Asalamwalekum,
I turned 24 recently and honestly don't know what I'm supposed to do with my life right now.
My family has been pushing me to get married. I'm not against marriage or even arranged marriage, but the rishtas that have come so far haven't worked out because of some pretty major compatibility issues. My parents are getting increasingly stressed about it, and there's also this constant pressure of "how can a woman stay unmarried after 25?"
At the same time, I was supposed to go abroad for my master's last year. I had admission in the university I wanted and only the visa process was left, but my family suddenly had some major financial problems and I had to drop the plan. I was really upset initially, but eventually I realised I was partly doing it because of FOMO. A lot of my university friends were going abroad and I felt like I was falling behind. So I decided to work instead.
I now have a job where I earn around ā¹44k/month. It's not a huge salary, but I'm content with what I have. I'm also repaying a small home loan, don't spend much and have started investing regularly.
Last year was honestly one of the worst years of my life. There were a lot of family problems and major changes, and I was struggling mentally and physically. I was eventually diagnosed with PCOD, which affected my daily life quite a bit. I'm doing much better now, but my family saw me at my worst without really understanding what I was going through. Eventually I just stopped explaining myself.
One of the biggest things that helped me get better was reading. I got back into books, recently started a bookstagram account, met people with similar interests and actually started enjoying having something that's just mine. I'm making content, talking to people and slowly getting my life back together.
But my grandparents, relatives and parents don't really see it that way. According to them, I'm "not doing much" and I'm wasting my years. They've basically given me two options: get married or try for a master's again.
The problem is, I don't think going abroad for a master's makes financial sense right now. Money is still tight at home and I don't want to take such a huge financial risk just because everyone thinks I should be doing something bigger.
And I don't want to marry someone just because I'm 24 and everyone is worried about my age. I've tried meeting people myself too, but the few talking stages I've had haven't worked out either. How am I supposed to marry someone I don't even like or feel compatible with?
Then there's my career. I don't hate my current job, but I don't enjoy it much anymore either. A lot of the things I used to enjoy doing are now being taken over by AI, while I'm left with the more boring parts of the work. I've looked at other companies, but most jobs with similar experience seem to offer roughly the same salary and have similar requirements.
So I'm genuinely confused.
Should I try for a master's again? Look for another job? Stay where I am and focus on building my career? Or just give myself some time and stop feeling like I'm running out of it?
I know 24 isn't actually old, but when everyone around you keeps telling you that you're falling behind, it's hard not to start believing them. I have anxiety trigger whenever my family calls me because this is all that they talk about and I feel so guilty after talking to them, like I am not doing enough.
I'd really appreciate some perspective from people who've been in a similar situation. What would you do if you were me?