“But will that challenge you?”
A question I am asked all the time when I want to take on a new project. Will I be challenged? My response is: aren’t I challenged enough? I’m in an Integrated Masters program, I work in a high-demanding job with low pay, Texas just went through a once-in-a-lifetime winter storm, and we are living in the middle of a pandemic! I think those are plenty of challenges.
Recently, I’ve felt like I am pulled in all directions. I am majoring in accounting, minoring in entrepreneurship, working in journalism, and running my at-home bakery. There simply is not enough time in the day to even accomplish tasks in two of those categories, let alone all four. Because there are only so many hours in a day, I decided to change my minor from entrepreneurship to journalism for multiple reasons. First, I didn’t feel passionate about it anymore. Everything I was doing in the classroom felt forced and uninteresting. Second, I felt like my time would be better spent in other areas of my life, like my friends and family, academics, or writing. Lastly, if I start a business, I will deal with people I feel comfortable with and rely on with a venture I am passionate about, not in a practicum with people I barely know and a venture I am not passionate about.
Since I decided to change my minor, I also decided to drop the class I was taking for the minor this semester. Currently, because of COVID-19, none of our Q-drops go towards the normal Q-drop limit. However, it will still show up as a Q-drop on my transcript. Ultimately, I decided that any employer who wants a transcript from me would rather see better grades in my audit and tax classes than an A in an entrepreneurship class.
At this point, you’re probably wondering why I am explaining all of this to you and how it relates to the title “You Don’t Need to be Challenged All the Time.” When I change anything to do with my academics, I talk it over with my parents to get their opinions and insight. They did not like this idea of me dropping this class and changing my minor. In our conversation, my mom told me, “I’m just scared you won’t be challenged as much in journalism classes” because she doesn’t think the field is challenging enough for me. While, to some extent, it is not as challenging as engineering, it still offers its challenges and skills I have learned that I use in my day-to-day life. Journalism is a field I love working in, so it does not necessarily need to challenge me constantly.
Personally, this is a big step for me because I barely do activities or jobs because I love them. I encourage you to add more activities into your day-to-day life that you enjoy. Whether it be a whole new job or making more time to watch YouTube videos, it will lead you to a happier and healthier life.
XOXO,
Sheryl