Chasing Happiness: Goodbye Salary, Hello Journalism.

“Happiness can’t be bought.” The saying echoes and bounces off the walls of life, circling social media and often received in the form of advice from friends and family. We tell ourselves this, and it’s supposed to be common knowledge, but then why do so many of us stay in a situation where we are unfulfilled?

For me, it was financial security that kept me from striving to achieve my dreams. Financial stability was such a force that drove me to comfortability and peace of mind. Knowing I could eat and pay the bills helped me sleep better at night. Being a restaurant manager is a vivacious career. It’s meticulous but with enough leniency to have a blast, all the while you’re constantly around people. It just wasn’t what I wanted to do.

It can be a tangled and confusing mess to be stuck between security and dreams. For those out there caught in the middle, perhaps it’ll bring you some comfort knowing I traded my comfortable decade-long salaried career for a chance chasing my dreams through education and an unstable paycheck.

Now I’ve arrived at the top of the mountain, and it’s time to jump off this cliff. I’m only 27, but those years have been filled with a chest full of treasured lessons, and a catch-up on bodily wear and tears as the aches begin, both physically and mentally. Although, I’m not jumping down into the abyss, but rather into the next valley, where I can see an even taller mountain. 

For ten years now I’ve been building my skills and career in the customer service industry, quickly leading to a comfortable fiscal situation. I wasn’t unhappy per se, and I had a great time, but it just wasn’t that exact puzzle piece I was looking for. And I knew it wasn’t; I still went to work every day and caught myself thinking, “Am I really going to do this for the rest of my life? I can’t do this for 80 percent of my life!” 

Very comfortable I was, but not without a price of unfulfillment. I had always wanted to go back to school, but it always turned into, “Okay, next fall you will.”  

Then the pandemic hit last March, and my life was forcefully shaken up. I was laid off from my restaurant management position, which was the push I needed to go back to school. So I went back, and immediately fell into a position of writing. In the blink of an eye I began taking journalism classes, and writing for the school newspaper. 

Journalism found me, I didn’t find journalism. I never knew how much I loved writing, and how complete and fulfilled it made me feel, and like I might even make a difference someday. Even if no one read my work, my words were out there in print, finally organized from the depths of my mind. When I write I can feel my whole heart just magically seeping through the tips of my fingers, and my soul dancing through my veins. 

After being laid off for several months, my work brought me back part-time. This was still enough for that financial stability, and I could go to school. Um, can you say win, win!?

Then last week I got a call from my boss. They were ready to bring me back full-time, but not without significantly impeding my school schedule. Basically, I was faced with the choice of my current career, or my education? I had 48 hours to decide, but I knew in a flutter of a heartbeat that I was never going back. 

We are meant to do so much more than just pay the bills. All too often I hear stories of the unhappy, oftentimes due to jobs we don’t love. But here I am; a student, soon to be a first-time mother, extremely fiscally uncomfortable, and I couldn’t be more content. It's become very apparent that my happiness is found chasing my dreams, and what comes with that is all worth it.

Another Part of Me

    

    

My girl Nahla and I. We go everywhere together, and we especially love hiking and park trips (yes really, me too!) and we love cuddling. In a way, she is part of my sanctuary. 

    Wow, what a wild year it's been. I suppose it just started, but we all know that 2020 is still lingering around.

     I've now officially traded my decade long restaurant management career for college, and more specifically, journalism. Do I sometimes wonder how I'm going to make it work without that fiscal comfort, uhh yes! But I know I will, and I know I have fallen involve with writing and school itself. With writing, my words flow out of the tips of my fingers and travel through they keyboard, becoming so much more mellifluous than when spoke out loud. With writing, I feel like a little more magic comes out.

    On that note, coming to college has been one of the best life decisions I have made, and without the country wide shut down of the service industry, who knows if I'd be here, but I'm grateful. If I could be a professional student, and just learn for the rest of my life, I might do it. Until that program comes out though, I will continue on my road with Journalism, where I learn daily about the lives of others, and that's the best thing in the world. To be able to share a story is my mark on the world. I'm currently still studying at Linn-Benton Community College, and come this September I have a sweet little baby boy due! A first time mommy I will be, and I'm going to be lucky enough to have my baby and just focus on school - another whirl wind of an adventure. Perhaps after I graduate at Linn-Benton, I'll be at the University of Oregon, or perhaps I will get an amazing opportunity elsewhere. Regardless, the road is long and exciting, and I'm in it for the long hall.   

     This term I am focusing on feature writings, and I am so stoked! This is my favorite type of writing, and where the magic really get's going. Additionally, I will be continuing my work as the Student Voice Editor of The Commuter through the end of the school year, and will be returning to The Commuter next year as well. I'm looking forward to writing these stories and to get to read my fellow classmates stories. I'd like to be better at getting just one week ahead of my stories, so that I may stay on top of them all together. I'm a bit of a procrastinator, so this is a great goal for me. Cheers to a new year, and stay tuned for more! 

       Dakota.