A note on the name

There's still a strong societal expectation to pick a career before you've even finished high school, and if you pick one that runs against the grain, such as writing, or music, or acting, or dancing, or something else deemed either unstable or not respectable enough, you're told to pick another -- just in case, because that isn't a real job and it probably won't pay the bills. If you aim high and respectable -- say, surgeon or astronaut -- you're told to pick another -- just in case, because you might not make it. Everyone needs a fall back plan.

I have a supportive family that would rather I be happy than respectable -- hell, they even tried to talk me out of going to university -- but I still felt the pressure. And I saw it eating up other kids -- still do. Some want to chase the dream of being a professional athlete or musician, or to drop out and start a business with their million dollar idea. But they're scared. Maybe of their parents. Or perhaps the unknown. Or something else. Few take the chance and go for it.

For me, the story is a little different. In high school, people told me I should become a writer. I didn't know what I wanted, but it certainly wasn't to be put on a path laid out for me by someone else. So I pursued other interests, knowing full well that if I really am as talented as they say, I could fall back on writing.

In an odd twist, writing is -- and always has been -- my fall back plan.

I'll be seeing my undergraduate degree (more specifically, my Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Science double degree) through to the end, since I like to stick to my commitments and I'm almost finished. But university is no longer a means to an end (the "end" being a career in a relevant industry) for me; it is now an expensive distraction that I paradoxically want to go away and want to enjoy while I can.

Why? When I graduate, this shit becomes real. I don't have a fall back plan for my fall back plan. If writing doesn't work out, I have to hope I get lucky and stumble into another career that makes me happy. I don't ever want to get stuck in the daily grind, every day the same dream.

This is my fall back plan; I make it up as I go -- always have, and probably always will.