Crossroads

Once in a little while, we are presented with life's crossroads. Some are just too little to cause a stirring in your life, while some are big enough to turn things around.

I've been there. And I know, I am going to meet much bigger tides.

But for every road you meet, just take time to reflect on this: Life is not a chance but a choice. And life is what you made it.

Though at times, as one poem states, we choose the less-traveled road - one that is opposing conventions, to good to be true, and sometimes impossible. But sometimes, if not most of the times, this road is a difference maker which could either bring us up or break us down.

Here are some of the crossroads that I had encountered (along with the choice I made):

1. Late on my high school years, I was torn with the decision of going with my family to live in Iligan City and continue my studies there or to finish my high school (in Zamboanga City) and live by my own, for about a year. What made the decision harder was the fact that I was doing good at school then that it meant a lot when I will go to college - I was pursuing something that could get me a scholarship, which I thought would be all gone whenever I will transfer to another school. Or so I thought also that whatever I had painstakingly achieved for 3 years, would all melt down for 3 days. I love my family. But it was just something that I thought would help us more if I stay behind. College is expensive. And that was my oppurtunity to start carving a milder path. I chose to stay behind. And I did get the scholarship, I am now with my family and I lost nothing in return.

2. Journalism or Engineering? When I was a child, I love to become an artist, a painter or a cartoonist. When I grew up, I wanted to become a Civil Engineer like my cousin. When I entered high school, my love to computers exponentially grew that I promised myself to be a master of it and could even pursue a computer course in college. But later in high school, I was so much involved in campus journalism that I even have to represent the school in press conferences wherever it would be held in the country. Unknowingly my interest just slided over to that side that at the end of high school I wanted to pursue it. Sadly, Journalism was not offered to any colleges/universities in Iligan, add to that the scholarship I gained which does not include it in the allowable courses a grantee can enroll to. The closest I could get my dreams to push through was in engineering, not civil engineering but computer engineering. Now I live what I had dreamt upon entering high school. And I am much happy.

3. Does a place matters? I asked. I had the option to work in Manila, Cebu or just stay in Iligan after college. Offers and oppurtunities had just come left and right. But what added more weight to my decision was my family and the thought of changing what I am used to - schedule, lifestyle, etc... Manila and Cebu offers greater oppurtunities and personal growth, but Iligan offered what the other two has not - a growing relationship with my family. So I opted to stay here in Iligan and become a future builder (*wink).

4. Industry life or University life. Now at this point, I had come to the first checkpoint of my promise to serve the school where I graduated from. I said that I would be serving MSU-IIT for about 2-3 years. It's now my second year. Will I finish off the 3 years or am I good to go now? I was puzzled. I am loving the acadamic life, teaching students, making a difference in their lives. It is just rewarding, more than anyone can think of if ever you had become an University instructor yourself. But I had one of a chance to become part of a dynamic and growing team outside the university, I used to call this life the Industry life - where the work is sometimes routinary (maybe), 8-5 or 9-6 work clock and you are always on call. Their is a greater discrepancy on what these two offers in whatever means you want to see it. And that makes it harder to percieve which one is of best fit to you. Now, I just leave this choice for a month or two, though right now, I'm clinging on the the industry life. Let's see what lies ahead.

5. ... a major one... my choice? soon...