The Dragon's Keep

times like these

College has been a long haul for me. I'm interested in so many things, and that made it really really hard to pick a major I felt I'd be successful in. I love and am good at math and science and could have easily picked a major in either area. I also love to write, and I have an amazing teacher, Brad Ruff, to thank for really showing me how to write well during my senior year of high school. I'm writing a novel (a couple now, actually) and I really just love to write in general, so I could have been an English major. I love to sing and play the piano, and I actually started out as a declared Music major before deciding that it would be just a bit too competitive for me to actually get any enjoyment out of it. And, as previously mentioned, I love cars and regret letting myself get talked out of pursuing that. Finally, I enjoy art, and dabble in several media while struggling for a graphic design major. As hard as I struggle with art, I have found at least one or two things that I'm good at (making books, for one thing), and I'm glad I picked it. I guess, thinking about why I *didn't* choose music, I get enjoyment out of this because I'm *not* really all that good at it to begin with.

It goes a little deeper than just this though. Before I even came up here to BYU-I, I wasn't even sure I really wanted to go to college in the first place. I didn't start in the fall right after graduating from high school because I was working and trying to get enough money, and I hadn't applied to any schools because I honestly didn't know where I wanted to go. My mom felt impressed to start the applications to both BYU in Provo, UT and here in Rexburg, ID and basically force me to finish them so that at least I had *something* going. I ended up only finishing the one for Idaho because I felt that if I was going to a "Mormon school," I wanted to go to the one that was smaller and harder to get lost at.

I got accepted while I was working in the mailroom at the regional State Farm Insurance office in Bakersfield, and even though I was working through a temporary agency at the time, they liked me so well that they asked if I would consider sticking around so they could hire me on as a full-time employee with benefits and the whole thing. I'd be willing to wager that, had I done so, I'd be doing pretty well for myself right now. The pay would have been enough to get me out on my own, I wouldn't be up to my eyeballs in school loans, and I would quite possibly be very happy. However, again, the Lord impressed on my mind that it was important to get my college education, if for no other reason than to be able to say that I did.

I have no doubts now that coming here was indeed the right choice, and the Lord's will for me. I've met countless wonderful friends, and professors and church leaders who not only care about helping me succeed in school, but who also know my name and care about me as a person. I've learned a lot and I can see myself and my work have improved over time. I know that I'd like to work around cars in some way or another, but as far as how my major will get me there, I have had no idea whatsoever. I still don't, but a door just may be opened soon.

See, I did this project in graphic design last semester that some people have heard at least a little bit about. We had to design these little information cards (50 of them to be exact), and the subject of what to do them on was up to us. Of course, I chose cars. The first part was that we had to design and print out just 10 of them to show our progress; basically a first draft of our design. I've been writing letters to a guy whom I met through an old roomie (another blessing of coming up here) while he's on his mission for my church, and I sent him those first 10 cards to demonstrate what I was working on. Well apparently, the guy who he is working with right now is really into cars as well, and he asked my friend where he could buy them!

So now I'm really excited, because this means that I could perfect my design, talk to the car companies to get permission to use pictures and information and everything, and market the info cards! This just may open up a whole new avenue of possibilities for me. The perfect thing, first of all, would be to be able to see all the cars in person and take my OWN pictures, which is no small thing considering the exotic nature of some of the cars I picked for the project. I'd be able to show off my work, my photography, and my little writeups I did on each car, which could quite possibly open up the job of my dreams. Only time will tell, and I have a LOT of work and a lot of people to talk to in the next little while, but I'm really excited.

posted by Erin Duncan @ 11:23 AM