As a child it seems so easy. I have the answer to it all the time. Monday's a teacher. Tuesday's a doctor. Wednesday's a lawyer. Thursday's a cashier..and it keeps on changing..the most incredible part of it is that i have a reason of picking the professions i had in mind. I wanted to be a cashier on a particular day in 1991, when i entered the NTUC, 'local grocery store', and was intrigued by how much money the cashier keeps in 'her very own little machine'. The received amount was huge and the change was little. The cashier in my innocent phase of mind will always stay rich. The idea behind wanting to be a teacher, was simple..and honest..way defeats the many answers given by interviewees desperate to get into the career, especially after its latest advertising campaign: 'Teaching-a credit-crunch saviour' (all smiles). My answer on the day I decided to teach: I got glasses :)
Never did I knew as I was growing up..answers to simple questions could get so messed up. When one decides to sign oneself off to the devil, he/she has a million questions to answer for him/herself. Does this career come with a costly compensation package? Do i get free dentist consultations? What's my bonus like? Is there any vicious office politics involve? How many hours of OT per week? Do i get criticise half the time, as an intern? What kind of unions takes care of me? What if I can't stand my boss's pet peeves??? These are just a quarter of the many 'gazillions' of dilemmas many of us will have to deal with..once we leave the safe sanctuary of school..
What happens? It's sad..but most of just settle..we become settled with our lives..seeking solace in cups of coffee as we think of 'healthy' ways to deal with all the unhappiness. We forget all our dreams and ambitions. We settle for something much less than our original plans. We become practical, living in the real world, dealing with real problems...