“So now that you’re an adult, what do you do for a career, and what are your goals?”
I facepalm whenever I hear that question. It seems that when you’re in your twenties, everyone expects you to have a job or a career. Or, they assume that you’re still in school, completing a post-graduate program.
When I entered my twenties, I was at rock bottom, not knowing where to go and how to get to the top. As a result, I spent most of that time learning how to readjust to society, become an adult, and support myself. Because of that, I felt behind most of my peers.
Now that I’m almost in my mid-twenties, I enrolled in a university program. As I look around, I realize that most of my peers have already graduated and obtained their bachelor’s degrees. And many are working full-time jobs in their fields.
Then I realized that the path that I took wasn’t a traditional path carved out by societal expectations. As a result, sometimes I feel that no one can relate to me and my choices.
This makes me question my abilities and my decisions. How did I come to this point in life, where I feel so confused, shocked, and devastated about the progress I made?
But then I realized that not everyone travels the regular path.
The societal timeline assumes that everyone goes through the same situations. However, the problems we go through result from our social location and privilege. Plus, all of our circumstances are different, as we have different barriers and challenges to navigate.
If you have other responsibilities outside of studying, you’ll notice that juggling all of your tasks becomes difficult. So, as a result, you may have to take a different path, which may mean you’ll have to graduate later than usual.
But just because you’re traveling a different path doesn’t mean all hope is lost.
You’re never too late to chase your dreams and aspire to contribute to the world with your own interests and passions. As long as you broaden your horizons and discover new hobbies, your path will become more interesting.
Moreover, the regular path often entails viewing the world from a short-sighted perspective. This means that we’re usually focused on the next step but ignore the bigger picture. However, if we’re short-sighted, we may realize that adapting and responding to challenges becomes more difficult.
So, if you notice that you’re on a different path, take the time to realize that none of this is your fault. You may have gone through a personal struggle or other challenges. But regardless of what happened, you continued to move forward and take the road less traveled. And that’s what matters the most in life.
Photo by Saksham Gangwar on Unsplash
