A Jack-... er, Jane-of-all-trades
Being well-rounded is possibly the most overrated bullshit I have ever encountered.
The people in my life have always complimented my competence in essentially every imaginable area of academia and beyond.
"You've always been so good at math!"
"Your writing skills are positively superb!"
"God has given you such a talent with your flute!"
Sure, being good at everything came in quite handy in high school. My GPA was pretty much impeccable (save a few "B"s in math due to my refusal to complete 30 problems a night), and I got to pile extracurriculars onto my resume with little to no real effort aside from time commitments.
"You're so smart, Jennifer. You will do wonderfully in whatever path you choose in life!"
... But that's just it. All of these paths seem equally enticing and loathsome. They all have their qualities that pique my interest, yet they all have their drawbacks that make me turn my head in disgust. And I'm not particularly enthralled by any of these options; I'm rather apathetic towards all of them, actually. Some days I want something intellectually stimulating, and other days I want something completely mindless.
Some people are obviously born with a talent and passion, be it music performance or fashion design or elementary education. I, unfortunately, am not one of those lucky SOBs. I agonize over what I'm going to be good at (because I refuse to do something that requires skills I don't have) and still enjoy. This is proving to be much more difficult than I ever imagined.
As far back as I remember, I've heard adults fawn over my gifts, saying, "You have always been so intelligent. You can do whatever you want, because you are just so smart!" I am blessed to have family who believe in me, and all of the mildly condescending voices were right -- I am smart at a lot of things. I absolutely feel obligated to choose something that uses that, something that goes against our church's ingrained perception that females are to cook, clean, rear children, and allow male dominance in all areas of the house, including societal contributions and duties.
Guess what, tightwads?
My name is Jennifer. I am a woman, both physiologically and psychologically. I can't cook to save my life, and cleaning is futile when I am around. I like football and I like shopping. My last IQ test (about 3 years ago) credited me with a 138, and that is not being generous. I refuse to submit to a husband, but rather to cooperate with someone who is my best friend and devoted lover. I'm talented with ideas, information, people, and tangible objects. I learned from Sesame Street that I can do anything a man can do, and God damnit, I am going to prove it.
So suck on that, established system.
I'm going to do things my way, not yours.
Incidentally, I actually made progress in picking my life's direction with this brief rant.
The people in my life have always complimented my competence in essentially every imaginable area of academia and beyond.
"You've always been so good at math!"
"Your writing skills are positively superb!"
"God has given you such a talent with your flute!"
Sure, being good at everything came in quite handy in high school. My GPA was pretty much impeccable (save a few "B"s in math due to my refusal to complete 30 problems a night), and I got to pile extracurriculars onto my resume with little to no real effort aside from time commitments.
"You're so smart, Jennifer. You will do wonderfully in whatever path you choose in life!"
... But that's just it. All of these paths seem equally enticing and loathsome. They all have their qualities that pique my interest, yet they all have their drawbacks that make me turn my head in disgust. And I'm not particularly enthralled by any of these options; I'm rather apathetic towards all of them, actually. Some days I want something intellectually stimulating, and other days I want something completely mindless.
Some people are obviously born with a talent and passion, be it music performance or fashion design or elementary education. I, unfortunately, am not one of those lucky SOBs. I agonize over what I'm going to be good at (because I refuse to do something that requires skills I don't have) and still enjoy. This is proving to be much more difficult than I ever imagined.
As far back as I remember, I've heard adults fawn over my gifts, saying, "You have always been so intelligent. You can do whatever you want, because you are just so smart!" I am blessed to have family who believe in me, and all of the mildly condescending voices were right -- I am smart at a lot of things. I absolutely feel obligated to choose something that uses that, something that goes against our church's ingrained perception that females are to cook, clean, rear children, and allow male dominance in all areas of the house, including societal contributions and duties.
Guess what, tightwads?
My name is Jennifer. I am a woman, both physiologically and psychologically. I can't cook to save my life, and cleaning is futile when I am around. I like football and I like shopping. My last IQ test (about 3 years ago) credited me with a 138, and that is not being generous. I refuse to submit to a husband, but rather to cooperate with someone who is my best friend and devoted lover. I'm talented with ideas, information, people, and tangible objects. I learned from Sesame Street that I can do anything a man can do, and God damnit, I am going to prove it.
So suck on that, established system.
I'm going to do things my way, not yours.
Incidentally, I actually made progress in picking my life's direction with this brief rant.