Too Old to Play or too Young for Work? 

Up at 7 AM to be at work at 8.30 until 6 PM everyday and even on weekends! No more social life, personal life or even a life! That’s how my friends tell me all the time. I am starting to think if i am making the right choice by working at this age? 

Waking up late and slowly, enjoying you first coffee, taking a shower, going back to bed maybe hanging out with some friends or just staying the whole day in bed… HEAVEN! No one can say that he is not dreaming about this every morning. But to have a good life you need money and experience. And that’s what i’ve been doing for the last couple years… work work work!

I am a graphic designer and i love what i am doing, i had the chance to work with really important people, European Union, Sony Vaio, some other great local brands… i can’t wish for a better past so far! During those years i’ve learned amazing things and met amazing people and they teached me how to learn more about myself and what i like, not only about design but about Life.

Being totaly and completely responsible of myself financially at a young age, made me feel good and proud of myself specially when i see what my friends are doing. Asking your parents for money every time you need something is just impossible to me at one point.The best part is when your money is coming for not just a job… but YOUR job, your thing! you are payed for doing what you love.

Working at a young age is not only about money, or doing what you like it’s about creating a future. The more contact and experience and knowladge you have, the easier things will go. It’s like learining the professional life’s roles early. It’s all about time, being young gives you ‘the right’ to make mistakes and learn how to correct them. I am not saying that being old means you should do everything right, but when you are old responsibilities and expectations are bigger so people will not give you the opportunity to learn again. So i took the ‘advantage’ of being young to creat a good background that i can count on. Yes, i am proud of myself.

And let’s face it… what else will i do? waking up late and doing nothing? I am too old for this i think… at 24, that’s how i feel like, it makes sense to me. But when tryed to talk about this with my friends… they did not think the same! So i started to doubt, i am getting ‘old’ or they still too ‘young’. So i tryed to watch my friends and watch myself as well.

Here is how my friends spend their days: up very late, stoned from last night’s party, having lunch out in cool place, sleeping a little more, swimming, dinner, and than party again. All in all, enjoying life and their parent’s money as well! I want that too, i am still young and i want to live the life they are having… and i am sure you want that as well and as they say ‘ we will have time for work’. Somehow they are right! Being young means you have time for everything! And I looked at myself: work work work… and when i try to go out, i am too tired and when i do… the only thing i think about is… my bed!

It didn’t bother me that much at first because i LOVE my job! It’s only when my friends stopped inviting me to their parties and when they do… they started calling me ‘the boring one’… because i can’t go out a lot like they do and i always talk about work! I started to seriously think that i am making the bad choice by working now instead of going out and enjoying being young and healthy and full of evergy. That even made me hate going to work and hate my work!!! i thought about leaving and go join my friends… and those thoughts didn’t leave my head for a long time… months!!! my friends were playing with my head and calling me during work and ask me to go out… but i always say ‘ i can’t i have work’ and i hated that work so bad!!

But at one point, i started to ask myself… why can’t i just leave??? no one will die if i do!!! but i just couldn’t. RESPONSIBILITY… that was it.

Once again, i was proud of myself, i can’t be selfish and immature and do a such thing. Thanks to the experience i had, i learnt how to be there when i should be. And also make my money worth something!

I am not wrong by giving my time to my work, and my friends are not wrong either they are young and they should enjoy their time. But i am young too, so we should not feel too old to play or too young for work.

Do your duties but spoil yourself. That’s why i learnt!

Turki Marwa