As children, we have been asked multiple times, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” The answer to that questions most likely changed since we were the age of 5 or 6, but it is still a question that many of us are finding the answer to. When I entered college, I came in as a psychology major, following the pre-medicine track. At the time, it was what I thought I should do rather than what I wanted to do. My family and friends around me had always discouraged me from pursuing a career in the psychology field, so to appease my parents’ worries, I told them I would study medicine. However, it was never really one of my passions. Therefore, as I took on more courses in both psychology and the hard sciences, I realized that I still wanted to pursue psychology. I also realized that, while I was majoring in psychology, I could minor in other fields. I decided to do a minor in writing in biology both because I had already taken many courses in those fields, but also because I realized that with all three fields, there was much more I could do. I am not limited to becoming a therapist or a psychologist as most people would assume, but I could pursue fields like marketing or journalism, which many people with psychology majors do follow.
In a discussion with Dr. Sacha Kopp, the Dean of College of Arts and Sciences, he emphasized the point that while it is good to have a goal, we should not be afraid to try new things. He, himself, had originally started with the idea of becoming a teacher, but along the way, he had various experiences. In addition, he taught us that sometimes we will not always get the jobs we want, but that does not mean we should not accept jobs that do not seem to be within our interests. Whether or not we end up continuing in that path is not the main idea. Instead, by accepting these offers, we have the opportunity to gather experiences that can, later on, help us in a different situation. These experiences may not relate directly to our initial or desired professions, but they can still become something to contribute in a way we may not have initially have thought of.
For example, even though I am a psychology major, I work as a Teaching, Learning, and Technology consultant at the school. As a consultant, I assist users, both students and faculty with different operating systems, printers, scanners, and software and hardware issues. Working with technology will definitely become useful in any job I may pursue in today’s society in which the use of technology is increasing. Not only am I proficient in using both Macs and PCs, but I also had the opportunity to participate in workshops teaching us in different programs such as Microsoft Office programs, such as Excel, Google calendar and other apps, and Photoshop. I know that these are valuable skills to have when applying for jobs and having the opportunity to have gained these during college was one of the best decisions I have made. Although this is a case I knew the experiences I gained would be helpful in the future, it is still an example of how opportunities that are not directly related to my field can still be useful. It is important for students to realize that they should not be afraid to attempt new nor think it a waste of time to go beyond their disciplines.