Dreamchasing

"What do you want to be when you grow up?"

It's a simple yet paradoxically trivial question. We often hear children ask that amongst themselves in between play and the afternoon lull, or come across it in grade school-inspired slum books. Though the premise seems juvenile, that single question may very well be the factor that defines our lives.

When we were kids, we would often answer that question as we only knew how -- with a bright sparkle in our eyes and a winning grin. "To be an astronaut-slash-doctor-slash-movie star," we'd respond with a flourish. Our parents were our ultimate role models. We would also catch profiles of famous industry leaders on TV and secretly wished we'd be like them. And for the girls, we even managed to fill in a daydream or two about being the next Mrs. ___, married to the celebrity we found cute. What wishful thinking! The possibilities were endless, as well as the limit of our ambitions. The world was big; why shouldn't we dream big?

As high school students, that question became more serious and impending. Filling up college application forms was a task that has never been more life-threatening, to make an overstatement. What is it that we really want to become? Those who have pondered that question long enough can write the course code with much determination. They can count themselves lucky.

Oftentimes, with the present conditions we're at and the steep price of living, childhood ambitions aren't as easy to fulfill anymore. Dreams have taken on a more realistic nature. The mantra of "Live to work and work to live" resonates clearly in this dog-eat-dog world. Sometimes we choose a profession that, while we are reluctant to it at first, finally come to accept it because it is more practical. We shelf that mirthful dream we nurtured long ago to the idle recesses of our minds for the pursuit of one that would give us more security, not just for ourselves, but for our families. Eventual breadwinners surely know this. Who wouldn't be charmed by the idea of giving a comfortable life for their kin and having extra income to spend for oneself, thanks to that high-paying profession? There are always those to inspire and motivate. I've heard of stories from people who may not have taken up their 'first love' but then are relatively successful on their chosen careers. Others are not as blessed in pursuing the 'new dream'. Some aren't even sure of what career path to take, leaving some to shift courses while earning a degree. And some, while pushing through with it and graduating, become dissatisfied with their work and are left stuck in a rut.

There is also the case of career trends. Back in the late '90s, it was the technology boom and taking a computer-related course was the most 'in' thing. Now it has changed to the tune of nursing programs and that new catchphrase called 'business outsourcing'. Nursing schools have mushroomed all over the country, and established institutions have been sprucing up their programs to cater to the overwhelming demand of the youth who are in search of respectable work in greener pastures. Call centers have multiplied overnight in the course of a year, assuring applicants that while the hours are ungodly, at least they'll get a hefty paycheck. These two seems to be the last great hope for many of our brethren. There was never a day that I did not see a nursing student in my daily commutes from school, or an edition of the classifieds that weren't replete with outsourcing advertisements. Several professionals are even ditching their present work and joining in on the bandwagon. Though I believe that there are people who are genuinely interested in pursuing a nursing degree or work in a call center, I wonder whether some of them really want to do this.

What do you want to be when you grow up? Or better yet, how do you see yourself ten years from now? If you have an answer to that, then be glad. We all have a purpose and a destiny. But remember, growing up doesn't end from there, and neither do your dreams.