“You have so much time, why stress over this decision now?” and “Take a few months off and travel” are two of the many phrases I have heard over and over but the most repetitive one – “you’re so young.”
Yes, I am young, I’m 17 years old. More specifically I’m 17 years old and attending Algonquin College. Of course I’m not the only 17 year to attend a college but sometimes it feels like it.
It was intimidating. I was so used to being in the same environment with the same people for 11 years that for the first time in my life I was nervous to start this new chapter in my life.
It took time to get over that knot in my stomach. I was afraid no one would take me seriously because of my age. I remember sitting outside the classroom on the first day of college. I had 10 minutes until class started but I couldn’t build up the confidence to walk in. I noticed two guys next to me, and after eavesdropping a little bit I realized that they were in the same program as me. I introduced myself, and it didn’t take long before we were eating lunch and taking the bus together. I felt like I had known these people forever. Soon the group of three became larger and larger and it just felt like family.
We got to know each other better and better every day.
I’m the youngest person in my class and there is never a day that passes that I don’t hear a joke about my age, but hey, that’s my trademark. I’m the “baby” and I’m perfectly okay with that.
Some students in my class have Bachelors, some have travelled the world, some are international students and some are straight out of high school.