Some major changes have happened over the course of the last six months. As previously mentioned in my last post, I lost my grandmother, and although that is the biggest change that I’ve had to deal with, there were other things that were going on as well. Two big changes happened within my college career, although both of these changes work together.

I started graduate school in August ’17 after a semester’s break following graduation back in December ’16. But not only did I start graduate school, I started with an entirely different major, separate from what I earned my Bachelor’s degree in. In Undergrad, I was an English major with a Writing concentration. I loved everything about it. I spent a lot of time reading and writing. I took a bunch of literary courses, some grammatical courses, and some writing courses. I really felt in my element. I thrived under a creative major.

After graduation, things slowed down. I’ve had my degree for over a year now and I’ve done nothing with it. I struggled with finding a job that would make me happy. I want to spend the rest of my life doing things that I love. But it just seemed hopeless. I spent hours each day filling out applications. I edited my resume at least a billion times. Nothing. Talk about feeling defeated.

As a result of my unsuccessful job search, I decided to switch things up and earn my M.S in Information Technology. I’m not going to say that it was the worst decision that I’ve ever made because it’s not, but I definitely am struggling with it. So far, there is nothing creative about Information Technology. The reading is technical, the writing is technical, the lectures are technical, the teachers are technical, the students are technical…blah blah blah. There is no room for creativity under this major and I AM GOING CRAZY. To top it all off, I went through my mild depression and put off all creativity for a few weeks. I wasn’t myself.

So, my grandmother died, I started graduate school, and I transitioned from a creative major to a technical major. These are some big changes. How am I dealing with all of this? Well, I explained dealing with grief in my previous post so I’m not going to get into that. Just remember, turn your negatives into positives! As far as everything else, the best way to deal with change is to just do it. Hear me out. Change is inevitable, it’s bound to happen at some point. It could be big changes or small changes, either way, you will be impacted. You can’t run away from it though because running away doesn’t make the problem go away. It’s still going to be there when you return. As a matter of fact, it’s probably going to be a bigger problem when you get back.

In order to deal with changes, you have to just let them happen and take them in stride. Be confident in your strength and in your ability to handle these changes. Go into it with your head held high and with a positive outlook. Expect an internal and external difference. Embrace them, hold on to them, and build from them. Change serves as a foundation for something better. Yes, I lost my grandmother, and yes, I’m struggling with school, but I’m not running away from it because I know that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. I know that I will be better than I was before. Despite the lack of creativity, I am learning valuable skills and information under the IT program. I’ve found my way back to writing in my spare time. It’s all about figuring out how to OWN THE CHANGES!

You’ve got this.

Yours truly,
C.P