I'm approaching an odd point in my life where I truly do not know what is next for me.
I'm one semester, three courses and four months away from graduating.
It's a confusing plateau I'm about to board. Why?
Well, I've been in this exact same situation before.
September 2010 was a carbon copy of this moment. One semester, three courses and four months away from my unshackling.
The only difference in 2010 was that I knew where I wanted to go once I reached that plateau. At least I thought I did.
To be honest, in September 2010 I never imagined myself relocating to B.C. in order to enroll in two further years of school. If anything, I envisioned relocating to Alberta's little West Coast neighbour for the sake of employment, a career and the next stage in my life.
Now don't get me wrong, I'm glad I went back to school. I've met a lot of great people and I've discovered a career path that I have much more interest in as opposed to what I was previously lined up for. That being said, I likely wouldn't have left all my old friends behind in Alberta had I known I would be where I am right now.
With that being said, I find myself at this interesting crossroads as 2012 comes to a close.
I have no ties to any place.
I have no reason to stay in B.C.
I have no reason to limit myself to any one place on this planet, in fact.
So what's next?
I sit in my parents' house in the early afternoon of this frigid Dec. 22 day trying to come up with the answer. Life's greatest problems can be solved in mere moments, right?
I sit and contemplate two options, both of which are appealing in different ways. There is a third option that would be the ultimate, but I have no idea where I would even begin chasing it.
Option number one: Do the mature, responsible, adult thing and look for permanent, steady work. I don't graduate until April 2013, but I have already shipped resumes and job applications as close to here as Abbotsford but also as far from here as Summerside and Yellowknife. Ideally, I would love to end up back home in the Calgary area where many of my friends have returned after post-secondary. If that isn't in the cards, then I would prefer to get as far from B.C. and Calgary as possible. Why? More like, why not? Soon to be 25, I see no better time than now to embark on some sort of an adventure, even if it is just settling down somewhere along Canada's Atlantic coast.
Option number two: Screw mature, responsible, adult decision-making and just take off. I've been keeping tabs on my buddy Dave as he stumbles his way across Europe (check out his Tumblr - Gone Traveling BRB) and it continues to fuel my fire to do something similar. It's been a long-standing dream of mine to grab my backpack and hit the European countryside. I'm not talking about a two-week guided drink-a-thon. I'm talking about wandering the hidden corners and gems of Europe and it's deep history, learning along the way and having a blast experiencing a new culture and way of life. The biggest roadblock to this option -- seven straight years of post-secondary education doesn't exactly leave one with a strong enough financial foundation to fund such an excursion.
Option number three: Find some way to combine option number one and option number two. I have yet to really explore this. Anyone with ideas, connections or opportunities for an aspiring travel journalist, give me a ring ASAP!
Thankfully, I have four more months to try and hopefully figure this out. Until then, I will continue to sit and wonder what life has in store.
"Superman" by Goldfinger
It's a confusing plateau I'm about to board. Why?
Well, I've been in this exact same situation before.
September 2010 was a carbon copy of this moment. One semester, three courses and four months away from my unshackling.
The only difference in 2010 was that I knew where I wanted to go once I reached that plateau. At least I thought I did.
To be honest, in September 2010 I never imagined myself relocating to B.C. in order to enroll in two further years of school. If anything, I envisioned relocating to Alberta's little West Coast neighbour for the sake of employment, a career and the next stage in my life.
Now don't get me wrong, I'm glad I went back to school. I've met a lot of great people and I've discovered a career path that I have much more interest in as opposed to what I was previously lined up for. That being said, I likely wouldn't have left all my old friends behind in Alberta had I known I would be where I am right now.
With that being said, I find myself at this interesting crossroads as 2012 comes to a close.
I have no ties to any place.
I have no reason to stay in B.C.
I have no reason to limit myself to any one place on this planet, in fact.
So what's next?
I sit in my parents' house in the early afternoon of this frigid Dec. 22 day trying to come up with the answer. Life's greatest problems can be solved in mere moments, right?
I sit and contemplate two options, both of which are appealing in different ways. There is a third option that would be the ultimate, but I have no idea where I would even begin chasing it.
Option number one: Do the mature, responsible, adult thing and look for permanent, steady work. I don't graduate until April 2013, but I have already shipped resumes and job applications as close to here as Abbotsford but also as far from here as Summerside and Yellowknife. Ideally, I would love to end up back home in the Calgary area where many of my friends have returned after post-secondary. If that isn't in the cards, then I would prefer to get as far from B.C. and Calgary as possible. Why? More like, why not? Soon to be 25, I see no better time than now to embark on some sort of an adventure, even if it is just settling down somewhere along Canada's Atlantic coast.
Option number two: Screw mature, responsible, adult decision-making and just take off. I've been keeping tabs on my buddy Dave as he stumbles his way across Europe (check out his Tumblr - Gone Traveling BRB) and it continues to fuel my fire to do something similar. It's been a long-standing dream of mine to grab my backpack and hit the European countryside. I'm not talking about a two-week guided drink-a-thon. I'm talking about wandering the hidden corners and gems of Europe and it's deep history, learning along the way and having a blast experiencing a new culture and way of life. The biggest roadblock to this option -- seven straight years of post-secondary education doesn't exactly leave one with a strong enough financial foundation to fund such an excursion.
Option number three: Find some way to combine option number one and option number two. I have yet to really explore this. Anyone with ideas, connections or opportunities for an aspiring travel journalist, give me a ring ASAP!
Thankfully, I have four more months to try and hopefully figure this out. Until then, I will continue to sit and wonder what life has in store.
"Superman" by Goldfinger
So here I am
Doin' everything I can
Holdin' on to what I am
Pretendin' I'm a superman
I'm tryin' to keep
The ground on my feet
It seems the world's fallin' down around me
The nights are long
I'm singin' this song
To try and make the answers more than "maybe"
And I'm so confused about what to do
Sometimes I wanna throw it all away
So here I am
Growin' older all the time
Lookin' older all the time
Feelin' younger in my mind
And here I am
Doin' everything I can
Holdin' on to what I am
Pretendin' I'm a superman
I'm tryin' to sleep
I lost count of sheep
My mind is racin' faster every minute
What could I do more
Yeah, I'm really not sure
I know I'm runnin' circles but I can't quit
And I'm so confused about what to do
Sometimes I wanna throw it all away
Controllin' everything in sight
Feelin' weak, I don't feel right
You're tellin' me I have to change
Tellin' me to act my age
But if all that I can do
Is just sit and watch time go
Then I'll have to say goodbye
Life's too short to watch it fly
So watch it fly
So here I am
Growin' older all the time
Lookin' older all the time
Feelin' younger in my mind
And here I am
Doin' everything I can
Holdin' on to what I am
Pretendin' I'm a superman
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