Broken Dreams, Created Opportunities

At one point in my life, I dreamt of becoming a journalist. I imagined being a correspondent reporter for CBC, or sitting in the seat where Peter Mansbridge recites the 6 o'clock news. Everything about the journalist life sounded appealing to me, and without a doubt I was either going to Toronto or Ottawa to study journalism.

Thanks to my experiences working with Youthink Magazine and Schema Magazine, however, I have decided that the journalist career is not the right path for me. It may seem bizarre that I can say I thoroughly enjoyed myself, despite this realization. What these experiences did, is they revealed that writing is much more of a hobby than a prospective career choice for me. Writing for these two magazines, I got a taste of the harsh truth of what it would be like to be a journalist. Working under strict deadlines, constantly being critiqued and never truly being satisfied with your work. For me, this realization was more valuable than the world. Could you imagine if I had decided to go off to University to study Journalism? It wouldn’t have been until at least a year— and $30 000— later that I would have came to terms with the fact that I am not suited to be a journalist. Now if that’s not a valuable experience to have had, I don’t know what is.

So why then, you may ask, did I enjoy working with these magazines so much? It is because the ability to write and interview is an essential skill for any field of study. I gained the skills, and learned new techniques for becoming a more articulate writer. No matter where I choose to go; where I end up going, writing will always come in handy.

With Youthink, I attended Vancouver’s 6th Annual ‘Women in Film Festival’ before writing a review on the festival. The particular screening I watched was called "Hand to Toe, An Exploration in the Art of Giving", by France Benoit. It was about volunteers for the Salvation Army in Yellowknife, who spend their Wednesdays washing the feet of homeless people, or anyone in need of a foot-washing for that matter. I also got to spend an afternoon at the Broadway Youth Resource Centre, where the Canadian reggae band, Bedouin Soundclash, performed an intimate, acoustic show. I then spent twenty minutes casually hanging out with (in other words, 'interviewing') the band, discussing everything from homeless youth, to our mutual love for the holiday season.

For Schema Magazine, I spent an entire weekend working with professional journalists before finally getting my article published in their magazine. It wasn’t until after one panel discussion between influential media contributors, a full day of workshops at the Museum of Vancouver, another two days of writing and mentorship, and one final coffee shop meet-up with the editor that my piece was ready for publishing. That was an authentic experience in the life of a journalist. That was when I decided the career wasn’t for me. That's when I was struck with a valuable life lesson...

follow your dreams, but not blindly