A Wrong Click,  The Right Path: My unexpected journey into journalism

What was the happiest mistake you have ever made?

The Accidental Journalist

When I was in college, I had my sights set on becoming a software developer. Coding fascinated me, and I dreamed of working at a big tech company, building the next groundbreaking app. But one small mistake changed everything.

One semester, I was supposed to sign up for a course called Advanced Programming, but in my rush to register, I accidentally clicked on investigative journalism. I didn’t realize my mistake until the first day of class when the professor started talking about media ethics and uncovering hidden truths.

I panicked. Dropping the course wasn’t an option because all the programming classes were full. So, I decided to just get through it and move on.

But something unexpected happened.

For our first assignment, we had to interview someone and write a short article. I chose a janitor who had worked at the college for over 30 years. He shared stories about the changes he had witnessed, the students he had helped, and the struggles of being an overlooked part of the system.

When I turned in my article, the professor called me aside. “You have a natural talent for storytelling,” she said. “Have you ever considered journalism?”

I laughed it off. Me? A journalist? No way.

But as the semester continued, I found myself enjoying the process—researching, interviewing, and writing. It felt exhilarating in a way coding never had. I started submitting articles to the student newspaper, then freelanced for a local magazine.

By the time I graduated, my dream of being a software developer had faded, replaced by a new passion: journalism. Today, I run my own blog dayawetalk.com and YouTube channel @Daya- lets- Talk ,telling stories that matter.

All because of one happy mistake.

One Mistake,  a million stories,  sometimes the wrong turn leads to the right path.