Students of the game. We passed the class. Cuz nobody could read you dudes like we do.
Is it my fault you don't enjoy what you do? That's really what I want to ask most people. Time and time again, I hear people comment on how they chose the "hard" major. How other majors are "easier." I'd like to take this time out the burst the bubble of ignorance. When I was little, I wanted to be a Veterinarian. I wanted to build a human sized dog house in my back yard and collect stray animals. I tend to them, heal them and love them. I was once a nice child. Somewhere along the line though, I changed my mind and wanted to be Selena. Yep. The Mexican singer (remember I was also a little Spanish girl). It wasn't that I didn't like animals anymore, I just realized that there was more fun to be had in this world.
I was fortunate to have been raised by a very understanding mother with a firm but generous hand. I was never told what I should be. I was never given a nudge in one direction or another. When the topic of college came up, my major was not discussed, it was simply a conversation about where I wanted to go (because the assumption was that I would go.) Since I can remember, I've been a writer. Secretly, I poured my soul into diaries that I hid in shoeboxes in the back of my closet. But I knew there was something good about my scribe and I felt empowered anytime we had a writing assignment to complete. I remember writing a paper on Cuba when I was in the 6th grade. I loved that paper. I delved into the country and read through every out-of-date Encyclopedia my middle school had in stock. And I remember my teachers telling me that my peices where well written. I'm the type of kid who listens. I know what's up. I know what I'm good at and what I'm not good at. And I take advantage of my strongest skill set.
My thoughts didn't breach public domain until high school. It was in private school where I excelled in my written prose as I could offer stories my classmates could not. My honesty was riviting and my poetry (while semi-feared) was praised by all. I was published against my will by a caring teacher who knew more than I did, the power of my scribe. I competed. I performed. I was hired to open shows in cafes where I was the youngest patron, sipping a hot tea (on the house) while everyone else enjoyed their liquor and showed ID at the door. I was a poet. This was my passion.
Contrary to popular belief, not everyone can write. And not everyone should. That's why most blogs (this is where I kiss my own ass because I enjoy my writing and the 3,000+ monthly hits sort of backs me). Granted, educated people have the skills to inform, to convey ideas in their writing, but they miss pivotal ingredients. They have no pull. They have no voice. They have no emotion. Most importantly though, they lack respect for each individually chosen word and the inherent power each holds. They write as a chore. That is something unique about writers. Every word means something. The difference between a dash and an ellipse can make or break a sentence, and while you --as the reader-- might not notice, I hope you understand that it all means the world to me.
So no, I did not major in Biology or Chemistry. I majored at something I was good at. Something I enjoyed. Initially, I entered Loyola a Psych major. I assumed the science that wasn't a science would be a good middle ground for me and get me a good salary out of school. But, as interesting as the field is, it wasn't for me. I wasn't happy. I wasn't interested. I wasn't living for me. This wasn't... completing me. At Loyola, there is a (supposed) emphasis on the cura personalis (The education of the whole person) which truly spoke to me. I couldn't do it for four years. I couldn't spend all that time trying to finish up studies that didn't truly speak to me. And while many who take up the sciences and medicine as a field of study argue that they did it to "help others" you did it for the guarantee of a check, let's be honest. Or perhaps it was that you weren't good at anything more than memorization (which the sciences rely heavily on). Or, to judge you a bit less, perhaps you hadn't (and maybe haven't yet) figured out what you truly want to do with your life. What you really find joy in.
Seems to me, some people like to choose a major because of what they think it says about them. They pick the science because one might assume they are "smarter". When you tell people you are/were a bio/chem major, it makes you feel smart right? Because you can name shit on the periodic table that they can't? Well, I've never enjoyed those conversations --in class and much less during my free time. I enjoyed the sciences. My favorite is Physics actually. I understand they are important in my education and a "whole person," but that is not me as a whole person. And simply because you chose the least creative and most time consuming of majors doesn't make me think you are smarter than I am. I assume you need less entertainment that I do. You are easily satisfied. You can put yourself and your happiness aside better than I can. I assume you have more time on your hands. I assume you'd prefer to study than party all week. & I studied --on Sundays and Tuesday. I just partied the rest of the week.
You might think that partying is wrong. I, on the other hand, believe that partying is college. I enjoyed my experience thoroughly. So while I can reminisce on the great classes I had I can also talk about the great time I had. My time wasn't spent in a library. I was making friends. I was having fun. I was experiencing life and growing as a person. And all of these experiences added to my classes. I was able to be more creative. I could pull in my personal experience into building and executing advertising campaigns. I could use clearer and more poignant details in my writing to get my (real-life) stories across more effectively. I wasn't all books. Although I read a shit-load of novels, my peers' essays and news, articles on current events, company bios, company ratings and sales reports. Shit that might not interest you. But I loved it all the same.
I've spoken to so many people who, taking on a profession they really don't like, are now trying to figure out what makes them happy. Now,this is wonderful and I'm glad you've reached this part of your life, but guess what? I've already done that. I know what makes me happy and I didn't sacrifice myself to the will of my parents or the economy out of fear. I had enough faith in myself and in my skills that I knew I'd make it somehow. If you're good, your good. Nothing more needs to be said. Because granted, Advertising and Writing might come off as "easy"majors, but I assure you, you could never do either as well I can. And had you been in classes with me, I also guarantee that I'd have blown you out of the water. I'm just glad I'm ahead of the pack when it comes to happiness. Now, you all have to go outside of what you were trained to do and learn a whole new discipline in order to master it. And granted, it can be done --but how much easier would it be if you had already learned that?
NEWS FLASH: You'd have sucked at my easy major. I'm not sure people understand how offensive it is when you call their major "easy". As if I didn't study. As if I didn't work my ass off. As if I didn't pull all-nighters trying to finish portfolios and projects. I had to pass just like you did. The difference is, I'd have found no joy sitting in a basement classroom filling in circles and diagnosing diseases. Instead, I was able to play the role of Creative Director and pitch a campaign to actual Under Armour executives. I was doing work. And again, I say to you, you couldn't have done it better than I did. From the outside looking in, you can call any major easier than the sciences due to the mere weight of the text books, but in reality the only truth is that liberal arts majors are easier to afford. & you might think a simple 2nd year philosophy class is easy, but you'll think again if you ever take Loyola's Dr. Backhaus with his book after book and 10-20 page papers due a week after each. He's a great teacher, but stupid kids don't pass his class.
Some people are okay with memorizing. With holding onto information that they don't find interesting and is instead necessary. That's not me. But if I didn't haven enough confidence to listen to my heart, I could have done it too. I could have sat through those classes and bypassed the parties/ my life to take notes and join study groups. It's possible. But that's not me. And I'm sorry you now feel like you have to take shots at me because you're unhappy. You chose your major. If you wanted to do what I do, you should have chosen like I did.
... This is all me raving and ranting. I'm sure there are bio/medicine majors who thoroughly enjoy what they do. I understand that it took you dedication and long hours to complete your studies, but that was a choice you made. That's not what I wanted to do. Instead, I excelled in what makes me happy. & #LookAtMeNow. Fully employed with benefits and enough free time to do what I really love. Write. & I do it for free. I'm not a slave to the penny nor to my job. I enjoy what I do. Don't hate me for it. Simply put, the rest of us don't think about you. Because we work hard regardless of what you think. Regardless of the prejudice and misconception you have that makes you think you worked harder for your degree than we did.
I couldn't have done it. But I could have. I could have dedicated myself. I have the intelligence. But I couldn't submit myself to hours on end of material that did nothing for me. This is where you and I may differ. I understand wanting to choose a major that makes money & that's why I chose Advertising. But, I actually like it. I couldn't be in a sterile lab or hospital all day. I couldn't spend my days visiting patients somewhere. Shoutouts to those who can, because I don't know how I'd manage. I think I'd flip right over into depression, I know myself. (People like me need people like you. When I get sick, I'll come to you. But when your hospital needs to revamp and try to get more funding, you need the likes of me.) I know that I love myself way too much to submit myself to that especially when I know full well what I'm best at. I'm a writer. And my major was challenging because I challenged myself.
So out of respect to the people like me, chasing dreams from the very beginning, we'd appreciate if you understood this it is more difficult to follow your heart and find what makes you truly happy and complete than it is to pass a biology class. I'm sure we can all agree to that. & I've mastered this. Congratulations to all of us who have. & If my major was easy... seems to me you're dumb for choosing the more difficult one, no? Or maybe you should just mind your life and I'll mind mine.
I am a writer. New, unexperienced and without a proper editor, so cut me some slack...but I doubt any of you are performing open-heart surgery right out of school.
FYI: I'm happy, doing what I love, paying my bills, keeping my closet pretty and my filling my fridge.
Thank you, Loyola College.
