Virtuality is my Reality
This blog chronicles my arduous journey to discovering and pursuing my passion — the technical domain I was made for — despite all the hurdles along the way that only bolstered my resolve to pursue my passion.
Back in my first year in college, I started my journey with Web Development. The domain was hyped at the time, and I too joined the herd. Since all of my peers were following the same road, I thought it was the best for me as well. However, sometime later, I realized that this field doesn’t fascinate me, and stresses me about performing well in something I was not designed for.
I subsequently chose Machine Learning as my next option. Initially, the subject intrigued me, and I decided to try my hands at it. However, I soon realized that I didn’t feel a spark in the field, so I opted to try something new.
I was in my second year now. I began watching the web series, Mr. Robot and became a huge fan of Cyber Security. I started learning Networking but the theoretical portion didn’t appeal to me and I couldn’t continue any further.
As easy as it is to read all of this now, it was quite the opposite in experience, given the count of my alternatives was rapidly diminishing, and I began regretting my decision to pursue Engineering. Surrounded by self-doubt, I wondered if I was even a fit for this degree and if I was an amateur who can’t pursue one specific field sedulously. By that time, all of my peers had already discovered their fields of interest in the alternatives I abandoned, which led me to question my abilities and consider myself inferior to them. I was concerned about my future, fearing that I would be the only one unemployed.
It was now time to explore the last alternative I knew of, Game Development and Augmented/Virtual Reality. I worked on it under duress initially rather than attempting to build interest, given I had no other domain to pursue next. Consequently, the field didn’t intrigue me at first. With time, however, I realized that Games & AR/VR are my fields of interest. I could feel the longed ‘spark’ in it.
In my first year, my seniors always advised me to explore every domain and pursue the one that interests me the most. I believed “interest” meant “something you can learn” until I realized its true meaning:
Something you love and enjoy doing. You desire to continue doing it for the rest of your life. YES! YOUR ENTIRE LIFE! If necessary, you are intrepid enough to put your finances at risk in order to pursue your passion; because deep down you believe that eventually, your efforts, consistency, and rigidity against every hurdle will all be worthwhile. Come what may, you are ready to take on any challenge. You strive to be the best at it to attain its apogee and contribute to its advancement. And, of course, WHEN YOU DO IT, TIME KNOWS NO BOUNDS. It becomes a recreational activity for you.
I’d be lying if I said it was duck soup for me to take the road to a virtual world when everyone else was on the real one. With lesser opportunities and developers of Games and AR/VR, I certainly had my vicissitudes; my friends recommended switching fields and I couldn’t apply for every internship that they did, since my skills didn’t align with the requirements.
However, with time, I’ve come to terms with the notion that my path would be markedly different from that of others. Peer pressure might stress me at times, and I might make precipitous decisions, but this is what adds to the beauty of my journey. I’ll always return stronger, with the strength to tackle all the challenges on my own and continue on my journey blissfully.
