How many times have you been asked about what you want to do with your life?
Five times? Ten times? Twenty-five times? And out of that number of times, how many times have you reciprocated with a completely confident, guaranteed response? Once . . . Maybe. Something I’ve found interesting lately is the way our minds work and how often we change our minds. I have enough trouble deciding what to wear for classes the next morning, and then sticking with my same decision when I wake up. Do I dress for comfort or should I dress for success? Anyway, our minds change every day. When someone asks me what I want to do with my life after college, sure, I think about a responsible, sensible answer: English teaching. My degree will allow me to teach anywhere from fifth grade English/Language Arts up to twelfth grade English/Language Arts. It only makes sense that I teach junior high or high school Language Arts, right? Well, what happens when you think about all the possibilities life has to offer? Sure, it looks good to have a degree. This is why most of us go to college. We want to be professional, trained, and credible. But, honestly, how many people actually find jobs in a degree-specific career? Now, there are those degrees we need to function as a country. We need doctors, teachers, and other licensed professionals. All of you, I applaud you. One second, I want to get my Doctorate in English so I can gain everything I can out of my education, and then become a well-known, renowned professor at a university. The next second, I want to live out of a backpack and teach yoga or English in a village on the other side of the world. Maybe my attention span is just a little too haywire to focus on settling down at this point in my life, but to all of you who took the responsibility of taking on those careers, give yourself some pats on the back and a plate of warm cookies. I just feel sorry for those people who think they have to do something to be considered a successful person in life. Let’s set aside real-world responsibilities and the rules of life that society dictates for us. If we want, we can take off out of the country and move to another country after we graduate college. Other countries have jobs, they pay their employers, and the newfound sense of adventure gives you a change of pace in your seemingly monotonous life. Everyone probably thinks I am completely insane. Well, that’s okay. Maybe it is insane. But what if I decide to move to another country after college and teach yoga on a mountainside? Will the pay be disappointing? Probably. Will I experience a different culture, lifestyle, and meet people from around the world? Definitely. What if you graduate college and leave the country? What if it is scary? What if you meet people from all facets of society? What if you help others? What if you leave your adventure knowing you made an impact? What if you settle into what society deems is the “right” thing to do after college, and you succumb into a life of settling for less than the best? Maybe this is a bunch of rambling because I’m writing this instead of doing homework in the library at my own university, but maybe there is a little bit of sense behind seeing the world before you settle. Go after life headfirst, experience the wonders of the world, helps others, experience a lifestyle different from your own, and squeeze everything out of life while you can because one day, you’re going to look back on your life and remember everything you said you wanted to do, but didn’t. Don’t conform. Create.
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AuthorLauren is a Ball State University alumna with a Bachelor's degree in English and a concentration in Creative Writing. She enjoys breakfast for dinner with a side of literary enjoyment. Archives
December 2017
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