Jacqueline Dunston
You’re out shopping trying to find the perfect pair of pants. There are so many style options to choose from. Do you get new leggings? Maybe sweat pants? Or a new pair of jeans? You walk past a store and see a mannequin wearing a pair of nice high rise skinny jeans. You walk into the store and pick up the pair that you see on the mannequin, and decide to try them on. You usually don’t like the way jeans look on you, which is why your closet is full of black leggings however you decided to try something new. The next day you throw on your new pair of jeans. You go to school, and by your second class, you’ve had multiple comments of how great your new jeans look. Not mention you’ve never felt more comfortable, and confident.
Phew! The purchase was a success.
Well folks, this is basically my approach to many things in my life, including my educational choices.
After trying out a couple different programs, I finally found my perfect pair of jeans. Public Relations.
Without exposing myself to a variety of things, I wouldn’t have found a program that suited my personality and my interests more than PR has. I was worried about taking PR. I was always told that only extroverts would excel in this field. However, the more that I’ve been exposed to the field the more I realize that introverts are needed just as much as extroverts are. I have come to realize that you need to take risks and expand your comfort zone when it comes to choosing your career choice, even if you are an introvert like myself.
My advice: Challenge yourself.
Try something that scares you. Do you hate standing up in front crowds, but your dream job requires you to host an event? Instead of giving up on your dream job you can build your tolerance up in small ways. Maybe join a society on campus that lets you voice your opinion with people who share similar interests with you. A great example would be the MSVU Feminist Collective. This club promotes gender equity and advocates against sexist attitudes actions on campus. Simply checking out the MSVU student union website will give you a full list of on campus societies. Joining any society will give you a great foundation to improve your speaking skills, and help you meet new people.
Don’t believe me?
I absolutely hated public speaking growing up. I would get so nervous that I would much rather take a zero on a project than stand up in front of my peers and a give a three-minute presentation. However, as humans our lives will be full of presentations, especially in the PR field. So, I told myself I needed to change. I couldn’t live with this fear any longer. Once I started taking baby-steps, and putting myself in positions where I had to speak in front of groups, I started to gain more confidence.
Do I still get nervous for presentations? Of course! But I know that sometimes we have to do things we don’t like doing in order to help ourselves grow.
Everyone can take a risk.
Even if you’re an extrovert, I challenge you. Take the risk. Apply to that co-op job in another province or country. Volunteer in another country for the summer. Every decision you make, is an opportunity to learn something new. It’s an opportunity for new experiences and another page in your own novel.
Change is uncomfortable, and that’s okay.
It’s normal to be nervous. We love the feeling of being safe and secure. However, we all need to try new things. Every action is an experiment. We learn and we grow.
And who knows, maybe by expanding your comfort zone and applying to that job in another province was your perfect pair of jeans.
