Do What You Love, Love What You Do

Do+What+You+Love%2C+Love+What+You+Do

For as long as I could remember, I wanted to teach. All of my life, I knew that when I grew up, I wanted to be an English teacher. In high school, my dreams of becoming a teacher were imprinted in my mind, all due to an incredible English teacher that I had. As I grew older, my love for writing flourished and I thought perhaps I want to go into journalism, so I tacked that onto my studies in college.
I knew I wanted to write, and I also wanted to teach. So I grasped onto every opportunity I could once I began college. I didn’t realize that my peers had no idea what they wanted to do with their life. Nothing to be ashamed, or upset about, but I truly believe that you were just born knowing what you wanted to do. Little did I know, this was a rare circumstance.
Towards the end of high school, my friends started watching Gossip Girl, Grey’s Anatomy, Dexter, One Tree Hill, Gilmore Girls, you name it. Not to say I didn’t fall under the hypnosis of these addictive shows, but some of my peers made it their life.
Come time to start applying to colleges, most of my peers were going in “undecided.” That wasn’t a problem to me. Shocking, yes, but not a concern to me.
What was shocking to me was when my peers started to say, “I want to be Brooke Davis. She made it big in the fashion world.” “I want to be Blair Waldorf. She’s rich, and dressed amazing.” “I want to be a surgeon, I love Grey’s Anatomy.” I wasn’t shocked in good or bad way, just stunned in general. How could you pick what you want to be in life just based on your favorite character? Unless it truly speaks to you, and you have a realization that you want to work hard and do exactly what they do, why would you base your life on the life of a fictional character?
Something that people forget to think about is that you still have to work to get in that position. Brooke Davis from One Tree Hill didn’t even go to college, and that’s what attracted younger crowds. It’s fine if you don’t go to college, that’s not at all what I’m saying. It’s just that people see that Brooke Davis became successful and created her own brand, and they believe that this sort of thing will just come to them with little to no effort. Just as it looks on TV.
Grey’s Anatomy is another incredible example. I never fell victim to watching this show, but I know enough to explain my point. Grey’s Anatomy is medically inaccurate, and often exaggerated and misleading. Aside from the medical practices being imprecise, the drama within would get any hospital employee banned or dismissed from their practice. For example, patients and employees can be seen engaging in contact that in reality would be too close for comfort (kissing), illegal autopsies occur, and love in the work place is a priority – not the patients.
Realistically, if you were a surgeon, nurse, or doctor, your patient comes first – not your love life. The drama of the show weasels its way into the minds of its viewers, and creates a misconception that this is exactly how your life would be if you worked in a hospital.
All in all, choosing a career should come from your deepest and truest passions, not from the drama of a TV show. Remember that just because of the drama and romance that is seen on TV, it does not mean that your career will play out exactly like that. Do what you love, and love what you do – not what Brooke Davis does.