If Only I Wanted to be a Pharmacist
Sometimes I wish that I had wanted to become a pharmacist instead of a writer. Being Rita the neighborhood druggist is a lot easier then being the next Carrie Bradshaw. In most colleges, there are specific programs set up that set you on the right path to becoming a pharmacist. You put in your time and Boom! You're a pharmacist. But when you want to be a writer or something artistic like that there is no such program. There are no classes, no residency you can complete that guarantees you will become the greatest talent to grace the white page since Ernest Hemmingway. I hate that. Everything in the Arts and Entertainment field is all up to chance and God-gifted talent. You have to be on the streets night and day, waiting, thirsting for that opportunity, for that next idea that no one has thought of and that will put you over the top. Put you above all the young bloodthirsty hopefuls that want it just as much as you do. You basically have to pimp yourself.
Don't get me wrong; the things learned in college are immeasurable. When at university, the classes you take give you background, historical and current. The college experience alone teaches you many aspects of the human experience that is fundamental in transcribing emotion and reality into any type of artistic expression. I just wish there was some type of structure, some mentoring program in college that teaches aspiring entertainers how to achieve that goal. Of course, you have your drama schools and things like that but it's never a guarantee. But that is the price you pay for wanting to own the world. So don't give up on your dreams!
When do you "become" a pharmacist? Is it when you decide you're going to be one, after you've completed your first class, your 10th class, your last class, passed your Boards, made that critical decision or provided a patient with exactly the information they need to make the right decision about their health concerns? Have you become a pharmacist because you've learned how to scrape several pills into a bottle or measure a bunch of powders into one capsule? All of those things lead to becoming a pharmacist but none of them guarantee that attainment. They're all steps and all steps that need to be regularly practiced in order to attain the goal.
Just as with becoming a pharmacist, there is no magic moment when you can say you've become a writer and there is no guarantee that you'll (1) become one or (2) be a successful one. And there are all types of writers. It's all a matter of practice, quality practice with quality input, diligent effort, consciencious attention to feedback, and then more practice.
Actually, there are college classes in creative writing, journalism, and so on. There are special writing classes available through media organizations and university extension programs. And there are classes available through Writer's Digest as well as other very reputable online sources. But none of these venues will ever guarantee you success. What will is (back to that word again) practice, as well as determining what "success" means for you.
Yes, the other part of writing is, as you put it, "pimping" yourself. Actually, that's networking, querying, submitting, reading, networking, talking. It's all part of being an entrepreneur. And the hunger you speak of is also part of being a writer. If you don't go through withdrawals because your muse just sent you an idea and you're without paper and pencil, or you're trapped in an elevator without your laptop when the script of a lifetime hits you, then maybe the true writing thing is not really your path. Maybe it's something related to writing.
Explore what other options are out there. But until you find the ones that fit you, PRACTICE!
I do believe that there are majors in college for people who want to take up creative writing as a profession. My niece, for instance, plans to get a Masters in Creative Writing, and prepared for it in her undergraduate studies, by building a portfolio of poetry. My suggestion would be to set your sights on something definite. If you want to be a writer, what kind of a writer? Science fiction? Mystery thriller? Detective? Historical fiction? If in the entertainment field, what kind of entertainment? Do you want to be an actor? A producer? A writer of screenplays? There is coursework in abundance and the possibility of job placement for all of these and more. I would suggest a visit to your Career Placement office on campus, maybe take the Meyers Briggs personality test, and talk to some people who know you really well about what you are good at, and what you could be successful working at. Narrow and hone your sights on a specific vocation. I think you were trying to say that success in the Arts does not necessarily mean big bucks. Some great authors never received recognition in their lifetime. I would revive the old aphorism for you that "Genius is 99% perspiration, 1% inspiration." You may have to arrive at a compromise of sorts and settle for not being the best at a job that puts bread on the table at least while you go for the gusto, on your own, in every way possible, about being the best there is at your chosen field. Good luck.