Mirror Magazine

Mirror Magazine

The future awaits you
By Vidushi Seneviratne
Future professions invariably become a vital part of any young person’s life. A few of us might have always had a childhood passion we’ve been determined to realise. Others, after much debate and experimenting, might have finally found their niche now. Or there might even be those of us who are undecided, going through life one day at a time, and still have no idea what profession we want to get into.

Whatever category you might fall into, don’t worry about it too much. After all, choosing your profession is all a part of growing up, isn’t it? But what is growing up, really? Does it have one definition? Speaking to a few vibrant and versatile young people, I got some interesting responses.

Navin (26) is one of those lucky ones who had a childhood passion and was fortunate enough to actually get there. “I wanted to become a doctor ever since I was about ten years old. I guess it was mainly because I like meeting people and helping whoever needs help. Also, the fact that none of my family members are in the medical profession is probably another main reason I wanted to get into it!” Channelling his education towards reaching this goal, he finished his A/levels in the science stream and then eventually entered the medical college. “But I didn’t expect it to be so hard! Of course I didn’t give up on it, because this was always what I wanted to do.” Awaiting his internship at a hospital any time soon, he hopes to be either a Paediatrician or get into adult medicine and become a General Physician.

And then there are those experimental ones who toss around a few options, before finally finding their niche…
“While I was a kid, though my passion was really Humanities and Arts, I wanted to become a doctor. But that changed once I finished my O/levels, especially since I realised that I couldn’t handle physics. So I went back to my real interests, which were English and history,” says Varsha (23). Now a final year law student, thinking back at her craze to become a doctor, she’s glad she at least tried it out. “This is really what I want to do. And now since I’m studying law, and law does have aspects of humanities in it, I’m hoping to get involved in an area like human rights.”

So what is growing up? “For me, growing up is all about experiences of human nature and realising the fallibility of human nature. It’s also about learning that you can’t really depend on anyone else – you’ve just got yourself. It’s a gradual process, and you can sometimes grow up in certain aspects, and not grow up in others. This could be applied when the time comes to choose your future profession as well. When it comes to choosing personally, growing up also made me a cynic!”

For Eranka (23), becoming a doctor was top priority while in the primary classes, but gradually, with the realisation that science was really not her thing, she became interested in law. “But that too faded away, and then I was in limbo for a while.” The opportunity to read for a B.A. at university came her way, but she stuck with her main interest, which is journalism.
Growing up, for her, is when you know what you want to do with your life. “But then again, you’re learning till the day you die, so you can’t define a time span as such. I also feel growing up happens within yourself. Understanding yourself and the maturity that comes with it is very important.”

Sharing the same sentiments as the other two, Joseph (19) too has tried out quite a few options, before finally deciding on one particular one. “I’ve never really had one thing I’ve wanted to do with my life, until around my A/levels. And then I had a ‘Eureka’ moment! It hit me that my line was political science and that’s what I’m going to do.” Having applied to a few universities in the U.S., he will be leaving shortly. Once he finishes his degree in political science, he hopes to maybe join a NGO, but this again is not certain.

As for growing up, Joseph feels it’s all about experiencing everything and absorbing things around you. “It’s important to experience the maximum since the mistakes we make at this stage of our life are not usually that serious, and they don’t stick. So we should just go ahead and give everything a shot, even with our future professions.”

And then of course, there are those absolutely clueless, aimless ones, who have no idea what we want to do with our lives – in the prime of our youth… that goes as well!

“My passion is to do nothing. I’ve never been after one profession. If I ever wanted to do a job, it would be just to buy myself the things I need, like technical gadgets, and my chocolates and M&Ms and stuff!” says Chris (18). He had been interested at one point in studying law, especially since he’s quite good at debating. But that too was short-lived. “Since of late I’ve wanted to become a chef, because I feel it’s a really cool and interesting job. So I’ll just have to wait and see,” he says, seemingly not bothered at all.
For him, growing up is something that’s happening all the time. “Of course some things help you more than others, but everything and everyone around you helps you grow up.”

However you go about it, growing up and making choices regarding your future is a natural process we all go through. Sometimes we make wrong decisions, which in turn helps us make right ones in the future, but that’s all a part of the game, isn’t it? And as they all say, at the end… life just goes waltzing on…

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