Dear World, here’s a piece on…

Sometimes I wish I was younger, I miss the days when the biggest decision I had to make was whether I wanted chocolate or caramel ice cream, or what colour my outfit of the day was going to be.

As you may have seen, I have not been very active here, lets’s say it’s because I have been busy making decisions.. not really ( they are yet to be made). I am now 18 and my life ahead seems to depend on the decisions I make now, even the small ones.

I had originally planned to start University in September 2021, however, I decided to take a gap year because I was not sure what I wanted to study (or do with my life).

During the summer of 2021, I started a part-time job as a tennis coach, which then led to me taking a coaching course and now I am considering a tennis career (that escalated quickly).

However, that’s not all I have been up to. I have begun working at an education startup as a “Learning Coach” in September 2021 and am still working there. It is a full-time job and has been the biggest learning curve of last year, through which I discovered my passion for children and education.

However, I now face major decisions, as my gap year is soon to come to an end and I honestly have no idea where I am and what I intend on doing.

For a clearer idea of how confused I am, my google search looks something like this:

• Do I need a college education?
• Highest paying jobs without a degree.
• What are NFT´s?
• What is the metaverse?
• Facebook marketplace: Cheap converted vans
• Where can I park a van for free?
• Where can I charge an electric car?
• What jobs can be done remotely?

Yes, I am a mess.

Especially because I have just quit my job (the full time one). I will be going ahead with that tennis career idea, starting in March. I guess that’s one major decision made. Whoop Whoop.

Now, regarding the van and the electric car…Well, van life has been a dream of mine for quite some time, but I am rather broke at the moment. So the next best thing would be a car, but I also like the environment which brought me to the electric car. Which then reminded me how broke I am. It’s a painful cycle.

So I am just going to not do that for now.

I am not sure about the NFT business or the metaverse, but I will be looking into that soon.

Regarding University, I am undecided and I suppose that in itself is a decision. What I have decided though, is to try to write here more. It is therapeutical to hear my mental voice dictate my life problems while I watch my fingers type them onto this minimalist page.

So, In summary: The 18-year-old life decisions look like this:

1. Should I quit my job? — Yes, done
2. Should I buy a car? or a van? — Undecided.
3. Should I go to University? — Probably.
4. Do I know what I want to study? — Nope.
5. Am I going to be homeless by 20? — Hopefully not.
6. Should I work on self-improvement? — Always.

I wonder how adults make these decisions, do they make a spreadsheet? Do they go to a therapist? Do they just wing it as kids do?

I am glad that by writing this down I have a clearer vision of all the decisions I am not making. I hope my confusion has made you feel at ease about your confusion.

Regards,

Raquel.