How One Lie Set My Career in Motion | by RushK

I’ve never been the kind of person who had life all figured out.

In my final semester of Civil Engineering, while most of my classmates were buried in books, prepping for competitive exams, I was… floating.

I wasn’t dumb. In fact, I did well in academics. But something was missing — that sense of direction, that fire inside. I was just going with the flow, convincing myself I’d “figure it out later.”

Then one day, during a casual hostel chat, someone asked me:
“What’s your plan after graduation?”

Without thinking, I lied:
“I’m going to Canada for higher studies.”

A bold claim — especially because I had zero idea what that even involved. I didn’t know the exams. I didn’t know the process. Heck, I didn’t even know if I really wanted to go.

People laughed. They saw through it. I was known as “the guy who talks big” — and in that moment, the nickname stuck harder than ever.

That night, something clicked.
Was it guilt? Embarrassment? Ego?
Maybe all of it.

So I did what any directionless 20-something would do when they’ve hit an existential low:
I opened my laptop and searched, “How to study in Canada?”

English isn’t my first language, but I pushed myself — reading articles, watching videos, and figuring out acronyms like IELTS and SOP. It felt like a maze at first, but slowly, I began connecting the dots.

I even joined a coaching class for Englis— but didn’t tell anyone. Not because I was unsure, but because a part of me wanted to prove it to myself before proving it to the world.

Then came the toughest part: telling my dad.

He had always been against the idea of moving abroad.
The kind of person who believed: “Why go abroad when you can make a life here?”

So when I told him, I expected resistance. Maybe even anger.
But instead, he just paused… and said,
“Okay. Let’s do it.”

I didn’t ask why he changed his mind. I still haven’t.
Maybe he sensed this time was different. Maybe he saw the conviction.
Or maybe… he just knew I needed this.

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