Shiver me timbers and hoist the mainsail!

Funny how a few comments can really change your mind about something.

I’d told a few people that I was considering changing to Arts this semester.

Obviously I’d brought it up a few times during this blog; I was just going through my posts and I’ve mentioned it jokingly a few times, eventually getting more and more serious.

I never went through with the application to switch. Chickened out. Fell into the trap of Arts-graduates-can’t-get-a-job-so-you-should-just-keep-sucking-at-Science-and-maybe-have-money-someday. I suspect that’s a total fallacy: what good is it at being crap at a career path you don’t even like?

Actually no. I like Science. Love Science. I’m just can’t seem to find a field that really interests me. Evolutionary biology is really interesting but… Well, to me, it just seems mostly made up. “Humans today do X because cavemen probably did X for reasons of Y and Z.” That and there aren’t any majors that focus on evolution alone.

I also told a few people. Talking it through with Gaylord my boyfriend (That’s a codename by the way, isn’t it the best name ever?) I only ended up confused. Again, that old fallacy holding me back, “seriously-you’ll-never-get-a-job-as-an-Arts-Grad” playing heavily on my mind.

I spoke to one of my Uni friends about it. (actually I should give her an adorable nickname, if I remember rightly she found this blog one time, so there’s an off-chance she’ll read this maybe?) Let’s call her Faith. She seemed disappointed I didn’t make the switch to Arts. Sorta made me think about how disappointed I was in myself that I couldn’t do it.

I think it also has a lot to do with my parent’s expectations of me – Mum always wanted me to be a Doctor. When I said I could never do it, she said I should be a Dentist. I took to that idea well enough for a few years but I know it’s not something I could ever do. In terms of the workload to get the qualification, in terms of even being in a dental surgery – they give me headaches after a few hours. I think it’s the lights, or maybe the sterile smell. So I thought I’d do a Science degree, thinking maybe I’d magically come across a subject I’d love.

Well, I did. But it was a Breadth subject.

As an aside, how can anyone hate the Melbourne Model? I get so much angst about it from students at other universities, the occasional “hahaha, you have to put up with the Melbourne Model, have fun spending years at University!” This makes no sense to me. And heck, even if it was a case of spending longer at uni – I like it here. So, nyah.

Back on topic.
So after this deliberation and general confusion, I noticed Ron’s comment on my last post, Rollin’ With It. And, you know? A relatively objective (is there such thing as a totally objective opinion? Nah.) opinion really helped. It made me go off on a mental tangent, wondering why I never use Melbourne Uni’s services. I’m sure there’s a few places  I could go to get help with these things, to get opinions and course advice. At the end of semester one I decided it would be a good idea to speak to a student advisor at the Eastern Precinct Student Centre. However after emailing them, they told me to ring them. I rang them, the call was disconnected. I rang them again and had to wait, then I couldn’t get an appointment at any time suitable to me. Gave up there.

There’s also been an occasion or two when I thought I should use the counselling service at the Uni. Never did. I know it would be beneficial at those times but I suppose it has always felt like I didn’t need it enough. Enough? Are those things even quantifiable? It’s a little irrational.

On a positive note I get to dress like a pirate on Wednesday! The last time I dressed like a pirate I was at a pirate metal concert. I’m hoping the lovely Jinghan will also dress up, so I don’t feel like too much of a nob.

To conclude, pirates are awesome, and so is doing what you actually want to do. ARR.

Also: Thank you Ron!!!