"You seem to be an eternal student"

This is comment that has been given to me more than once. Each time I sense a continuation hanging in the air, the “…but now it’s about time you grew up”. Maybe I’m being sensitive and a little neurotic about this. Maybe people really mean: “…and good for you!” Maybe a part of me feels like a failure for being so slow with my studies, for not having a proper career yet, etc. However, my neurotic tendencies notwithstanding, there seems to be general antipathy toward learning and studying. The word “student” has a negative cling to it. Another comment that pops up quite frequently is “but… how can you study so much? It can’t be healthy; you don’t have any free time”. Define free time! “Well… watching TV, going out to party and such things”.  Another: “But why?”

I graduated from high school eight years ago. The fist thing I did was to take a gap year in order to study Polish in Poland. Then I started university. Getting my degree took four years because it included a compulsory year abroad. I lived and worked in Spain for three years. Continuing my studies at the time was not possible due to financial reasons. Postgraduate studies in Spain cost money and (full-time) salaries barely cover the basic living expenses. So I waited until I found something that suited me. They say that good things come to those who have the patience to wait: I am busy at the moment, but all those things that keep me busy, are things that I feel passionate about. Learning and studies mean development, the chance to do new things. I also have a full-time job, pay my taxes and manage to be fairly social (for a person who isn’t all that social). Apart from the need to travel more, I’m generally happy with my life. Everything that I do is the result of a conscious chain of decisions that I’ve made. Trust me, the day I notice that watching telly is more interesting than psychology or languages, I will re-evaluate my decisions and glue myself to the sofa.  

 

 

“Being ignorant is not so much a shame, as being unwilling to learn.”

Benjamin Franklin