Do you follow your passion or do you take the job that will secure you financially?

One thing for sure is that we do not always do what we want in life and sometimes we have to adapt to the situation and circumstances we are facing. We all know how difficult it can be at times.

However, the purpose of this article is to oppose two roads that many of us face during college (or even high school): going for your dreams by following your heart and your passion or taking a career path that will secure your future financially right away. Indeed, some of us always knew what they wanted to be in future since a very young age (I happened to be one of them), others figure it out as they go through experiences in life, while others never do (and yes that is true).

Have you ever found yourself asking people, especially young adults, why they wanted to become a banker, an accountant, an engineer, a doctor or a lawyer, and two answers that would usually come up were: ‘because my parents wanted me too’ or ‘because I knew I could find a job as soon as I finished school’.

However, is letting your parents or your entourage decide the choice you make always a good idea? And is taking a job according to the chances of being hired always a good decision?

We hear or read every day about all those people at the middle of the career waking up one day and being burnt out, trying to commit suicide, or changing their lifestyle completely by leaving the city and the corporate world for a more simple life in the country side.

In my case, I was one of those people who knew what they wanted to do in the future since a very young age. Despite how hard it can be to follow your passion because you may not see the results right away and even go through some deep pain, I knew deep down in my heart that I would never want to be in a position one day where I wake up being unhappy because of the wrong career choice I made and because I did not listen to my instinct.

Life is about choice: Make the right one for yourself and not the one you think people expect from you. Your happiness and well-being are at stake.

I would like to end this article by saying that you know how bad you want something when you cry for it, when you are ready to spend all your money and savings on your project (or even borrow money), when you are willing to sacrifice free time for it, when you don’t listen to the negative people telling you “ this is not the right way to lead your professional career”. Yes I did use the term ‘negative people’ because they always think there is one absolute truth to everything. Negative people are usually closer to home than you think.

However, as I see it, the truth in someone’s case may not be the one for you. We are all on a different mission in this lifetime.

Marie-Madeleine Mbong