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My Journey to Not Becoming a Teacher

Posted by Alex Holden
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describe the imageAs an English Literature student, I get asked if I want to be a teacher. A lot. Apparently, teaching is an English student’s only viable career option post-graduation. When someone immediately jumped to “Oh, you’re in English! So you want to go into teaching?” I used to gently skirt around the question and mumble something like, “Maybe, we’ll see…”

I was too scared to proclaim without shame what I really wanted to do, which was become a published author and write stories. After all, that was a big dream. However, my sophomore year here at Ambrose, I realized something: there was not a single fiber in my being that desired to teach, so why was I allowing people to dump that assumption on my shoulders? From then on, when people asked if I wanted to be a teacher, I held my head high, looked them square in the eyes, and said “No. I want to be a published author.”

Here’s the thing: University is the time to dream big. Find a subject that you are passionate about, and fall in love with your studies. Don’t wait until you graduate to dive into your field: seek out every opportunity you can find to learn, grow, and gain experience. When people ask you what you want to be, tell them unashamedly. Be bold. Be strong. Be faithful even in the quiet times. God has promised to bless the work of our hands! I firmly believe that if you work relentlessly hard at something, God is going honor that.

It won’t always be easy. At the start of the fall semester I was asked to share in Chapel what God had been teaching me. The summer had been full of rewrites of my novel, rejection letters, and fingers brushing breakthroughs but nothing quite close enough to grab on to. Through it all I was reminded of Romans 8:28: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” This scripture was a constant reminder to me all semester that we serve a faithful God who loves us and is working hard to make our dreams a reality, too.

I am very happy to say, officially, that my dreams are coming true. My novel, Tangled in Tennessee, is going to be published on August 2nd, 2015 by Inkspell Publishing! If you love cheesy teen novels about new experiences, adventures, and cute boybands, then I think you’ll like it. Looking back on the process of writing the book to signing my first publishing deal, I see all the hard work (and a few tears) that got me to where I am today. I also see that there is no possible way I could have done it on my own. You guys, God is so good!

So now, when I say I am studying English Literature and get asked if I am going to become a teacher, I can look the person in the eyes, head held high, and say “Nope. I’m a published author.”

Ambrose has a fantastic community that wants to support you and celebrate your victories with you! I am so thankful that I get to share in all the excitement of my book being published with the amazing friends I have here, and the Professors who have helped me grow into the writer I am today. Dream big: it’s worth it.