As I wade through my last semester at UF, it has become evident that a portion of students here weren’t meant to go to college. Does that mean I think they’re not intelligent or competent? Not at all.
If you’re at UF right now or you recently graduated, I’d like you to think of where you saw your life right before you graduated from high school. Let me guess: At least half of you thought you would be studying for the MCAT and preparing for medical school, right? That was me, too. Which is fine, because there’s nothing wrong with having your life go in a different direction than you planned. The problem begins when you don’t find yourself loving your degree and planning for a future in it.
On my first day at UF I was sure my degree (journalism) was a backup plan or a means to an end. I figured I’d get published a few times and then get into law school and figure it out from there.
But once I got into writing and talking to people, I fell in love with journalism. I’ve spoken to many of my friends and classmates who don’t have that love for their major. It makes me wonder if they chose the right major or if they’re even meant for college.
Our elders and high school guidance counselors encouraged us to apply to a million universities, but often they failed to realize that a portion of us aren’t meant for college.
Some of us are meant for things like technical school, or to be beauticians. These types of education should be encouraged as fiercely as college degrees.
The important thing to me is to love what you do. I hope you’re able to look at your work and feel a chill down your spine thinking about the things you do and create.
If you’ve changed your degree more than once, that’s fine. I've changed mine three times. Changing your degree doesn’t mean you’ve failed, it just means you’ve realized your talents belong elsewhere. This is your life; don’t let money or anyone else pull you into something you can’t see yourself doing every day.
As Steve Jobs once said: “The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle.”
I hope, dear readers, that you don't settle, because if I’ve learned anything from being here it’s that if you put everything into doing what you love, you’ll go places.
Sara Marino is a UF journalism senior. Her column appear on Wednesdays.
