What Does Growing Up Mean?

Growing up just simply means you age.  People tell you to act your age. Erm, sorry what does it mean? 

How do you act your age? 

People have expectations on others when it comes to being capable on certain things. Like every milestone we achieve is like a label stuck unto us. So somehow if you are of a certain age and you can't perform as you should, suddenly there's something wrong with you? I find that stupid and abhorrently ignorant. 

We like to relate age to intellect but things don't work that way all the time. I am sorry, just because you have a good memory and you do well in exams does not make you intelligent. It just means you have good memory thats all. Your grades does not reflect your intelligence. 

I grew up not having the best grades. It was asian parent approved but my mother always expected more of me. I was not the smartest kid in class, but I was not stereotypically stupid either. But growing up, my dad will always comfort me by saying "Your grades only matter until you start working. So learn new things that make you special." 

Didn't quite understand what he meant when I was younger. I remember I finished my SPM and my father told me "Your grades are average. But this does not change the fact that there's still a whole life ahead of you. Average doesn't mean no good." Now, I am not going to lie. I was not happy with my grades but I saw it coming. I was just simply not good enough. 

But when I got into college, everything was about grades. Oh, you have how many As? I'll give you scholarship for this and that. For an average person, this is not helping at all. 

So, I bucked up. I worked very hard for a better scholarship because dad is not a multi millionaire and he didn't grow up with a lot of money so every thousand that comes out of his pocket has a story. Suddenly I carry the burden of my father's pocket. 

Higher education is a time for you to learn about how to deal with real life situations. These colleges construct real life situations in a controlled environment for you to figure things out. I discovered people are assholes but still sometimes you have to work with them. Some people are very good at making your life a living hell but you just got to deal with it. When people mess up, all you can say is What. The. Fuck.? and then you have to get yourself together and start piecing things together again.

You don't get to always choose who you want to work with and you don't always have a say in things. That's a lot to take in knowing I just paid a couple of thousand Ringgit to get into this mess. 

I went through college like a champ because I figured things out pretty quickly. Then I went to university and I discovered there's more shit waiting for me! 

So here's the thing, 

1. Having a degree doesn't mean you're special. You're just the same as to the 200,000 unemployed graduates in Malaysia. Nobody cares about how much money you spent for that degree. You asked for it, no one forced you. 

2. Having a degree doesn't end there. If you want more pay you must be special. People must see you beyond your degree.

3. They want your personality. Don't be a sponge that only absorbs and do nothing else apart from being used to clean up other people's mess. They want to see character and leadership. 

So my dad was right. I gotta learn new things that make me special. 

So what does growing up mean? I think at this point of time, it means that we have to be adaptable but yet firm enough to make changes. Be like, err dish washing soap! Adaptable in different hands but still firm enough to clean that damn wok that mom used to fry rice. 

Yeah, I am not the best at examples and class begins tomorrow. Gawd, halp.