Coming into college, I thought I had everything figured out. I knew I wanted to become an environmental engineer, save the world with inventions, and attend parties while taking all my classes and living the flashiest college life I could. I thought I had it all figured out, and everything seemed to fit perfectly in my head. Reality has a way of quickly checking you back into place, and that reality check was math for me. Despite all the AP/honor classes I took and the high math scores on my SAT, it turns out I hated math. Going into the engineering field with my distaste for math would have been a complete waste of my life if I had stuck to it. How I went so long without ever realizing how much I hated math is beyond me, but that is all behind me now. Feeling lost after this discovery, I went into a period of my life that I like to title my “Vocational Vacation,” as it was a time of discovering purpose and learning what gave me joy. Years later, I feel like I am still in that period of my life, and hopefully, I will always keep discovering. With my props all set and my cast and crew ready for action, the story of how I found Advertising and why I decided to major in it will now commence.
Growing up, I had always considered myself a dreamer. I was always more concerned about the narratives in my head than everything else around me. Cleverly strung-together words always struck me. They always stuck out to me, whether in a book, on a billboard, or sung in a jingle. I would say that I was always creative since the beginning but was too shy and nervous about letting that side out. Now going back to my college life, with the shock of newfound hate for math, I needed something to get my degree in. I thought about writing since I love words but lack the patience to write novels. I dabbled with other subjects, and they seemed alright; they didn’t speak to me. I then got in touch with an advisor, and one personality quiz later, I had all sorts of ideas for career paths, which all involved advertising. Whether it was copywriting or becoming an art director, they all seemed to be in the advertising field, which excited me. After taking my first few classes involving the major, I knew this was for me.
Fast forwarding to the present, this is the first semester I have been with the club as an E-board member, and I’m excited to see what kind of opportunities it provides me. For any college student who may feel stuck or doesn’t know what they are doing, I must say that it’s okay not to have anything figured out yet. It’s okay to fail, it’s okay to make mistakes, and it’s all about how you choose to react and handle those missteps. Choosing to do the things you love while being robust and confident doing them will give you more fulfillment than doing something just because it seems like the “right” thing to be doing.
By: Anthony Chavira
Because things get real, real fast 
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