I began my college career studying secondary education and math. I wanted to be a high school math teacher. As you can see, that didn't work out. I've spent the last 9+ years in the event industry and there's no stopping me. So how did I get from high school math teacher to event professional? I guess it was a little bit of luck and a lot of passion.
After three semesters as a secondary education and math major I realized that I was in over my head. The math proofs had become more and more foreign to me over the semester. I remember going into my actuary statistics class knowing that the result of this final exam was going to decide whether or not I passed or failed the class. Yikes!
I finished the final and headed straight for the communications department. I switched majors that day. My new major was journalism with a public relations track and a minor in event planning. I had never felt so free.
I called my dad and told him the good news. I said that I had changed majors with the intention of becoming an event planner. He was quietly supportive, which was cryptic for shock and disappointment. Still, he tried to put on a brave face in light of my decision, which I appreciated.
I later learned that he went back to his desk and started asking his co-workers about event planning. He said to them with judgment, "What the heck is she going to do with an event planning degree? I didn't even know there was a major for that." Lucky for me, one of his co-workers told him that his company had an entire department dedicated to exactly that: meeting planning. Dad was shocked.
Today, I get asked the same question every once in awhile, "So you're an event planner? Did you go to school for that? Was it your major?" Not only is there an undergraduate major, there is a master's degree too!