So where does that leave me?
Well, next year I'll have some great skiing close by and be exactly where I want to be. However, is a career in science and physics something I could do for the rest of my life? Can I honestly keep doing that and be happy?
My passion above all other things is skiing. I can't make a career out of trying to be a professional competitive or filming skier, so that leaves guiding, instructing, coaching, or any other number of jobs in the ski industry... I can ski for a career if I really want to.
So I am left with a choice. Will I ski forever? Or will I dedicate myself to a career in physics?
To answer this, I would need to ask myself why I'm pursuing physics as a career.
I like physics. It is one thing that I think is really cool - imagine that you could be part of a team of scientists unravelling the fabric of our universe on a daily basis. You could do something that would really matter in the future, and help a lot of people.
That would be cool.
But can I do physics and enjoy it, while still pursuing skiing, the only thing I will probably ever love that much? Is it feasible to get my degree, and then keep skiing a ton? I have probably 7 years left to ski at the highest level I am capable of if I take good care of my body. Will I compromise my priorities in order to get my degree? Will I simply move into the traditional stagnancy that everyone seems to experience in life? I don't want that. Will it happen? For me, maybe not.
Lets inspect how I can avoid that.
First of all, I'm in Vancouver. One of the skiing capitals of Canada. If I can schedule my classes around a 3 day class week, then I have the 4 other days to potentially go skiing. I will get in some skiing there, and with a pass to one of the local mountains, I will be able to go skiing even when I don't have a full day for it.
Second of all, Whistler stays open until the end of May. I can get a solid month of skiing in after university is done.
Third of all, I have the experience, credentials, and skill to get a job related to skiing in the summer. Places like New Zealand, Chile, and Australia all offer viable options to get some extra skiing in.
Fourth of all, UBC offers exchanges. I can go live and study at any number of 150 universities across the world. My options include such epic skiing destinations as Japan, France, Germany, The United States, Switzerland, and Sweden. Tuition will cost me exactly the same as UBC, as will living expenses. Pretty good options there.
Fifth, I am somewhat involved in the skiing community. I know people, I know how to hang with skiers, and I am pretty good at what I do.
My real concern and the reason I list these things is that I fear I will end up where too many people do - 45 years old, married with kids, a shitty job, and nothing other than retirement to look forward to every day. I don't want that to be me.
If I can stay true to the path I want to take, things look pretty promising though. The most important thing for me is to be able to see clearly what I want in life, and to pursue it with all my energy.
I guess in a way I am blessed with knowing exactly what I want in life: To ski, have fun, have good friends, and do something good in my lifetime.
Money? Secondary concern to the former list. Career? Secondary. Marriage? Secondary.
If I can pursue these things with everything I have for the rest of my life, I will (hopefully) have what most people perceive as the perfect life. Perhaps it is naive to set goals at such a young age, but mine are simple, fulfilling, and fun even at the worst of times.
This may be kind of shotty, I haven't slept yet, and despite being utterly broke I just somehow managed to sink $200 more dollars into a bike I got for free, and is tops right now worth $400... Money has never concerned me as much as my love for motorcycle... which I think is equal to your love for skiing.
ReplyDeleteOn the surface your class schedule idea seems excellent, but have you considered the amount of work that will be involved in getting the grades? Now my friend Kyle who worked in simulare arias in school did find spare time, and actually skied most weekends he could (you'd like him), but school sort of consumes you.
You do have to decide, I think you'll know in your first year, Liam is literally taking classes on how to run rafting companies and outdoors stuff, he's getting a degree in being an outdoors instructor sort of person.. and even with that his desire to just go out and DO it is almost overpowering. He like you doesn't want to be behind a desk, he wants to be out there doing it for the rest of his life.
I figure there are 2 types of people in this world. Money and... and I don't have a name for the rest of us. Some people lust after the money, the house, the wife, the kids, the 50s American Dream.
Others have this one thing we REALLY love, and we will do ANYTHING to be a part of that one thing. If you want to Ski in Australia (if you do you're bringing me back motorcycle parts!) then you gotta hold the grades you need at UBC to be able to study abroad.
Man I would KILL to be able to work with motorcycles the rest of my life, I don't care about anything else, I can even forget the lonelieness of having been single for 11 years when I am out bloodying my knuckles on ANYTHING with 2 wheels and an engine.
I see Societies views towards work and responsibility to be a bit bizarre and they try to squeeze everything out of you, its about money and for a lot moving up the corperate ladder - orjust getting to that first rung. FUCK THAT.
I say follow your dreams, Follow what makes you Happy. Do it for as long as you can, make as few compromises as possible, and do ANYTHING and EVERYTHING you can do to keep with it.
Yeah, I've definitely been thinking about the possibility of not getting much skiing in throughout university, but I'll at least have May at whistler and summers in New Zealand hopefully. We'll see what happens, I'm sure I'll at least work some skiing in. Either way I'll be doing stuff I enjoy - I really do like physics and science, and splitting my time between skiing and school seems like it would be a pretty awesome split to me.
ReplyDeleteI'm also going to learn to skateboard this summer, which is a good thing to know how to do in Vancouver - its a lot more accessible than skiing and its something I can do all year round. Will definitely make the off-time more bearable.
But I've worked in 100+ day seasons for the past 2 years despite school, piano, and other commitments... I'm sure I'll be able to at least fit some skiing in.
I 100% agree with what you said about the types of people. People like you and me are always going to be living on the edge of what would be considered normal or acceptable, but thats where we belong.
I really do love skiing though, and I think thats what will give me the time to do it. I've chosen skiing before almost anything else consistently. Friends, relationships, school, music, all have played second fiddle to skiing.
Realistically there are 2 things that I really want in life - I want to do something useful before I die, such as discovering something useful and/or big. And I want to be able to ski the way I want to. those really are my priorities, and I intend to chase them.
Either way I'm prepared to sacrifice some skiing time, but I'll make it work. I always have.