Alexandria, EGYPT – Everyone faces one of, if not the most, challenging decision in his or her life at the age of 18: choosing a major.
But guess what? If you’re Egyptian, you’re lucky! You don’t have to be put in such a dilemma because on the same day your name was chosen, your future
was chosen, too.
was chosen, too.
Here in Egypt, it all depends on your set of chromosomes. Happy with your Y chromosome? Great. You’re an engineer now.
Oh, you lack this Y chromosome? No worries – doctor!
Unfortunately, one is considered a success only if he or she is an engineer, doctor, or at least a dentist. If you go into any other, field people do not congratulate you – instead, they start soothing and pitying you.
Most of Egypt‘s students can have their dreams broken or their interests set aside only for the sake of being socially respected or making their parents proud.
Is it really worth living the rest of your life leading a miserable one? Are all successful people in this world either engineers or in the medical field? Doesn’t the world need many more jobs of equal importance?
How on Earth can anyone pity a successful girl going into Alexandria’s Faculty of Science or a brilliant boy aiming to be a journalist or photographer?
Just as this world needs doctors and builders, it needs scientists, writers, businessmen, lawyers, environmentalists, reporters, archaeologists, and lots and lots of important professions.
People only succeed when they study and work at what they like. Even if they succeed in a job that they don’t enjoy, they will be losing in return the happiest days of their lives. They will never learn how to master things they like or wake up thinking, This will be a perfect day because I’ll be doing what I love today and nothing can stop me!
They will simply die ignorant of one of the world’s simplest pleasures, the joy of working at what you love.
Salma Khairy is a Junior Reporter for Youth Journalism International.
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when i first read the title i expected an article about the state of women vs men inthe Egyptian society which is the first topic that can come in mind when reading an article regarding Chromosomes and Arab Countries! thus, when i finished reading, i found out that this is a fact going on not only in Egypte, but in Tunisia too!
well done.