As a kid, my answer to the question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?”, fluctuated wildly depending upon my interests. For a while, it was “paleontologist” (I was going through a “Dinosaurs are amazing, why are they not with us today?!” phase); then came singer, author and librarian. In fact, the librarian idea evolved into what would today be a called a “pet-friendly café”, but in my mind was an “animal library”, where you could read a book, stroke a cat and drink coffee. It also (confusingly) offered grooming services, because that’s what libraries back then were missing — having a wet dog wander through them and spray all nearby readers with bathwater.
Then and now
Today, I’m none of those things. Paleontologist? Too much time spent in the sun. Singer or author? No and no. Animal Librarian? LOL, no; do you have any idea how tough it is to crack the food services industry?
Kid Me’s thought process was very clear: Dogs are cute. Books are good. It’s probably possible to make money off petting dogs and reading books. So that should be my job . Today, I still like petting dogs and reading books, but my priorities have changed. I don’t have the spirit of entrepreneurship coursing through my veins. I’m perfectly content working a desk job and restricting playing with dogs and reading to hobbies.
For the longest time, society mandated that you pick “safe” careers — medicine, law, chartered accountancy, engineering. “Professional trapeze artist” and “DJ at a silent disco” were strict no-nos. However, things are changing. A rebellion is afoot. You are now being encouraged to reject the “safe” careers, and “follow your passion” (a call to action that is often accompanied by an inspirational quote by Steve Jobs).
Which path do you take? Which pill do you swallow? Does choosing to ditch your job in corporate law to become a wedding photographer make you a fool or a hero?
The answer is, “Who cares?”. Some people have passions. Some people don’t. It doesn’t make sense to begrudge someone for their career choices whatever they may be. People make these choices based on their priorities. If your priorities are to earn a steady income and to save up for the future, picking a stable and predictable career is the best thing you can do.
You don’t have to love your job. You don’t have to write sonnets about it. You just have to not hate it! It’s okay if you are not passionate enough about something that you want to take a gamble on your existing career and make a jump into a new one. Just make sure you derive happiness and satisfaction from other sources (hobbies, community activities, spending time with loved ones) outside of your working hours, so that you have some balance in your life.
If you do feel passionately about something and are considering switching careers, do your homework first - what are the commitments (money, time, effort) that you need to make? Will your family/significant others be impacted and will they need to be involved in the decision? Do you understand the new field you’re getting into, and if not, how can you find out more about it? - then take the plunge!
The author is a psychologist and management consultant. krithvis@gmail.com
