I was unfortunate to have matriculated in the year 2020. March 2020 was the month in which the world was introduced to a virus that will change people's lives forever. Covid-19 took a toll on the world's economy, social structure and education systems. The first time I heard of Coronavirus, I had no idea that it will have such an impact on people's lives. After I graduated high school I was put into a very uncomfortable situation due to the circumstances that this pandemic introduced to us. The lockdown has put me into a real life-changing moment.
I took a gap year in 2021, the second year into the pandemic. Although the virus started spreading in 2019, 2020 was the year it got announced as a global pandemic. Luckily in 2021, the restrictions to slow the spread of the virus were eased and South Africa was not under a National Lockdown. With all that, we still had to recover in terms of the economy and education. I remember getting my results at the end of February, which is usually released at the beginning of January. That was an anxious long wait after we got notified of my marks but when I failed to get accepted into the university with my first choice and got accepted with my second choice instead. I decided to take a step back and think about my future deeply.
I think that was the best decision I ever made in my teenage life because I understood this will be the most critical decision I ever have to make about my future. And if I had to go to University doing something I don't have a passion for, it would leave me miserable for the rest of my life. I did not want to put myself under pressure because I know that indecision is fatal.