From Erin to Carrie

Finding what you want to do with your life is kind of like a scavenger hunt. You get clues, use your judgment, and and try to find whatever it is you're looking for. However, sometimes your instincts can throw you off and what you think you want to do may not be what you want to do after all.

I started out in business school studying Management. I was rather indifferent to it, but I felt I had to stick with it. Then one night when I was only one semester away from finishing my degree, I was watching ESPN in a local bar and saw Erin Andrews on the sideline. I thought to myself, "It would be really cool to do what she does." The more I thought about it, I realized I like media. But since I did not have any experience or a degree in that field, the only solution I had was to go back for another degree. So after earning my first degree in Management, I took off with my new degree in Telecommunications & Film with hopes of being a TV anchor and/or reporter.

For once, I was truly interested in what I was learning. I loved all my classes. Also in order to gain some hands-on experience, I started interning at the local TV station. Everything seemed to be going great. Then, things started to change.

During my internship, I noticed I was starting to feel stressed. Everything was very fast-paced, and while I did get a good bit of it down I still felt like I could not catch up. Four to six hours to prepare for a newscast seems like a lot of time, but it really isn't when you think about watching through the clips and cutting and everything. However, I kept my head up the best I could. This led to two main question I had for myself. The first question was, "How much stress am I honestly capable of managing?".

Also during the semester, I became very involved with my church's campus ministry, and I started to question what if I was really making the right decisions with my career path. I felt like God was leaking into my career plans and show me what was truly important in life and that I should make time for Him and the things I care about.

I know that family and friends are very important to me. I also know that I want to be married and have my own family, and I want to make sure I am an attentive and loving wife and mother. Of course, it is possible for a broadcaster to be married have a family and have friends, but it can be challenging. Being a TV reporter or anchor can be rather time-consuming and stressful because of the irregular working hours. These thoughts led to the second question--"How will I have time for family and friends?".

Despite having all these questions for myself, I still know I loved journalism and media. Therefore, I am now thinking about working in print journalism or media relations. I still plan to keep my degree in Telecommunications & Film because I know having multimedia skills will be very beneficial, especially during a time when print publications are going online. While there still is stress in print journalism, it seems to be more manageable for me.

Also, I am not ruling TV out for good. I just do not feel that TV news is right for me. I would like to be a contributing correspondent, like Jenna Bush Hager on the Today Show. Also, I would not mind having a talk show either because it would be fun. Plus, I can also show my personality.

I think about Carrie Bradshaw from Sex and The City. Yes, I know she is not real, but she is based off of Candace Bushnell, the author of the book that became the famous TV series. While Carrie was a successful columnist and writer, she still had time for her friends and her significant other, Mr. Big. She is an example that you can have time for a career you love and the things you value the most, such as family and friends.

 

In conclusion, I believe you should find something you love doing. At the same time, you should know the things you value most in life and take into consideration how you will make time for those things. When you have that balance, you will be happy.