I recently caught up with a friend who was lamenting the fact that he spent 4 years getting a degree in computer science only to realize that he didn’t want to be a software engineer.
‘What a waste’, he said.
Here was my response to him:
It was in class during those 4 years that he met many of his lifelong friends that he wouldn’t have necessarily come into contact with if he’d pursued something else. So calling that time a total waste isn’t exactly the most accurate characterization.
What’s really going on is that the four years didn’t pan out as he expected.
He was coming to terms with the fact that he’s allowed to change his mind — that one’s previous actions don’t obligate their future actions.
But now that i write this i'm not so sure. I feel like pettyness and disrespect for the finiteness of life is observable at all age ranges.
Although i do have a feeling that the older people generally are less so lol
When my dad was nearing the end of his life, he'd always say "it is what it is."
that's the kind of stoic response that I feel like one has the chance to develop with age.
I'm sure I'll have some regrets, but maybe I won't lament so much about them because I'll be more accepting of the fact that it's all water under the bridge.