The Importance of Broadening Your Horizons

My mother graduated high school as a Chemistry topper. She has a master’s degree in Biochemistry. Then, she did her MBA and worked in the corporate world for almost 15 years. It wasn’t until a few years ago, that she realized her true calling was to be a life coach and help people live a better life.

Now, had her school allowed ‘Science’ students to take subjects that weren’t only the Sciences and Math, she would have spent less time finding the right career for herself. She could have been a playwright or a world-renowned motivational speaker by now if she had been given the chance to explore her options. She wasn’t, so she isn’t. But, better late than never.

The point of that story is you won’t know what you’re capable of and what really interests you if you only stick to the things you’re comfortable with and don’t give yourself the chance to try something new. The world will tell you that your best career options are doctor, engineer and lawyer but if you don’t try your hand at something unconventional for you, you’ll be conforming to the norms blindly.

The school I attend, fortunately, offers many good courses that aren’t just Math, Science and English. We have all kinds of arts, languages, social sciences, and sports being taught, giving students the opportunity to test their capabilities in different fields. I know so many people from my Sociology class who came in wanting to apply to Science-based programs in University but changed their minds and applied for either a Social Scientific degree or a mix of Science and Sociology.

I won’t say that taking courses that weren’t usual for me changed my own career decisions, but they made my life a lot better because now I have something to talk about other than what I’ve been focussed on for years. My Sociology class gave me a different perspective to look at the world through. My creative writing class gave me a way to put all my thoughts into wonderful stories. My Psychology class gave me the best 6 months of trying to figure out if I was crazy or if I was just being a hypochondriac. My Phys. Ed class showed me that I’m not cut out for sports, but I love working with a team.

Even if your school doesn’t offer you the course you’d like to try, you’ve got the internet at your service. You can look for books/textbooks about things that seem interesting. And if you feel confident in giving a course a go, you can take an online class for it. As long as you give new things a try, making a career decision won’t be boring or too hard (unless you find everything interesting).

If taking a course online isn’t feasible for you, check if you’re interested in any extracurriculars. I was in a club for raising awareness through campaigns and performances in grades 7 and 8. It really inspired me to give back to society. I was in an art club in grade 9. I didn’t think I was good at art but the 4 weeks before the final competition were the best I’ve had, and our mural was much better than we’d expected. I was also in a business club in grade 9 for a few months. We had to come up with a product idea and I believe a prototype as well. Of course, my friends and I used it as an opportunity to catch up because we weren’t in the same class anymore but when we did put our minds to work, we came up with some brilliant ideas TM that I might share with you one day. In grade 11, I was in a Drama club. I left the school a few days before the final competition but being in that club was exhilarating, to say the least. Then in grade 12, I was a part of the student council, the culture’s club and a club meant for individuals who were thinking about careers in the medical field. It’s been fun.

Over the years, I’ve tried to be as much of an all-rounder as I can because it’s helped me make better choices. Staying in one stream of education might give you a fixed mindset and those are the ones that take the longest to grow. Broaden your horizons and watch yourself grow into an even better person. Be versatile. Have a little bit of knowledge about everything. Get smart, not just intelligent.

That’s all I’m going to say for this post. It’s never too late to start something. As long as you’re interested in it and stay committed, you’ll be fine. I hope this inspires you to do something different. Until next time. – Aarushi