Wassup Blogtastic World! - (see blog 1 for info on the QLC)
At the moment I am beginning to feel like everyone around me has some purpose, something to work towards, they all know exactly where they want to end up, particularly career-wise. This leaves me feeling somewhat lost and in search of some greater purpose, something I was put on this earth to pursue and achieve, but it's not quite as simple as just picking any random thing. There is a checklist that many people, (especially those suffering from the QLC), have to tick off when figuring out what it is they want to dedicate their life too. This usually includes at least some of the following.
-I have to love it ("find a job you love and you'll never work a day in your life")
-It should challenge me, keep me on my toes
-It should give me financial security, ideally more than just security, travel and party money as well
-It should 'sound' impressive (something prestigious such as a lawyer or doctor, or exotic, like an international investigative journalist or a surf instructor in Hawaii)
-It'd be nice if it provided the opportunity to travel (or at least the time too)
-I have to be good at it (everyone wants to be very successful in whatever field they choose)
This is quite an extensive list, and it is unlikely that you are going to find a career which fulfills all of these, however it seems that everyone at this age has a general plan of how to get this 'ideal career' and are on their way to achieving it, using university as merely a means to an end.
Now I know what you're thinking... "aaaw honey, you're only 19, you have plenty of time to figure out what you want to do, it's okay to change your mind you're still young, all your peers are sure to change their minds a billion time and whose to say they're going to end up doing whatever they've set out to do now, after all... they're only 19!"... Yes, I know I'm 19, but think about it, this year I'm turning 20! When does it become not okay to not know what you want to be anymore? Do you hit 25 and then have to settle with whatever half-baked plan you've managed to come up with, are you forced into whatever job you can get when you have a family, do you say 'just fuck it all' and travel with whatever you can manage risking getting stranded somewhere and having to waitress for the rest of your life? Why is it okay to not know what you want to be now and not when you're 30, or even 40 or 50? Why is it okay to stop pursuing your dreams, and 'settle for whatever' when you hit 30? How do you even know when you find your purpose, does it just drop right there in front of you? Or do you have to search for it like some poor lost soul traveling the world in search of "yourself"?
I've always been a firm believer in not sitting around and waiting for stuff to happen, rather going out and making it happen, but I'm left at a loss when I'm not entirely sure what it is that I want to happen. I know I want to find a purpose, something to strive towards, but I don't know what that is and therefore I'm not sure how to find it in order to make it happen. So I am left restless sitting idle on the benches in the greater scheme of my life, worrying about wasting time, yes, at 19 years old.
Why am I thinking of all these issues now? Well my trusted advisor put it down to the six week dip.
The six week dip (SWD) is exactly six weeks into the first semester of the university year (that would make sense wouldn't it). And is generally when most students are hit with the bulk of their assignments and work which then continues on until the end of the semester, acting as a bit of a wake-up call, but the stress also causes many students to descend into a spiral of depression, uncertainty and self-doubt. If you have found yourself a victim of the SWD, know that you are by no means alone, and try and take comfort in that. Also know that it is not called the SIX week dip for nothing, meaning don't worry, it will ease off as the semester continues on, so don't lose hope and soldier on... (I like to think of myself as a great advisor to people in times of need, mainly from personal experience)
Until my next inspiring moment of existential crisis.
-Emsy
At the moment I am beginning to feel like everyone around me has some purpose, something to work towards, they all know exactly where they want to end up, particularly career-wise. This leaves me feeling somewhat lost and in search of some greater purpose, something I was put on this earth to pursue and achieve, but it's not quite as simple as just picking any random thing. There is a checklist that many people, (especially those suffering from the QLC), have to tick off when figuring out what it is they want to dedicate their life too. This usually includes at least some of the following.
-I have to love it ("find a job you love and you'll never work a day in your life")
-It should challenge me, keep me on my toes
-It should give me financial security, ideally more than just security, travel and party money as well
-It should 'sound' impressive (something prestigious such as a lawyer or doctor, or exotic, like an international investigative journalist or a surf instructor in Hawaii)
-It'd be nice if it provided the opportunity to travel (or at least the time too)
-I have to be good at it (everyone wants to be very successful in whatever field they choose)
This is quite an extensive list, and it is unlikely that you are going to find a career which fulfills all of these, however it seems that everyone at this age has a general plan of how to get this 'ideal career' and are on their way to achieving it, using university as merely a means to an end.
Now I know what you're thinking... "aaaw honey, you're only 19, you have plenty of time to figure out what you want to do, it's okay to change your mind you're still young, all your peers are sure to change their minds a billion time and whose to say they're going to end up doing whatever they've set out to do now, after all... they're only 19!"... Yes, I know I'm 19, but think about it, this year I'm turning 20! When does it become not okay to not know what you want to be anymore? Do you hit 25 and then have to settle with whatever half-baked plan you've managed to come up with, are you forced into whatever job you can get when you have a family, do you say 'just fuck it all' and travel with whatever you can manage risking getting stranded somewhere and having to waitress for the rest of your life? Why is it okay to not know what you want to be now and not when you're 30, or even 40 or 50? Why is it okay to stop pursuing your dreams, and 'settle for whatever' when you hit 30? How do you even know when you find your purpose, does it just drop right there in front of you? Or do you have to search for it like some poor lost soul traveling the world in search of "yourself"?
I've always been a firm believer in not sitting around and waiting for stuff to happen, rather going out and making it happen, but I'm left at a loss when I'm not entirely sure what it is that I want to happen. I know I want to find a purpose, something to strive towards, but I don't know what that is and therefore I'm not sure how to find it in order to make it happen. So I am left restless sitting idle on the benches in the greater scheme of my life, worrying about wasting time, yes, at 19 years old.
Why am I thinking of all these issues now? Well my trusted advisor put it down to the six week dip.
The six week dip (SWD) is exactly six weeks into the first semester of the university year (that would make sense wouldn't it). And is generally when most students are hit with the bulk of their assignments and work which then continues on until the end of the semester, acting as a bit of a wake-up call, but the stress also causes many students to descend into a spiral of depression, uncertainty and self-doubt. If you have found yourself a victim of the SWD, know that you are by no means alone, and try and take comfort in that. Also know that it is not called the SIX week dip for nothing, meaning don't worry, it will ease off as the semester continues on, so don't lose hope and soldier on... (I like to think of myself as a great advisor to people in times of need, mainly from personal experience)
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| An A+ Pizza! A great idea for a reward system to encourage better grades... but who am i kidding, it's a pizza, you can put whatever letter you want on it. |
Until my next inspiring moment of existential crisis.
-Emsy
Some of us just aren't content to simply settle, i guess, feeling like there is a perfect option out there for us that we just haven't found yet. I like to think of it as unrealised potential, although it feels like a burden at times; like I'm just being fussy and i'll never be content to commit to a career.
ReplyDeleteYou're right, there is alot more pressure than it seems, to get on to it while we're young so that we can get our long and expensive education over with in time to live the dream (while paying back the debt, of course). It seems like we wont know for sure if we're really satisfied until we're there, when most of us don't have the time or the money to dabble in multiple career paths - but in a way, Em, I think we are the lucky ones..
If we can make the most of the QLC, let the pressure drive us and do our best to find that perfect compromise - who cares if we have to explore our options a little longer, maybe spend an extra 20k; If we find it sooner, we may be the lucky few who coast past the bigger (and more expensive) Mid-life crisis: for some, it's the moment when you wonder who you would be now if you had never settled.. #YOLO Emsy, not even kidding gee.
good read, cheers!
Henry
Thanks Henry! Yeah that's exactly what I think, I like looking at it as unrealised potential, I'll definitely keep that in mind. I really appreciate the feedback
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