Sips Tea: Lost Chick to Boss Chick

It’s that time of the year — the flu has settled in at every dorm and sorority house around campus, teachers are cramming papers and projects to be done before Thanksgiving Break, and we have a new president!

Whether you were with her or with him, the country is definitely in for some big changes. Personally, I’m just glad it’s over. I never thought I’d see the day a Twitter beef was actually referenced in a presidential debate. Clapback season was too real for the radio. I can’t even begin to wrap my head around it because between three papers, two presentations, and one final speech, my schedule is leaving little time to be anxious about the state of the union. If America is going to fall apart anytime soon, I need to get this diploma first, people, and that means getting these grades right!

In addition to being lost in the sauce throughout this election, I have been very lost in other matters. My future career goals have changed more than the damn temperature lately. I came into college with an interest in pursuing sports medicine and studying kinesiology, but when I learned that USC had gotten rid of this specific major and instead lumped everyone into a generic “human biology” major I was not a happy camper. In fact, I was a very confused camper.

After a few semesters of being undecided and dabbling in a diverse selection of classes — from fashion and cinema to psychology and advertising — I landed in Annenberg studying communication with an emphasis on public relations and marketing. I thought I had finally found a comfortable place at school and started filling out my resume with various positions in the entertainment world. But I guess what goes around really does come back around. I ended up back where I started…in medicine.

I don’t know what it was that pulled me out of the stylish world I had landed in and it shook me with vengeance and said “You want to go to medical school!” But with one semester away from graduating I had changed my mind again. A handful of Amazon orders later and my apartment is now filled with countless prep books, medical pre-requisites, and my spring semester is a lot less PR and a lot more ER. I am committed to trading in my job styling big name celebrities for a pair of scrubs and a stethoscope. Soon enough the only thing I’ll be dressing is wounds from people that come into the hospital, but oddly enough I have never felt more on the right path.

Something that held me back for so long from listening to that little voice that kept telling me from switching paths was fear and doubt. I feared that I would fail and that I wasn’t good enough, especially to go to medical school. I told myself “it’s too late to change your mind now.” I had to stop listening to the voice telling me to stay in my lane and rather listen to the one that was encouraging me to explore those interests. Life is what you make it. I had to realize that at the end of the day my life was in my own hands and it was up to me to make the decisions that would lead to my success and happiness.

This is my advice to anyone who is currently going through this predicament: Listen to that inner voice. Follow your passions and your interests. Know that it will be hard work and at times it might be scary, but it’s never too late.

Samantha Johnson is a senior majoring in communication. Her blog column, Sips Tea, runs every Friday.