the lost path

the indecisions we face between the ages of 21 to 25 are unique. these decisions or lack thereof will decide your future. Career paths are chartered in this 4-year gap for most. Some, like me, as my mom puts it, are 'late bloomers' and no, don't mistake the term for something unproductive. It simply means people like me (and I feel more people than not wont like to admit) don't know what they're doing and what they're gonna do with their lives.

No one knows anymore what the difference is between enjoying a hobby and fanning a career. And unfortunately for most people, they cannot extract a career out from their hobbies or interests, either because there is no scope in that field or not sufficient money for reimbursement. Simply put, you wont be paid for having fun!

Our education system is to blame, in large part. Segregating subjects as wide as Science, Arts, and Commerce immediately after SSC is unthinkable! Who would know what the kid is best suited for? Heck, even the most accurate predictions made by people who make a living out of predictions cannot be able to foretell where a child's interests may lie. Many will argue that today's kids are aware, they know what's happening around them, and they're smart enough to make an informed decision regarding their career paths at age 15. I guarantee that's not true. Only a bunch of whizkids are really aware of what's happening and an even fewer number of those really know what they want at 15 or 16!

Its' all a matter of luck. By luck, if you're thrust in your eventual field of choice, then the decision to select the right career will take place way sooner than for one with the misfortune of being in the wrong field in college. But, as the adage goes, its never too late for us 'late bloomers'. Once we've wizened up to this apparent flaw in the system and have discovered the plethora of subjects in which one can study further in, it only becomes a question of discovering your true interests, the most viable and income-generating interests, and sticking to that path. The rest that happens along the way will only help you.


All said and done, no, not everyone has a goal they can follow. Not all the time. Sometimes you need to wander to find the right path. In the words of JRR Tolkien, "Not all those who wander are lost."