417 Magazine and My Future

Daunted by my mother's apprehension and stress over my own future, I face graduation and college this year. With faith in myself, I do my best not to let the pressure of "success"  overwhelm me. Success, after all, is subjective.

Being someone interested in writing, journalism, and art, our past trip to 417 Magazine was intrigued me. We discussed many aspects of the magazine world including advertisement, graphic design, photography, production, and editing. The whole magazine world was very interesting and held an environment I would love to be a part of- specifically the art and design behind the making of a magazine. Even the advertising, which I have never put much thought into, sounded like a lot of fun to be a part of. I could definitely see myself interning or working there. I love Springfield, or "Springvegas" as I like to call it, and I believe the 417 area has so many hidden treasures. 417 magazine would be a great place for me to work.

One of my favorite moments during the 417 presentation was when the question was raised about copy write. The presenter couldn't respond, for they had never thought about copy write- they didn't even have a legal team. The question simply proved how much goes into making a magazine, the genius behind the glossy images you see on your counter, and how any magazine is constantly improving itself and growing as a business. I am left with the question of simply this: How did 417 magazine publish their first issue and how were they able to grow as a business?


This summer I am either A) moving into an apartment with my friends Claire and Rachel or B) moving into a dorm with Claire. I will be attending MSU this fall and am undecided on my major but have juggled the ideas of Journalism, Communication arts, design, and theatre. I know what I love to do but not quite what I want to do with it.

A year from now I hope to be in an apartment or home with a couple of room mates and a cat. I want to have a job that not only pays well, but is something I enjoy doing- even if it is simply a job as a waitress or a barista. Having a decided major would also be great.

In five years I simply want to be out of college with a jeep wrangler, a cat, and two large dogs (from an animal shelter, of course, but preferred breeds or mixes include German Shepherd, Golden Retriever, or Yellow lab). I want to have a flexible job that allows me to do a lot of traveling- perhaps writing. I want to keep a home in Springfield but begin traveling often outside of the city. Having a man would be nice too but I'm not planning on "settling down" at age 23.

I wish to be married by the time I am 28 (10 years from now) but it is not the end of the world if I am not. I do not plan on having children, but if I do I'd like to adopt. I hope that my life is still a lot like when I'm 23- traveling a lot with my dogs and friends and keeping a home in Springfield. However, I hope that I have a "grown-up" job with a stable income and something I can excel in and give back to the community.

In 50 years I will be retired or at least very close to it. At 78 I hope that I have been to all 50 states and been out of the country several times. I want my passport to be full. By the time I retire maybe I will have had enough of traveling and finally want to settle down. I might have grand children of my own that I want to spend time with and if not I will most likely have grand nieces and nephews.

Despite where life takes me I hope that I am able to find happiness and contentedness. Wherever I am, whatever I am doing, I want to be giving back to the world around me in some way or another. To me, success is finding purpose.