Why???

WHY is it that just when I finally figure out what direction I would really like to take with my career, it's almost time for me to settle down and get married? I've met the man of my dreams, and maybe in two years or so, he'll propose. And yet, there is so much that I want to accomplish. I never envisioned myself having kids after 32, but without being too specific I feel like that's around the time I will feel fulfilled enough to settle down and have kids.

Why don't people warn you that just because you graduated from college, it does NOT mean that your 20's will be a straight forward upward moving time? Why do we raise our children to believe that they should have a career decided on by 21? With all of the resources available to college grads, why don't we encourage young people to travel the world to get some REAL exposure, and THEN make a decision about a career path?

I won't completely blame my parents and grandparents generation, because part of the issue is that my generation of internet guru blacks is the first to really have the affordable and accessible opportunities to see the world.

I have decided that when I have children, I won't force them to conform to the high school ->then college ->then 9-5 job hunt -> then 9-5 job drudgery. As black children, I want them to be exposed to as much culture as possible and to then be able to make a better informed decision about the QUALITY of life they want to have. There is just way more to a career than what is plastered in our minds as we embark on professional livelihoods.