Growing up, I always dreamed of being an astronomer. I collected stargazing books and learned everything I could about the planets of our solar system. Looking up at the night sky always inspired mystic and arcane feelings. The night sky presented itself as a mystery worth solving; and so, through my younger years, I thought I would be the one to one day find all of the answers.

Yet as I grew older and realized I did not have even a slight aptitude for science, I decided to give up my dream to become an astronomer and began focusing on law. As an avid fan of NBC’s “Law & Order,” I never really cared for the murder-mystery aspect of the show, but I found myself glued to the television whenever court proceedings occurred.

I always wanted to be the prosecutor, but never the defense; the one attempting to convict the killer instead of the one defending him. Through middle school, I was already planning on obtaining my law degree. I had my eyes set on Harvard or Yale for law school, unaware of the knowledge and qualifications necessary for admittance.

But as I traveled through high school and began realizing what was financially and mentally feasible for myself and my family, I dreamed to one day be a successful international journalist. Although my interests lie in many different facets of education, I found I was most talented at broadcasting.

I loved having the ability to tell a story, whether it was my own or someone else’s, and bringing an audience along for the ride. I thrived in front of the camera and was never nervous to be on television daily for our school’s broadcasting television program.

I graduated high school telling everyone I would be attending MSU to double major in journalism and international relations.

When people asked me at graduation what my dream job was, I would tell them I wanted to be Anderson Cooper when I grew up. I wanted to travel the world telling untold stories of citizens from around the globe and then eventually have my own nightly news show on CNN.

I came to MSU with one goal in mind, thinking I knew exactly where I would be in five years.

But as time passes and life’s experiences occur, we are often swayed into different areas of interest and decide to pursue a new dream. I do not consider myself fickle or a defeatist, I just want to make sure I spend the rest of my life doing something I enjoy. And if there is one thing The State News has taught me, it is that I do not want to spend the rest of my life in journalism.

On a daily basis, I work with some of the finest student journalists, who love the occupation and hope to continue to see it flourish once they enter the job market. I love writing, and I thrive most when I can tell stories, just not in a journalistic fashion.

It is almost humorous to reflect upon the dreams we had as children for what we would be when we were older. Many times, kindergartners and young children say they want to be a fireman or an astronaut when they grow up, unaware of what the two careers entail.

Hollywood and Disney often embellish these types of dreams, telling stories of hopeless kids who came from nothing with only a dream, which eventually comes true. If my dream came true from when I was young, I would be sitting behind a telescope all day trying to discover new planets and unknown facts about our universe.

Therefore, I think as we continue to grow and mature, our dreams stay the same. Our dreams, like us, continue to evolve as we grow older.

Although my dream job has taken many different shapes and been involved in many different fields, it has evolved from the same idea: communicating a message.

Whether that message was written in a story, broadcast over TV or divulged in a courtroom to a jury, I have always desired to communicate with people and deliver relevant information to them.

Now, although my “dream job” has changed — and so has one of my majors — I’ll continue to strive to follow that same idea, finding a career that allows me to communicate a message I think is worthy of hearing.

Alex McClung is The State News opinion writer. Reach him at mcclung3@msu.edu.