reading the course descriptions for my upcoming curriculum, and already starting to dread next Fall.

And then it hit me - Why would I do this to myself? Why should I suffer through painfully boring prerequisites only to get to a program that is "practical"? A program that, as much as I've tried to psyche myself up for, I am dreading. I'm looking ahead a year and a half, and I can see myself just struggling to pass classes, trying to keep interest long enough to make sure I get a C. I can actually see myself being happy with mediocrity, and that? Is not something I'm willing to settle for.

A few months ago I started tossing around the idea of changing my major. Of getting out of the College of Business. Of never taking another economics class, or discussing legalities of contracts, or worrying about how in the hell I'm going to manage to pass finance and accounting classes. And I started looking at other options.

Yesterday, I made a [not-yet-set-in-stone] decision: I am going to change my major. I am going to get back to what I love - what I'm good at - and focus on Communications. And right now, I'm leaning towards a minor in Psychology.

The good news? This won't add any more years to my schooling. I already have a few of the prereqs covered for both of those programs. And looking through the class lists, and what I would have to take? I'm interested. I WANT to take Listening Behavior, and Intercultural Communication, and yes, okay, The Psychology of Sex. There isn't a single thing on the course lists that makes me shudder, or makes me question what I've gotten myself into - definitely unlike the requirements for that Marketing degree, which made my eyes glaze over just by reading the titles...

So, I have a plan. I'm starting to make the pieces fall into place. I've emailed the advising office, to make sure I didn't miss something completely obvious, and that my theory that I'll be able to do this in the same amount of time isn't way off-base. And I emailed the HR manager at work, to see if this degree will be any better or worse than a business degree. From conversations before I started school, it'll be fine, but I want to make sure before I commit to anything.

Right now I'm in hold, but I can't wait to figure out if this is the way to go. I'm moving forward, and at the moment, that's really all that matters.

5 comments:

unmitigated me said...

Totally handy, that: Communication and Psychology apply to EVERYTHING. For most jobs, the important part is that you have the degree, regardless of the field. Are you taking classes this summer? If not, we need to start brainstorming that book, you and I.

word ver: inverse

andrea said...

Thanks Auntie!

And no, I am taking spring and summer off - I sense many evenings ahead at Big Boy :-) I'll have to figure out points for Hot Fudge cake...

Jess said...

I must let you know that this last weekend I met a lovely lady in a bar, who was there on behalf of Budweiser in celebration of the start of St. Patrick's Day, and her JOB...her FUCKING JOB...to buy people drinks (on the company dollar of course) and get drunk with them. JOB. IT WAS HER JOB. I cannot express this any other way!

And of course, I asked HOW THE FUCK DO I GET THIS JOB?!?!

In sum up, you need to have a bachelors degree (who knew beer drinking was so demanding!) in something like COMMUNICATIONS! She was a freakin multi-language something, something communications crazy, awesome degree.

You could be on your way to travelling all over the United States, to all major events, drinking with peeps from all over!

Jess said...

OH! And award at my place for you!!

andrea said...

I LOVE that that's what you think of, Jess. I wonder if Captain Morgan has that same job....hell, I'd dress up in the suit if I had to!

And thanks! I'm finally having time to sign on, so I will go get awarded :-)

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