We All Come From The Same Place
I was taking the subway back from shinny, and met a guy named Drew. He looked high as a kite, and he approached me on the platform and started talking hockey with me. I looked the part, what can I say. I'm game to talk with anyone, I'm just not much of a conversation starter on the subway.
We end up talking about a lot of stuff, but what we end up circling around after the hockey talk is him feeling lost. Maybe it was because I told him I worked in radio and told him I enjoyed it, but it sounded like he was feeling like he was stuck in limbo for a while.
He is 24, with a degree in physics from Waterloo. He's smart, smart enough to go to an Ivy League school and get his degree. But he was tutoring, which isn't bad, but didn't seem to be his thing. He self professed that he was a jack of all trade.
I can relate, I'm a bit of that too. And it sucks. It sucks because if you can kinda good at a lot of things, it makes it harder to pick one and go forward because you lose the challenge, the thrill and struggle of learning something. The sense of accomplishment, because it was difficult.
I asked him what I was asked when I was in college: "What are you passionate about?", he fumbled around with it, but I wasn't too convinced. I changed it to be a bit more simplified: "what do you like to do?"
Problem Solving.
It kinda clicked for him in his brain. The helping kids tutoring was a part of that. I suggested to him what I thought would be a good fit. Engineering. Which involves a lot of problem solving.
He was weary though, because it requires 4 years of school. And I get that, he'd be 28 when he finished. And that sounds daunting. It sounds unfun. You're going to be in classes and be older than people, and it's a big commitment.
But I countered in a simple way. Let's say you live 'til you're 80, what's another 4 years in school? You'll be done before 30, and it's better than spending more time being lost. Give it a shot, go sit in classes and see if you like it.
It seemed to really cheer him up. The road is long, doing a bit more work now, even if it's not the most ideal thing seemingly, is a great thing because it sets the road longer and more fruitful, both mentally, emotionally, and economically (Engineers make good money).
In a random thought as I got off, it was like giving myself advice. A younger self, though he had different passions and drive, the feeling of being lost, and being a jack of all trades, a master of none.
While I may not ever see him again, I do hope he does pursue something that gives him drive and a sense of purpose, whether it's going back to school for Engineering or otherwise.