I REMEMBER from my senior year at high-school that I had to choose a “professional direction” and that it would follow me for the rest of my life; therefore it was to my benefit to make the ideal decision. That adds up to the great school system paradox, of having no clue about Life’s Big Picture, as you have NO IDEA what each profession offers you and if it suits you. It’s not that, in previous years, we had classes like “Civil Engineer” or “Doctor” or “Advertiser” or “Public Servant” etc., to know whether they’ll bore you five minutes later. At least the U.S. colleges sent representatives to the high-schools to inform them. In Greece you face a very serious decision and your information about careers is what you have heard here and there, without any system to aid you to make the best decision. With these facts you had better have already expressed specific talents of your own, or your circle of friends may help you decide, covering the lack of imagination of our school system. What do you do when you haven’t spotted your specific talent; or if you have more than one and none stands out?
Firstly, the most pleasant news! You can change that choice anytime you want, if you’re prepared to make sacrifices! Working will also get you to witness how your choice really works out in the long term; wait till you find out that many people started NEW careers, from [almost] nothing when they became 30 or 40. The most famous example is of Harrison Ford who had his breakthrough at the age of 31 in American Graffiti and then he once again lost hope, until he reached the age of 35. In “Star Wars IV – A New Hope”. The story goes that the 35 year old Harrison Ford had almost dropped the dream of the big screen and, although keeping his acquaintances from some parts he performed in the past, was working as a carpenter on the sets at Fox. As fate would have it, that was when George Lucas was building the Star Wars Saga; he came out of his office, saw Harrison in front of him and the rest is now History.
The conclusion is that I hope you find your favorite profession from the beginning [it will save you a lot of confusion], but it’s not that you sign a binding contract for life and with your blood. Start with the one you enjoy the most and are already willing to give it your all, and slowly you’ll find your way. Almost everyone eventually finds it, so don’t be too stressed out. Also, if you don’t do well with a drained life, better refrain from choosing the philosophy of "as much money as possible." Many hated money; living careers which didn’t suit them was regretted by everyone. Usually, after 7-10 career years you can see more clearly.
On the other hand, that "half-a-day of your life" until you become 65 is not to be underestimated. They are real days-weeks-months-years which run in front of you like a flash when you join the career frenzy rhythm. You may wake up one day and say: “When did aaall those years pass by?”
Therefore, on the one hand try, even if you’re not sure, on the other hand the goal is to always learn what suits you professionally and in general, in order to always progress to the next level [exactly like in video games]. If you try without moving to the next level, then maybe you really are wasting your time but, not even then, you can’t say that you lost the game. Harrison Ford proves that there’s no limit to success. I’m not certain about the most successful professionals, I’m certain, though, about the happiest: Those who turned their hobbies into a profession. :)))
Have a Good Day! :D
CHOOSING THE PERFECT CAREER PATH [lasts for a whole life, Philosophical/Thriller]
October 1, 2018
THANK THE TEENAGERS, because no matter how the irresponsible adults of each generation f#$% it up, there always going to be rebellious teenagers, ready to put things in the right order. Being a teenager, thankfully, is characterized by revolutionary actions, and renegotiating from the beginning all the “adult” philosophies. This teen Q&A is for these teenagers and teenage souls. Or to offer proof that even the adults want something much better than the world we witness. There are points of view and information I’d love to have known as a teenager, or at least have their perspective, and that is why I share them with all teenagers and teen-spirits. We need many more teenage souls and that’s the only reason for the answers I’d give to my teen self, or to current teenagers who see the world a little bit differently than the over 40’s do.
We should know that all generations agree on the will to “change the world”, as this is the most common wish to any newborn baby: “Be the one who’s going to change the world.” And we mean it!
You can e-mail me at contact@filippos.com your own major questions and I’ll try to reply as informatively as possible, according to what my eyes have witnessed. I’m not going to insist on my views, I’m also writing in order to learn more. I believe it’s most beneficial if different generations work together, because we can all learn a billion things from our fruitful cooperation. Something isn’t going right in our world, and we all know it, even if we keep our eyes shut. Is it our first step to change the world, to talk openly amongst ourselves?
PRACTICAL ADVICE TO MY TEEN SELF
how to solve teenage suicides & BULLYING?
[13 reasons why]
"13 Reasons Why" is a very realistic, honest and compelling TV show with smart, lovable and realistic characters, strong friendships, amazing acting and a "teenage feeling," dedicated to "teenagers suicides;" after their teen angst, which originated from bullying. This time it's the lovely, beautiful and very intelligent girl, Hannah, aged 17, who unfortunately commits suicide, because she doesn't know that no matter how traumatizing the bullying is at school, it only lasts these very few years, and then, you have a whole life without any bullying. Because, after school we have this thing called "Law" -putting bullies to prison, since they're not minors anymore.
The best solution to stop bullying is to "call them out" as soon as possible, to people with authority, and insist on ending the problem until it's solved. Then, not only will you have a very strong ally, but, it's also their lawful obligation to put an end to it. Hannah, recorded 13 tapes, addressed to 13 people who according to her were "The 13 Reasons Why" she commited suicide at the age of 17. Each tape is one episode. My favourite character is Alex.
[On top is "Clay", to the right is "Hannah", and below is "Alex"]
The statistics about teenage suicide are jaw-breaking. In the U.S. only, 3,041 teenage suicide atemps (12-18 y.o.) occur, EVERY DAY! Almost all of them have a psychological disorder at the time of death, meaning that you can "see the signs", if you're a parent who pays close attention to your children. Suicidal teens are very often depressed, bored of everything, find no interest in our world, lonely, don't believe in anyone, bullied, angry at everything, and as a result most of them take drugs or drink lots of alcohol, alienating them even more.
If a good friend or a parent wants to help them out, or to minimize the suicidal risk, the most important thing is to UNDERSTAND your child. First listen to him, and then be OPEN to his new ideas. And that means that you may have to stop being the "All-knowing" stiff parent, or the cop-parent, who pressures the teenager even more. Try not to forget that we were all very bored of school's classes and homework, and having to spend half of our day with something that you don't like at all, naturally makes you angry. Teenage years though, have the potential to be the most "eye-opening" years of your life. But, if your parents don't believe in you, or if they only listen to themselves, they may darken your teenage years and may lead you to the misconception that our world "sucks big times," and there's no way out of it. Then, committing suicide doesn't sound that crazy... But, this is a misconception, due to teenagers lack of experience.
And this is the key point I want to underline to depressed teenagers. Don't judge by what you experienced during only 15 years, and pretty much in the exact same "boxed environment," with the exact same police-rules. After high-school graduation sets off a completely new level, and when you used to hate everything around you, now you can be surrounded by people just like you, sharing similar interests. And trust me, there always are. An example for the above is a very talented artist, born in a small farmers village, where none can appreciate his talent and they make a joke out of his artistic efforts, making him depressed to the bone. Then he moves to the city, shows his artwork to the right eyes, and... BOOM! He's now an Artist, and as happy as can be, since his love, his hobby, can also be his means of survival. From depressed and suicidal, to being a happy & successful man. And dear parents, please don't be easily dissappointed by your children, believe in them, UNDERSTAND THEM, and help them to spread their wings, even if their dreams are far away from yours.
Series Backstory: Surprisingly, two studies in the U.S. claim that: "There was a nearly 30% increase in suicides among kids 12 to 18 years old in the month following the release of the show." And that's really a lot and can't be easily ignored. That's why the Production of "13 Reasons Why" built a suicide prevention website with all kind of resources, worldwide: https://13reasonswhy.info/ The only reason I can think of, is that maybe teens with similar to Hannah's issues "realized" through the show, that their issues may even lead to suicide, as Hannah did in the show. Even if Hannah had loving parents who loved her, and many friends who cared about her, even if they temporarly belittled her, plus she was very pretty -and that's VERY rare. Obviously, they're teens out there with much much worst problems, and the truth is that almost all of them moved on after high school. And that's the truth that troubled teens should listen to. Teens with much more traumatic lives got over it, to show you that you can do it to no matter the sh** you're now facing. There's ALWAYS a solution, even if "I've never been a 14 years old girl" as said in "The Virgin Suicides", an amazing & mesmerizing true-story film by Sofia Coppola, with a similar subject. If you're reading this and you can't find your solution no matter what, feel free to email me at contact(at)filippos.com and we can try to find it together. Life has the potential to be too f** amazing to kill yourself.
Furthermore, the Suicide Prevention Resource Center offers very valuable resources to help parents to talk about the "13 Reasons Why" TV series and suicide risk and prevention to their teenage children.
Creator & Writer: Brian Yorkey (based on the book by Jay Asher)
Stars: Dylan Minnette, Katherine Langford, Christian Navarro | See full cast & crew
ARTICLE'S PERMANENT LINK IS HERE:
"13 reasons why" official website
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