Forest Gump said it best when he made the comment, "Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get."

Although this quote agrees with how I live my life and does have some truth in it for everyone, some people have their entire lives planned out like a book.

Don't get me wrong. I do have goals and almost always succeed at them. I do make plans, but most of the time those plans change five minutes later.

I like not knowing what is going to happen, where I'll be tomorrow, who I will meet. Perhaps that is why I love journalism so much. Actually, that is why I love journalism so much.

This column isn't about where I will end up or why I love not knowing where I will be in 15 years, but more about life in general.

For those of you who have read any of my previous columns, I did get the internship in Atlanta with the Fox affiliate (I do have a point).

So anyway, this got me thinking É have I been wishing my life away, wishing I was graduating this month instead of a year from this month?

I thought about if I was really leaving to work in Atlanta for however many years, rather than just going the two-and-a-half months for an internship.

Of course I would love that, it's my dream, but am I really ready?

I took a moment to step back and look at my life and where I am in it.

Yes, I am mature and yes, the journalism department at Tech, along with my internship has more than prepared me for the journalistic world.

However, that isn't the problem. Am I really ready to move on? I cannot wait to find a job, travel different places and actually make real money, but I'm not sure whether I'm ready to be on my own just yet.

I know I will always keep in touch with my best friends, but am I ready to leave them as we move miles apart for jobs or graduate school?

I also know my parents will continue to help me with the money situation if I need it, which got me thinking -- I am nearly a senior in college and still not paying for my own gas. Am I really ready to take on the responsibility of paying my own bills?

I think the obvious answer is, not quite.

Am I ready to take my car to the shop when something is wrong rather than calling my daddy to come look at it?

Am I ready to deal with certain people when my car gets towed and they are really rude to me, and I have to pay the towing bill on my own?

Am I ready for every conversation my mom and I have to turn into phone conversations because we are too far apart to see each other, except on holidays?

Am I ready to leave my younger brother, who is also one of my best friends, alone at Tech (I don't think he cares as much as I do) after I feel like I've already missed out on three of the most important years of his life?

Am I really ready to leave my best friend who is like my sister, after we have lived together for the past three years and done practically everything together?

I've also met some really awesome people this year who I'm not quite sure I am ready to leave behind.

There is a part of me bursting out, ready to be a reporter in some major metropolis, traveling all over the nation and not knowing where I'll be or who I will interview.

But who says I can't enjoy my last year of college, and then live my dream?

Jennifer Reynolds is a junior journalism major from Shreveport and serves as managing editor for The Tech Talk. E-mail comments to jmr035@latech.edu.