As we all embark on a new semester, it’s a good time to remember something we tend to forget when life gets busy: passion should be the principle factor in making decisions on your post-secondary field of study.
And yet, that’s not always the advice prospective students are given. Governments, employers and parents work hard on influencing what program of study they should take.
If you’re still confused about your future, start by asking yourself these questions: how exhilarated are you to be coming into your post-secondary program here at Algonquin every morning? Are you enthralled about the fact that once you graduate with your diploma and (possibly) degree, you are now certified to enter the professional world as an educated and well trained individual in your desired field?
If the answer is no, you’ve already taken the first step to understanding what is NOT turning your crank, and that too is part of learning. Realistically, there is always time to decide what you truly believe your life’s calling is, and it’s not the end of the world if you decide that what you’re currently enrolled in is not exactly what you want to do with the rest of your life. You have a long time to decide what it is you’d like to do, and what you’re passionate about.
After all, consider what happens once students graduate. Trying careers on for size is becoming the new normal, making it odd that a single stream of education still makes sense.
A report done by the employment agency Workopolis completed in 2014 stated that shorter stints at jobs has become the standard “as 51 per cent of people now stay in any one role for under two years. In fact only 30 per cent of people stay in any one job for over four years. Job hopping is the new normal,” at least for Millennials. It’s now an accepted fact that the average person will change jobs five to seven times in their lifetime.
On the other hand, here’s another question: Did you enroll in your current program because deep down you’ve always known it’s what you’ve wanted to do? Do you believe that you will live a happy and fulfilling life once you enter the work force with your piece of paper? If the answer is yes, then congratulations; you are one step closer to making your dreams a reality.
There are many factors to take into consideration, and the biggest is without a doubt how much money you’ll make as you progress through it. Others include the prestige of your parents’ professional lives, and the success that your peers and siblings may be reaching in their current profession. These may be pressuring you to pursue a career for its financial or social benefits, even though deep down it’s making you miserable.
Employment and career specialists have for some time now, argued that at every level of employment, those who succeed, are passionate about what they do. Feel strongly enough about any career on the employment wrung, and anyone will quickly prove they will thrive in that position – as long as they love what they do.
At the end of the day however, no one is more capable of making you as an individual happy, than yourself. The fact is, money can’t buy you happiness, unless of course material pleasures are what ultimately make you happy more than anything else.
Really, what it comes down to is, do what makes you happy and fulfilled, not what makes your bank account look pretty simply for the sake of it. Realistically, if you’re passionate and hardworking enough, then you’ll end up living in the best of both worlds, as a successful, and more importantly, happy human being.
That said, don’t use this as an excuse to give the middle finger to the “man” and drop out of college in pursuit of your dreams. Turn off your electronics, and find a quiet place to think about what it is that you truly want in life. If you’ve always wanted to be a painter, but you’re miserably sitting in a business administration class waiting until you can retire and finally pursue your passions, then what are you doing with your life?
Simply put, don’t let yourself be guided through your life by an external force. If you follow your internal self and your passions, you’ll live a much happier and healthier life for it.
In the meantime, from the new staff here at the Times, have a wonderful semester, and good luck to every single one of you.
-Brandon Andovic