When I was in high school, I was not involved with many afterschool activities, which made me feel totally inept when filling out college applications and with minimal things to put down.
We’re taught that you basically have to be involved in everything in order to be a qualified candidate; the more activities, the better. People want well-rounded individuals.
So when I came to college, I didn’t want a repeat of high school. Therefore, I started getting involved in a lot of different activities.
It started off fairly easy to balance school, work and life. But it has gradually gotten more difficult. After a while though, the work starts piling on and soon, you barely have enough time for yourself. With that notion, I’ve started to realize the things I absolutely enjoy doing and those things I wish I never had to do again.
I was always taught to do what you love and love what you do. If something isn’t making you happy, then why do it? I’m definitely going through one of those phases right now, weeding out the things I truly enjoy from the things that I feel like I have to do.
And if we don’t enjoy something, why should we have to do it? I realize this is easier said than done because sometimes the things we don’t like doing do benefit us; they gives us work experience and of course money.
We’re lucky as college students because we’re old enough to be adults but still young enough to make mistakes. I think it’s better to find out that you don’t enjoy something while in college, than after when you try to make a career out of it.
If you don’t enjoy something, it’s reflected in your work and your attitude. You do the bare minimum and it probably isn’t your best work.
If you’re doing something just to put it down on a resume, is it really worth it? I think it’s better to be involved in a small number of things but pour yourself and your work into them. If you truly enjoy something, your passion and hard work will shine through.
It’s good to dip your toes into a variety of things because that does make you a well-rounded person and that is a good thing. But it’s also important to stick with what you love and really invest your time in doing something that makes you happy.
Sometimes, we really do have to do things we don’t like and every once in a while, that’s totally fine, but not for a whole lifetime or even for a whole semester.
As we’ve all learned in the past few weeks, life really is too short to take for granted. Frankly, I don’t want to spend my time doing something I despise. And I don’t think we should have to.
Moving forward and getting ready for life after graduation is scary but I really believe if you love something, it will never ever feel like work.
SAMMIE JANIK
