Holdan Hitchcock
Associate Opinion Editor
The other night at 4 a.m., I painstakingly outlined a whole new career path for myself. Why did I do this? The answer is because that same morning Millersville University had begun registration for the 2021 Spring Semester and I believe a change of plans are in order. A change of plans is not new for me. I’ve been changing my life plans since I was a freshman in high school. I envy the kids when they are first asked, “what do you want to be when you grow up?” and they have always just known. They knew this is what they wanted and they pursued it. I am 22 years old and I still don’t know what I want to be when I “grow up”. Truth is, I don’t ever want to grow up.
As I said, Millersville University just had their latest rounds of registration for the Spring semester. In which I changed career paths yet again, yet this time I am way more optimistic that this one sticks. I will be majoring in Communications focusing in Journalism. Ever since I was a Freshman in high school; I have changed career paths nearly a dozen times. All career paths that focused on my interest and hobbies. When choosing a career path it has never been about money. More so it was about will I have a sense of fulfillment, will I enjoy doing this job. Journalism is a career path that will let me focus on all the things I’m interested in or passionate about.
Ironically all throughout high school and even some time in college I hated writing more than anything in school. My hatred of writing flipped into a love for it shortly after joining the school paper. I hated writing for school because there were always too many rules or a strict prompt I was forced to resort to. Having the freedom to write on the things I care about or the opinions I have has been such a euphoric, eye-opening experience. I know this isn’t all that journalism entails and that there is much work to do in the field. Yet the thing I’ve always loved in school was open-discussions. I have never shied away from my thoughts being expressed about any given topics.
Journalism is perfect for me because I am easily distracted. I will have an idea, I pursue that idea, and then something else comes along and that is my new pursuit. I don’t have the mental fortitude to focus on one thing for long extended periods of time. I am interested in too many things to be tied to one thing. I love too many things. I love to watch movies and TV. I love to learn everything I can about the people that make them and how they create them. I love sports. I love baseball, I love golf, I love to watch football. I want to know all the scores and stats of every game, tournament, match and player. I love video games, whether they are deep confounding immersive experiences, or just plan dumb fun with your friends. I can talk or write about my passions all day with anyone. The brevity of writing an article, then being able to pivot to another concept from the one before is what excites me about a career in journalism.
If you are reading this and you were uncertain like me, just know it is okay to not know. Society may tell us that life has to be lived this way. We are told from a young age that we are supposed to go to high school, then go to college and get a job. The harsh reality is, that life rarely goes the way you plan. You shouldn’t be afraid to break this conformity we’ve grown accustomed to. I have dealt with the anxieties of uncertainty with my future, and the dread of getting older with no plan. Just be patient; there’s plenty of time to figure it all out. The time is yours.
