"We'd rather just keep dreaming"

When you are a kid, people ask you what you want to be when you grow up. Usually the answer is "I wanna be an astronaut" or "I wanna be a chef" or something like that. And people look at you with a smile, because it's cute, you are 4, maybe 5 or 6, and you have big dreams.

Then you grow up and you turn 11, 12 and then 13. People ask you again the same question. Your answer has changed. Now, it's more likely to be something like "I'd love to be a teacher". This time they don't smile at you, they just stay silent, maybe nod.

Now I'm 17. And again, people ask me what I wanna be, what is my dream. I'm not gonna say I have lived a long life, but I know more than when I was 5. I have understand what you have to study to be able to achieve your dream work, and I know what I love and what I don't.
I ask truthfully. "I wanna be a radio producer".
When I answer, people usually laugh at me, or just question me "why?" with a disgusted face, like it's not a real job.

I have heard every type of response from people. "Why something like that. You could do lot more, you could be a mathematician, your talents would be wasted.". Or "It doesn't happen in a second. You won't immediately be a producer. It takes time and you are gonna spend most of your life bringing coffees to people and being under payed". And let's never forget the amazing "You know, nowadays it's impossible to find a job, so lower your standards and stop dreaming.".

The thing is, when you are 4, 5 or 6 and you have no idea what being an astronaut means and you say that just because it seems cool to you and you like the stars in the night sky, people tell you to keep dreaming and to study hard to make your dream come true. But when you are 17 and you have to decide what to study at college and what you want to do for the rest of your life, people simply laugh at you, because dreaming is childish and you should focus on getting a real job, even if you don't like it.
I think people should encourage you to always keep dreaming. No matter if you are 5 or 6 or 17 or 18 or 25, I don't care.

Dreams are what make us waking up in the morning and decide to go out and live. That's because we want to live everyday in spite of getting better at whatever we need to be able to do in order to achieve them.
Telling people to stop dreaming is like asking them to die.

L