Last winter I made a very difficult choice, I decided that I was not going to return to school for my 2nd semester.
As you can imagine, this came with a ton of backlash from family, friends, and even coaches. My parents were concerned that I was throwing my entire life away and everything I have ever worked for.
A majority of my friends who had hidden doubts about me going to school in the first place expressed those thoughts to me whether they realized it or not. I say that because I know none of my friends would intentionally want to make me feel like I was no longer good enough to fit in with them.
My college coaches were upset because they had to put in a lot of time and effort to recruit and choose who they think would benefit the program the most, so to see me leave after one semester must have felt like a slap in the face.
I think the worst part of the experience has been that I was never one to disappoint people, never one to be seen as weak. The most difficult part was the way people treated me after my decision. It was like everyone just viewed me as this soon to be “townie” (that is slang for someone who did nothing with their life and ended up with a basic job in the area they grew up in). People would come up to me all the time and try to sit down and counsel me because they just assume that I am incapable of being able to figure out my life on my own now.
I’m not saying to ignore help/advice from others, but it doesn’t mean that you can’t listen to yourself. I’m sure some of you are reading this and are thinking, “yeah no shit”…however put yourself in my shoes and have multiple friends and family members come to you acting like they know more than you all of the time. I believe people are actually concerned but they are also jumping to conclusions way too fast. I took one semester off and explored some other options, and people reacted like I gave up on my life.
Currently, I am going back to school at my local college to see if it’s what I really want to do without breaking the bank. Although, if its something I really don’t want to do that’s okay. I am 19 years old, I have so much time to figure out what I want to do and I’m no longer going to let people scare me into thinking that I’m not doing okay.
If there is anything you can take away from reading this, it’s to do what you know is best for you. People are going to judge and compare themselves to you all the time and even if they are a semester, a year, a bachelors, a masters,or even 10 years ahead of you… it doesn’t mean that they know the key to success for you. Listen to your mind, and follow your gut because eventually things are going to work out and every doubt people may have had about you won’t matter. It won’t matter because it simply does not. What people assume about you does not change you in any way. You are who you are, and you should be proud of that person.
Live your life how you think is right because quite frankly there is no wrong way, so you might as well be happy with your way.