I wish someone told me this three years ago when I started BU. That’s not to say I didn’t take risks – I traveled across the country to LA and interned in a city where I didn’t know a soul. The next summer I took an internship I knew I wouldn’t be in love with because I thought it would be a good life experience. And you should do this too. Push your boundaries because you’ll never know how much you love something, or maybe don’t love something at all, if you don’t try.
However, what no one told me is this – don’t be afraid to do something just because you want to do it….not because it’ll look good on your resume or because you’re trying to keep up with all the COM kids (yes, that unspoken pressure). If you want to take the summer off, work a mindless job and take the time to figure out if PR/Advertising/Film/Journalism is really what you love, then do it. Work on your own creative projects. Research the things you love outside of your chosen field. If you can’t take one more day of excel spreadsheets and fact checking, then give yourself a break. Don’t let the pressures of college and racking up internships stop you. Or maybe you do find an internship that sounds really cool, but it’s not like anything you’ve done before and you don’t know if you’re qualified. Well, this is your sign – DO IT!
In seven very short weeks I’ll be graduating college, and to be honest, I’ve never been on the PR agency boat that a lot of other students seem to be on. I want to do something completely different with my degree and I’ve finally come to peace with doing what I really want, instead of just taking that agency job I know I could get. Sure it’s scary, but haven’t the most successful people taken risks? After all, we’re young and have been given the privilege that maybe our parents and certainly our grandparents didn’t have to embark on a journey where we find out what makes us tick. It sounds cheesy, but you know it’s true.
My only hope is that you remember that its ok to do something different. Follow your heart. Take risks.
