Throughout my time in college, I’ve found that it can be difficult to figure out your exact career path, especially as a COM student, because there are so many different directions you could go in. Thankfully, coming into second semester of my junior year, I finally have it (almost) figured out.
The two best pieces of career advice I’ve ever gotten are:
1) “Do what you love, but prioritize what you love AND are good at, because if you pursue something you love but aren’t great at, you might grow to resent it. On the other hand, if you do something you’re good at, you’ll end up loving it no matter what.”
2) “Whatever you do, try to find a way to intersect your major and your greatest passion.”
As a Film and TV major, I’ve found it hard to narrow down my career goals. I love screenwriting, but I also enjoy production, even if it’s not something that comes as naturally to me as writing. After more than 2 years of trying to balance both, I have fully embraced my ability to write well and my passion for doing so. Here’s an actual candid pic of me working on a screenwriting assignment:
Meanwhile, through BU’s Community Service Center and my work study job at the BU Children’s Center, I’ve fallen in love with social justice and working with children. By participating in FYSOP (First Year Student Outreach Project) as a first year and as a staff leader, I’ve learned a lot about social justice, and try to incorporate what I’ve learned into my writing.
Additionally, through working at the Children’s Center, I have learned more about childhood development and my love for working with children has grown so much! I was lucky enough to spend a summer working at a day camp for children and creating a video for the company to showcase the program, which made me realize there is always room to connect working with children to working in the film industry.
It clicked that one of the best ways to cross-over all of these interests was to write for children’s television. Writing programming that is educational, inclusive of diverse backgrounds, and mindful of childhood development is something I have the knowledge, skills, and passion for, and with this career goal in mind, I can finish my last 3 semesters of college confident that I am pursuing something I will love.
As you continue your journey as a COM student (or in whatever major you choose), keep your passions in mind, and keep searching for ways to connect them to what you’re studying! Once you figure out a way to combine what you’re passionate about with your career goals, you’ll feel so much more confident and driven to achieve those goals, and have more fun doing it.
With Love,
Arianna
