University...Yes or No?

So I have 11 academic weeks left until I finish my first year of uni, which is scary...but even now I still contemplate whether I've made the right choice. Deep down I know I have and I know uni will get me to the place I want to be, but I still can't help but wonder what if...What if I'd stuck to performing?, What if I decided to continue with photography? What if I had finished writing that book? How different would my life be if I'd gone into criminology or cosmetology? What if I decided to follow 12 year old me's dreams of being a tattoo artist? (What can I say, I have a lot of interests...) Fair enough I would still be at uni if I'd have done criminology, and probably still at Trent. 

The thing is unless I chase those dreams I'll never know, I will never know how successful my book would have been, or if I'd have made it performing. Trent is my dream university, it was from the very beginning, and although I do wonder what life in London would have been like, I'm thankful where I am, and if I'm honest I am the type of person that will never be happy. I will be happy yes, but I will always be thinking about the next thing, the next step, the next project, and although it can be extremely stressful at times, I can't help but lead a hectic life. 

So, yes uni was right for me, but that doesn't mean it is right for everyone else. To be honest if I had decided that I wanted to continue with photography and chose it as a career, I'd have quit my A-Levels and gone straight into work. A-Levels give you the knowledge but going out and working from bottom to top will give you all that and so much more. Going straight in at the deep end will give you experience that will allow you to grow a lot more than completing an A-Level.

Alternatively if I'd listened to 12/13 year old me and decided that tattooing was the right career choice for me then yes I would have had to learn certain things such as sterilization (My OCD would LOVE this...seriously) etc, but certain things would come with experience such as how to deal with a difficult customer, and which bits would look better done freehand. 

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying university is wrong, I'm just saying it isn't right for everyone, and some people discover that fairly on, others may discover it after they finish. University was the right choice for me, maybe in the future my opinion will change, but I have got so much more than academic knowledge from uni, but at the end of the day if I'm honest I could be the most successful woman in history but that won't matter to me if I'm not happy within myself. 

Even if your chosen career path isn't the most well paid, it doesn't matter as long as you're happy, the best advice I got given was 'If money wasn't an object, and you'd be financially comfortable for the rest of your life, what would you do?' Since being at uni, my career choice's have changed, well everyday, but I know that if you asked me if I'd take my old job back without pay, I would, because I loved it with all my heart, at the end money didn't matter one bit, and that's what keeps me going. Whether that changes after my year in industry we'll just have to wait and see. 

Right now, in all honesty, I would give uni up tomorrow if I my 5 top goals came true, without a shadow of a doubt, but unfortunately for one of those I need my degree. Life is pointless if you're miserable, doing what makes you happy is so important. So I guess what I'm trying to say is follow your dreams, but take your brain first and don't let anyone try and pressure you, it is your life not your; teachers, familys or friends, you have to live with your decisions so whatever makes you happy (unless it is illegal or harms others...)!