I’ve always loved to write. I remember when I was eight years old, writing cartoon stories about Mr. Bean going on ridiculous adventures. I would write ads on the back of them for the next story that said, “Coming to a classroom near you.” I thought it was insanely clever.
I didn’t pay much attention to writing, but I knew I enjoyed doing it. Yet it was only when it was required at school that I did it. I never wrote for fun, or as an outlet. I wrote a few really bad songs when I was a teenager. That’s about it.
So, after quitting my restaurant job in my second year at Camosun, I realized I had more time on my hands than I thought I would. I was looking for jobs in my new field (accounting), and I was in a place many know well: reading job descriptions that said, “Entry-level position. Two years previous experience required.” I was desperate to get experience. I feared I would be another millennial sob story. That I would join the ranks of the degree-holding baristas who can’t pay off their student loans.
Well, not exactly. I was a mature student; I had other experience through a short career in hospitality management, but I was bored. The last thing I wanted was to feel I wasted my time going back to school.
I thought, if you can’t find a job, maybe you’ll have to work for free. I looked for volunteer opportunities in accounting. They didn’t exist, really.
In my search, I ended up on the Nexus website, in the volunteer section.
As I said, I enjoyed writing. And I’ve learned a lot studying finance and economics. I constantly read about current events: trade deals, central bank announcements, stock markets, government fiscal policy. I could write about some of that, I thought. Sure, I got to write in my accounting classes, but analysis of corporate financial statements scratches exactly zero creative itches.
And, 30 articles later, here I am, penning my last. I graduate this spring.
It’s been a wonderful experience. Writing for an audience can be exhilarating. It forces thoughtfulness that we only get when speaking with strangers on whom we wish to leave a good impression. It takes you past a headline, tweet, or blurb, and forces you to dig deeper, question other people’s opinions, and challenge your own.
I call out to anyone reading this to consider what interests you and to write about it. The folks at Nexus are super friendly, and they’ll fix your grammar mistakes for free. They’ll have at least one spot to fill on the columns page now, so pitch them an idea.
John Steinbeck wrote: “Farewell has a sweet sound of reluctance. Good-by is short and final, a word with teeth sharp to bite through the string that ties past to the future.”
I think I’ll keep writing. So, farewell.