It was timing and sequence of events among other things. I had a professor who really inspired me and encouraged me in writing. My strongest skill was always in writing. I was often considered the best writer in my classes, received much praise. I was picked as one most likely to publish a book when I grew up. Even in seventh grade, I had to periodically write essays on a given topic. In one case, it was on 9/11 (shortly after it occurred). Perhaps it was the emotional hype which was heavy in the atmosphere but my teacher told me she went so far as to read my piece before several college professors.
In any case, I have many interests and strengths...Most of which are useless. I like psychology but hate math and fear statistics. I get bored with art and have no patience to spend more than a few hours on a single work of art. I love music but don't like many aspects of the formal training and don't feel I am ready to study music composition at a university until I attain a more pragmatic degree and have attained a few more years of experience in what I currently do (as far as being involved with performances, studying what instruments I study, and writing music in my own time.).
I like social sciences such as sociology, anthropology, but like with psychology, these are either limited with what work I could engage in (especially for the latter, and anthropology doesn't interest me that much when all is said and done) or require more schooling than I am ready to invest in. Sociology is broad but would be best studied with the aims of getting a doctorate. I have no aspirations to get a PHD.
So I enlisted as a Professional/Technical Writing major. I plan to get a Master's in Communications. I like the broadness of the field. I like being able to write as I have a deep need to communicate but can only effectively do so via written means. When I am writing, I feel happy. I have to push myself to write for the sake of writing, but when I am writing, I feel fulfilled. I also am extremely pedantic and am very critical of my own writing and of the writing of others.
So it is where my natural strength lies. It has the breadth I need to find a suitable occupation, and I have no problem with changing occupations as I get bored when I am stuck in one thing.
So I used the approach of what I like and what I am best at. I take great pride in my ideas and find writing is the way I can get those ideas out there.
Even though I am lazy, I think this is something I will devote myself to once I have found how to keep myself motivated. If I can spend hours a day doing any one thing, it would be to write or deal with writing. Nonetheless, I have been doing different types of writing for many years (just with little structure) and this has been my most consistent past time, even if things went downhill in the past year due to my own idiocy.
I also have found that the people I mesh best with at my university are with the other English majors, particularly the Writing majors. It is this where I feel I belong and have something to contribute. It's also something I chose for myself. Most things I have done have been because I was pushed to go in that direction.
As someone who values freedom and independence more than anything (probably because of being without either for the most part), studying something which I chose without any poking or prodding from anyone makes me feel very good inside, regardless of what others say with their ideas on what a good major is and what a good major isn't. It still should be something you can shine in and devote yourself towards because you enjoy it when all is said and done.
I admit I don't have any clear idea of what I will do with this major, but I know I will find something. I would like to be employed with freelancing but feel very held back and hate to be a bandwagon joiner with everyone going after the SEO goldrush mentality. I don't mind writing for the heck of it, such as for Helium.com. But while I am open to various types of writing, I do hope to put my intense imagination to work some day whether it is in publishing a novel, doing screenplay, or whichever. Though with those things, I have decided to write for myself and my own enjoyment while eagerly emerging into the world of communications for professional work in dealing with real world subjects and business subjects.
So my only advice is to think of what you are good at, what you like, what you give your time to because you want to and think how that could tie into a career. Consider what things you would want to be devoted to. That way you will best serve society and not waste your time with work you don't care about.
