TeenFeels: A Blurry Future, Scenario 2

Scenario 2: I have a pretty good idea about what I want to do, but I'm still wavering between a handful of choices. I don't think I'm passionate enough in anything to really go to college for it.

Congratulations on graduating from Scenario 1! You have now earned yourself a IPS1 degree - an "I Passed Scenario 1" degree. Smile!

Now then, onwards and upwards we go. On to the next milestone, on to Scenario 2.

So now you know what you like doing, even what you're passionate about. And yet, no university major really appeals to you. 

I don't have to remind you that there are thousands of majors out there and you should browse it - personally, it didn't work out that way for me, but maybe it'll work for you. I had a handful of choices, and those are basically the few that I dig deeper into. I didn't bother looking at other majors; my brain automatically shoves them far away. 

If I can't tell you how to know what major you want to choose, at least I can advice you on how to know what major you don't want to choose. I was stubborn enough to cling on to a major I had no interest in for a time period that was almost too long, but thank God I realized it's really not for me. Now that I look back at that major, I don't even know how I had wanted it in the first place. 

But, this blog post is all about you. You can read my story here. Anyway, so how can you figure out if a major, or a job, isn't for you?

1. Browse for universities and look at their entry requirements.

• Especially for architecture and majors that require artsy skills, you need a portfolio to showcase your art skills through different medias and whatnot. Here's a huge tip: if you don't like to draw, don't go into architecture. Oh wait, I'm talking about me again.
• If the entry requirements become a burden to you, or if you're so unmotivated to work for the requirements, it's probably not for you.

2. Try and read about it.

• Most jobs look fun. Though if you really love something, whatever boring articles or books or facts about that job will appeal to you. Try reading a book about its theory or about its history. If you really love architecture, you'll read Architecture 101 and not just look at the pretty pictures. If you don't care enough to actually swallow the words, don't even bother going into that major.

3. Look back and see if you've been enjoying the subjects related to it.

• If you want to be a pianist but can't stand five hours of piano practice, then think again.
• If you want to be an archaeologist but can't stand that what's-his-face history teacher's lecture, then think again.

4. Imagine the work environment and actually spending hours and hours and hours of your life doing it.

• Say you want to be a civil engineer. You will be exposed to the sun a lot. If you don't like to sweat and can't think in the heat, or don't like talking to people, or hate the thought that you have to follow someone's plan instead of drilling on your creative juices and creating something of your own, then civil engineering isn't for you. However, if you like to bring people's imagination to life and combine the forces of engineering and maths to create something huge like a skyscraper you would be proud to call yours, then yes, civil engineering would suit you well. (Am I drawing from experience again? Well...)

5. Don't cling on to what you believe is best.

• In other words, just because you think a major is probably the one for you, don't shut yourself out of the possibilities. You might wake up one day and realize after four years of research you hate that major so much you don't know why you had wanted it. Then you realize you don't know what to do in your life and you're back to Scenario 1.
• But that's okay. Link is right here.
• For real though. You still have time to change your mind. Don't worry about changing and having to repeat the whole research process again. As the saying goes, if you love something, let it go. If it comes back to you, it's yours. If it comes back and you want to punch it in the face, it'd be best for you and your major to go separate ways.

Now that you've narrowed down your choices, you have a few left. Maybe one of the ones left is your destined perfect major. Maybe none of them is. Here's the thing that I've learned: there can't possibly be only one specific major that suits a job (Unless you want to be a doctor. That'll be pretty dang specific.). Countless people have jobs that have nothing to do with their university major, and they still excel their careers, Sometimes their jobs and majors are so far off it'd be considered better for them to save money and not go to university in the first place.

Here's the thing though: going to university helps you think. Even if you might end up with a job completely irrelevant to your major, there are still things you can learn from it because no knowledge goes to waste. Try to pick something that's rather flexible, but maybe you major in medicine but end up becoming a music teacher, hey, now you don't have to go to a doctor because you can prescribe yourself (true story of two of my piano teachers). Plus, getting a degree helps you develop your critical thinking skills. And you actually have a degree so you can actually have a job during your journey to realizing your passion.

So don't be afraid if you can't find the perfect major. No major is wrong for you. The only thing you have to absolutely make sure is that you like it just enough to get through with the four year program without waking up everyday and thinking you're in perpetual purgatory. Your major doesn't have to be your ultimate passion. And besides, you're allowed to like more than one thing, right?

Specially for universities in countries like the US or Canada, you have an extra year or so, or your freshman year, that you will spend on taking general classes, so you don't have to make up your mind before then. Even after choosing, you can transfer majors. True, it isn't like this in the UK or Singapore or most Asian universities, where you study a specific major from the start of your study. Then again, there are no wrong majors.

So pick a major you like enough to study for 4 years or so without regretting it. Your major doesn't decide your fate, after all. You do.

Now that you're done, we're getting closer to the final zone -- on to Scenario 3!

Found this post helpful? Share to your friends and leave a comment! What majors are you interested in? Have you found your ultimate passion? Have people you know whose jobs are a world away from their chosen major? Share in the comments below!

-ayeletsgo©2015

TeenFeels: A Blurry Future, Scenario 1

Scenario 1: I have no clue. At all. About life. What is life. What is college. You hear that? It's the sound of desperation.

-+-+-+-+-+-+-

10 years ago...

Age: 6

"What do you want to be when you grow up?" one asks.

"A pilot!"

"A scientist!"

"A teacher!"

"Superman!"

"Cinderella!"

"A housewife!"

"I just want to be rich like Daddy!"

-+-+-+-+-+-+-

Now...

Age: 16

"What do you want to be when you grow up?" one asks.

"Umm...I don't really know."

"Okay, what do you really want to do?"

"I don't know."

"What do you like to do? What are your hobbies? What are you good at?"

"Well I just-"

"So what major are you taking?"

"I'm still confused..."

"What did your parents take? Which country are you going to? Which university? Will you work part-time? When's the application deadline? A business degree is good. How many did you apply to? Is it a foundation program? What about accommodation? Wait what do you mean you don't know? Oh you're still considering everything. Wait, no, don't take that. You can't make a living with that. What do you want to do with that degree? What do you mean you like it? Yes, do what you love, but think about your future. How will you get a job?"

Well. Any of this seem familiar? I know. Me too.

Welcome to A Blurry Future – Scenario 1: Total Darkness.

This post is dedicated to all you lovelies who have no idea what you’re going to do with life. You probably have some vague idea like ‘I want to be rich’ or ‘I want to be famous’, but you have no game plan. You don’t even know what you like, let along know what you are passionate about. When people ask you about it you want to punch them in the face for not believing that you really don’t know what your hobby is and they keep pushing and pushing and start shooting random hobbies that they think you like doing because they remember you liked it when you were younger but that’s because you didn’t really have a choice and you liked doing them just because you liked doing them and had no better things to do!

Calm down. Calm down, smoky pants. Let me pour some water over that fire.

Look, it’s okay to be confused…but it won’t be for much longer. You should really get thinking. Especially if you’re in high school. Like seriously thinking. Don’t think about specific majors if you don’t even know what you like doing yet. Online (or paid) personality tests can be very revealing, but here’s a list of questions that I think have helped me personally.

You can have the same answers for multiple questions. Grab a piece of paper or virtual notepad or something, and answer these questions honestly and thoughtfully, at the same time spontaneously:

1.     What do I do in my free time? Is it an active or passive action?

-         Active is when you create something or actively do something. Passive action isn’t necessarily unproductive or negative, it just means you’re not actively doing or creating something, eg. reading books, watching movies, listening to music. Active action can be playing video games, doing crossword puzzles, drawing, browsing for the latest music, etc.)

-         If you don’t have free time, then what do you make time for?

-         Make a list. Don’t worry, you’re not bound to them. When you write things down, you see more clearly what you overlooked before.

2.     What lessons do I enjoy in school (or out of school)? What makes me like them?

-         Maybe you like math, maybe you like drama class. Go deeper. What is it in math that makes you like it? Is it because you like working with numbers? Is it the critical thinking? Is it the real life applications? What makes you like drama? Is it the acting, the performing, the practice, the scriptwriting? Or maybe the responsibility of coordinating the cast? The cooperation? There are very many aspects to why you can like something, try and think which ones truly appeal to you.

3.     What can I do for a long time without getting bored?

-         Classic question, speaks true to your heart. This isn’t a question of free time. This is when you have a whole month off of school with no lingering homework nor tests, where chores and other responsibilities don’t exist. What would you do for a long period of time? Again, go deep. Why do you like doing it? Give at least two reasons for each.

4.     If all jobs paid the same, what would I do for a living?

-         I personally find this question very helpful. It’s different than the usual ‘if there’s no chance of failing, what would you do?’ I can say I want to be a pop star/choreographer/ballerina/skydiver/president if I wouldn’t fail, but I won’t necessarily put my heart out doing them.

-         Besides, money would never stay out of the equation when it comes to jobs.

5.     To what actions that I do do I like other people to react to?

-         That…sounds confusing. Basically, what do you do that other people react to that you like the action-reaction achieved? That’s still confusing. Okay, for example, you tell a joke (action) and people laugh (reaction). You like that people laugh at your joke, so you like the reaction to the action you do. What actions do you like yourself doing, that other people react to?

-         Another example: you like it when other people ask you how to do things. You teach them (action) and they understand better (reaction). You’re now happy that they understand better thanks to you.

6.     What do I want my future self to be like?

-         It’s okay to be vague on this one, but not as vague as ‘I want to be happy’. Think in the lines of ‘rich’ or ‘famous’ or even ‘I want to change the world’. It’s okay. No one’s judging. Forget reality. This is your life, your dream. If you’re a realist, stop being one for a second. Don’t put super-awesome-mammoth-dragon-hybrid on there though. That’s a whole world away.

Right. Done with answering them? Ponder over them a little more. Collect these ideas into a coherent list; some answers might be the same for multiple answers. That’s great - put the most frequent answers on top of your list. Now you have quite a good idea of what you like doing, or at least a better idea.

Once you gathered your likes, you are now ready for Scenario 2.

Which question(s) do you find the most helpful? Do you have other questions that have helped you? Are you now graduated from Scenario 1? Share in the comments below!

-ayeletsgo©2015

TeenFeels: A Blurry Future, Introduction

When Life Actually Dawns On You

If you are reading this, you're probably at that age where everyone around you is pressuring you to make oh-so-important decisions about your future, and I do mean college applications. Some would say 'Oh, darling, a university degree isn't everything' and others may say 'no degree, no job'. Some would urge you to take what you love and others may urge you to take what's safe. Some of you may know exactly what you want to do, some may just be going through high school like it's an endless vacation and wake up one morning realizing the party's over and you haven't done what you should've done a long, long time ago. Either way, you need to figure everything out sooner or later because you have those nasty applications to turn in in a few months.

Sigh. Dilemmas, dilemmas.

But here's the good news: you are not alone. (Wait, that's not good news. That just means other people are going through the same tough stuff you are...the more the merrier?) Millions of teenagers worldwide are going through the same things as you, so we're in this together. Yes, that means me included because I am currently in junior high and I can see into my future as clearly as I can see without my glasses, which isn't a lot.

I thought of making only one post for this topic, but when I started writing it turned out a lot longer than I thought. So, this topic will be divided into these five sections:


Scenario 1: I have no clue. At all. About life. What is life. What is college. You hear that? It's the sound of desperation.

Scenario 2: I have a pretty good idea about what I want to do, but I'm still wavering between a handful of choices. I don't think I'm passionate enough in anything to really go to college for it.

Scenario 3: I know what I want to do, but looking for the right college is tough. Especially with my personal issues.

Scenario 4: I am so passionate about this but my parents think I'll end up homeless. Yeah, I mean, what can I do with my major?

Scenario 5: I know what I want to do, I'm passionate about it, my parents support me, and I've narrowed down to a list of universities. I'm ready for this.


If you're in Scenario 5, then you don't get a blog post. You get a virtual pat in the back from me saying good job. Good job! That's great for you. Many would vie for your position. Good luck turning in those applications!

But if you're still here, you probably realize you're one of the first four scenarios. Hover above scenarios and you'll find yourself in the corresponding blog posts!

Comment below on which scenario you are in! Share your story - mine will be on future posts!

-ayeletsgo©2015

Hello, Hello.

Hello, world of blogging! I think a good first impression is of the essence, but I am being spontaneous right now because that is the only way I get things done. I've been wanting to blog since, let's just say a long time ago, but a myriad of things have distracted me to doing so, either laziness or the fear of imperfection. So this is an act of spontaneity, forgive me if I'm still trying to figure out my style and voice.

I've thought of making a travel blog - in fact, that's the only kind of blog I ever thought of making before now - and though I am really fond of traveling, it just doesn't scream me. I have to force myself to do it, and that's rarely a good way to get things done. I barely read other travel blogs. I don't like interviewing locals or digging deeper into the history of the place or posting my travel itinerary minute by minute or uploading pictures or memorizing prices. I let other people do that. And by other people I mean all the passionate and talented travel writers out there.

Somehow, I crave for uniqueness, as we all do. I wanted to tell the world about the different ways I see it, how things in my eyes are different than anybody else's - that isn't possible with a travel blog, at least in my biased opinion. If I go somewhere and write about it, someone out there have written it before me, better than I could've written it. Talking about the same place, the same people, though have undergone different experiences. Well now that I write it out it actually sounds genuinely unique since you can't write the same thing with different experiences. Two different heads are writing them, after all.

See, that's the thing about writing things. You get to see what you didn't see beforehand, even though you thought it. Your mind is a jumble, or as John Green puts it in The Fault in Our Stars, 'My thoughts are stars I can't fathom into constellations.' Truth. Maybe there should be a continuation - 'until I map out the pieces and try to understand the incomprehensible.'

Another thing is that no two people can ever write the same thing, even though they talk about the same thing. Writing is about perspective and emotion, how you paint pictures and landscapes with words, igniting the imagination in people and connecting with their inmost feelings, unlocking the depths of their hearts without even knowing them. That's the beauty of writing.

Now, I still haven't answered what I intend to do with this blog. I don't know myself, so we're in this together here, right? So what do I intend to do? The plan is to share what I go through in my life and how I see things, more than probably relating to some of you; to chisel my writing skills because I am an aspiring writer, to find my 'voice', so to speak; and inspire people through my words, even though I may never be acquainted closely to every one of you.

To share my views of the world to the world, pouring out my feelings to a blank computer screen, hoping that someone somewhere in the world feels blessed, feeling lighter and a little better about themselves and the world, one post at a time.

-ayeletsgo©2015