As important as it is for you as a college student to follow your passions, you first and foremost must find your passion. As I shared in the first post of this series, I had a hard time discovering what it was I was really interested in, and then applying that to my major choice. I think a lot of students get stuck choosing a career path based on what their parents are urging them to do, rather than discovering what they’re interested in themselves. Some students, especially with the recent decrease in available jobs, chose majors solely based on the potential salary or job security.
Granted, I’m still just a student (for 7 more months, at least), but I believe it’s so incredibly important for students to find a field that they’re truly passionate about, and to continue to pursue that career path, regardless of how unattainable it might seem. We’ve all heard it a countless number of times, but I think there is so much truth to the idea that you’ll never work a day in your life if you’re doing something you truly love.
The hard part for me was actually finding that one thing that I’m passionate about. Just recently, I became interested in photography, specifically wedding photography. I’ve spent the last six months or so getting as much experience with wedding photography as possible. This usually means volunteering countless hours to assisting professionals for free (more about this in the next post), but I am so relieved to have finally found something that I’m truly excited about and motivated to pursue.
What really helped me discover my interest in photography, was tuning into my everyday life, specifically how I was spending my free time. I became absolutely obsessed with Pinterest and spent countless hours swooning over dreamy images of exquisite brides and beautiful weddings. There were a handful of wedding photographers who I followed, and was constantly gawking over their photos every free minute I had. It wasn’t until I was gifted a pretty new Canon, that I realized this might really be something to pursue. I immediately enrolled in a photo class, contacted wedding photographers in the area, and began learning all that I could about the industry.
For those of you who are still struggling to discover your passion, don’t be discouraged, and trust that if you just stay true to yourself, it will all fall into place.