Click here to see my full article on Step Up Magazine.
It was the summer after graduation. I was sitting in my rundown college apartment (that I somehow LOVED), getting ready for my last round of interviews with a news station, when it hit me. This is not what I want to do after graduation.
I experienced terrible anxiety before each news reporting interview I had, because I knew deep down that was not the right career path for me. I knew I wanted to land my dream job in the journalism industry, but I didn’t know quite how to get there. I thought I HAD to take a job as a traditional news reporter right out of college just because all my peers were doing it, as we had been guided to do in school. Then I came to a realization. What I had also learned in my college classes was that journalism is forever changing and traditional news is becoming more and more obsolete. The difference between my classmates and I was that many of them wanted to be the next big news anchor, whereas I wanted to work in entertainment/music journalism whether it was on air or not.
I knew I would be miserable signing a two year contract doing something I wasn’t truly passionate about. I decided I would work my way up to my dream job without taking the traditional news reporter route. I still didn’t know how I would exactly do this, but what I did know is where I had to go, and that was anywhere but a small town. It was to take the plunge and move to The City of Angels…the place I had dreamed of living since I was a little girl.
What’s the worst that could happen? You have to go for these things while you’re young and fearless! Why should I wait a few years to make the big move? Why wait for the right moment? The right moment was when I said it was.
Fast forward to my life in LA. now and I still can’t believe I made it. Let me tell you it was not easy to make this transition, but everything did fall into place, because this is where I’m meant to be. You can read more details on how I exactly made the journey here.
You are going to start at the bottom and that is as it should be. I somehow got a job in LA before moving, but was it my dream job? No. Is it a stepping stone in the right direction where I am gaining fabulous experience? YES! I have an amazing first job in LA, but of course it won’t be the final one. You have to start somewhere, get your foot in the door, and continue to move up. Each stepping stone you take is a step in the right direction.
Congratulations on making it to the real world, you did it! I promise it is actually much better than college. I didn’t write this post to boast about my new life, but to encourage others to do the same and go for your dream. Don’t let anyone stop you on living your dream. I moved to where I wanted to be with basically nothing. You can do it too, as long as you have a plan and a good mindset. Listen to that voice inside your head telling you to follow your passion and take that risk. Whether it be moving somewhere new, switching your career path, finding your happiness elsewhere, or traveling the world: Go for it! You are only young once. And the future is now.
Thank you Step Up Magazine for the feature!