It’s your journey

"What do you want to do after this degree?"

Putting young people under the spotlight and asking them about their plans is one of the many wonderful ways to make them doubt themselves. Now, I’m not saying one should not motivate and encourage young students to do something with their future, but making a worried or confused face when they tell you they’re not sure, is not the best move. 

People’s perception of a certain age as being the deadline or benchmark for significant life events is problematic. What people often fail to understand is that progress is not quick and constant, it’s slow and different for everyone. One cannot be expected to thoroughly plan their entire future in 20 years. At the tender age of 20, young adults have not yet experienced enough to completely understand their dreams, likes, or dislikes. Just because someone is 30 years old, doesn't mean that they should own a house, have a well-paying job and be completely "settled" in life. It’s unfair and unrealistic to expect that from every individual. Having been alive for a certain amount of years has got nothing to do with how much you have accomplished.

The imaginary competition starts here. Sure, someone has their whole life figured out by the age of 20, but others may be unsure about it until the age of 40. Life was never a race between people but it was made into one. Like every other competition, this race has its pressures, it makes one question themselves and their abilities. Many people live miserably in the same line of work they’ve been in for years and often don't change their careers due to the fear of starting from scratch because, for them, it’s the fear of ending up in last place again.

My point is that if you don’t know what you’re doing just like I don’t know, it’s not a bad thing, it’s not something you should dwell over and it’s not something that should make you panic. I prefer to not pre-plan my years and future, I like to know what different opportunities would come for me rather than focusing on just one straight path. Now that’s how I prefer to live, it doesn’t mean it's wrong it just means it’s different. It's fine if someone can accomplish their ambitions before you. It's fine if someone is more successful than you at a certain time and age but it doesn’t mean that you’ve lost, or that you haven’t accomplished anything. It’s your life and your journey, work hard for your future but take as much time as you need. Trust me you’re definitely not in last place.