What it's like as a Teenager amid School and Deciding Careers

I’ve reached a point in life where I need to decide what I should do as a career. All of my friends have also hopped on that train, but if you’re someone like me, it's difficult. And by difficult, I mean, very difficult. If I do choose something, I feel like I'm missing out on the other thing. I was told that I can do anything I want, and honestly, I'm happy with that. Some of the cookie-cutter jobs like an engineer, doctor, lawyer were not my cup of tea (or should I say, milk, get it..milk and cookies? 😂). Some people do like Science or Math. In Fact, some of my closest friends are very passionate about those subjects.

Most students invest all of their time and energy into studying so they could get into the best science/math colleges in India, or even abroad. It's different if you like it, but what if you don’t? Most of my friends go to Extra classes for that reason itself. Other streams are looked down upon, whether directly or indirectly. If you are smart, you do science, if you are not that smart, commerce and if you want to become a rebel, go to humanities (Arts).

“She’s going to do Commerce because she wants to be a Dancer. Oh, don’t worry, she scored well in the Board exams, 93%.”

Well, what if you are a good student, but you still want to do something besides accountancy or engineering, for example?

After a certain age, you are told to learn, not for the sake of learning, but to score well in the 10th Grade Board exams.

“Next year, you will go to 10th Grade. What will you do then?”

Children are told to study to get a better future but, some of your future depends on what you do as a child.

“Play allows children to use their creativity while developing their imagination, dexterity, and physical, cognitive, and emotional strength. Play is important to healthy brain development. Through play children, at a very early age engage and interact in the world around them. Play allows children to create and explore a world they can master, conquering their fears while practising adult roles, sometimes in conjunction with other children or adult caregivers.”

(Official Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics)

“Play improves the cognitive, physical, social, and emotional well-being of children and young people. Through play, children learn about the world and themselves. They also learn skills they need for study, work, and relationships such as confidence, self-esteem, resilience, interaction, social skills, independence, curiosity, coping with challenging situations, confidence, self-esteem, resilience, interaction, social skills, independence, curiosity, and coping with challenging situations” (Ndirect, UK)

As for me, I want to do anything but science and commerce, and art and creativity are my strongest suits. I edit and film all of my videos and I’m also a dancer. I love English and German and hope to study more in those two languages.

I know this is a controversial topic, and I don't mean to offend anyone. I want to say that you can accomplish a lot in any occupation, and grades and scores are not everything. You can decide your future and do whatever you love.