Florida by Jarius

Florida by Jarius - April 2016 Scholarship Essay

Don't just be matter, MATTER! If you've ever asked a child what they want to be when they grow up you will likely receive only a select few professions. Things like a fire fighter, a police officer, a singer, a actor, a doctor, or a teacher are all chosen first and stuck in our minds at an early age. Of course some other careers are often chosen because it is what their parents do or it looks cool. I find it interesting that six and seven years old have a more concrete idea of what they want to be when they grow up than most high school students. It it because things change between ages seven and fifteen that people loose that certainty. I have an idea of what I want to be as my future profession, probably an engineer of some kind. This choice is likely to change still, as a few years ago it was an architect that was special, and a police officer after that. I have an interesting little story on how I received what I think is the best career advice from a friend.

It was in the fall of grade eight and the regular teacher was sick so the class had a substitute. This substitute had been in the classes I was in throughout the years and had gotten a snapshot of my elementary school life because of it. On this day in the afternoon we had our mandatory outdoor break. This consisted of a lap around the school yard at a gentle walking pace or, for the more robustly energetic students, a slight jog or even a fast sprint. This substitute and I got to talking and I remember what he asked me. He said "Son, what are you going to do? You could do great things if you wanted, solve the worlds problems. Do what you like and become the best." I would like to think I did my best to take his words to heart. It doesn't really matter what I do, it just really matters that I love doing it and always do my best. I don't really know what I will do when I grow up, but I know for sure it will be something, and it will be important to me. That's more than some people can say, and for that I am glad. That was probably the biggest thing I actually learned in school.

There is a little more to that story though. I responded with something I believe is worth mentioning. I said back to him, " So how much does fixing the world pay?". He seemed a little disappointed, saying how the world revolves around money for most people and that it was sad that I was a part of those people. I told him I was only joking, but he said that he wasn't so sure it was a joke. Looking back on it now, I am a little cloudy about the whole situation, I am not sure myself if it was a joke or a thinly veiled truth. That is something that scares me more than it disappoints me. But having matured to my current age I admit it was the truth back then but it isn't now. My advice to everyone, student or otherwise is to be positive, think positive and do positive. You can be as rich or as poor as is possible but if you don't MATTER you've only lived a life of simply being matter! Some people are on the way to a vacation to Mexico or whatever and I'm on the way to Grandma's house. You figure which one matters the most and apply this same concept to all of life's situations- school, college, occupation and I'm certain that all will be well.