Single Major

To begin a semester's worth of chronicles about my leadership journey, I want to spend my first post talking about how I chose to follow the career path I have today. As a senior in college, I've had my fair share of second-guesses, doubts and concerns about my career direction. I remember sitting in my academic advisor's office at the end of my sophomore year, discussing a self-proclaimed "mid-college crisis". I had recently become interested in supply chain management, after accepting my admission to the Neeley School as a marketing major. Because I had entered college with so many credits from the IB program in high school, it was possible for me to double-major in marketing and supply chain, but I'd have to commit to more than one semester of 18 hours.

Then, I considered double-majoring in supply chain and BIS, since they were more compatible and would result in fewer required hours. My advisor told me to take the summer to think about it, considering I had already accepted a marketing internship. When the summer ended, I chose to pursue BIS/supply chain, only then discovering that because BIS had a lock-step curriculum, I was already behind. Realizing that my best bet was to simply major in supply chain management, I had one primary concern-- would that be enough?

After spending so much time considering double-majors, I had convinced myself that declaring a single major would be "underachieving". I spoke to several people in the business school about my decision, when one finally said, "A single major in the Neeley School is challenging and by overcommitting yourself, you'll be unable to focus as much as that major deserves. If you know you'll be working during the school year, taking on leadership roles, and participating in the Next Gen program, it could be incredibly stressful for you to take on another major. What you have on your plate is already high-achieving."

Thinking about it, I realized she was right. I was working two jobs (one internship at a law firm and one as a nanny for an infant) and had been elected into two leadership positions. And I was convinced that by 'simply' choosing to major in supply chain management, I would be taking the easy way out. It's crazy to think that this was my thought process, yet I know that many of my fellow students think the same way.

There have been countless articles and studies written about the over-commitment and competition among students in my generation. But what happens when I choose to step back a bit? I've been so wrapped up in resume building that I haven't been able to consider the benefits of emptying my schedule (just a bit). What would this do to my relationships, my schoolwork, my leadership positions, my work? I have slowly but surely began to say 'no' to job offers, requests to take on projects, other unnecessary activities. I began to consider my options more closely so that I could agree to things that would make me happy, that I could truly commit to, and that could become stepping stones to career goals.

Now, I've seen even these little changes greatly affect my productivity. This weekend, for instance, I was able to complete all of my homework and reading multiple days in advance, as well as catch up on sleep, run errands, and make important phone calls. All because I said 'no' to a few commitments that I realized I just didn't have time for.

At the end of all of this? I know that managing my schedule is a crucial part of leadership, because I have been able to focus more of my attention on the positions I'm currently in, rather than spread myself too thinly over even more "resume builders". I will be a better leader for knowing how to spend my time wisely, and for someone who had to be sat down by teachers in high school and told that I simply couldn't  run for student body president, yearbook editor, swim team captain, and member of the prestigious mentoring program on campus, this understanding is a huge accomplishment.