As a nineteen-year-old in the penultimate year of her STEM degree, all I can say is that the romantic in me hasn’t died just yet.
“Finish B.Tech first, and then do whatever you want!”
– Possibly every Indian parent ever? T^T.
(BTW, they said something similar when they made us take Math in our 11th grade.)
It’s a popular belief amongst GenX/Millennials (the 70’s – 80’s kids, anyway) that their kids would go into a Computer Science degree and emerge head-over-heels for the world of corporate. It’s interesting how common this is in our environment. Out of nearly seven or so close friends of mine in Engineering, only two can confidently say they are fully interested in the degree they had picked. Of the rest, most of them are artistically inclined. Do you know what these kids hear all the time?
“You can always write your books/do your art on the side!”
– Comes from a place of love, everyone.
But it really does come from a place of love, though. In fact, it also comes from a life of experience. Yes, it is very tough to make it big in an artistic career especially in a country like ours (extra negative points if you don’t have nepotism to help you <3). Unfortunately, this is the world we live in. One where passions don't stand a chance in front of survival. One where everyone tells you that "ten sick leaves a year" is the life to live! One where weekends are a sham because you end up working on Saturdays anyway.
Whatever happened to living! It’s crazy to think that in the first twenty years of your life- when you are considered to be the naivest version of yourself- is when you make the “biggest” decisions of your life. That notion is crazy! If people change over the course of time in their primal nature, it is very much crazy to assume they would commit to one career their whole life!
If you’re a STEM kid and you don’t enjoy it (or you do enjoy it, but don’t want to pursue it), it’s not the end of the world! So, as fretting as the new research paper curriculum is- welcome to MUJ, BTW- it’s hardly real life. There are many curveballs ready to come your way, regardless of a nine-to-five. So, let the romantic heart yearn and let the hopelessly hopeful mind dream. Your twenties are just the beginning of your life!
“Scary news is, you’re on your own now. But the cool news is, you’re on your own now![sic]”
Taylor Swift (aka Mother)
You get to decide what you do with your life! Just because it’s not something everyone does, it doesn’t mean it’s wrong! Things can get tough, you could find yourself in desperate situations, but the only way to get out is through. The sun always shines bright, after the darkest night!