Major choices in life need passion to flourish

By Kenney Kost/ne news editor

Be passionate and love what you do. The rewards may surprise you.

Every semester begins with the look of enthusiasm, especially new students or students who may be getting back into school from a hiatus for one reason or another. As the weeks go by, a peculiar thing begins to happen. The enthusiasm wanes, and class sizes begin to dwindle.

Things happen. Occasionally, it is beyond our control, and we have to make the adjustment no matter how hard the decision is. That being said, sometimes it is simply because students did not care enough to continue or, even more often, because they feel overwhelmed by having to make a choice that will affect them for the rest of their lives: picking a major.

It is hard to believe that some people know exactly what they want to do at age 18 and jump right into school, graduate and lead the life they always wanted from day one. This happens, and to those that fall into this category, way to go. But for a lot of people, this is not the case at all. It is hard to know what you want to do when you are just learning who you are in the first place.

The answer is easy: Do something you love and are passionate about. Do not listen to others who tell you it is hard to make a living in that field. Do not choose something to make others happy or proud. If it makes you happy and proud, then chances are, in the long run, everyone that matters to you will be proud of your work.

Do not pass on something you love to do for fear of not making a living. If you are doing work at a job you love to do, chances are that you will excel at your job. When people excel at work, they advance in their careers, and more opportunities arise for them.

Many times, the people that have the most impact on society or achieve the greatness they dreamed of as a child did not think about the decision to jump. They just jumped. Making the work and the outcome matter more often than not will lead to a rewarding career.

As Americans, we have the freedom to choose — choose who our leaders are, what entertainment to partake in, whom to marry and, most importantly, what we do for a living. A college degree can get you far in life, and you can find a job that affords a comfortable life with a number of degrees.

So, why not take that chance and try something different when you have the opportunity. If you do not succeed, you can then choose the fall-back option, but at least you can live with the knowledge that you tried something unique instead of the regret of not having tried at all.