Orange & Blue

Issue date: 9/28/07 Section: Opinion

Lindsey Cornett [Click to enlarge]

In Photography class, we watched a video about Ansel Adams, an American photographer who was best known for his black and white photos. He began practicing to be a pianist but when he was a young boy, he visited Yosemite National Forest and fell in love with the natural beauty. He began taking photos of Yosemite and changed his career path from music to photography.

While watching the video, my mind began wondering: What if after spending three and a half years at Carson-Newman studying Advertising/ Public Relations, that I too end up having a complete change in my career path. As I am preparing to graduate in December, I am starting to panic about the entire job search process. Although I am constantly reassured that there are many jobs available in the area for advertising, the constant fear of "What if I can not find a job?" is far more intense than the reassuring. Possibly worst if my other fear: what if I find a job and realize that the Communication field is not for me?

If I can't find the right job or any job for that matter, does it really mean that I have wasted not only nearly four years of my life, but also many thousand of dollars pursuing an education in a field that truly was not meant for me? When I first came to Carson-Newman in the Fall of '04, I thought that I wanted to be a high school History teacher. However, after two education courses and many hours spent observing local high school students, I realized that I did not have enough patients or nerves for that job.

I had flirted with the idea of becoming a Public Relations Specialist. A family friend had a PR office in Washington D.C. and was always talking about some of the exciting events her company planned. These events included everything from President Clinton's 50th birthday to presidential parties. I remember thinking, "What a cool job!". It was also during this time that I was working at a go-kart track in the marketing department. Realizing that this was something that I was interested in, I moved from the History department to the Communications department.

I have always thought that this was a smart move because I have realized that this was what I am meant to do in life, career wise anyways. But this semester, I am enrolled in Photography 101 and am beginning to feel that I might have another career path, at least part time. At first I just took this class to satisfy an elective so that I would have 128 hours necessary to graduate, but now that we are in the darkroom developing film and printing photos, I have fallen in love wih black and white photography. Even though it is too late to major or minor in photography, I have decided that it will be a hobby for me. I am even preparing to put a darkroom in my house.

This just goes to show that maybe all those Gen. Eds are really meaningful. If you are an undeclared major, do not be discouraged. Sometimes it may take a little longer for you to find your chosen vocational path. I had never thought that I would become so interested in photography but because of the need of a general requirement, I have found another part of my destiny. Don't give up if you change your major once or even several times, four years is a long time to decide what you want to do for the rest of your life. Who knows you may even decide to major in one passion and take up an extra hobby along the way, because sometimes your path in life falls into your lap when you least expect it.

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