What does the future hold?

Why hello blogging world!

Wow, I've totally bombed at this whole blogging for 2013 huh?

Don't worry, I'll get better.

ANYWAY,

Quite a few interesting things have happened since I last let the world know of my whereabouts.

I'll start by mentioning the future.

I'm a very good planner, the kind who gets everything planned out, and then throws everything out the window the moment something goes wrong. It's okay, I'm just weird.

So of course, upon starting college, I had quite a bit planned out. I had intended to try and graduate with a double major and a minor in 5.5yrs and then proceed to do a Master's program in Occupational Therapy. I even had my class schedule planned out for each semester between now and then.

But, as I hope many of you know, life doesn't like to play by my rules. So I had a couple of wrenches thrown in my plans, some good, some bad.

Wrench #1: I only passed two classes last semester of my original six. Yikes. Doesn't bode well for one's academic record now does it?

Wrench #2: It was announced that women could now serve as Missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints at the age of 19 instead of the previous 21. I turn 19 next July, and have decided that this is indeed something I strongly feel I should do.

Wrench #3: My double major and minor planned is not physically possible to complete at BYU. What do I mean? I mean, it'll require over 180 credits to do, and we need 120 to graduate. Once you hit about 140 you start getting pressured to graduate, and they have major issues with you going much farther than that. I highly doubt they'd even let me complete one or two of them after a certain point. Oops.

Wrench #4: Timing. Preparation. Consideration. (This will make sense in a minute)

So my life has been a whirlwind of changes and somewhat difficult decisions over the last couple of weeks. Not that the last year has been difficult enough...

So now I get to tell you my new-and-improved-but-will-probably-end-up-getting-changed-anyway life plan!

First things first. I have decided to change my major(s)/minor. I had wanted to get into the BFA Photography program here at BYU, and go through the Exercise Science degree and add a minor in Italian on top of that.

Well, as much as it kills me to do this, I've decided I can't do the BFA program. Photography is definitely my biggest passion, there's no doubt about that, but honestly, at this point in my life, I don't think I could actually complete the program, much less even get into it. I've been so busy just trying to live day to day to even focus on my passion. And that hurts more than anything else. 

But at the same time, it's the most practical of my dreams to drop....for the time being.

I don't think I'll ever let it go. But I do believe that it's something that I can either a) come back to later on in life, b) pursue on a semi-professional level without necessarily getting the education I'd like for it, or c) enjoy it as a passion, even if that's just my own daily life.

This then gives me room to pursue what some would call the profession that would "actually make me money."

No I don't think that I couldn't make money as a Photographer, but I also know that I have so many interests, I'd rather not limit the possibilities in front of me, or even limit the different ways of making money. If I felt that I could not be happy doing nothing but Photography, I would do it. But while it makes me extremely happy, it is not my only course of action in life, nor would I need to choose one way or another. Education in Photography is an interesting thing. Sometimes it is difficult to decide what level of education you would need to achieve which goals.

Although I do believe that one of my biggest goals for Photography is significantly less likely to happen  should I not pursue it educationally. And that is to have a photograph featured in the National Geographic. But one can still dream eh?

So. Moving on.

As you all know I then intended to get a Master's in Occupational Therapy, but that would require going down the Exercise Science route at BYU. However, BYU has just opened a new program for Communications Disorders, leading straight into their Speech Therapy and Audiology Masters programs. Unlike Exercise Science, it's significantly simpler, it narrows down the kinds of classes necessary for me to take, and getting in has a narrower field of requirements. Looking closely at this program, I really like that it is such a streamlined process, and one that would be less difficult to navigate since it wouldn't be on my own.

I also talked with one of the Advisors in the ComD program, who said that based on my personality tests or whatever, she thought that perhaps I was better suited to Speech Pathology than Occupational Therapy. Thinking about this, I felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders, because it suddenly wasn't as complicated, and actually, less difficult, even though it's actually a more intense process because I have to actually apply. Which I don't have to for Exercise Science.

So I've decided to switch and to pursue the ComD program and Speech Pathology. I've also decided to keep to the Italian Minor, because I can do that quite easily tacked onto the ComD program.

I have always felt extremely blessed to know what it is I want to do and to get out of my life from a very early on. And while I wish it was exactly the same, I've come to realize that I really have sticked to what it is that I want, I've just been tweaking the process required to get there.

Ah, so, with that figured out, it then is easier to address the possibility of going on a Mission. And while it might makes sense to put my papers in this spring and leave in August, I think it's too early for me. Which means that I've decided, and with luck, I will be leaving sometime late April to early May next year for a mission! Still an extremely exciting prospect!

Ahah, I have no idea why I decided that this should be the subject of my post, but who cares? There's really no better way to share one's thoughts than over the internet right? ;)

So with that, I leave ya.

Next post will probably include something a little closer to this week rather than next year and beyond :D

Happy Living!

Also, check out this awesome photo I took for my Photography Class!

Live, Laugh, Photograph.