Your heart rate begins to speed up; your hands start to shake. Your voice shows the slightest hint of anxiety. The first words out of your mouth are, “Mom, Dad…we need to talk.”

You’re nervous, and you should be. You’re about to tell your parents you don’t want to continue on with your program.

You’re not alone.

I went through the same ordeal in 2003, when I had to tell my parents that Algonquin’s Paramedic program just wasn’t for me. What made things worse is that they saw it as a complete waste of their money. Come on, I managed to pay them back for the second semester!

There is an intense pressure on students to know what they want to do as soon as they are done high school. I didn’t know what I wanted to do, but come February, applications were due.

It’s a big decision, one that will shape the rest of your life; as long as you make the choice by February. My parents suggested the paramedics program, I checked it out, and only having to endure two years until I had a good paying job seemed like a good deal. Early on I knew paramedics wasn’t something I could do as a career. I waited until the end of the first year to tell my parents; back to the drawing board.

My brother got a better deal: our parents let him take a year off. Actually, he took two years off. Taking a year off after high school is definitely something I recommend if you’re not sure of what you want to do. There’s no point in rushing into things if you have doubts. It’s a waste of time, money and energy.

But taking some time off can have its drawbacks, too. There is always the risk of getting into a comfortable routine of getting up at three in the afternoon, going to work for 5 p.m. and then staying up until 4 a.m. You just may not want to go back.

I did. It took me three years, but I finally decided to go back to college (on my own tab, of course). Now I’m happy with my program. Sure, it will leave me with a massive debt OSAP will eventually want back, but at least I can pay it back with a job I would actually enjoy. I hope.