At this stage of life, I feel like I’m sixteen again, but not as a joyful teenager, rather as a high school student contemplating which subject to choose for my intermediate studies. I find myself at the same crossroads in my academic journey, but this time with a more challenging twist.
In six months, I will graduate from one of the top universities in India, yet I am still uncertain about what to do next. Unlike the last time, I don’t have anyone to turn to for suggestions because, in the past, I had rebelled against my family, or I can simply say, against my entire clan.
When I completed my senior secondary school, no one was supportive of my decision to pursue a media degree, except for my Ammi; she is a remarkable lady. This time, I must make my own decision once again, and this time, I am alone. At the age of sixteen, my family compelled me to study physics, maths, and computer science, which were not my interests at all.
After the senior secondary examination, I rebelled against my family and decided to study media. However, I soon realized that I had chosen the wrong medium of study—Hindi, in which I consistently received low grades. Despite managing to pass the entrance examination in Hindi, my performance in semesters was not remarkable. Although I don’t prioritize grades, these three years of my graduation were truly enriching, but now I must make the right decision.
While writing the previous semester examination, my mind was torn between four to five master’s programs. Suddenly, I realized that this was not the first time I found myself in such a situation. At the age of sixteen, during my high school board examinations, I faced a similar dilemma, torn between maths, bio, commerce, and humanities.
At this point, I began to feel like I am sixteen again, but with added complications, stress, intellectuality, and, of course, more beard and body hair.