As I think about facing my last half a year at Davis as an undergrad, I am faced with a tough pill to swallow: I have no solid career path. I used to lose sleep over this fact and hate myself for going through college without a plan. However, I’ve never been one to plan out my life like a checklist, so that feeling turned more into anxiety. I’ve met so many people who have detailed plans for their future and manage to either stick to it or go in a completely different direction. I would look up to them in awe of how awesome they mastered their plans. Whenever I think about where I’d like my life to go, the saying “A jack of all trades is a master of none” pops in my head. Truthfully, when I first heard this message, I wondered why it was that I couldn’t be good at one thing. I would compare myself to talented and skilled friends who had found their calling and feel shame that I hadn’t found such a thing for myself. I would think about all the things I enjoyed and kept reminding myself that perhaps I could make a career out of those interests. Yet, college proved to be more difficult than I imagined and the challenge of passing my classes was a greater priority than trying to decipher what my calling could be. I felt like I was in a race with time as each year went on in college until the pandemic hit.
Nonetheless, this assignment sparked an interest in me to branch out and join organizations I’ve had my eyes on. In my mind, this is my last year at Davis and I should take a leap of faith — I have nothing to lose! I found and applied to HerCampus as a writer/contributor. It has been refreshing to get back into writing for fun which was something I put off since I started college. Getting accepted to be a part of the ASUCD DREAM Committee has also been rewarding to me as I can keep supporting and advocating for the AB540 and undocumented community. I realized that helping the AB540, undocumented, and DREAMers community is very important to me, and through this opportunity, I can fulfill that. As I look back, I remind myself where I came from: a place of denial, fear, and exhaustion. As I look forward to my last two quarters at Davis, I see potential, opportunities, and abundance. I am grateful to not only get the experience of working with other talented folks, but I am ecstatic to be able to see myself grow my skills. I learned to stop comparing myself to my peers by admiring their success and being happy for them. It’s important to remember that we don’t know what people have gone through to get where they are, but it is equally important not to put yourself down. There’s more than enough space for each person to shine and thrive!
“A jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes, better than a master of one” — Elizabeth English.