A familiar refrain when engaging in small talk as a college student. I’ve been asked this question countless times, and have asked it to other people just as frequently. My answer has changed throughout the years. Although it can be annoying sometimes to keep hearing the same question, what can be even more annoying for a person as uncertain as me is hearing everyone else’s certain answers.

There are expected paths to take upon receiving one’s bachelor’s degree. Many choose to find a job right away; in fact, some are fortunate enough to already have one lined up even before they graduate. In fields like computer science, where opportunities appear endless, all one has to do is find the right one. Some of my friends at the School of Computing had been doing internships during their summer or winter vacations, and a few of them did well enough that the companies they interned at want to employ them once they graduate. Those of us in other departments may not have as many opportunities to network with potential employers during our studies. Thus, some choose to pursue a graduate degree instead — to learn more, to gain experience, and, in some cases, to stall for time while deciding one’s career prospects. Some choose to take a risk and go abroad for further studies; some decide to stay in the “comforts” of KAIST, if there is such a thing.

There is no right answer; however, there can sometimes seem to be wrong answers. Whenever I say that I don’t plan on working in Korea and would rather go back home to the Philippines and work for the government, I am sometimes met with a look that says, “Why would you want to do that?” After all, the salary in Korea would be much higher, especially in the private sector, compared to any job in a developing country. A wasted opportunity, some would think. Whenever I say that I plan to pursue further education but might leave STEM behind in favor of policy-oriented social studies, the question then becomes, “What did you get an engineering degree for?” I will have spent four and a half years studying a major I wouldn’t end up using. A wasted effort, some might say.

“Why should we blaze a trail when the well-worn path seems safe and so inviting?”

A line from the stage musical Tick, Tick… Boom!, a semi-autobiographical work by Jonathan Larson, who used the play to tell his story as an aspiring playwright in New York City in 1990. The performing arts are not the most lucrative of careers, and this specific line — in the song “Louder Than Words” — expressed his doubts about his chosen path. I’m no budding playwright; I’m an engineering major in the final semester of my undergraduate studies. Yet, when I watched the film version of Tick, Tick… Boom!, I felt that the line embodied my own experience and the questions that have been lingering in my head.

I don’t fancy myself as a trailblazer, but I do admit that I am averse to the well-worn path — the conventional one taken by so many. The allure of it is not alien to me; oftentimes, I ask myself why I didn’t just major in computer science, work hard, and do just well enough to live a comfortable life. But the truth is, it was never an option for me, simply because it was not something I was interested in nor something I imagined myself doing. In the same way, back in high school, when I didn’t know yet what career I wanted to have, all I would tell people was that I didn’t want to be a doctor.

Sometimes it’s easier to figure out what you don’t want rather than what you do want. Whereas some people take a straightforward path towards their goal, others can zigzag and circle around, trying to explore different options until they find the right one. There is no wrong path towards the right destination. Why, then, do some take a different path than the well-worn one? We’re simply trying to find our way. Don’t worry; we’ll meet you on the other side.