I had a very short progression of dream jobs.
At first I wanted to be an actress, since I was less than shy and loved the spotlight. Then, I wanted to be a writer; and I still do! However, around 6th grade, something about journalism caught my eye, and I’ve been in that boat ever since. I’ve had a love for reading and writing since I could walk, so this didn’t surprise anyone who knew me.
I’d always heard of people constantly changing their minds and switching their majors when they got to college, and I just knew that would never be me. I was right – I graduated 3 months ago at the time of writing this, and I didn’t falter on my career goals once. But, something even more interesting did happen.
My school didn’t have a direct journalism major, so I majored in Mass Communications, which is a BROAD field. I got into taking multiple different classes about not only reporting and journalistic writing, but film, screenwriting, marketing, advertising, public relations, and editing. I developed so many new skills through those experiences that I never expected I would learn, and now I consider myself a bit of a jack of all trades.
Reader, I’m sure you’ve heard the saying, “jack of all trades, but master of none.” I hate that saying. I really, really hate it. It comes with such a negative connotation – how dare you put your hands in multiple cookie jars? But for people like me in the communications field, you really can’t help it. My coursework didn’t allow me to focus on one niche; it would be more accurate to say they took one of my hands out of the journalism jar, gave me 6 extra hands, and spread them across the whole bakery.
I attribute that to the reason my options are so open now. I still love journalism, of course. However, I’m not so certain that’s the career path my life will follow anymore. I get tastes of different aspects of media almost every day now, and my curiosity is piqued. I’m only 21. Why should I put myself in a box so soon?
I’m sure at some point I will become a master of something. However, the other trades that I’ve developed skills in will be absolutely crucial to me mastering one niche. I can write for multiple different mediums, I can edit audio and video, I can interview, I can host, I can develop communications strategies, and I can work a camera. That’s a lot, I know. But at my young age, I have all of those cookies in my back pocket, ready to pull one out when necessary. I’d much rather be in that position than only having one skill to offer.
Please hear me when I say this: there is nothing wrong with being a jack of all trades. I know nobody asked me, but if someone did, I would say that in this ever-changing media landscape, it might be necessary to be one.
(insert another hastily concocted cookie jar metaphor here)
readreaming 