It’s officially back to school season at Douglas College. Everywhere I look, people are lining up: whether it be to buy their glossy new textbooks (wrapped in cellophane to preserve their wisdom until they’re cheerfully unwrapped in a panicked exam-cram session come late November), to begrudgingly pay their tuition fees, or to purchase extra-large coffees in preparation for the study-filled days to come.
And, for the first time in a long time, I’m not a part of those line-ups.
I graduated from the Print Futures: Professional Writing program last spring, and put my academic hat on a shelf between my dancing shoes and my fancy pants. So, this fall is the first time in nearly 10 years that I won’t be part of the back to school rush—and, while I’m a little bit sad to be left out, I’m also thrilled to be literally living my dream life as a freelance writer and editor.
The reason I spent so many years in school is that I wasted a long time trying to do things for other people: I went to university for my parents, I had a series of high-paying (but so soulless) jobs to support my significant others, and I put off my real career because my friends said it was unrealistic and that Carrie Bradshaw’s life was a fairy tale.
Well, Douglas College ain’t no Magic Kingdom, but it is a place where dreams come true.
So, students, as your bright faces fill the hallways, I wish you all the best of luck for the 2012/2013 school year. No matter how hard it gets (and, let’s face it, it probably won’t be easy), I hope you persevere and, most importantly, enjoy yourself. In the long run, work will take up more than half your life—so fight to learn how to do what you love.
But, then again, what do I know?
Best,
Sharon Miki, Editor in chief
