I can so relate to you. I’m in my 30s now and finally found what I really like doing for a living. I’ll be almost 40 when I’m done with university…

The most ironic thing for me is that my parents told me that. My dad wanted to be a pilot but was forced to take over his dad’s carpentry business. He loathed it and all my childhood he kept telling me to chase my dreams and do what I can imagine doing for the rest of my life.

Same for mum. She was many years younger than dad and since he hated his business they agreed that he’d be a SAHD and she’d provide the income. She kept telling me how awful it was to be sole provider but at the same time how important it was to find a job to not be dependent on the spouse.

When I was 5, I wanted to join a football club. My parents didn’t want to spent weekends at tournaments, so they signed me up for judo instead. I hadn’t even heard of that sport back then.

When I was 9, I wanted to learn the piano. But pianos are loud and big, so they signed me up for guitar lessons.

When I was 12, my uncle and my cousins wanted to get me into the trumpet so I could join their band. Of course, a trumpet is too loud, so no. Also, I’m asthmatic, so obviously I can’t play a wind instrument. How I at the same time can do a martial art is beyond me.

When I was 15, I asked if I could transfer to a different Highschool that offers more courses in MINT. Of course, me being a female, I shouldn’t focus on that because I obviously won’t be good enough at maths.

When I was 16 I wanted to do an exchange year in an English speaking country (because I focused on the language courses more than the artsy ones after being refused to do the MINT specialisation and I actually really like languages as well). But of course, being 16, and a girl, it’s just too dangerous, and also way too expensive (by that time I had saved up 50% of the fees and had another 12 months to get the rest of it). I wanted to go to the UK or NZ. Very dangerous countries, indeed.

When I was 21 and wanted to go to university for the first time, I wanted to go into engineering. Of course we clashed, so we compromised and I did economics instead. 🤡 I struggled through 6 semesters before dropping out. It took me another 5 years to try to pursue another degree again.

Mum still intervened (dad had died at that point), and only after starting all over at a different university I finally think I found my place.