Respecting the Differences

Students grow so much while making their way through college. I've learned many things both in and out of the classroom throughout my duration at Purdue that I can apply to my daily life. Reading Lean In has really helped me to open my eyes to new ideas and peoples' individual differences. I'm a very accepting person, and this book further broadens my way of thinking.

We have recently read a chapter called, "Don't Leave Before You Leave." This chapter discusses statistics and stories regarding women who are having children, or even planning to have children, and are worried about what some people would consider the struggle of maintaining their position within their job.

Sheryl Sandberg discusses that most women don't want to dive into a new position or project within the workforce for fear that they wouldn't have time to put their all in due to their pregnancy or new child. She suggests that instead of trying to not take on too much because of that fear, you should instead, lean in. The more that you love and appreciate your job, the more likely you'll want to come back after giving birth.

While I see and understand Sandberg's thoughts on this, it had me thinking about other peoples' opinions on this. One of my good friends confided in me regarding her future. She told me that in order to get into the position that she wants to be in career-wise, she would need to attend grad school. The one thing that she was concerned about was the timeline of her life. She wants to have kids within the next few years, and doesn't want to put a hold on what she has planned to go back to school.

The concern I had with this is that she hadn't even decided to go to grad school before having all of these concerns. She also felt that she couldn't balance school and family. Saving up money and beginning her family is what took precedence. I thought to myself, "It's only a few more years of school. She wouldn't necessarily be putting a hold on the life she sees ahead of her." I then realized, that it's just how she feels. And this is okay. We are all different, and even though we may not all go down the same, "normalized" path, we need to respect each other's differences.