As I work through my last year of my undergraduate program, I wanted to take some time to reflect on my experience of choosing to pursue a degree in communication and what my journey has been like so far.
Like many high school students, I was asked multiple times by my guidance counselor about what type of job I wanted to pursue and what college I wanted to attend. As a junior in high school, my main focus most days was handing in my trigonometry homework without crying since I didn’t understand most of the questions. I always knew that I liked writing, reading, and being creative, but I did not know there were jobs besides becoming an English teacher that would allow me to do all of those things.
It was not until I started doing college visits during the summer after my junior year, did I find out what a communication major entailed. By having a degree in communication, there are many career paths that someone can choose. Media manager, copywriter, administrative assistant, event planner, and brand manager are just a few!
After conducting some research, I made the decision to pursue an associate’s degree in communication at a local community college because I wanted to be sure that I would like the curriculum and that I could handle a college course load.
Within my first semester, I was taking classes like public speaking, newswriting, and digital video editing, and I loved it! While the classes challenged me, I was able to be creative with the words that I wrote and what content I created. I was also able to take advertising classes, and those are what helped me realize that I want to work in advertising to create content and potentially become a copywriter.
Choosing to attend a community college close to home helped me experience what being a college student is like, but at a slower pace. I was able to adjust to the workload, make new friends, and find more insight into what I want to do after graduation, all while saving money.
After receiving my associate’s degree in one year, I decided to attend SUNY Oswego because I knew that I wanted to stay in New York and that the university is known for its communication program. Unfortunately, my first semester on campus was less than ideal because there were less students on campus, everyone needed to socially distance, and masks were required due to the Covid-19 pandemic. I was still able to have some great experiences, but it was harder to feel involved in campus life.
Now in the Fall 2021 semester, I am able to take part in more activities and experience more of the Oswego campus. This semester, I have secured an internship working in one of the offices on campus and I joined the Her Campus Oswego club. I highly recommend internships for every major because I am able to get hands-on experience and apply what I have learned into real life projects. So far, I have helped create and distribute professional emails and newsletters, collaborated with other interns throughout the college, and I have even been able to create social media posts to share online with the Oswego community.
I am also excited that I joined HCOZ because it provides me with an opportunity to publish written work and to make friendships along the way! The club hosts events and helps create a sense of community amongst members and even non-members. After an unprecedented year with the global pandemic, it has been nice to make new friends and talk about things like Harry Styles, Twilight, campus events, and the latest articles. As a communication major, this club truly helps me keep up with writing things that I want to write about since I cannot always do so in my classes.
Overall, these past three years have been a journey and while I am sometimes sad that I am graduating early and completing my bachelor’s degree so quickly, I am excited for my future. Even though I had moments where I wanted to change my degree to do something more exciting like becoming a Doctor after watching Grey’s Anatomy, or an engineer to make a lot of money, I knew I wanted to stay as a communication major. Having such a broad field of work that will allow me to be creative is what I truly want and need.
I am also thankful for the support that has been given to me by friends and family along the way. College can be stressful at times and I am thankful for the people who were there for me when I needed it most. I am still undecided on whether I want to continue my education to receive a graduate degree, but for the time being, I am going to continue completing my bachelor’s degree and making the most out of my experience here.
To everyone else on their own journey of finding what they want to do in their life, I wish you all the best <3
Please remember that as we grow and acquire more knowledge and experiences, it’s okay to change our mind about what we want to do and who we want to be. We must always remember that our mental health and overall well-being are most important.