DON’T Forget Your Passion

By Danielle Wald, Intern

Last week I read The Atlantic‘s “The Value of Following Passion in a Jobless World,” which spoke about the struggle graduates face when choosing a profession. These economic times have made it hard to land a job almost anywhere, leaving recent graduates with the question that will determine their future. Do we follow our passion or do we choose a profession based on its “safety”? This question has frightened me for as long as I can remember. Did I make the right decision?

When it comes to decision making, I almost always try to take the advice given to me by my elders. I’ve realized that they are, in fact, more knowledgeable than me. If I want to become an accomplished, successful and goal-driven woman then I should listen to them.

This time, I refused. It is understandable why my elders would want me to have a steady career, always having a job. But, I simply have no “passion” to be a doctor or a lawyer. My passion is to study communications and land a job in my chosen field based on my classroom learning and internship experiences. I want to learn more about public relations and advertising. I want to help sell my clients to their customers.

I don’t mind the risk; I want the opportunity to keep rising toward my potential. I wouldn’t be able to do that in any other field, because I have no passion for it. As the article quotes, “those who best survived the camps [concentration camps] were the people who had a passionate reason they felt they needed to survive”. I want a reason to look forward to helping others in the field of communications. I don’t want to “count the days until I retire”.

My “Passion” is what will help me land a career. I will not give up.