Bakuɭ

Years ago, I attended a friend’s birthday lunch. The conversation eventually turned to our post-college plans. I was an arts student. Because of this, everyone assumed I would prepare for the civil services exams. It is a classic stereotype. I mentioned I had not decided yet. But I knew I was definitely not taking that route. A friend laughed at this. He joked that "settling down" was always an option if I lacked real ambition. He equated ambition strictly with competitive exams or climbing a career ladder. I kept quiet. But his comment triggered a lot of overthinking. What exactly bothered me? Was it the assumption that my ambition was small? Was it the casual downplaying of a simple life? Or was it just the realization that I was an oddball? Now we are in our late twenties. The landscape has changed. Most of my friends are married. Some have kids. Others are climbing the corporate ladder. They seem to have achieved the goal of being "settled in life." I am nowhere...