“Some men see things as they are and say why? I dream things that never were and say, “Why not?” -Writer George Bernard Shaw

When exactly is the time that most of us lose our idealism?

My guess is college. Long are the days when we students had those guidance counselors hypnotizing us into believing that with the combined efforts of our passion, talent and drive, we can fulfill our life?s ambition.

Instead, we?re now greeted with bitter professors and pretentious advisers with coffee-stained teeth telling us that our goals are unrealistic.

“Hey, what gives?” I have to ask. We spend our whole lives making plans and working hard to get to this particular stage of our life. Now that we?re here, we are being told to practically abandon our dreams so we can apply ourselves to a “real” career that will pay mucho dinero.

Forget that. I don?t want to fast-forward 20 years and find myself stuck in a career just because the money’s good. Besides, what’s the point of living if I can’t enjoy what I do. And I’m not compromising!

Some students, such as myself, cannot help but be somewhat taken aback at how some reputable people at this university are so willing to burst our aspiring bubble. I mean, I was prepared for criticism and rejection, but I didn’t expect the condescending delivery that went with it.

Life Lesson 101: Just because someone’s old, it doesn’t mean they’re wise…

Like a lot of people, I’ve been taught to respect my elders. But when they start salivating over the opportunity to crush the sights I’ve set for myself, that’s when the claws will come out and I’ll be ready to defend myself.

Then again, why bother? They’re just going to shake their head and look at me like some naive kid aiming for a pie-in-the-sky job. But when I get that job, and I will, I’ll do my best in resisting the urge to get that pie and throw it into my critic?s faces. Getting the position you want in your field of choice is most likely not going to be given to you graciously on a silver platter.

But if you want it bad enough, you’ll get it?eventually.

And your chances are even better if you work hard and use your critic’s comments as a catalyst for success.

It’s amazing that there are some seriously negative people who are currently roaming on this campus as we speak. These people do not dispense constructive criticism, but rather discourage students from achieving their goals. I can’t help but pity these people, for their own failure must serve as the foundation of their contempt for young students.

Mature adults can “ground” the upcoming generation without slamming their dreams into the ground. I recently had an on-campus experience that reminded me of a conversation I had with a “licensed counselor” once.

I was an insecure 15 year-old girl that spent most of her days reading books and writing volumes of her own literature. I revealed to this “licensed counselor” what my life-long dream was. And she said that she was my truth stick and that my dream was never going to happen. After a moment of letting her unfounded conclusion soak in, I calmly told her where she could put her truth stick.

By the way, that “licensed counselor” also said I would never go to college, but alas, here I am.

We all know that it’s important to dream, but it’s crucial that you don’t give up on it just because you have to put food on the table, pay the bills, or you encountered someone vicious that tried to convince you on being “realistic.”

So keep the hope alive despite what anyone else says and you’ll be more than fine in the real world.

Georgette Todd is a Journalism major. She can be reached by mail C/O the State Hornet? CSUS, 6000 J Street, Sacramento, CA, 95819 or by e-mail at [email protected].