Today, a young aspiring photographer PM’d me. He said he is at the crossroads, torn between continuing his college education as an incoming senior in medical technology or to drop out of college to take a one-year practical course in photography.
He was quite emphatic that he loved photography and could not imagine himself working in a lab all day. (I wonder whose decision it was for him to take up medical technology) To make matters worse, he failed three subjects last semester (probably because he was spending more time doing photography than working at the school medical lab).
I told him, of course, that only he could decide what he should do, but nevertheless narrated to him a story about another student with a similar problem years ago. This involved a law student who had seriously gotten into photography and was getting disenchanted with the idea of becoming a lawyer. My husband, who is more ready to dispense advice than I am, told him, “Roy, finish law school then be a photographer if you still want to. You can be a lawyer and your hobby is photography, but you can’t be a photographer and your hobby is law.” To make the long story short, Roy followed my husband’s advice and he is now a successful lawyer, and an equally successful photographer. ?
That’s just one example, and what is true for one is not necessarily true for others. To everyone finding themselves at crossroads, go ahead and can ask around for advice, but in the end, you alone must make the decision. It’s still your choice that will define your future.