My journey to Centennial College started almost three years ago. As with a a lot of life changing journeys, the positive results are going to stem from something negative that paves the way.

Easter of 2015 and I had been with my girlfriend at the time for well over a year. I already had marriage on the brain and was ready to whatever I could to give her the best life possible. Things ended quickly and without explanation, leaving me devastated and at a real crossroads in life. I was convinced that I needed a career that paid well rather than the one that I wanted. A career that gets me the life I thought I was going to have with a person I would barely interact with again. I suddenly found my life heading in a different direction and felt like I was heading in that direction blind. No destination and no plan.

I was already writing for a Toronto-based blogging website called thePotent.ca, as the Sports Streaming Editor. Had been for about a year and was really enjoying it. Having no prior experience writing in any way or on any platform, it was a nice day from the everyday stressors. However, at that point, I wasn’t considering it as a career in any way. I wasn’t a daily contributor, or even a weekly contributor. I would post every one to two months. I’d work fairly free-range, as I could choose when to send in a story and I’d just wait my turn but had no say when it got posted. I enjoyed the freedom it gave me to write about the things I loved.

Now I had been working at Ashley Furniture at that point for just about 3 years. It was a relatively low paying job as far as warehouses go. However it paid the bills, kept gas in my tank and kept me fed. The job itself wasn’t physically difficult, it was more of a mental game. And by the three year mark, I was losing that game. I no longer felt wanted in a place that was so welcoming when I started with them. I had made a promise to myself that this would be my last dead end job, and every time I tried applying for other jobs, I would get turned away, leading me to start thinking about my future.

In August of 2015, tragedy struck. I had a long time friend pass away from cancer. Tyler and I had been friends since high school, and had lived together in 2007 and 2008. He and I had a falling out in 2008 in a situation that was caused by my anxiety and cowardness. I had ruined a friendship that was so important to me. We didn’t talk for awhile but I was invited to his wedding in 2011 and had mended fences that night, but our friendship was never the same and I still haven’t forgiven myself for what happened. However, I wanted to honour him in my own way and I racked my brain to try and figure out how to do so.

2016 would be the year that would help shape this journey into what it is. Still not really knowing what life route I was going to take, my 29th birthday rolled around and I would return to a city that would sink its teeth in me and not let go. My younger brother and another friend helped organize a birthday trip to Toronto to watch some Blue Jays games. Having never watched them live before, being able to watch them for the first time on my birthday was pretty special, and they won that game! It was easily the best 6 days of my life and I was heartbroken to leave.

https://www.facebook.com/kyle.marshall1/videos/10153549695461960/?l=1975491544708809049

Work had become increasingly frustrating as not long after that trip, I started looking at schools both at home in Saskatchewan and out of province, considering a few schools in B.C., as well as the University of Regina. However, I didn’t apply anywhere as I had just decided that journalism was the path I wanted to take but I couldn't a program or school that jumped out at me. It wasn’t until the fall of 2016 that everything kind of came together. I had a brief, summer long relationship end where the girl stated that our lives were heading in different directions, taking us different places. I didn’t realize how true she was until a couple on months later.

By November of 2016, I had decided that I wanted to move away from Saskatoon and wherever I decided to go, that is where I was going to school. It wasn’t long before I decided on Toronto as my destination of choice. I’d wanted to live there since I was a kid. I wanted to make a huge change in my life and I figured it might as well be a big one. This was how I was going to honour my late friend. By facing my challenges and not running away from them anymore.

As I started looking at schools, I briefly considered Ryerson University, until I discovered that an old buddy was already living in Toronto and attending Centennial College taking sports journalism. I tried applying to the sports journalism program only to realize it wasn’t an entry level program. Having applied for Centennial’s journalism program, I applied at Humber College as well. I had an offer of admission from Centennial within a few days, and it felt like the first major victory I had in a long time.

Then the anxiety starts to set in. Holy s**t, I’m moving across the country in 7 months. I need to pack, move, quit my job and sell my car. Right from the start, I didn’t think I would have enough time to get my life together to move more than 3,000 kms. However, right away I came up with a temporary plan for how I was going to orchestrate this.

Living accomodations was the most important issue and I knew that trying to find my own apartment close to campus would be a challenge. So I decided to forego any additional stress and just apply to the school residence. Knowing it wouldn’t be a long term thing, but it would give me time to look for a more convenient location.

After months and long night of packing and a week off of work to move everything out and throwing away or donating about half of my belongings, the first big reality check set in. In just a few short months, I’d be living in a city that is more than 5 times the population of where I’m from.

Moving back home had its challenges, but the positives were really why I did it. While being able to save money for the move was the main deciding factor, I did consider staying in my apartment until it was time to leave Saskatoon to avoid moving twice. Being able to spend to spend more time with family before I left them all end up winning out in the end. After being able to finally say goodbye to the job I’d wanted out of for years, my summer was capped off by two amazing going away parties.

Getting out to Ontario was such a relieving feeling. A year long wait being lifted off my shoulders. Nothing felt intimidating, nothing felt scary or wrong. I’ve had nothing but a feeling of belonging. I spent my 20’s doing nothing but working and trying to have the life I thought I was supposed to have. This is the life I want. To experience more than a 9-5 daily routine. I want my 30’s to be the decade I started living life.