Between Survival and Dreams: A Young Man’s Journey in the Capital

Leaving Home, Carrying Dreams

When I left my village for Islamabad, I carried more than just a bag of clothes. I carried dreams — mine and my family’s. My mother’s eyes were full of prayers, my father’s silence was heavy with trust, and my siblings’ smiles were like a promise of love I would miss every single day.

I thought I was stepping into a city of opportunities. And yes, opportunities were here — but so were challenges that I had never imagined.

The truth is, life at 24 is not what people think. It is not golden freedom. It is sacrifice, exhaustion, and learning to keep walking even when you want to stop.

A Daily Battle

My days are split in two. Mornings belong to my job — standing for hours, doing tasks, meeting people, and trying to hold back the tiredness that builds up in my legs and shoulders. By the time I’m done, my body begs for rest. But rest is a luxury I cannot afford.

Evenings belong to the university. I rush from work to class, often skipping meals or walking into lectures half-drained. At first, it felt unbearable. I thought I would collapse under the weight of this routine. Half of me lived at work, half of me sat in class, and none of me felt whole.

But slowly, I began to adapt. I realized this wasn’t just my story. This was the story of thousands of young people in Islamabad and all across Pakistan who balance jobs and education, not because they want to, but because they have to.

The Loneliness That Hurts More Than Work

Work makes me tired, but loneliness breaks me.

In the village, mornings were full of warmth — my mother’s voice calling me, my father’s calm presence at the breakfast table, my siblings’ chatter and laughter filling the house. Here, in my rented room, mornings are silent. Nights are even harder.

Cooking, laundry, paying rent, fixing broken things — all fall on me. There is no one to ask, “Beta, how was your day?” That small question, which once felt ordinary, now feels like the most precious thing in the world.

Sometimes, I miss my mother’s food so much that I can almost taste it in my memory. Sometimes I long for my father’s advice when I feel lost. Sometimes, the simple sound of my siblings arguing over nothing echoes in my head and makes me smile through tears.

This is the price of chasing a dream.

Why I Keep Moving

People often ask: “Why do you work so hard? Why don’t you just focus on one thing?”

My answer is always the same: because I have dreams bigger than my tiredness.

I am a BS Demography student. It’s not a field many know about. When people hear “Demography,” they often ask, “What is that? What will you do with it?”

But I know what it means to me. It is the science of people, of populations, of the stories behind numbers. It connects to health, education, economics, and the very future of our society. And I want to be someone who doesn’t just count people, but tells the human story behind those numbers.

I want to prove to myself — and to my family — that their sacrifices are not in vain.

Lessons This Journey Taught Me

Living in Islamabad, away from home, balancing studies and work, has been my greatest teacher.

Time management is survival. Without it, everything falls apart.

Discipline matters more than motivation. Motivation fades; discipline carries you forward.

Sacrifice is the foundation of growth. Every small sacrifice today builds a stronger tomorrow.

Faith keeps you standing. Even in silence, even in loneliness, I feel my mother’s prayers around me like an invisible shield.

Final Thoughts

At 24, my life isn’t easy — but it is meaningful. Every long shift, every late lecture, every lonely meal is shaping me into someone stronger than I ever imagined.

This struggle is not forever. But the strength it is giving me will last a lifetime.

And maybe that’s what life is really about: not comfort, but growth; not shortcuts, but endurance; not just dreams, but the courage to chase them through the hardest of days.

💬 Author’s Note

If my story resonated with you, please leave a ❤️, share a comment, or tell me your own journey of balancing studies, work, and life. Your support means the world — and reminds me that none of us are truly alone in our struggles.