Don’t be Cheryl
Originally, I wanted to pursue film. As a kid, I watched films and TV shows with my family almost every weekend. In high school, I took a course my freshman year (intro to TV production) that expanded my general interest in film by getting me involved with the technical side of things. I thought that was what I would do for the rest of my life. Sophomore year of high school introduced me to broadcast media. I instantly fell in love with live news. When I was a kid, I watched the news with my parents everyday and did not think much of it. That class my sophomore year opened my eyes to a new career path. My parents convinced me to be wary of pursuing film because film majors (and other corresponding art fields) tend to show up on the lower end of entry-level salaries. I planned to major in Communications in university to always have a backup in case something went wrong.I love both film and broadcast media so I did not see this as a difficult choice. I do not regret majoring in Communications but I do regret not following my original dreams even in my twenties.
I am not the only millennial to believe that I must have everything together by the end of college. The very notion of that is suffocating. I am worried about not getting a job after college but as long as I complete university and take the right steps, my life should fall into place. I feel like Cheryl (Pollak 59). Many people who weren’t in the industry clouded my mind with notions of what they assumed it was like. I would rather be happy years from now in an industry I love instead of being unhappy after years of something I hate. Even through this course, I regret not investigating more into the film industry.
I currently have an internship in broadcast media where I have the opportunity to talk to people who pursued their passion to get to where they are (and continue to move forward). I love my internship. I am branching out into sports, gaining new broadcast skills, and spending time with people who are passionate about their work but not with where they currently are. Some of my co-workers seem like they settled for this position but definitely want to move on to bigger and better things. Most of them are young and find a silver lining because they still love what they are doing but not where they are.
When I hang out with film majors, the story is different. They know they want to go into film and are just happy to be making films and shorts. All of them are still in school and understand the reality of majoring in film but they also know they do not want to be unhappy. I rejoined the film club on campus (I was too busy last year) so I could surround myself with that level of positive thinking. Pollak says to “hang out with passionate people” and that is what I am trying to do (62).
I am worried about finances after university. Money is a factor for me but not the only factor (Pollak 63). Financial stability is incredibly important to me. Even being a student now, I fear the possibility of one day not having enough money to eat or get home. I aspire to a level of stability where I can travel (another passion of mine) and not constantly be worried about debt and bills. Sometimes it feels like even asking for that level of financial stability is too much. Studies show that we have less money than previous generations.
Realizing that my first job will not be my only job and that money is a factor, I decided to double major in economics. I really like economics but the passion is not there. We live in a new age that film can be a hobby and still profitable with websites like YouTube. This is something my mom wants me to pursue and I’ve come to like the idea. Economics could get me a job immediately out of university that pays pretty well and I would still have time on the weekend for film. This sounds great in theory, but I am scared. I like economics but I do not know if I would enjoy a career in it. I would love film to be my full-time job but I do not think I am ready to take that risk.
I feel I balanced all of my concerns with broadcast media. Broadcast media is still a passion of mine and I genuinely love news but sometimes, choosing this industry feels like something I should do. And at least for my twenties, I think I will get rid of the “shoulds (Pollack 52).”
