Switching Directions
Direction. Ahhhhh. The word that so often gets mistaken with a set, steady path, is a concept I have fixated on too much within the past year.
To me, direction is a guiding force in everything you do. It leads you down different paths - whether they are desired and/or anticipated or not - to a destination. To me, that destination is a place of happiness, freedom, and passion.
Direction looks different for everyone. For some, the purpose is what they do after high school, and for others, it is a lifetime of striving towards a destination of complete satisfaction.
Too often we get caught up in the final destination that we forget we have to get there first. It’s like waking up the morning of your trip to Disney World and disregarding the 17- hour drive it is going to take you to get there in the car with your three annoying brothers. Okay, is that just me? Maybe, haha.
But why is this? Why do we look at the end goal so much without taking into consideration the journey?
There are a few reasons for this, in my opinion. Some people are so focused on the destination, that the journey evolves into a long checklist that they are working through nonchalantly. They don’t care how they get there, as long as they achieve the results in the end.
If you’re like me, though, the journey scares you. You know you will reach the target somehow, but the path is untraditional, and the mere fact that you may have to change your direction along the way scares you to death. You know what you want and what it takes for you to get it, but the idea of having to admit your original path wasn’t the one for you is terrifying. This truth has been oh so evident to me this year.
So, you may ask, what is all of this about? What big announcement are you about to make?
Well, I may reply, it is time for me to switch directions. But as scary and contradictory to the perfect, “I have this all figured out” image I tend to put off (as do most of us), I have learned to accept that my destination is worth the path I need to take.
I have never been an “in the box” sort of girl. It was hard for me to understand how people were okay with living their lives like everyone else in their circle. Being like someone else has never been my thing. Yes, I am into trends and like to fit-in just like every other girl my age, but I have never been so fixated on it that I lost sight of who I wanted to be. I think it is also important to note that I was a very good student in high school (and still am). The traditional school system served me very well as I was in the top 5% of my class and graduated with straight A’s. By no means did it hinder my value of education as I was one who took school very seriously and conformed to every standardized test that was demanded of me. However, as against the inner teacher’s-daughter in me it is to say this, I have never been a fan of the traditional school system. Even though I succeeded in the public school system, I feel like it is too much of a “one-size-fits-all” sort of situation. Obviously, I couldn’t do anything about it through high school because I was already in it. I did, however, consider untraditional forms of education upon my college search, but decided to settle for something more traditional - meaning a four-year college in which I lived on campus.
When I made my decision, I was not in the right headspace. At the time, I needed comfort. And the school I chose (11 minutes from my driveway to my dorm) provided me with that. I made some of the best friends I have ever had in my life and connections that will last a lifetime. Even though I fell in love with all the school was, I went in knowing they didn't have a major to accommodate my career aspirations of working in the digital marketing world and potentially personal branding. None of that mattered, though, when I made my decision. I sacrificed what I needed for my career for comfort. As silly and ignorant as that may sound, that was exactly what I needed in that moment - comfort. And it was exactly in God’s plan to put me in a place of comfort to meet the people that I will forever call my “college friends.”
In hindsight, I wouldn’t change the choice I made for myself. As much self-guilt as I felt for putting myself through that (because ultimately that was my own decision), I wouldn’t change a thing. My freshman year brought new friends to my hometown, when all of my high school friends were away at college. This is exactly what I will need next year as I TRANSFER TO TAKE ONLINE COURSES IN A FIELD I AM ABSOLUTELY CRAZY ABOUT.
WOW. I just said that.
I have hesitated making it public, but I knew people would find out eventually, and quite frankly, I don’t have anything to be ashamed of. I am pursuing what I want, in the way I want. I can’t wait to study social media and digital content strategy in a project-based, self-paced, supportive community wherever in the world I may choose. Knowing I will be taking the right steps for my personal (Youtube, blog, social media, etc.) and professional career is a breath of fresh air.
To put the stereotypes and judgement to rest that I have either already heard or thought about regarding this choice:
I don’t need to be “closer” to home.
I didn’t chicken out of regular college.
No, my parents didn’t discourage this choice or force me to go to traditional school originally - those choices were my own.
There isn’t a better option in an in-person setting.
I am not only focused on money.
I am not doing this in hopes of “making it big.”
I don’t plan on being antisocial.
No, I am not going to be sitting at home (I will probably be away more than I am now).
Going off of that, I am not just doing this make my long distance relationship more manageable.
This is a real degree from a college with a physical campus I could attend if I choose.
This degree option isn’t just a fad; it is the future.
“Regular” college wasn’t too hard for me.
I don’t want an easy way out.
My friends from college will not be getting rid of me (can’t wait for the air mattress ladies).
And yes…I did know my first college didn’t have my major when I chose it.
The point of this post is not to make a big deal out of my second college decision, because honestly it was kind of lame the first time. The point is to emphasize that it Is okay to switch directions to get to your destination in a way that is most beneficial to you. There is nothing wrong with changing schools, jobs, majors, living conditions, etc. Very few decisions we make are completely permanent, and I think we tend to lose sight of that. We see decisions as set in stone and are taken back when things happen that shows us something else might be better - at least this is what happened to me. I was so scared to admit I made the wrong decision for myself - that I chose the wrong direction. But as I have found along with so many others in college and life, switching directions is not that uncommon. In fact, there is that daunting statistic that the average American switches careers 7 times in their lifetime. Not JOBS…they switch whole CAREERS.
So, even though transferring colleges is very common, transferring to a different type is not as common. This is why I have felt the need to justify my decision, when in reality, my own direction is my choice, whether people support it or not. I am really looking forward to learning at a pace I set for myself, from wherever I want. I can’t wait to study something I am passionate about while still having time to work on my personal platforms (and learning how to do it IN SCHOOL)! Even though it is an untraditional approach, what better way to learn about the digital world than actually working in it to get my education? I may absolutely hate it, but I’m only this age once. If there’s a time to do something extraordinary, it is now, and I believe I was meant to do something different. You know what they say - you never know if you never try.