By Marissa Burr, Opinion Editor
When I was very young, all I wanted to be was a mother. I played with baby dolls, ran a toy kitchen and always liked being around kids.
In elementary school, I pondered the idea of owning a bakery, probably brought upon by both my love of sweets and that toy kitchen. The problem arose when I actually tried to bake with my mother and then on my own. First of all, I made quite the mess and had no desire to clean it up. Shortbread cookies were my first solo project — and unfortunately my last for a while. I still have not been invited to make Christmas cookies at my grandparent’s house with my Mema and my mother every year. It may be for the best.
In middle school, interior design fascinated me. I would build Minecraft worlds just so I could make houses for the different characters I’d read about or seen on television. Not the easiest to customize in 2013, but I made do. I still have a passion for design, and I can’t wait to do it in my future house. However, it isn’t a career for me, and I wouldn’t even know where to start when searching for a career. We all can’t be Hillary Farr from “Love it or List it.”
Towards the end of eighth grade, I did a job-shadowing experience in my kindergarten teacher’s current classroom. It was amazing and changed my life. I did an internship my junior year in the same teacher’s classroom and loved it just as much as I had three years prior. I would then go on to pursue elementary education for the next five years. Everyone always said I was a natural with children and would make a great teacher. I don’t think that is necessarily untrue since I’ve taken a personal leave and changed my major, but I recognize that, as much as I love working with kids and being in a classroom, I don’t believe it's something I want to do for the rest of my life. That’s okay: things change. I’ll always miss the stability that came with wanting to be a teacher —in a job security way, not financial, obvious to anyone who knows the average teacher salary — but I won’t go into a career where I don’t find fulfillment.
Now I’m a creative writing major, and I love it. I’ve never felt so alive as when I’m expressing every part of myself, not just the good ones. I intend to write for the rest of my life. Maybe that will lead me to a newspaper or a magazine. Hopefully I will write books, too. I aspire to have published works so that the world can read about my experiences.
My point in all of this is that plans change, paths change. It’s scary picking up the pieces of your life and starting anew, trust me. That doesn’t make it any less worth it, though. Discover what makes you feel free.