What Happens When Passion Isn’t a Choice

I was watching a YouTube short where the host randomly interviews shoppers around T. Nagar in Chennai. One interview really struck me. The interviewee is currently employed as a bank manager. When he was asked whether this was the career he had always wanted, he said something that hit me hard. He explained:

“After 10th, I wanted to pursue business and accountancy in high school, but my parents were against it and made me take biology instead. That led me to engineering—like most people do—and eventually to this job. My only regret is that my life was offset because of my parents’ decision. If you don’t let your kids do what their heart calls for, it becomes very difficult for them later in life.”

That one sentence shook me. I couldn’t help reflecting on my own life.

As a child, life sciences fascinated me. I always imagined a career in laboratories, helping unravel nature’s secrets. I pictured myself teaching, researching, and earning a living while contributing to a larger common goal. Life, however, had different plans. Although I had the option to choose biology as a subject in 12th grade, I was never allowed to pursue it as my college major. Instead, I was pushed into a subject I had zero aptitude for.

Initially, I thought I would make it work and later switch to a stream combining systems and biology—but I couldn’t get there. One thing led to another, and the greatest regret of all is falling into the trap of entrance exams in an overpopulated, lower-middle-income country.

I had to restart my life at an age when, by Indian standards, I was expected to be married with a child in kindergarten. I am grateful that life gave me the chance to begin again, but is this what I truly wanted to do? No. I am doing this to stay afloat—to prevent myself from breaking down mentally. I am learning to like what I do, not because my heart chose it, but because I have no other option right now.

Would my life have been different if I had been allowed to choose my major? Absolutely. I would still have faced ups and downs, but my life wouldn’t be this delayed. I would have travelled more, met more people, and lived on my own terms much earlier. I wouldn’t have had to depend on others for everything, be criticised for every decision, or seek permission for even the smallest tasks.

I know for certain—I would have been in a better place today.