School started this week at MSU-Mankato; as always, the first week went by quickly. The week was filled with reconnecting with colleagues, meeting new students, and talking with former students.

I was talking to a couple of students on Thursday and they asked me a great question: What would you say to young students who know they want to pursue writing?

Of course I said, “Do it!” Find that program that will allow you to write on a regular basis. Maybe it’s mass media, maybe it’s English. Maybe it’s history, where you have to write a lot of research papers. Maybe it’s political science, where you have to write analyses.

If you like to write, you absolutely have to find a major that will support you. You can’t let pressure from family influence you. Unfortunately, the English major still gets a bad rap. “What will you do with that degree? What kind of job will you get?” Here’s a piece of useful news: writing and critical thinking skills are valuable in almost any job.

You have to pursue your passion otherwise you’re not going to be happy. College is the time to explore, learn more about what you love, and discover what you love. If you want to write, then you just have to do it.