Whenever people ask me what my program is, I always look at them with an oh-my-god-it’s-this-question-again face.
I am a psychology major, and don’t get me wrong because I love what I am doing. But maybe there’s just a little voice that echoes in the back of my head whenever I am asked with that question, “๐ธ๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ช๐ง ๐ ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ญ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ข ๐ฎ๐ข๐ด๐ด ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ช๐ค๐ข๐ต๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐ฑ๐ณ๐ฐ๐จ๐ณ๐ข๐ฎ?”
Since 2015, I have been working as a student-journalist, a copyreader and headline writer. Over the years, I have learned to write and even gained experience in broadcasting at school. It was during this time that I developed a love for journalism. However, I had to stop during senior high school because our school didn’t have any publication.
That was also when I learned to love the tourism industry. I pursued studies in tourism operations during senior high school, but despite my efforts to gain experience and sustain my passion for journalism, it gradually faded. Upon entering college, I prioritized psychology over mass communication, believing it would be more beneficial for me.
It has honestly been fun. There’s so much to learn in this program, and I’m incredibly grateful for all the knowledge I’ve gained. However, as time passes, I’ve come to realize my true desires, which are quite different from what I’m currently studying. Admittedly, there’s some regret and many ‘what ifs.’
๐๐ฐ๐ถ๐ญ๐ฅ ๐ฎ๐บ ๐ญ๐ช๐ง๐ฆ ๐ฃ๐ฆ ๐ฅ๐ช๐ง๐ง๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต ๐ช๐ง ๐ ๐ฉ๐ข๐ฅ ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ญ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ฎ๐ข๐ด๐ด ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ช๐ค๐ข๐ต๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐ช๐ฏ๐ด๐ต๐ฆ๐ข๐ฅ? ๐๐ฐ๐ถ๐ญ๐ฅ ๐ ๐ฃ๐ฆ ๐ฉ๐ข๐ฑ๐ฑ๐ช๐ฆ๐ณ? ๐๐ฐ๐ถ๐ญ๐ฅ ๐ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ณ๐ช๐ท๐ฆ ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ง๐ช๐ฆ๐ญ๐ฅ?
But above all, anxiety gets the better of me, especially when people keep on telling me that I should have pursued a communication program because my skills are aligned with it. I often hear this from my friends, and even from my mom. She always says, “I thought you were into psychology, why do you always end up doing communication-related things?”
It’s easy to tell them to mind their own business, but I find it hard to speak up because deep down, I know they’re right. I often ask myself, “what can I do?” I can’t simply discard my passion. Despite coming from a completely different field, I continue on honing my communication skills through hosting stints, journalism work, artistic performances, event production, and similar endeavors.
Actually, there have been times when people told me that I’m a waste of talent and potential, and that I waste a lot of time. But I don’t think so. Exploring two different worlds has shown me more perspectives on things. I’ve been able to incorporate my psychology learnings into my extracurricular work. There are times when my passion for journalism and communication is enhanced by my knowledge in psychology.
Perhaps, the same holds true for others who find themselves in the wrong college program and lack the means to shift to their desired one. A slight shift in our perspective might grant us the inner peace we’ve longed for. Maybe we can have the best of both worlds, can’t we?
At the end of the day, it’s up to us how we plan to weave our destiny. After all, college programs aren’t the be-all and end-all of things. Let’s use our time wisely; maybe we can now start practicing our desired profession now and gain enough experience to soar high in the skies.
