As we embark on the season where scholarships and universities are the new buzzword, something we all cannot run away from is the prospects of our future. Therein lies the biggest decision of our life--what do you want to be?

This is different from the time your parents inquisitively raised this subject or when you dreamed of ruling the planet with an iron fist. This is you and the entirety of reality resting upon your shoulders asking you for your one and only absolute decision. It is as though judgement day has come sooner than expected and just a single wrong decision can devastate your life completely.

While I have been rooted in my dreams and ambitions to become a veterinarian surgeon, it is increasingly more of a curse than a source of admiration from my peers. Many may wish that they too already know what they want to be when they grow up but sometimes keeping an open mind may be the smoothest way to success. I am now stuck in a pit of desperation, bound by the four walls that Singapore has enclosed on me: the scarcity of scholarship opportunities (if a single organization even counts for anything at all), competition with students worldwide for a place in world-renowned international universities, exorbitant school fees (again with no funding to back me up) and of course, the prospects of never actually making a decent living (taking into account the need for me to service my debt and tuition loans).

But still, nothing can deter me from at least trying to get where I have always wanted to be. Perhaps the daunting circumstances at hand has only served to reinforce my passion and love for this venture. I know now that the answer is not as simple as "because I like animals". Indeed, my passions stems from within but the diversity and uniqueness that veterinary science embodies is both frightening and all-so intriguing. The very fact that it is scarce in opportunities (not owing to the lack of demand I should bravely convince myself) shows the level of specialization and undiscovered potential that it beholds.

So still I face the impossible reality, knowing that many occurrences in my life have already been one of improbability.