Advisement

I get by with a little help from my friends....and my advisor.

Today, after getting out of class early, a classmate and I were discussing an upcoming career fair with my advisor. One conversation lead to another and soon he and I were talking about freelance writing. Long before I went back to school, I had been doing a bit a freelancing here and there. I have read several books about the subject and I still follow blogs on freelancing regularly. Still, I have a multitude of questions that nag me and he was kind enough to let me vocally weigh the pros and cons with him. We also discussed other career options given my circumstances. I appreciated his honesty and practicality. He didn't try to sell me the overused American favorite of, "You can do anything that you want to do!" or, "You can be anything you want to be!" But he did say one thing that stuck with me: "(Freelancing) is what I envisioned for you."

My husband has encouraged my writing over the years and friends or family members have often sent kudos my way. Yet, it is easy to shrug off their compliments. It's hard to trust the words of loved ones. They might be a little biased, after all.

So, to hear that my professor--a person who knows my writing style well and who knows the writing world well--"envisions" a future for me in freelancing....well, that makes all the difference. When we were discussing the nagging questions about the field, I mentioned to him that I wasn't sure that "my fragile ego could handle all the rejections." He laughed and agreed that rejections are a big part of the experience. But, somehow knowing that he understands what the job takes and believes that I am up for the task makes me more willing to open up to the possibility of rejection in the first place.

Today, I left with a peaceful feeling; a feeling that I'm finally headed in the right direction. The past year has been a difficult refinement of myself, and I almost feel as if I am coming back full circle. I've explored a variety of career options, learned new skills and learned a whole lot more about myself in the process. But I've got to give credit where credit is due: my advisor has been an invaluable resource throughout this experience and I'm grateful for his help.