Usually for my Discussion posts, I pull ideas from Vivatramp’s 100 Book Blog Post Ideas. But this time, I decided to create a post based on my current life situation.
First, I’d like to say how much I love books. Literature has been apart of my life since before I could walk. I remember my dad reading The Bernstein Bears when I was about two and could still visualize and daydream what those bears were up to. And after that, I kept reading.
When I was about 10 years old, I read books like the Baby-Sitters Club, Nancy Drew, Boxcar Children, Animorphs. Harry Potter books were in and out of my childhood, but I watched the movies over and over. Reading became a fundamental need in my life, like I needed it to breathe. And that made me want to form my career around English literature, reading and writing.
In high school, I craved my English classes. I remember in my freshman year, me and my teacher got along not only because we had the same first name, but we both had a love and appreciation for books and writing. In my junior year, I joined the school newspaper and got to learn a lot about editing, web design, working with a crew, interviewing different people, and deadlines. There’s a lot that goes behind bringing a weekly newspaper to fruition.
After high school came college, and this was where I’d had a turning point in my academic career, because my college days were untraditional. I’d went from a crazy-expensive private university my freshman year, to community college the year after, and graduated from University of Phoenix’s online program last September. I chose Mass Communications in the beginning, but I’d also let too many people tell me what to do or how to feel, so I switched majors back and forth. I even have an Associate’s degree in Education, but I have yet to really use it because it was never a path for me.
Last September, I swore myself I was done with school; even after achieving my Bachelor’s in Communications and Journalism, I could have gone for my Master’s, but I just didn’t see the point. What’s the point of going through the process of the academic institution if you don’t know what to do with it? So now I’m at this point in my life where I don’t know where I’m headed or what’s next.
I’ve had experiences with working with other entertainment websites, but they didn’t last long. I’ve even interned for some local publications. However, what if the dream job I’d thought I needed back in my early days is unachievable?
What if all of these setbacks are telling me that maybe publishing, writing, marketing, working with other creative types, is all in my head? What if it’s not possible in today’s regurgitated oversaturation?
If you don’t have a certain number of followers, have those specific connections with certain publishers or authors, then what happens? What if this is all you know and all you have spent so much time on, only to find little growth and opportunity?
This identity crisis also rides into this dilemma, and it affects my personal relationships. There are people in my life who mean well, they say they support me, but don’t know how to. So I have to find outside resources and things just to feel like I’m doing something right.
I know this was an odd, all-over-the-place kind of post; it’s not usually what you see from me. However, I just needed a space to vent the current thoughts in my head. Anything can happen; maybe something new will come along and I’ll scrap this whole post altogether haha!!
But anyway, how do you feel about the publishing industry now? Do you think it needs a redo or is it good the way it is? Comment below!
