college

Summer Lovin’

I’ve gotten lots of emails, tweets, and Tumblr questions inquiring about my summer plans.
I’m doing a non-traditional summer before senior year.  I’ve never really be one to follow the “normal” path anyway.  And I’m finding that it’s suiting me quite well.
This summer is officially declared “The Summer of Personal Growth & Development.”  Which is a mouthful, so the short name is “The Last Summer.”
I didn’t interview for internships.  I didn’t take some internships that I was offered.  Instead, I’m working on myself.  Junior year was a really different year than sophomore and freshman years.  It was both good and bad- but a lot more good!  I learned so much about my true strengths and what makes me stand out from the crowd.  I also learned that I do a lot better when I’m happy and excited to be doing whatever I’m doing.
Not only do I perform better when I’m happy… I also have a lot more opportunities come up when I’m doing what I love.
Long story short, I’ve discovered something that had been sitting under my nose this whole time.  I love to talking to people, whether it’s face-to-face conversation or presenting in front of a large group of people or just sitting down at my desk- as I am now- and writing.
In elementary school, I was all about the maths and sciences… and notsomuch about the language arts (which I’m thoroughly convinced is due to standardized writing tests… but I digress).  However, by the end of middle school, my “What do I want to be when I grow up” dream was to be an editor of a magazine.
Journalism.
High school threw me for some loops, and I wanted to be just about everything.  This includes, of course, a short-lived desire to be an endocrinologist.  [Thank you AP Chemistry for steering me away from that career path.]  Yet, in between medical school ambitions and becoming the first female president, I always found myself drawn to journalism.
My (super great, loved every minute) internship this past semester with College Fashionista helped me rediscover my original desire and dream of entering the field of journalism.  At this point of the post, I’m sure Soccer Dad is ready to shoot me.  I know, I know, everyone is saying it, “Journalism is dead.”
Except I really don’t believe it is.  Sure, it’s not the same as it was twenty years ago.  Or frankly, twenty days ago.  It changes and evolves so quickly… but it’s still kicking.  Journalism is such a broad field, and that’s really what I think I’m going to be discovering and evaluating throughout the next year.
And, of course, I’m keeping all of my doors open.  But, you know… you’ve got to start somewhere.
Thought this post was about my summer plans?  Don’t worry… I’m about to come full circle.
I know that no matter what I do, I need to be happy.  Otherwise, it doesn’t matter if I’m a billionaire with six houses across the globe, it won’t be worth it.  At the end of junior year, I made some tough decisions that I’ll get into later… this is already a lengthy, and possibly boring, post as it is.
So, I’m running… writing… spending time with my family… reading… learning more about myself… talking to amazing individuals that are definitely helping me figure things out.
I’m preparing myself for the future.
And I couldn’t be more excited.
(A picture from forever ago… but LIVE action right there)
xoxo

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18 Comments

Anonymous

Definitely not a boring post, but totally inspiring and awesome to read! I'm sure whatever you do you'll be fantastic at it 🙂

Bonne chance!

Chelsea x

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Julia Ohaver

Sorry, don't know what happened! Here's my comment:

I was a communications major! I love to write so I started off in Journalism but then discovered that I like the more creative, fast-paced side of writing, so I ended up in PR & Advertising. You'll be great at it, anything you have a passion for will never feel like a job! Good luck 🙂

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Anonymous

i find it very good that you take time to reflect!!! to others it may seem like you're "not doing anything" but inside of you, it is working! and by the end of summer, you will have so much insight and this feeling that you're on the right path again!!!

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The Aly Way

Good for you Carly! I am having a similar summer. The summer of "me!" I am focusing on my workouts, LSAT prep, and personal development. I've taken so many paths where my heart was not fully in it, and I later regretting wasting all that time. You have to do what you love! Have fun this summer, and as a very entertained follower… you will be a fabulous and successful journalist!

~aly @ http://www.thealyway.blogspot.com

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Anonymous

It *threw* you for a loop (I should be an editor.haha) 😉 Great blog post – I think more people in general really just need to take some time and figure out what they want to do AFTER they've gotten some college experience/classes under their belts.

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Katie

It's always good to take a step back and reevaluate exactly what direction you are trying to take in your life. I think your choice is commendable 🙂

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Mckenzie

I'm a Journalism/Mass Comm. major- My professors have all chatted about the 'death of journalism'. It's not happening – at least not right now. Especially not when there are stories to be told. The new area is Social Media- which is even more exciting- Look into it. It's a GREAT major.

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Grace

Congrats for deciding to focus on what you love! I've always been good at math and science, but when it comes down to it history and literature are what I really love. And I would say that despite the change in medium, journalism as a field isn't going anywhere.

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Clara

This is great 🙂 I went through similar diversions/phases during my time in college, and trust me, these are the most important decisions you will make– not in terms of career paths, but the kind of adult you will turn out to be.

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Kasey

This is the summer before my senior year as well and I feel the exact same way. I want to go into my senior year of college feeling like I have myself together as a whole person.

I've tossed the idea of attending medical school around so many times and have taken the summer to truly explore. I am doing my first physician shadow this summer. IR is still my passion but I want to explore all my options. 🙂

Good luck!

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Helen

I just wanted to say I LOVE today's post– the message was great and the writing did the perfect job conveying it. Thanks for giving us something to think about!

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Carly

Hey Carly! Great post today! Taking time to learn about yourself is an amazing idea for how to spend your summer… I might have to make it my own (I'll give you all the credit though- I promise!). And the whole journalism thing– go for it! If it's what you really love and feel passionate about, you can't go wrong. Everything will work out in the end!

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Laura

As a communications grad (with a focus in journalism), I'm so glad to hear you're planning to pursue it again! The industry needs more creative and intelligent writers like you.

I too had a similar situation. In a nutshell, I quit my job and moved to NYC for an magazine internship…after some major self-evaluations and the pursuit of my dream job!

"Never give up on what you really want to do. The person with big dreams is more powerful than one with all the facts." Best of luck, Carly!

P.S. Journalism will never die 🙂

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The Pink Tutu

Love that you're choosing to pursue journalism. It may be evolving, but it will never die – there is a need for the written word in just about any type of business.

I majored in journalism and have worked as an editor at a magazine for the past five years. Let me know if you need any advice or have any questions.

Lots of luck and enjoy the summer of you!! 🙂

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Angela Parmer Duke

Just found your blog through one of my best friends who RAVES about it!
I had to comment on this because this is literally my exact summer/life/path, and I seriously had titled my summer the same thing. ..Legitimately am in shock right now at the parallels. I was the same way in high school, went into college as pre-med, and then realized that's NOT what I wanted to do at all. Then I realized that I loved writing and basically people in general and had to decide between JMC and Marketing. So long story short, you're not the only one taking a break and trying to figure things out before senior year!
Good luck to you! 🙂

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