About Rob

I stared wearily down at the physics text book, sprawled lifeless on the desk in front of me. Glancing numbly towards the front of the class I noticed one of my peers engaged in a heated discussion with the teacher over the distribution of mass from point A to point B.

                Up until that point I had had my mind set on engineering. Like many kids my age, swiftly ejected from high school without a single clue what they want to do with their lives, I chose the direction that I imagined would lead to the largest pay check.

                I continued to stare at the spectacled boy down in front, still arguing with the teacher, and wondered what it was that made him different from me. Why did he enjoy calculating kinetic energy and solving complex equations while I struggled to stay awake in class? Why should pure and applied sciences be so easy on him and so tough on me? Was he just that much smarter?

                The questions swirled in my head as the teacher rambled on about Newton's second law, until I came to the slow but sure realization that "four-eyes" was in his element and I was not. He belonged in this classroom and I didn't. My arbitrary first choice of post-secondary education had led me astray. I realized upon walking out of the room after class (while a group of students crowded the teacher's desk to ask further questions) that I had not been true to myself.

                I didn't quit. I was not a quitter. I told myself that I had started something and I would see it through until the end. I got my DEC in science, and it set me free to pursue my real passions in life.

                Today, only a few years older but much wiser, I devote myself to the things that I love. I'm a student of English Literature, Journalism and Professional Writing at Concordia University where I discovered that my place isn't manipulating numbers but crafting words. I'm a guitarist in an alternative rock band called Chair Warriors where I can express all the wild energy and creativity I need. I spend some of my free time, not working through the challenging problems at the back of my physics book, but thoughtfully composing music reviews for the University newspaper.

                Looking back, I don't regret any of the decisions I've made. The two grueling years I spend studying science made me realize where my true interests lie. They also presented me with one of the hardest challenges I've had to overcome and let me prove to myself that I can do anything I set my mind to.

                In a strange way I have a lot to owe to that mistake (if you can call it one). It showed me a glimpse of the misery that lies in store for those who try to be someone they're not, and in the process gave me the keys to uncovering who I am. A Journalist. A Musician. A Writer.