Hi everyone!
This is my first post in this blog and I wanted to start telling you about
my last year experiences and my opinion on how to choose a career that best fits your dreams.
Last year I
began studying Industrial design at UADE (Buenos Aires, Argentina), it was a
great year, and it was my first time living alone, in a big city, after living
in a small town in the countryside. I met there my first girlfriend, and with
her I visited a lot of Bs.As. beautiful places. I started studying Industrial
design, which was fun and very interesting, but not what I was looking for...
After a
whole year studying industrial design I realized I didn´t like the profession,
at first I had doubts but I wanted to have a whole picture of what it was about, so I finished the first year. After I realized I didn’t want to continue with this career I was left with a sour taste and
a feeling of not knowing exactly what I wanted to do with my life. I know it
sounds a bit silly, but if you are still at school it will make sense probably
in a couple of years, because once you left the comfort of school, and you have to decide what you REALLY want to do with your life, it might be very difficult.
I don’t want
to picture a terrible panorama, because it’s a great part of your life in which
you finally can decide what to do, instead of studying those subjects
you hate or hated at school.
Once you
finish school I think there are three possible cases. The first one, in
which you always knew what you wanted to do so it’s kind of an easy decision (this
one is the least common). The second one, in which you don’t even know what you like doing, and the third one, in which I place myself, is liking so many things that you don’t know which one to choose.
In my case
I always liked drawing, reading comics, watching star wars, I was marveled by
pixar movies, animation, technology, visual effects, I always liked reading,
and sometimes I fancied about being a writer, I really like psychology and
neuroscience, I like philosophy, art, photography, 3d programs, design, space
investigations, biology, etc, etc. Quite a lot of things don’t you think?
I imagine
you will be able to place yourself in one of those sections and maybe, even feel identified with my case. If you are not part of the lucky ones who know in
advance what to do after school you probably have been struggling, and having
late night thinking in your bed, wandering what will be of your life in n years,
and probably you think of so many possibilities and variables that it’s even
scary. Well I don’t have a perfect, common, and ideal solution unluckily, but I
can tell: YOU´RE NOT ALONE, AT ALL!
I know plenty
of people already at university without knowing if what they chose is the right
option for them. Again, I’m not telling this in order to scare you, but to show
you this is something common and the best solution, I think, is not having that
old way of thinking in which once you start your career you can’t go out, if
you find what you are studying is not making you happy start thinking of your
next move towards your dreams, it’s never too late!
If a real example
is useful for you I can tell you one. My father is now a civil engineer, happy with his actual job in
which he has been working almost since he graduated from university, but he didn’t
start studying civil engineering after school. He began with electronic engineering
and when he was in last year he decided he didn’t want to do that, so he
changed to civil engineering and finally graduated almost at the age of 27. I
know some people may say that not all have that privilege, but my father worked
and studied and didn’t receive any economical help, so I think
if someone could we all can (obviously and unluckily there are always extreme
cases, and different realities in each country. In Argentina we have public
universities and that was and is now a great help…)
Back to me,
this holiday I thought of the most varied professions and careers because I
think studying is a must in today’s world. I think it may be useful for all the
ones who are seeking for an answer about what to study, even when no one will
be able to give you an answer to that question for you, to give you a clear
stream of thought to consider all the possibilities and have a clearer picture
of what you want...
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First:
Differentiate between things you like, things you love, and things you want.
These are not the same, so allow me to highlight the differences. I may like
running, drawing, reading Sherlock Holmes novels, etc. I may love traveling, meeting with friends, having a coffee at a Starbucks, playing games, watching movies. I would say
that the difference between these two is that loving is a stronger feeling than
just liking. But wanting is what you ask life to give you, I associate this
concept to quality of life and the things you will need in order to be satisfied economically.
Remember this is very different for each person, some people are happy with much
less things than others. (rich is not the one who has the most but the one who
needs less)
- -
Second:
Do a mind map of all this things in a big paper, starting at the center with
the most important things and expanding from there outwards. After you have a
clear, down to earth representation of your wills you´ll be able to continue
with the next step…
- -
Third:
Start looking at all the career possibilities without pre discarding anyone.
Think if you like the career first, if the answer is no then jump to another. If
the answer is yes then think of possibilities, jobs, etc. In my case the best
way to choose what careers I would have consider following was to go to an important
university web page and, instead of choosing the careers I liked at first,
which is much more difficult, I started discarding the ones I didn’t. For
example: in my case it was clear I didn’t want to be a doctor, didn’t like
architecture, didn’t want to be a biologist, didn’t, didn’t, didn’t…
- -
Fourth:
By now you should have been able to select at least a couple of possible
careers that interest you. Now it´s time to choose which approximates the most
to your dreamed future. Do you want to have a lot of money or do you want to
have fun? Do you think you can find a job in which you can mix both? Would you
like to work on your own? Do you want to establish in one place or be able to
move around the globe? Do you want to work in an office, a lab, at home maybe?
I know all
this things might be so scary that you don’t even want to stop to think, but
believe me that as you think more and more, and eliminate uncertainty, you will
get nearer an nearer to the best answer for you, and that will give you a
feeling of knowing where you are going. Having clear goals is the best solution
to have a prosperous life, not prosperous in an economic way, but in a productive
and happy way. If you know what you want, you can START TODAY working hard for
it!
This is
what I did, and it’s what guided me until I found computer science, a career
that I think adjusts to the things I like, love and want. It
has a very clear connection to solving problems and finding solutions, one of
my favorite things since I was a child (always oriented to solving crimes,
puzzles, trying to solve Holmes´s cases with his friend Watson, etc.). It also
has a connection with computer graphics, animation and creativity which I love.
One of the tools which is used the most in this profession is programming,
which I’ve been studying not for too long on internet (this will probably be
the topic of my next post), but I like the way it works, and the lack of limits
it offers at the moment of creating things. If you are a painter you will have
a whole canvas to fill and to create your world, if you program you are limited
just by the extents of your imagination. It has a whole working field related
to neurobiology, health, and helping people.
It is also
related to the game industry which obviously looks like a cool job for any
young guy. It also satisfies my nerdy part which wants to be challenged, and
gives me the opportunity to travel because it’s not a profession limited to the
country I live in. I would love to do a P.hd in London, and start working in the field from the first years in university so that I have the oportunity to travel in holidays and if Im lucky to do some courses to learn more!
Well, that was
a bit of MY STORY, but feel free to think different and comment your own
experiences, things you love, whishes, and dreams J
Hope you
had fun reading this post which is, I think, my main goal besides from enjoying writing it.
Work hard and HAVE FUN!
