Important Decisions About the Future: Careers and Families

Anonymous


As intelligent Armenian women attending prestigious universities, there is a difficult decision many of us face: in what order do we choose to execute our plans for the future? Do we wish to start a family after our 4 (sometimes 5) years at UCLA and then go back to school?

That risks a possible change of heart. Alternatively, we can finish school and start a family after we’ve become established in the career world. So many influences affect this decision and make it difficult to drown out the voices of our old-school culture telling us that "If you wait too long you’ll never get married" as if there exists some invisible threshold age.

Some believe women’s first priorities should be taking care of their husbands and families. Some also believe women should marry rich to not have a worry in the world, but the mere idea would embarrass social progress.

I still believe in the traditional gender roles within a marriage and I worry I might never get married if I wait too long. However, with the changing economy and the way there’s a multi-faceted middle class, a household needs more than one source of income to keep its head above water. By virtue of that idea, it begs the question of how much am I willing to risk to pursue my dream?

All this time and dedication required to get there, all the parties and get-togethers I’ll miss because I’m too busy studying or doing bitch-work as a volunteer or intern.Is it worth it to put everything and everyone you love on hold to pursue a dream?

And being a dream, it consequently brings no guarantees on the horizon.What if this imagined dream doesn’t ultimately turn out the way it was expected to, what if it’s not everything you’ve thought it to be. Is it worth the risk of losing it all? Not to mention your sanity, you’re "liked-by-many" personality, your trivial knowledge of all the celeb gossip which took time (you used to have) to learn. What if that were replaced with starvation induced anorexia because you’d rather study than eat, hair-pulling stress, dark under-eye circles, & white hairs? All for working towards self-meditated, strictly anecdotal imaginary life?

The crux of the issue is that we are in a constant state of evolution. People change and grow apart, dreams become blurred, and ironically people fall apart trying to keep those dreams in tact. In the end, one must make a Dostoevsky-esqe decision. "Is the juice worth the squeeze? Is it essence before existence, or vice versa?"

To wear the title and the "career woman" costume knowing how much you gave up for it.With that in mind, the past is immutable, the present is a gift, and the future will speedily be the present that you will cherish. What happens ahead of you, will never undo what has already happened. If, however, you neglect your past, you will lose sight of your altruism. To sacrifice is to abandon what’s expendable, and never look back.

Sacrifices are forever palsied which is why it is important to evaluate your motivation every step of the way.Once you commit, don’t stop. Any negative energy shrouds your will, and should be considered antagonistic.Surround yourself by those who are determined and who believe that their future is solely determined by their own actions.The greatest shame in life is falling into the gears of the world. We were thrown into this world; we should at least be able to liquidate some of our own existence.

Follow your dreams...graduating seniors, don’t be scared to leave, you will be fine, just make sure you didn’t waste your parents money following an imaginary dream you didn’t plan on achieving. A dream becomes lucid only by your actions, and no other force can manifest its reality. A degree in Domesticology with a minor in "Husband Searching" isn’t always in a woman’s future. Not to say that raising a family is bad, but never be apprehensive to harvest your interests. Satisfy your dreams before anyone else’s.