Dear soma:

You graduated high school and you plan to attend University next. You wrote: “the main thing I need help with is choosing a career path to later pursue”-

– It is important that you choose the university and the subject that is most likely to lead you to the best career possible in pay, benefits, working conditions and potential for future growth.

I read that the Automotive Industry in Turkey, located mainly in the Marmara region, is very strong, having been ranked in 2015 as the 14th largest producer in the world.

The Turkish tourist industry was ranked 6th in the world in 2019, in terms of number of international tourist arrivals. Because of the pandemic, there was a 65.1% decline in tourism revenues in 2020. A few days ago, Turkey launched a vaccination campaign for over one million of tourism employees and other personnel, in the hope of strengthening the industry. Unfortunately, Turkey is currently experiencing its third pandemic wave and a record high number of daily cases (over 40 thousands a day) and daily deaths.

Another industry that is very relevant to the pandemic is the health care industry.

The reason I mention these three industries is that your choices of university and subject matter need to be about the realities of your country: the existing industries, the pandemic, the state of vaccinations, healthcare, etc.

In my research this morning I came across an article from March 24 this year, published in Al Jazeera, that is relevant to what you brought up (the pressure put on you by family to choose a great career, make enough money, etc., joining the rat race), it is called: Minimalism in Turkey: Journey to a Simple life, it reads: “A Turkish couple and their young child decided to quit the rat race and join the Simple Life movement, decluttering and living with less. ‘Less is more,’ so the saying goes. While many people aspire to earn more, buy more and own more, some are challenging material values.. The ‘simple living’ movement, also known as minimalism, is about being satisfied with what you have rather than constantly craving more…

“They visit a self-sufficient rural commune and meet others who have already rejected consumer values- including a former automotive engineer who have up all his credit cards”.

Not that you are in the position to do what they did, as in to give up credit cards you don’t yet have, but decluttering your mind/ your thoughts will surely help!

Take your time, if you will, and post again.

anita