My Biggest Regret in Life
Why I wrote that “Advice to my 16-year-old Self,” even though things are great now.
I just published some advice to my 16-year-old self:
Now, I’m sharing the rationale behind it. I’m a huge believer of “everything happens for a reason,” and therefore, I’m glad with the way things unfolded. I’m happy that my experiences helped shape the person I am today — a passion filled optimist. That being said, I wish I had taken more chances in high school and performed better, because I know I was capable of it. I hope the advice, and this rationale, will help other 16-year-olds from making the same mistakes I did — even though it ended up working out for me.
My biggest regret in life stems from my time in high school. I could have been an engineer, or a doctor, or anything else. Growing up, I used to think, “I’m not good at science and numbers suck!” But I always did well in History, French, and especially English (probably because I have an excellent memory and I love communication). So, I thought, maybe I should become a lawyer, which also meant, I didn’t need to take math or science in my final year of high school.
The following year, I met my now husband and I was introduced to the world of engineering. When I heard that he was an electrical engineer, I thought he fixed lighting and wiring (how ignorant of me). But he uncovered the intriguing concepts of software, programming, and coding. I was instantly fascinated. “What a wonderful language! You can write a bunch of gibberish and turn it into something beautiful. It’s like a bunch of wizards performing magic!”
But it was too late… (kind of). In the formal education system, it was next to impossible for me to switch over at that point. I didn’t have the prerequisites to change my major. I couldn’t apply to engineering school. I hadn’t taken math and I hadn’t taken science. I was stuck!
I could learn on my own but I already had so much on my plate with the Anthropology and English degree. I valued education so much and I wanted that degree so I wouldn’t drop out either. That’s when I figured out what I’d do with that degree. “I’ll teach! I’ll make sure that no other adolescent closes those doors in high school. I’ll inspire teens to explore all their opportunities and to set themselves up for the freedom of choice. I’ll teach so they never have to feel stuck the way I did.”
I became a teacher (and I can write about that in another post). But now, I’m married to my software engineer husband, whose been working in Silicon Valley for 4 years and I moved to the Golden State to be with him. I can’t teach here (visa and license issues) but I finally have the chance to explore my passion in the tech industry. So, I switched careers. From teacher to tech/content writer and I love it! I get to combine my inherent love of writing with my later discovered passion for technology. It’s the best of both worlds. I LOVE TECH/CONTENT WRITING!
Fortunately, things worked out for me. I’m pursuing both of my passions in one dream career. However, if I could go back to 16, I’d take all of the advice I wrote out in my previous post. I would try every single subject to discover interests and career options I never knew about (like engineering) and I wouldn’t give up so easily (especially on math). I’d put my mind to it, and I’d learn it, because I’m able to learn it now. Numbers aren’t so scary after all and science can be quite fun.
