Most of us at BYU are studying something worthwhile.
No, I don’t mean the members of the opposite gender in your ward; I mean the information inside your textbooks, the content of your classroom lectures and the basis for your weekly homework.
Contrary to popular belief, some of that information is worthwhile.
In a short amount of time — maybe as soon as December — you’re going to be using that information in the real world.
Whether you leave college for a job, a mission, more education or to raise a family, you will be using the information you’re studying now to help you with the real-life occurrences you’ll experience later.
There’s a quote by Steve Jobs that’s been making the rounds on my Facebook wall, and possibly on some of yours.
“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work,” Jobs said. “The only way to do great work is to love what you do.”
Love what you do.
Now, we all know some things are easier said than done.
I spent my first three semesters at BYU struggling to find something I loved. I had a lot of end goals, but I didn’t have an enjoyable way to make it there.
I tried my first major, sure it would lead me to happiness, success and a happy career. Instead I discovered math got a little bit too complicated once they started using more letters than numbers.
So I tried my hand at a second. Sadly, I wasn’t a great fit for that one either.
I tried a third, a fourth, a fifth and a sixth.
Yes, I had six majors in the first three semesters. All were declared at some point and I took classes in most.
I couldn’t figure out what I wanted to do, I only knew I had to find my fit.
And I did.
I signed up for journalism pre-requisites two weeks before school started. In some ways I believe it was a miracle and a blessing the classes opened for me.
Once in journalism, I’ll admit, I felt like I’d made another mistake. I struggled with my decision and almost re-declared my major — for the seventh time.
However, I stuck it out. About halfway through the semester it hit me for the first time — I had found my niche, my place, my calling.
I loved to write, I loved to report and I loved to know what was going on around me.
For the first time since entering college I realized I had found something in which I truly wanted to do great work.
Now, this doesn’t mean all my work was great. I still learned, I still struggled and I still had to work hard — but I knew the work was going into something I loved.
Sadly, I don’t think everyone studies things they love, and I don’t know how they do it.
Without complete (or at least some) love toward their major, I don’t know how these people find the will or desire to put the necessary hours needed to succeed.
If you haven’t already, and it’s not too late, I urge you to find something you love.
It’s worth the effort, worth the time and worth the wasted classes to know when you walk across the stage and receive your diploma you’ll love the major written on the piece of paper.
For those of you leaving BYU too soon to change your major, there’s still hope. There’s a huge difference between a major and a job — graduating in print journalism doesn’t necessarily mean you have to work in a newsroom.
There are opportunities out there you’ve never imagined.
Look for them, you’ll find them somewhere out there.
In the meantime, try to figure out what you love, it makes a pretty happy life.
Allie McCoy is the opinion editor for The Daily Universe. This viewpoint represents her opinion and not necessarily that of The Daily Universe, BYU, its administration or The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
