guts and gusto over glitz and glamour...

throughout the four-year stint of my university education, there was always competition floating around... you could smell it in every classroom, during every presentation and upon every indication or announcement of a colleague beginning an internship... perhaps it was due to the fact that were one of x number of people competing for future fame... moreover, it was likely rooted in the fact that many of us, as aspiring journalists, were setting ourselves up to climb the totem pole of media -- always reaching for what the masses will recognize... the mentality was that if we achieve status at a publication/station/website that people are familiar with, our achievement grows exponentially...

but is fame (and fortune, albeit journalism does not often lead to platinum cards and private jets) what really makes us great? i'll admit that gaining experience in the field of journalism through note-worthy publications made me feel like boasting... however, in the end i still felt like nothing but a number in a metropolis of media kids...

we set ourselves out on these journeys for fame because it sounds better than bottom of the barrel successes... we do it not often for ourselves, but to impress those around us... it is more than difficult to shake this struggle -- but in time we need to shed the looming eyes of others and take pride in each new step we take... working towards something you believe in is what truly defines self-made success... throw out the label-whore guidelines and shop for your own future... or else, your talents might be wasted on a high-end gig that dissolves what you're truly capable of...