ALEX HOBEN
editor-in-chief
alexandra.hoben@my.tccd.edu
The future always seems so far away and so unattainable, until you realize that it’s right at your doorstep.
There’s a certain terror in getting older. In making decisions for your life that feel like you can never go back on, and college is a perfect breeding ground for those insecurities. In this fast-paced world made faster with every piece of technology invented, how can we not feel the pressure to face the future as soon as we can and contribute to society?
Many say it’s incredibly presumptuous for the younger generation to have such a fear of getting older and starting out in the world as an “adult,”, but that’s the kind of world that we’ve found ourselves in. There’s an expectation for students to just jump into society and contribute to it as soon as possible, but we still don’t know what classes to take next semester more than likely.
With every semester that passes we’re supposed to have an idea what we want to do with the next one, but for most it’s not so simple. Many come to college to find themselves and the things they love to do, but have to deal with the constant guilt of not contributing to the system that brought them to this point.
The further I get in my degree program, the more I realize that I really can’t imagine what I’m going to do 10 years in the future. I get my degree and then what? I am more than happy to face it, but it’s finding the first place where you can put your foot into the door of what’s supposed to be “your future” that’s the hardest part.
Because what if I open the wrong door? The concept of “my future” seems like an impossible certainty, but I have no idea how I will get there and that terrifies me.
But there’s a certain beauty in it as well, because time is the main thing that is unstoppable. Being paralyzed with fear is always the first step in starting a great adventure where you may trip and fall, but you can still get back up.
It’s important to remember that you still have to live through the days to get to years down the line, and every day is a new opportunity to find yourself and with it, your direction. That’s the main concept that has been pushing me to keep taking my classes, keep looking for internships and opportunities and keep trying to do the best I can everyday.
The future will always be approaching, and there will always be expectations to live up to its full potential. What matters is the mindset that you approach it with, and that you can push yourself to see it through, even if it doesn’t quite match what you thought.
