As a high school student, I had always imagined that I would pursue a career in music. My father is a working musician and some of my friends also play for money. Seeing how much they love to perform and the seeing the satisfaction of making something that everyone around you is experiencing and enjoying, I just knew that I would do the same. The life of a musician is wonderful, but I slowly started to realize, as graduation got closer and closer, that maybe this isn't what I want to do after all. Sure, I love music, but maybe I should just keep it as a hobby and pursue something that might offer more money. Then I had another realization, that if I pursue a career that I wasn't passionate about, but it paid the bills, will I be happy? I would be successful, of course. But would I be happy? The answer I always told myself was no.
Something had to change. I had to make a decision, and make it fast! The pressure was on, and the one thing I knew that I loved just as much as music was art. So, after graduation, I went to a technical school, earned an Associate degree and transferred to USC to study Art Education.
My story, and much like many others I have heard, is one of stress and confusion. I was never 100% sure about what I wanted to do, and honestly, I'm still not today. But what I do know is that I need to pursue something that I am passionate about. I know that if I work for money and not satisfaction that I will be very unhappy in life.
This is something that I will tell my students as they prepare for college, or even on their first day of high school. They will all experience the same thing that I went through. The uncertainty, the risks of failure, the risks of unhappiness, and the stress of having to make the decision before you're even 100% sure. I will tell them that it's alright to be unsure, it's alright to be confused, you're never going to know for sure until you try something. The best advice that I can give my students is to tell them to go for what they love, and they will never work a day in their life. There is so much more to life than making a steady paycheck. And even if you don't like the path you chose, you can always change it, and that's alright too.
I once heard a quote that said, "College is great place to find out what you don't want to do." This is true, for many students. College is a wonderful place to figure out what career path you want to take, and high school is too, but you're at such a young age. How can you possibly know what you want to do for the rest of your life at age 18? Once you're in college, and you decide that your major isn't a good fit for you, change it. It's fine. You're supposed to do it. Find something else that makes you happy. Forget about the extra time it will take to graduate, that's not important. What's important is you and your future.
So with all of this in mind, I would tell my students to chase after something that they love, not after something that they think will pay the bills. Life is too short to focus on riches and success, instead focus on yourself and pursue what makes you the most happy. You won't regret a second of it.
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