Education

For me it meant to garner knowledge which would help me in future, but as time went by I found that it held a different meaning altogether. Some 3 years back there was a kind of turbulence around me which seemed to have swept up everyone in its tide, but I said, 'I'm different' and hence I preferred to take the road less travelled. At the time of my decision I didn't realise how difficult it would be to walk against the wind, I couldn't forsee the magnitude of the adversities which included taunts, poking made at my choice at the expense of my emotions. Today after 3 years Im happy at where I stand and still stand by the choice I made.

Even though Im born and brought up in Andhra I still quite haven't understood the craze for Engineering & MBBS streams. Personally I have nothing against these two courses apart from the fact that they never managed to fascinate me but I do harbour a kind of pitiful hatred towards people with a parochial attitude who can't see beyond these two. I have seen many instances where parents have forced their children into these for the sake of society. They have goaded their kids into writing the whole plethora of entrance exams, so that they can brag about the results and subsequent admission at the society parties. The time when I went through the phase of choosing majors in University I was the most envied person just because it was my will & wish to study whatever I liked and till date Im proud of the fact that my parents didn't force me into studying something I didn't like. But my peers didn't realise that I had to face the acrid remarks from their parents which tested my patience and perseverance. Over time the onslaught of remarks, comments & judgements started. What astonished me the most was the fact that people already had decided my future for me, at which I once stopped and asked a gentleman that what had made him decide my future for me when it was for me & my parents to decide what I wanted to do with my life, not him. I never saw him after that and even if our paths cross he tries his level best to avoid eye contact with me and that is absolutely fine with me. I have never had the liking for people who try to control everyone around them, to the point of planning out every step of their lives even if the person in question is your next door neighbour.

Another thing which crept into my mind was that are these entrance exams the litmus test of your intelligence. Just because I didn't take any of them I was labelled as someone who took the easy way out. Today I would like to tell my ex-friend that what I chose then was the most difficult path which was and still is less travelled, I chose to walk against the wind, away from the herd to be different and now 3 years after that obnoxious comment I stand at a point way higher than you. Just because you chose to be an engineer and I chose to be a graduate doesn't in any way give you the right to classify you & me into higher & lesser mortals. The difference between you & me is that I had the guts to go against the tide and do something which I wanted to not what the superficial society wanted out of me.

For those people who commented that they didn't know anything about the career which I had chosen for myself hence I shouldn't get into it: this is what I have chosen for myself, not for you; hence I need to know what Im getting into, not you.

There were some who taunted me by passing the verdict that I had no job scope after graduation little realising that they are graduates themselves and also unaware of the fact that in a few months time I will be joining work in the same company where they are working, ironically at a position higher than them thanks to my line of education which is the very thing they ridiculed.

Conclusion: I have the honour of the last laugh.