Steve Jobs, a famous American entrepreneur once said, "Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work and the only way to do great work is to love what you do." and I am taking this quote to heart as I am currently taking a gap year before heading on to college, hoping this would make me passionate about something. Anything, really. I wanted to take a break, and figure out what is it I wanted to do in my life. I didn't want to go straight to college, fulfilling someone else's dreams for me. I saw my parents, relatives and older friends graduate with a degree that they clearly do not want. They were unhappy. As a Filipino, elderly people expect us to be lawyers, doctors or nurses. Especially nurses, as nursing is considered a high paying job. There is this meme saying, all talented Filipinos end up as registered nurses, and if they are happy, I'm not the one to judge and I'm envious of them for being passionate about something, but I know for sure that the same path wouldn't work out for me. Why do I have to conform to society when it is clearly not working out for the people around me?
From my personal perspective, going straight to college for me was useless, because I didn't know what to do with my life YET and I didn't have the financial sources to back me up in case I failed and realize I wanted to stop pursuing the path that I am taking. Student loans are a lifetime debt and I didn't want to carry them on my back for something I am not even sure of. My dad also taught me the concept that debt is slavery, and I've always carried that in mind. He also taught me that when picking a career, don't use money or the salary you would earn in a particular job to be a deciding factor. Hence, I am not in the hurry to choose. I am open to learning anything.
Gap years are temporary, it doesn't mean I am never going to go to college. That's why it's called a gap year. I think the negative notion that surrounds the idea of gap years, are parents fearing that their kids are never going back to college. I said I'd take a gap year, I didn't say I'd stop studying or stop learning.
I am a simple person, my goals in life are simple. My goals aren't to buy a big house or buy an expensive car and when I finally have those, buy a bigger house and an even more expensive car. Others can and may find happiness with it, but personally for me, I cannot sustain that kind of life and even if I was able to, I don't think it would spark joy in me as material things don't define my idea of happiness. I once read this quote that says "The best things in life are not things." and I do believe in it as it highly aligns with my values.
I needed a break, I am neither the best student nor am I the most hardworking one, but I do enjoy learning. So, I am gonna learn about life, in the best way I could during my gap year. Living it. Not studying it in textbooks. I would do all of this, without my parents spending a cent on my adventure. I
also plan to spend time learning about what I love, not what the curriculum tells me to learn. I was so busy learning about pythagorean theorem or the krebs cycle, that I forgot to discover myself and things I am capable of doing. I know everyone has their own preferences and most might disagree with my opinion because I am not following customs and traditions but I wanted to think differently. I only have one life, and I desire to live a life wherein I am happy but I do not want to attain that happiness in the way that society has laid out for everyone. That's just boring. I demand to do it in my own way and in my own time.
Whenever I mention the word "gap year" to my relatives, they would always give me this frown and I almost always expect it. I just can't help but feel their disappointment. I understand though, I have the rare opportunity to go to college, and yet what am I doing "fooling" around, but what they don't understand is, I also have the opportunity not to go to college yet. To gather my thoughts, and to straighten myself up and be a better student than I was before.
A lot can happen in a year, and a lot may not happen in a year. I am thankful to live in a time wherein I could choose. People have got to stop judging other people based solely on their education. Everyone is capable in their own way. Gap years may not benefit everyone, but before judging me for taking one, please wait a year to , maybe I have learned more about life in the year I took off no matter which path I take, and to me, that's all that matters.
