My first day at the University of California, Riverside (UCR) in the fall of 2022 was a nightmare. The very first class I had was a seminar-style class with 12 people, and I was completely bewildered by the (lack of) energy the class brought and the sheer unhinged behavior of the professor. It was completely unlike anything I had ever experienced during my time in high school.
When I was younger, I was not the most academically motivated student. In fact, I was quite the opposite. I only went to school for the joy I had in playing sports. So, being thrown into a college setting was my own personal hell. There was not a thought in my head nor an inkling of an idea for what I was going to do with my future. Rather than taking steps to improve my chances of discovering who I want to be, I devoted myself to not engaging with anyone at all.
Now here’s the catch: while I despised the idea of talking to my professors, I was so fascinated by my seminar class. Who wouldn’t be enamored with watching old-timey cinema in your media and cultural studies class and arguing about it in an intimate group setting?
Going to my first office hours in college changed my life. My respect for my professors went up tenfold, and for the first time in my life, I had hope that there was more out there beyond the miserable nine-to-five office job.
The beauty of going to office hours lay in the fact that I wasn’t shackled to only talking about class-related topics. I was free to question my professors on any topic of my choosing, whether it be clarification on readings, advice on professional development or even just chatting about day-to-day life. It was a major confidence booster to just be heard and not have people I respect judge me for it.
One of the biggest changes in my life happened because I went to office hours: deciding my major and career path. During the lowest point of my college career, I had succumbed to the idea that I would be a marketing major who would simply hate their job but would earn enough of a living wage to survive.
Every day was a struggle; I hated my classes, I hated my internships and I hated waking up in the morning to even go to school. That all changed when I went to my favorite professor’s office hours and they bestowed upon me the most enlightening of words: “Go back to being a media and cultural studies major. At least you were happy.”
So of course, instead of listening to her words of wisdom, I trudged through another two quarters of my business degree. Happiness at that point in my life was obsolete; all I could see was a corporate hellscape designed to torture me with uncomfortable chairs, scaldingly bright computer screens and miserable small talk with my coworkers.
In order to regain my passion for life and studying, I decided to take another seminar with the same professor who taught the first seminar class I took as a freshman during my second year of college.
Over the course of the next few weeks, I would regularly attend office hours, and a light was lit in my life once again. She would encourage me to simply try new things and pursue what truly made me happy. I bounced around different ideas in my head: marketing, advertising, even dropping out of school to take a gap year and explore what the world has to offer.
It was in the midst of one of these soul-searching office hour sessions that I realized something: my professor was right from the start, I should change my major. So I changed my major, and with no other thoughts in my head, I picked the most absurd career route and decided I wanted to one day become a media and gender studies professor.
I wanted the freedom to speak about what I want to study in front of impressionable young souls. I wanted to make crazy course plans about topics that I feel are relevant to modern society and encourage active debate. I wanted to make a change in someone else’s life and also encourage them to pursue their own interests, just as my professors have done for me.
Life isn’t all about having a palatable major or getting a job that makes tons of money. Sometimes it’s just listening to your heart and hearing from your professors in office hours, “at least you were happy.” My life is forever changed because I went to my professor’s office hours and discovered where my true interests lie.
So, make the time to visit your professors’ office hours. You never know what might happen.
