Why doing what you love doesn’t have to be a bad strategy
Welcome back! Everyone’s been in the full swing of school for a couple of weeks, and it dawned on me that I’m on my last semester! My final eighth is upon me, the senior slide is apparent and my classes are core credits. So, obviously I had to take a day with a friend and take pictures and not do homework. I offered to do hair and makeup because, while my friend is fab with a camera, he just doesn’t have the wrist composure for liquid eyeliner.
We had fun in the below freezing temperatures and braved the snowbanks to get good shots. My roommate was the subject for the shoot, wore skirts in the wind and looked great and whimsical. We stalked downtown Fargo for fun backdrops, and we discovered a rainbow fire escape, a graffiti tiny elephant that seemed to grow out of snow and some sweet bricks. The whole time I kept thinking about how much fun I was having, and if the weather had been a bit more pleasant, we would have gone for hours longer.
When we all got home I was replaying things in my mind and enjoying the fact that I got to be a part of it, doing the makeup, watching the poses and helping find spots. I legitimately forgot how fun it was to have an actual hobby, or something that you just do to be good at it. My friend served as a weird reminder that everyone does their own thing.
My mom always told me to just get a job and keep what you love, what you love. Don’t make your hobby a living because you won’t love it anymore. I bet some of you have heard the same thing, but then you come to college and realize how painful that is, majoring in something you hate and know that there are classes out there pertaining to exactly what you love. A few of you might know I am a philosophy major, I majored in something that not only challenges me, but also makes my life richer. I read about people, thoughts, things and different people’s perspectives on why things are the way they are. It’s something that I love. I couldn’t imagine my life without it being anywhere nearly as interesting.
The fact is, as individuals, we all have something that makes us tick, and that each person you meet has their own drive and passion is what makes my mind go insane. I never want to “just have a job.” I want to love what I do and then never look back. I have never met anyone who fully believes that they shouldn’t love what they do.
So, imagine my break. I went to family Christmases, out and about, all willy nilly, just being myself, a college senior, majoring in philosophy, and most people just don’t understand why. How dare I not have a 6-year plan drawn up for any and every man, woman, and child “concerned” about me? In reality, I felt like most of the weird, pervasive questions were coming from a place of love, but I also felt like there was this weird vicarious angle behind it. They are asking this because they want to make sure you are doing well, either well enough to be interesting, or well enough that they are below you. Talking with generations before, I realized how important it was to have a job that geared you toward a specific job, and now it seems that idea has become unattainable. Too many people exist for us to be guaranteed anything, especially a job. Being an adult becomes this Hunger Games version of proving how versatile you are: Can you use Excel? Do know how photoshop works? How sparkling is your personality?
Hobbies become important parts of us because they make us stand out; they make you understand things on a different level. Not only that, but being involved in things outside of your “major” provides a depth of knowledge that is easier to employ in your daily life. In the end, I am sad for people who felt that their lives are meant for one thing, because I can’t think of anything more boring. If you feel like you are meant for just one thing, you need to reevaluate. I have never met a person who is truly a one-trick pony, and I want everyone to find their weird hobby. It might be collecting quarters, tying knots, sewing barbie clothes, reading everything ever written by H.P. Lovecraft. Whatever it is, it will make you a better person.
Katelyn Henagin graduated from Pierz-Healy High School in 2010, and grew up in both Pierz and Worthington, Minnesota. She is graduating in 2014 with a Philosophy Major and a minor in Psychology. If you feel like talking to Katelyn, striking up a conversation about Harry Potter is always a good choice.
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