The feeling that you live someone else’s life can appear in anyone’s mind. It appears that your activity doesn’t bring you satisfaction (it can be about both studying and job). Of course, uninteresting studying usually goes before uninteresting job. But if to delay with that, you risk to live your life not as you want it to. As only you understand that your activity does not fit you, it is required to take actions.
There are no many people who can choose the profession for their whole life in advance while being at their 17, so they choose the studying faculty without real thinking. Some students go after wishes of their parents, some enter faculties offered by friends, some read about their profession in the Internet. There are those who choose any profession because they failed to get enough exam points at school final tests.
When they understand that they made a wrong choice, then the fear of changes and the unknown future comes to the scene, so there are those who just continue following “the stream”.
Greatpaper.co.uk writers collected main myths that do not allow students to change their activity and to be happy in their professional life.
Myth #1: I Have No Talents
You say: “Well, my neighbor’s got a real talent: he has been drawing cool since being a child, then became a designer and earns a lot of money today. He discovered his advantage in time, and I am not so lucky. Maybe, I don’t have any talent at all”.
Reality answers: that belief in talents helps you to get rid of the responsibility. You can always comply about your bad luck, that failed to allow you becoming the famous and successful pro. It is obvious, that a kid from a family of journalists has more chances to explore his or her writing talents. But having a natural ability is not enough here: any success consists of one’s hard work. If your parents’ job is not interesting to you, then try out everything you see on your way. You’ll understand what you can do best, and find your talent sooner or later, too.
Myth #2: It is Too Late to Change Something
You say: “It too late for me to change the profession and master a new one. If I dared to do that earlier… Uh, nothing to say already”.
Reality answers: before finding his calling, Abraham Lincoln had changed tens of professions. He had the opportunity to work as a land surveyor, a storekeeper, a logger, a postal officer, an army man, and even a lawyer before he understood that he wanted to go in for politics. I won’t recommend you to work as a logger (unless you like that job very much). But I say, it is never too late to change your choice. It is not as scary as to do the job you do not like for the rest of your life.
Myth #3: Changes are Very Difficult
You say: “It is easier to leave it all as it goes than to choose another faculty or find a job in another field. I don’t want to blow my mind and start a new game”.
Reality Answers: yes, mate, changes are not always easy. Maybe, you’ll have to deal with bureaucracy and questions of wondered friends, but this is worth! Bureaucracy can’t last forever, and moreover: it is nothing if to compare it with a profession that bores you. Prepare your action-plan, ask friends about a piece of advice (maybe someone had changed their profession, too) and go! Each philologist can become a chemistry expert, and vice versa. All in all, you always can enter a Master’s program of another faculty. Many universities even welcome this, as such students have more experience and wide outlook.
Myth #4: I Need an Education to Have a Job
You say: “There does not exist an employer who wants to hire a worker who does not have the appropriate education”.
Reality answers: Employers are interested in your knowledge, not in your diploma. Of course, if you have a diploma, the chance for you to have quality knowledge on your profession increases. But you can prove yourself to be worth of any position even without any diploma. For instance, during the interview.
Myth #5: Nobody is Going to Support Me
You say: “My father is going to kill me if I don’t get a doctor’s diploma. Members of my family are all doctors, I have to support the dynasty”.
Reality: your life belongs to you. Yes, your parents can be disappointed and insulted if you don’t follow their expectations. But imagine yourself a life where you need to discuss everything with them. It is much better to have a talk with them and to explain that your future profession makes you unhappy. You have the right to expect your happiness to be more important for them than their own hopes.
Myth #6: New Profession Will Bore
Boring Profession
You say: “I’m so unstable… what if I choose a profession and then I’ll want to change it once more? It is better not to change anything and avoid making new mistakes”.
Realityanswers: You won’t find out if you like your future profession until you try it. Still, if you are unhappy with what you already have, the situation will not get improved until you provide serious changes. The best thing you can do is try.
Myth #7: I Had to Choose Long Ago
You say: “I hear about people starting their business in their 20, becoming stars in their 15, receiving investments and patents in their 13 on purpose. I am 23, and I still don’t know what I want to do in my life.”
Reality answers: It is all good with you. You can go on and compare yourself with people younger than you, or check other cases. World-famous dressing designer Vera Wang worked as a journalist until she turned 39, and the founder of KFC Harland Sanders was 62 when he opened his first cafe. I think they were afraid to start it all from the very beginning, too.
Your success is not connected to your age. Yes, modern media are crowded with the info about young startup businessmen. This is why it seems to you that people around are all geniuses about to get their first million in a minute, but in reality there are only few such cases. So stop comparing yourself with others and look for your favorite activity. I can’t guarantee Forbes to write about you in a month. But at least you’ll certainly make your life better.