Pressure? What pressure?

So, as the world becomes smaller and smaller, technology around us advancing by the nanosecond, new industries and sectors popping up left right and centre, and a boggling amount of "skill sets" that we can potentially obtain, its no wonder people leaving second level education are looking through a list of courses scratching their heads thinking "what the fuck?!?" 

Of course this doesnt apply to all, certain people as they go through school have a very clear path in mind, they know what they want to do, they stick to it, and do it, kudos to them! on the other hand though, there are a lot of people who haven't a clue what to path to take, they may have intelligence and potential bursting out from their ears, they may have several innate skill sets that could suit many careers, but when the time comes to sit down and really think about what profession to pursue, they find it overwhelming, panic, and choose a totally inappropriate course that in no way reflects that individual or what career may give them satisfaction and enjoyment. They simply end up just "working" for the sake of working.


I found myself in that postion for years, and years...and years.. and... well you get the idea, from when i was about 14 or 15 i started putting some proper thought into what i might like to do, after all, there is a HUGE list of options! In my case, i'm interested in a LOT of things, i always have been, i've always found myself drawn to many different areas and fields which are incredibly varied... 

For example, from the time i could comprehend what a car actually was i instantly developed a passion for them, not in an anorak kind of way, but on a very primal level, not something i can explain but it just happened and has never left, so do i pursue a career in the automobile industry? get my hands dirty and become a mechanic? or get involved in the design aspect of the industry? Similarly the same applies with planes, i was always fascinated by planes, now i'm not really a mathematical minded person, so aeronautical engineering was never really on the cards, but the thought of flying through the skies at several thousand feet in control of thousands of pounds of thrust had an appeal too, also, with law, a strong sense of "right and wrong" and an innate ability to argue and debate, immersing yourself in cases and sifting through details with a fine toothcomb had a pull on me too... the same again with my interest in technology, do i pursue a career in the various different aspects... and the list goes on and on and on...


Having all these different interests and options was fine, it felt like a good thing to have such a wide variety of interests, until i got to the latter years of second level education when you have to start getting your shit together and identify something you're actually going to pursue, then things get a bit tricky... the huge smorgous board of options which once seemed fan-flippin-tastic now seem like a cryptic maze of options and the decisions get hard...


I got offered most of the courses i wanted, Journalism, Law, Business studies etc but i didnt feel 100% sure on any one of them, not even 50% sure! so i didnt do any of them, thought i'd go work for a year or two and figure it out! 


This is where the pressure comes in, its where it came in for me and its where it seems to come in for many others, The pressure to find a path, the pressure to "BE THE BEST YOU CAN BE!!!" the pressure to be successful, especially when you see your peers working towards their goals, it adds an extra sense of pressure.. you think.." WTF is wrong with me? why cant i make up my mind?" The pressure modern culture has placed on the young to jump on the property ladder and build a "secure future" and gain material wealth etc etc etc... and to DO IT NOW!!


To those who are feeling that pressure, all i can say is to stop... and be patient, dont throw yourself into a course that doesn't feel right, dont waste 3 years doing a non descript arts degree thats barely worth the paper its written on and find yourself in an equally non descript job that offers nothing in the way of satisfaction (no offense intended) it took me til i was 24 (over 6 years after leaving second level education) to figure out the path i wanted to pursue, 4 years of that were spent putting myself under unnecessary pressure which ends up being an absolute head melt! so take a step back from the situation and evaluate, even if it means waiting a few years til you find out what you want to do, its not the end of the world, when the time comes that you know what you want to do it'll be worth the wait, in my experience it has been. In the system we live in we have to work either way, (unless you intend on being a drain on society) so find something that makes you happy, that gives you satisfation, i see far too many people whose jobs make them miserable, for your own sake and happiness, dont let yourself be one of those people. Life is far too short.. and believe me, there are always other options..