Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
I’ve never known what I’ve wanted to be. I guess that isn’t such a bold statement, when you’re only 17-years-old and still have ‘the rest of your life’ ahead of you. But are people aware of the level of irony in that statement? Sure, I guess I literally have the majority of my life ahead of me, but isn’t there also a common push for “making the right decisions now” so that you can “enjoy the fruits of your labour later”?
As someone who is starting to fill out those dreaded university application forms, I am living on that very line of paradox. Sure, I can pick from the hundreds of courses available, but how many of these courses will I realistically choose? If I pick X right now, will I be able to find a good, respectable job later? How much money can I earn if I choose to go into this field? I guess I’m lucky to have parents who are open minded and would be happy with whatever career I choose to pursue, but there’s also the individual pressure built within one’s self, that tends to be forgotten about. Is this really the right choice, for ME?
I’ve recently become adept to one ideology. That being said, you can be whomever you choose to be. It isn’t up to any other person but yourself. Perhaps that view is relaxed and may just be the procrastinator in me saying – “its fine if I don’t do it now, the world is my oyster, and I can try again”.
With the amount of pressure that society, parents, our peers place on us to choose the right choice, this approach allows me to have a healthy relationship with myself. It’s okay to make mistakes, and it’s okay to want more than just what’s offered. I can choose to go to business school today, and become an artist tomorrow. Whether you are 20, 50 or 80 years old, each day is different and offers a new beginning. I like to tell myself that I have time. Always.
