A rite of passage that most of us go through is to find a job to earn some extra cash or to bring the dough home. Yet, in the process of finding a job, one is sometimes torn between finding something of interest or one that pays well. This is especially true for students with minimal working experience who are finding jobs during the vacation period. This means that one would either be an intern in a company according to one’s interest or be in charge of menial tasks.
As such, I am no exception to the scheme of things as I recently endured the process of combing through newspapers, asking for recommendations and looking through online job advertisements. Being utterly torn up myself, I decided to look at what my peers have chosen. Understandably, most of them subscribed to the pragmatic route and just accept whatever decent offer that they could get.
While it is a noble enterprise to earn one’s keep and accepting what life offers, there is a deep-seated sense of uneasiness within me as I could not bring myself to do that. To me, it is not just a choice between two logical and commendable paths but one that reflects the outlook to one’s life: Do you choose to accept whatever life throws at you or do you fight for what you desire as long as there is a chance? How many times are we going to opt for a “safe” option and never find out what would happen if you took a chance?
Such questions plagued me endlessly and I decided to take the road less travelled and find a job that caters to my interest. This decision is made not out of rebellion but on the premise that I have no financial obligations except to myself and I am not limited by anything except by my resume and experiences. Therefore, why would I not want to take life by its horns and seek valuable experiences that are in line with my interests? This is especially so in view of the scarcity of such chances once responsibilities to family, friends and career set in.
On the surface, it may seem absurd to extrapolate the issue of work to life’s philosophy but every choice we make will contribute one way or another to who we will eventually be. In this vein, the choices I make now is a stepping stone to carve out a life that I would want for myself in the future. Come what may, I will be proud of my decisions even if my choices meant that I would fail miserably.
Having said that, one should realise that everyone is unique and different. Hence, my choices and outlook is never superior to another but it is best suited to my situation as I have mentioned. By extension, I am not saying that my friends have made a wrong choice but I am espousing the idea of making choices based on what one truly wants. If it means that one is only interested in the monetary value of the job, then go for it.
At the end of the day, life is all about choices and one should not be hampered by the “what ifs” but be encouraged by it to gain a broader experience. In the words of entrepreneur and maverick, Richard Branson, ‘Brave people don’t live forever, but cautious people don’t live at all.’ In case there are people who are interested in knowing what I have settled for, I have filed several applications but to no avail due to various reasons. But I am still trying, still fighting and still living.
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