| |||||||
| Personal Effectiveness Goals, productivity, time management, motivation, self-discipline, overcoming procrastination, habits, organizing, problem-solving, decision-making, intelligence |
 |
| | Thread Tools | Display Modes |
03-26-2009, 02:25 AM
| #1 (permalink) |
| Member Join Date: Mar 2009
Posts: 48
 |  help on making a choice
hi.. i'm new to this forum, and my mind is in complete chaos now.. i hope this forum can help me out.... i'm a 18 years old boy, and i'm in my final year in high school. but, recently i got a scholarship to study abroad from the government... i won't need to pay anything to study abroad for 4 years, but as a return, i will have to work for the government for 8 years after i graduated... i'm now studying in a vocational school in a computer network major (and i'm pretty good at it,altough i don't have much interest in it), and the univ that i got the scholarship to, is one of the best technical school in that country, and it also has a computer network and security faculty... so, maybe if i take that scholarship, i'll go into that major too.... but, the price i have to pay is too high... 8 years of my life... i have my own dream altough i'm not sure wheter i can make it true... what i actually love is computer graphics, but the computer graphics industry wasn't very well developed in my hometown (in fact,it's almost insignificant at al).... so, all this time,i've been self studying from the internet... and i plan to study it even more after i graduated, but suddenly this scholarship thing appear out of nowhere... i don't even study before the test... so, now, i'm confused, to give up the scholarship and pursue my full of uncertainity dream... or give my dream and my 12 years of life and go on a stable life????????? i really hope someone can give me some advice.....  pardon my bad english(it's not my native language) |
|      |
|
03-26-2009, 02:45 AM
| #2 (permalink) |
| Junior Member Join Date: Sep 2008
Posts: 18
|
It sounds like we are in similar situations in our lives right now. I am torn between finishing a four year degree or following my passion in the field of cosmetology. From what I have been hearing PASSION always wins. Graphic Design is a great field ( I took it for a year or so ) On the contrary study abroad is a great opportunity and you may never be able to do that again in your life. The choice is yours, but take my word, it is not fun being in something when your heart is set on something else. ( I learned that the hard way after attending college for 3 years, and just now doing what I always wanted to do). I'm not sure if this is much help but as the cliche sayings go: Follow your Heart. And as the band The Fray says in a song " sometimes the hardest things to do are the right" Good luck |
|
| |
|
03-26-2009, 02:58 AM
| #3 (permalink) |
| Member Join Date: Mar 2009
Posts: 71
 | Welcome
Welcome to the Forum, lost1. It is always difficult making certain decisions on life changing matters. One thing you might want to ask yourself is the options you have: 1. you can take the full four year scholarship from the government to further your education or 2. You can following your passion and forgo the scholarship. I have a friend who was in the similar situation, but in his case he was only required to work for the government for 2 years after college. Personally, 8 years of working for the government is not what I'll do. It is more like a prison and you'd have no other opportunities to explore. But then again, you have a good job security when working for the government. Try finding out if there is a way you can opt out of the program should there be a need. and what are the repercussions of opting out. |
|
| |
|
03-26-2009, 06:37 AM
| #5 (permalink) | |
| Member Join Date: Mar 2009
Posts: 48
|
thanks for all of your adivces.... Quote:
| |
|
| |
|
03-26-2009, 06:41 AM
| #6 (permalink) | |
| Member Join Date: Mar 2009
Posts: 48
| Quote:
and what you said is true, working for the government does offer a job security, but on the other hand, if i were to pursue my passion in graphics design, i would be pursuing something unsure.... | |
|
| |
|
03-26-2009, 06:46 AM
| #7 (permalink) | ||
| Member Join Date: Mar 2009
Posts: 48
| Quote:
graphic design is indeed a very great field, and i love it very much as well.... but, the industry for that field is very limited in my country.... Quote:
yeah.... and now i'm pinched between what my heart wants, and what my head thinks.... | ||
|
| |
|
03-26-2009, 04:12 PM
| #9 (permalink) | |
| Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Ontario Canada
Posts: 139
| Quote:
I think you're putting too much weight on the cost of the choice. Eight years is potentially less than one tenth of your life span. You will spend more time than that sitting on the john by the time you die of old age. You're also not seeing the hidden benefits, worldly experience, firsthand experience within a bearocracy, paid university education (this is a rather large benefit by the way). You may quote me on this in your thesis if you wish... There is no greater purpose in life than the continual and dogged pursuit of knowledge, for in learning is held the passion and capacity for all other endeavours. Live your life within that motto, and you will always gain more than you have given. | |
|
| |
|
03-26-2009, 06:57 PM
| #10 (permalink) |
| Junior Member Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 21
|
Tough choise, ... I was in a similar situation 10 years ago. The difference was, that I didn't know what I want instead so I went for scholarship. You know want you want to do instead and this is a big plus in my opinion. There are obvious benefits, like having scholarship, guaranteed work experience, stimulus to actually finish university in time and stuff like this. But the price is high. 8 years, like in your case, is way too much. The problem is, that you are basically indebted which is a situation that is not really pleasant. You cant walk away if you don't like your boss or your coworkers. And it sucks big time. I don't regret my decision because I was not really mentally prepared to pull it through without external incentive, but if I knew better I would work my way through university and go for uncertainty without scholarship. Basically, my advice for you is to not take that deal. You are young so you can always regress to this "stable" path if your uncertainty path does not show results. The most important thing in my opinion though, is to listen to your inner voice. If this is yelling red light, then don't take the deal. |
|
| |
|
03-26-2009, 07:53 PM
| #11 (permalink) | |
| Junior Member Join Date: Nov 2008
Posts: 13
| Quote:
I was in a similar situation a few years ago and went for security  I now regret that I had to waste 5 and a half years of my life to understand that I cannot live without my dream. | |
|
| |
|
03-27-2009, 02:16 PM
| #12 (permalink) |
| Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: The Canadian Prairies
Posts: 274
|
I don't know, I just find it really fishy that they'd ask for such a huge time commitment. I think it's pretty clear they want to lure people in for life by getting them used to steady pay and dental plans. If you want to be boring and complacent, sign this contract. I don't think any 18 year old should ever sign an 8-year contract for anything. You just don't know who you'll be in a few years. This deal is not the only way to achieve your dreams, not by a long shot. In fact, it will hinder you from following a lot of dreams until you are 30 (!) years old. Freedom is worth more than anything, I think this is a bum deal. By 30 you can be self-employed, well-traveled and wealthy if you are smart about it. If you want to study abroad, there are many ways to do it without signing your precious, precious 20s away. You can do anything you want if it's important to you, but not if you are under a contract. But the worst thing you can do is let others make the decision for you. Signing a contract allows others to do that, for 8 years. They decide where you live and what you do with most of your day. I say F that. |
|
| |
|
03-27-2009, 05:50 PM
| #13 (permalink) | |
| Family Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Philippines
Posts: 1,421
| Quote:
I don't want you to make a decision that you will regret. I do commend you for seeking help, but I this is a very heavy topic. It's your future, we can't choose for you. So my suggestion is that you weight things clearly. Example: A. Government B. Personal dreams 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 rank things from 1 - 10 and 10 being the highest. 100 perfect score. This is so you can objectively decide your path. I also recommend you ask the benefits from the government and the benefits from people who work or do your dream. So you can compare. When you're future is at stake, it's time to take things seriously. But take a break every now and then. Good luck. | |
|
| |
|
| Bookmarks |
« Previous Thread
|
Next Thread »
| Thread Tools | |
| Display Modes | |
Linear Mode
| |
Similar Threads | ||||
| Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
| Who is making the choice? | Journey | Spirituality, Consciousness, & Awareness | 32 | 01-19-2009 03:48 AM |
| Stop making excuses, start making changes article | Ali from The Office Diet | Health & Fitness | 0 | 03-08-2008 03:44 PM |
| Making a Living vs. Making a Life (Blog) | Erin Pavlina | Erin Pavlina | 29 | 10-07-2007 08:11 AM |
| too much choice!! | iggy | Personal Effectiveness | 5 | 07-19-2007 11:45 PM |
| Pro-choice | Akashic_Librarian | Character & Contribution | 98 | 06-21-2007 02:14 AM |
All times are GMT. The time now is 08:01 AM.