What Happens When You Change Your Career In a Third World Country (Part 1)
I live in a third world country with a huge population. I come from a middle class family with only one wish; to give birth to a doctor. At that time, being a doctor was (and maybe is) the highest most respected position anybody could have. Owing to the fact that my extended family had no doctors, that expectation and life long dream had fallen on my shoulders. I was an A student and a perfectionist, but I didn’t know what I wanted in life. I was 16; it was just too early for that kind of burden. So, I got into Dental school because I was both stupid and pressured. I’ve never even seen myself as a dentist, all I cared about was if I would have like what I studied then. I got through my years in college with perfect grades, but I hated my life. I hated the practical part of it. It dawned on me that I would rather be unemployed than be a dentist. I tried to give it another chance and tried to work at a clinic. During that month, every day I would wake up wishing I were just dead. I’d keep thinking: “What are you doing here? This is not your place.” I was miserable to say the least. That’s why when I got the first chance to do something else after graduation, I took it. I started teaching English. I’ve always loved English, and doing something related to it gave me joy. It was amazing being around bilingual people because they had the same mentality and they made me feel understood. However, it was a part-time job with unstable working hours and I felt that my day amounted to nothing everyday. It also got a lot repetitive and it sucked my energy as it felt like a performance. I thought you know what, since it was a temporary job after all, maybe you should start building a career. After much deliberation, I figured that I wanted to work in HR, specifically in recruitment. In my head, it made sense. I’m a good researcher, I can conduct interviews in two languages and I’m a fine judge of character. Easy, right? Nope.
After going to countless interviews, most of which I blew myself because I was inexperienced, I deduced that nobody is going to give me a chance because of my degree. My next order of business was to study for a certificate at a prestigious place here. I finished a semester while still looking for a job. Still no luck. Out of every 10 CVs I sent, only 1 employer would call. And out of most of the interviews I had, I’d either get a rejection letter or my favorite: Not a word.
It even became a trend, whenever a manager shakes my hand and says it’s been great meeting me with much enthusiasm, I know they wouldn’t call back; not for lack of qualifications or horrible English/computer skills, only because I changed majors from a reputable discipline. In their head, I’m doing a mistake and/or I’m a job hopper.
Once, I had this interview where I got rejected on the spot. The manager told me he couldn’t imagine how my dad felt about me changing my career like that, and throwing away a fine education. He said if it were his daughter, he’d kill her.
That’s exactly the kind of crap you deal with when you decide to do something you think will be good for you in a third world country.
To be continued.
