Often, our society attempts to blind us from the choices we have. As millennials we often don't see as many options available to us because of the precedent that had already been set for us when we enter this life. If we're born into a family with strong Christian upbringings you might think you are locked into that religion with no say on the matter. Society shows that professions in STEM fields are safer and more financially stable. This creates the idea that any thoughts of not going to college and not going into STEM based studies is just being overly optimistic and stigmatic.
Often times, these societal normalities are not intended to be harmful to our ways of living. It's actually quite the opposite. Most practices that are discouraged or encouraged are meant for us to benefit from. Our parents want us to get a good job to make more money so that our adult lives can, hopefully, be better than theirs is, to some capacity. As a subsequent consequence of this want to better their children our parents encourage us to go to college and get a degree, as well as discourage us from going into a "risky" profession that is not in high demand.
We are filtered from birth for, what is intended to be our benefit, but it causes the youth of our nation to be less independent and individualistic in our lives. So many times I've seen other college students in an area of study to get a degree for a professional field they don't even enjoy. I was one of those students. I was previously a computer science major because I was lying to myself. I thought programming was what I wanted to do, but my vision was so clouded that I didn't immediately notice how much it was draining me, both mentally and emotionally.
By encouraging and discouraging certain life choices, dreams are often crushed or kept as a mere wishful thought. As kids, or even as adults, we want to be actors, artists, astronauts and so many other seemingly unattainable roles in our society. We're taught from early on in our lives to give up on our dreams or risk, what is considered, a ridiculously asinine amount of time and effort to ultimately fail in our endeavors. It is never explicitly told to us that these goals are impossible to attain, but it is highly implied by society that these dreams should be nothing more than that.
The choices we don't consider are often caused by natural fear of the unknown. Uncertainty can be a major cause of anxiety, and can negatively affect the decisions we make. In life, picking the "safer" or more guaranteed option is what we are trained to do. As an example, being a photographer is something that is risky and difficult to make a living off of because almost everyone has access to a decent quality camera that is capable of taking a great picture. The opposite can be said for becoming a programmer. The computer science industry is everywhere. We have phones, laptops, video games, televisions and even automobiles. Our day-to-day lives are so heavily reliant on technology and computer programs that the industry will continue to thrive for as long as the concept of the smartphone exists. In his commencement address to the Maharishi University of Management graduating class of 2014, Jim Carrey describes this as "[choosing] our path out of fear disguised as practicality."
Ultimately, your path is your own and no man, woman, society, government or entity can tell you what to do with your life. We can often be influenced, that is for certain, but we need to be able to stand up and be confident in our abilities to make it happen. Take Bill Gates for example, he dropped out of college and is now one of the richest people in the world. While his case may be a little extreme it still conveys the point that improbability does not equal impossibility. If it's something you care about, and you put in 110 percent for what it is you want to do, it can be done. It doesn't take a statistic to be successful. It takes passion, love, perseverance and self-confidence. No matter what happens in life, your decision is your own and nobody can ever fault you for wanting to follow your dreams.
