What Do You Want to Do With Your Life? Essay Example

From the time I was very young I was interested in music. Actually, this was more than just interest; I was fascinated by rhythm, melody, and sound. One of my earliest memories is of a gift my grandmother gave to me. It was a tiny wooden drum with a rubber drumhead stretched over it. It came with a small wooden mallet for striking the drum, but I usually just used my hands to tap out rhythms. I also heard rhythms and melodies in the sounds of the world around me. If I was near a stream, the water running over the rocks would form musical notes, and the rhythm of the movement would sound like the heartbeat of nature. As I got older I began to play the piano, and I was naturally adept at learning to play songs that were considered to be too challenging for most children my age. Although my immediate family did not include any musicians, I found that they encouraged my interests. I was provided with private piano lessons when I was in primary school, and the school also had music classes. I was placed in music classes that included students that were mostly older than I was, because I had skills that surpassed most of the students my own age.

This continued for years, as I made my way through secondary school and into upper-level classes. I also found myself learning to play other instruments, including the saxophone, and in high school I began to learn symphonic percussion. As I look back on those times I can see that I had a greater natural ability than many people, and it came to me fairly easy to learn to play these different instruments. I never got as good on the wind instruments as I was on piano, but I still enjoyed playing them, and I also found great joy in playing percussion. By the time I was a teenager I began to develop an interest in popular music like rock and rap music. Because of this I started to play guitar and drum set, and I also started using computer software to create drum beats for hiphop and rap songs. I began to imagine that someday I would be3come a professional musician, and also a music producer. It was a dream of mine to learn how to make songs and records, instead of just knowing how to play instruments.

I never really left this dream behind entirely, but by the time I completed high school I began to face the reality that it was not likely I would become a music producer. I started to consider what kind of future I would have if I did not learn any useful skills, and I was also convinced by my parents that I should learn how to conduct myself in the business world. My family had been owners and operators of business going back many generations, even when that was difficult because of the economic, social, and political conditions they lived through. There was no one in my family that had ever pursued a dream like becoming a musician or an actor, and it was clear to me that my family would only support and encourage me if I pursued an education that would prepare me for the real world as they saw it. With that in mind I determined that I should acquire a broad education in various disciplines and fields to prepare me for life in the modern world, and that I should also emphasize courses related to business so that I could have a successful and financially secure future.

I came to the United States solely for the purpose of attending school, and because I and my family felt the best educational opportunities would be available here. It is possible that I will return to my native country in the future, and it is also common for students from my generation to attend school overseas before returning home. We live in the age of globalization, and I believe it is important to gain an education that also teaches me how to function in different cultures and to learn about the world outside my homeland. I did decide to attend college primarily because that is what is expected of me by my family, but that does not mean that I do not wish to be here. I am grateful for the opportunity to attend school here, because I know that this is a privilege and opportunity that many people do not have. Just because I did not follow my dream of being a musician does not mean I am unhappy about the way my life is going, because getting a good education has also been a motivating force for me.

It is an interesting question to ask whether I will remain committed to my field of study or lose interest, as I do not see those possibilities as being real options.  I was raised to believe and understand that a commitment is a commitment, and when someone sets out to do something, and makes a promise to do it, then that promise cannot be broken. Getting a business education and having a career in some form of management position may not be a driving passion the way music is, but I understand that life is not always a matter of pursuing dreams. I know that I have a responsibility to myself and my family to follow through with my commitments and to honor my good fortune I life by doing my best. Giving up is simply not a choice for me.

I may not be able to immediately find the kind of work I want the moment I graduate, but I am confident that with hard work and dedication I will certainly gain good employment. I have the drive and the focus to start at the bottom of an organization and work my way up, and I will not be satisfied with simply staying at the bottom. I also believe in handling my responsibilities, so it does not matter to me if I have to work in a different job while I look for employment in my field. I can wait tables or tend bar, or work in some other field that will allow me to pay my bills and support myself while I look for a job, but I also believe that I will do well in school and will be a good candidate for many companies by the time I graduate.