@ishan

The Cost of Staying Silent I believe that a lack of guidance at the right time can hold a person back in life. The situation becomes even harder when your family cannot support your career choices. Until 6th grade, I was doing well in school. Then financial difficulties changed everything. I had to study in a school with little educational support and almost no career guidance. From a young age, I was forced to make important decisions on my own, without anyone helping me understand my options. After completing intermediate, I was pushed toward the same path everyone else was following—a B.Sc. degree and competitive exams. I was never asked what I actually wanted. Deep down, I wanted to become a designer and build a career in a creative field, but I stayed silent. Over time, I realized that continuing on a path I didn’t believe in would only leave me with a degree, not a future I truly wanted. At that point, my younger brother encouraged me to speak up and fight for my own dreams. His support gave me the courage to express my ambitions and begin my journey in design. Looking back, my biggest mistake was not speaking for myself sooner. When families struggle financially, many of us feel guilty about sharing our dreams. But silence can cost years of your life.