Like everyone else, I regularly binge watch Netflix. One of my favorite shows I used to watch before it was removed from Netflix was “The Office.” I rewatched that series more times that I can count. It was comforting to turn it on and have something familiar and funny to settle the background noise in my head. This show wasn’t deep, and it wasn’t for philosophers. However, there is a quote from one of the episodes that I think of often.

“It’s better to be at the bottom of a ladder you want to climb than halfway up one you don’t.” Pam, the office receptionist, said this when she was deciding whether or not to pursue art school. This quote has meant a lot to me, and when I am struggling to pursue my passions, it reminds me to make a choice that works for me. 

For most of us at Shippensburg University, we are here because we want to be. But for some, we’re here because it’s what is expected from us. Growing up, I always knew that I was going to go to college. It was something that I was always encouraged to do, but I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to study.

I came here without a plan, but the vague sense that I may want to study journalism. What I didn’t know was that there were endless routes that I could take to find my future career. In the Communication, Journalism and Media department at Shippensburg, you have four different options for an emphasis. Public relations, journalism, broadcast media production and visual media.

Through this department I tried many different things. Hanging out in the radio station, checking out SUTV, writing for The Slate, and attending many different meetings to find which one I liked the most. In the end, I decided to climb the public relations ladder so I could spend time being more creative and interacting with the public. 

Shippensburg University has been a wonderful place where I have met some of my best friends and had many new and exciting experiences. But I didn’t come here because of a deep desire. I came here because I was unsure of what I wanted to study, and SU was not too far from my hometown and looked welcoming. I came to see what I could learn. 

When you become a college student, you are faced with having to make what feels like life-altering decisions pertaining to your future career. For many, this is a scary step. But every time I get worried that what I’m doing won’t be worthwhile, I remind myself of that quote. It’s OK to give up. It’s ok to realize halfway through that we don’t want to study this specific major, we aren’t a good fit for this club or maybe we don’t want to be at college at all. 

You always have a choice, and in time you will find your way. When you’re standing at a fork in the road and you walk down your chosen path, if halfway through you realize this route is leading you somewhere you don’t want to go, its ok to turn around and begin again. Pursue the things that you are passionate about, and always remember that’s its “It’s better to be at the bottom of a ladder you want to climb than halfway up one you don’t.”  

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