The job that has been overlooked.

“What do you want to do when you grow up?”. “What is your dream job?”. and “Why do you want to do that?” These are the questions one must encounter once, if not multiple times, in their life.
I remember watching television when I was a kid. There was an interview, a woman was asking the questions, looking so intense and serious. It looked like something very significant. Even though, at that age, I must not understand anything that was going on. The picture was changed into a protest event. People were shouting and holding signs, and Police were everywhere. It looked like a scene from a movie , unfortunately that was real.

I will not lie and say that was the moment I knew what I wanted to be. But it was imprinted in my memory. How amazing it would be if I could be just a part of history. To be able to tell the world what is going on. And to see by myself what it is like out there in a big and extraordinary world.

Journalism has always been my dream job. But the reasons behind this determination have changed by the time I grow up. When I was young, it was because I wanted to travel and explore the big and mysterious world and what is happening around the globe. Not just to stay at a nice hotel, and go to all the tourist spots, but to look at what it is like to live somewhere different, under different environments, governments, and cultures. That would be such a dream. But the more I grew up, the more I realized how important journalism is. It is a very significant job because I can change society to be better. To report the ongoing problems and suggest possible solutions for the country. In Thailand, there are a lot of crises happening, some are old, some are new such as corruption, the educational system, environmental issues, and so on. I can help improve that if I were to become a journalist. I can report, make an interview, start an investigation, and report to the public.

That is when I realized, it is not as simple as that to be a journalist. You have to be good at almost everything. To work under pressure is no easy job. I know that when I was having the first class with a journalist back in Thailand. She explained how things work inside the newsroom. How the journalist has to sacrifice their own private time, to be ready whenever they are needed, and always put the public first. The responsibility one must hold when writing something and publishing it to the public. It is a very huge responsibility to regularly inform people of what is going on, and what is worth acknowledging.

It is every word you use that will be permanently documented. I have to be fully aware of my intention to serve the public. To be a journalist, I have to become specialized in almost every skill required. To write, read, and speak well. It may sound simple, but I promise you, it is not. Choosing the right word and the right tone can be very tricky. To create the most effective form of communication. To see the outcome or the reaction you expect from the audience. However, to be fully skilled, I have to practice a lot. To achieve a “dream job” is not an easy job. It is a long and highly competitive way to go. But when you are sure of what you want to pursue, you will prioritize it.

However, it would be too easy and unrealistic of me to decide for my future self what I have to become. Just because journalism has always been my dream job does not mean I can not try other careers or turn down any other opportunities. Life is more complicated than that. You can not tell what will be on your way. No matter how perfect your plans are, there will always be surprises along the way. The thing is that you have to go with it, be able to adjust, fall, and stand up again. I believe that life is an experiment. If it is wrong, then learn, grow up, and try again. It is a trial and error process. And let’s see where life will take you to.