I apologize in advance for the rant that is about to spill out of my fingers on to the page. You've been warned.
Anyways, as I have mentioned in previous posts, I am going to start Optometry school this August in Southern California. Pause for collective yay!
What I have yet to mention is that I will be starting this adventure single. Or, as some women would say, alone. I personally don't view this as a bad thing as I will have more time for myself and studies. Without a boyfriend to take up my spare time I can explore my interests, be more active in extracurricular activities I really want to participate in, and not worry about fitting in time for someone else's needs. Ok, that might sound harsh, but when you have 24 hours in a day and 14 are dedicated to school and 8 for sleep, what can you do for the remaining 2 except eat, workout, and try to keep your sanity for the next four years?
The point I am trying to get at is this: why go to Optometry school at age 25 when you won't finish until you're nearly 29, approaching 30? Um, because I want to help people with their visual problems? Good answer, right? Apparently, I was wrong. I should be saying I want to find a husband.To be up front I never even considered this to be a problem, but for some women who want to get married by 26 and have a child by 29 Optometry school (or any professional school for that matter) seems out of reach. Professional school is not like undergrad where you spend maybe 20 hours a week studying and the rest of your time hanging out with friends. Professional school is your life. You eat, breathe, and sleep what you are learning in order to become a professional in the subject of your choice. When you sign up for this type of commitment it is practically impossible to have an outside personal life unless you are already seriously committed to someone. Which leaves single young women in a bind... especially one's going into Optometry school. The current ratio of women to men in Optometry school is 3:1 and still shrinking. Most men who you do meet in school are already in serious relationships, possibly married, or not interested. This leaves maybe a handful of men, at best, for a single woman to consider within her class because she won't have time to create an outside social life with the men in her community. Or, it seems very unlikely.
For me, this supposed impossible challenge of finding a guy is not important and not a factor in my pursuit of becoming an Optometrist. I figure I will pursue my career goals while working on hobbies/interests that make me happy (baking, being active, trying out kayaking, and traveling) and somewhere in those pursuits everything will work out as it should. However, there also seems to a staggering percentage of women who are in the same boat as me, maybe around the age of 22-23 instead of my crazy "old" age of 25, who are losing their minds at the prospect of not finding a guy until they are, gasp, 27. They consider that age to be "too old" to be considered marriage material for guys and worry they will miss their best years for finding a husband.
ARE THEY NUTS?! I am sorry, but isn't it 2012? I don't view my success based on when I get married or who I marry. I base my success on my happiness with the relationships I do have and the lives I've been able to touch. If these women believe that their only chance for happiness is marrying a guy and that is their focus going in to Optometry school I will be very surprised if they make it out with enough self-confidence to be successful in a career they just spent $200,000 on.
Maybe my priorities are screwed up and I should be figuring out my next date in order to get a guy to marry me before I reach old maid status. Life is about a being and becoming, not about having and getting. When we work towards our best potential with a smile and optimism, great things can happen in all aspects of our lives.
Until next time,
powerkat
ps: I know I said I'd share a recipe, so let's say this is a rant recipe for how to annoy me. :)
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