A Man’s Job
When I was little, I wanted to be a singer. Think Miley Cyrus or Britney Spears and you’ll have the image I was thinking of. Mom and dad said it was “unrealistic” and that I should settle being a nurse. As I got older, I realized that looks were more important than talent in the entertainment industry, and that my voice was more suited to “group ensembles” according to my choir teacher. No matter. They win that round.
During my early high school years, I decided to go for graphic/website designing. My dad was okay with it because it was related to computers, and it could be something secure. On the other hand, my mom and her friends turned it down, saying that any type of designing will leave me broke. And of course, mentioned nursing.
Now I have made the decision of staying at home for college, and decided to major in entertainment engineering and design. I chose this field because it combines creativity and technology, two of the standards for my dream job. I’m also taking computer science as a minor so I can have a back-up plan, and be a IT person/computer systems analyst, since that’s pretty secure/high paying.
Once again, I told these plans to my mom, and she replied with the following: “You can’t do that. It’s a man’s job. You’ll get injured! Are you sure you won’t try nursing at all?” Like I have said to her before, nursing is not something I want to do in my life. I don’t want to deal with the body functions in real life, and I don’t want to deal with dying people. Too much squeamishness and discomfort for me already. She knows that I have never been a people person, and although social skills are important for any job, I want a career with less of a focus on people, and more on technology.
If these women listened to the more “traditional” people in society, we might not even have some of the advances we have today! For once I would like to do something spectacular. Not because of fame or fortune, but to show my family that anything could happen, and we shouldn’t be narrow minded to so many good possibilities. Settling for the most reachable goals only makes a person scared, lazy (due to lack of motivation to help them achieve something greater), and miserable. It should be a last resort, if the worst is going to happen, but it should never be the first thing anyone could do.
Screw that lifestyle. I have a right to be an engineer if I want to be. Women have done things that men have done in the past few centuries. I’m sure that mom means well, but I’d just like to be able to accomplish something great and feel that sense of achievement in doing what everyone else claims to be “the impossible”. I know way too many people that hesitate to do something and eventually become lazy. Hopefully I can get rid of that within me. Perhaps this is just one way to combat my laziness.
After all, what doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger.