What I want to be when I grow up
From the moment I could walk and talk as a child, I was dancing on the coffee table at home and using my dad’s karaoke mic to pretend that I was on a stage performing in a stadium filled with adoring fans. And for the rest of my childhood, I truly thought that that was where my life was going to go. As soon as my parents realized my passion for performing, I was enrolled in singing and dancing lessons. I quickly gave up on my dream of singing once I realized how daunting it was, but dancing… Dancing was a whole different story for me.
I continued dancing for, well, my whole life. I competed and performed anywhere and everywhere I could. By the time I was 13, I was part of a team that competed and performed internationally. But once I got into high school, reality hit, and man, it sure did hit me like a boulder.
I came to the realization that dance wasn’t feasible, it wasn’t realistic. And no, not because of finances, or the statistics of one’s chances to actually make it in the entertainment business. My deeply embedded love and passion for dancing was my escape from reality, not reality itself. For me, dance was and always will be a hobby. Not something to pay the bills. I didn’t want that for myself. I wanted to keep dance as my getaway car from the struggles of life. And so, I pushed away the long-lived childhood dream of becoming a performer. That’s when my troubles came.
Now that I knew I didn’t want to dance, I had to figure out what I did want to do to pay the bills. Obviously, I had to like the job sector I was going into and have a passion for it, but the process of actually figuring it out is so stressful. As the years went by in high school, I tried to ignore my future. I ran away from any thoughts that involved it. I chose to focus on what I liked to do and grab any opportunities I could. And so, in my five years of high school, I joined the dance team, the volleyball team, the musical, the student council, a fundraising club, and a student entertainment club; I was a volleyball coach, I was part of the Leadership course, I volunteered – I did so many things and yet, I still had no idea what I wanted to do with my life.
Five years literally hurtled past me and suddenly, I was in my senior year of high school looking at university programs. I spent the first term of that year digging into every school in Canada and every program they offered trying to find what I liked. That’s when I discovered Communication at Simon Fraser University (SFU). See, in all of the clubs and activities I was a part of in high school, everything had one thing in common – I managed the social media or events. It was like a lightbulb went off – as corny as that sounds. The realization that I went through when I discovered that marketing was something of interest and almost a passion of mine made me feel dumbfounded because it was right there, all along. The funny thing is, I was never looking for it. It just kind of happened. In 2013, the Internet was booming and social media was this incredible, technological phenomenon. Everyone was interested in this and somehow, I always had the opportunity to take charge of it.
Three years into my Communication degree at SFU, I finally knew what I was interested in and it was time that I finally took it seriously to truly discover if this was the career path I wanted to traverse. That’s when I took my future into my own hands and applied for the Co-op program at SFU. For once, I wasn’t running away from my future, I wasn’t hiding or ignoring it. I was embracing it and embracing the uncertainty of it because I was excited about it. No, my passion for marketing will never compare to my passion for dance. But, I know it’s something that will pay the bills while also not deteriorating my mental health and love of life.
So, what do you want to be when you grow up?
You can ask yourself this question at any point in your life. You could be 30 with a stable job and a whole life lived, and still ask yourself this question. I have a niece and nephew, both in high school, and both trying to figure out what they want to be when they grow up. I say you don’t have to figure it out now. If you enjoy life and the opportunities that come your way, you will find your future. Figuring out what you want to be when you grow up isn’t something that should be pressured. If you’re too stressed out looking into university programs and writing down a five-year plan, you will miss out on opportunities that will allow you to figure out who you are and what you like. I mean, who wants to work at a job they hate but do it just because it pays the bills? That is no one’s dream. To figure out your future is to know who you are. And who you are is constantly changing so be patient, do what you like, and just have fun. It’ll come to you.