Become a master of what you like
“So what do you want to do in the future?”
We’ve all heard this question since high school or even before, and everyone keeps asking this casually, when in fact, it is more stressful and annoying.
This question mostly makes me feel uncomfortable because even though I’m interested in a lot of different sectors and professions, I haven’t made my mind about which one is the one I want to dedicate myself to. And not knowing yet, can be scary. Maybe we should just wonder what people like to do in life and ask them about their passion instead.
Some people believe that by following our passion we jeopardize our chances to be successful. Although if you follow the example of Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg or Elon Musk, they became successful because they were passionate about what they were doing.
“You are successful if you can’t distinguish the difference between work and pleasure.”
I’m not saying you shouldn’t have a personal life, because even a fascinating job that gives you a sense of fulfillment and a workplace that improves your wellbeing shouldn’t replace your personal life. You should distinguish both.
But whatever you decide to do, you should love it. You should be happy every morning when you wake up and be excited about going to work every day. You are going to spend a huge amount of your life at work so imagine spending 8 or 10 hours or more every day doing something that you hate. By choosing your passion, you are choosing something you love, and therefore you will love your work. If you love what you do you will do it better, you will be more involved, productive and creative. You’ll be successful.
“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it.” Steve Jobs
Following your passion is a choice only you can make, but the educational system is not necessarily well designed for it. The French school system makes you pick in High School between a scientific, economic or literary pathway. There’s actually much more than just these three options but when you go to a “good school” they won’t even bother to explain you all the choices you have. In fact, your choice is even more reductive than these three options. Basically, if you’re a “good student” and you’re good at Math, you have to take the scientific pathway, no matter what you want to study afterwards. If you’re not that good at Math but they consider you have potential, you’ll take the economic pathway. And finally, if you literally suck at Math, then you can pick the literary pathway and hope you’ll find a field of study that will interest you later on.
I’m not here to expand on a critic about the educational system but more to analyze the way I took this decision when I was 15 years old and was completely lost about what I wanted to do in my life. I didn’t take this decision, my parents and professors did, and somehow they convinced me that it was the best option and that they were proud of me. For two years, I killed myself at Math equations and Physics, knowing that I would never use it again because it was definitely not what I wanted to do. Everyone around me was happy for me, and still today, when I tell someone I did the scientific pathway they look at me as if I was superior but don’t ask me if I actually liked it. When I graduated and told my Physics professor I was going to a public University to study Business Administration (instead of a Preparatory Class in Math or something) she literally turned around. But I wasn’t doing what other people wanted me to do anymore, I was doing it for me.
Think about what is stopping you from jumping in that career path or position of your dreams. Is it because it doesn’t match your expectations or is it something else? Remember no one knows better than you what you want and what you need so stop worrying about what other people think.
Don’t follow everyone else’s footsteps. You don’t have to go to high school and then study for five years to get a Master’s degree and get an internship or a job at L’Oréal. Unless L’Oréal is really your dream company. Think about it a little bit, think about what you love and what you want. Think about what internship (or job) you want to do this summer or next year, not the internship people tell you you should do because it’s a “good internship”.
You should pick a great internship that you love, and get the most out of it. And in a couple of years, when you’ll be facing and interviewer you will be able to tell him/her how great that experience was. And who doesn’t want to hire someone that is passionate about what he/she does? By being passionate, we become a better version of ourselves.
Don’t take jobs to build your resume. Take jobs because you want them.
Finally, the other thing you should take into consideration is that we are still very young! We are only around 21 and people live up to 100 years know. So it’s okay if you don’t know yet what you want to do, or if you change your mind.
To sum up, you don’t have to do the same thing everyone else is doing because we all have different passions because we are all unique. Also keep in mind you don’t need to give up on your passion in order to be successful because your work can be about your passion and there is nothing greater than loving what you do for a living. What matters above all is what you want so don’t let anyone prevent you from it, and gather up the courage to follow your passion.
Following your passion is not easy, but if it’s going make you happy, I think it’s worth it.
