It’s amazing how a single decision can determine so much of our life, particularly when these decisions have to do with our careers. On one hand, there are people who don’t know what professional career to pick for themselves. On the other, there are people who are convinced that they have found their dream job. But somewhere later in life, they discover new preferences they were unaware of.
My story is a perfect example of the importance of such decisions in one’s life.
Ever since I was a little kid, I had dreamed of becoming a musician. I loved music and people around me noticed that. So, they encouraged me to work on my music talent. I started playing and attending music courses. To this day, I share the same passion for music and musical instruments, but instead of pursuing that, I’ve been pursuing a totally different career: that of an electrical engineer.
So, you might be asking how that is the case. Trust me, I, too, ask myself this question very often. But life often takes unexpected turns and sometimes, for the good. In their teenage years, most people face difficulty in taking important decisions, such as choosing a career for themselves. I felt like I didn’t have that problem. I must admit, I often couldn’t understand why this decision was a tough matter after all, but I learnt it later the hard way.
After finishing high school, I was excited to continue my music education at the university. In the beginning, it was all good. But over time, my excitement somehow vanished. I was no longer sure if music was what I was actually expecting from my life. It was strange to me because I had spent my whole life till that point without ever questioning it.
During my first year at the university, I didn’t perform that well. I was disappointed. I wasn’t happy with what I was doing, so I decided to leave the university and with it, my dream of becoming a musician. It was a hard time for me, extremely hard. I felt like I had been lied to by myself, all that time. Like I had been living in an illusion all this while and didn’t have an identity.
But hard times often precede life-changing events. I decided to get myself out of my comfort zone and try something totally new to potentially find an exciting career. I was hopeless, but I felt like I needed to do it.
I applied for a three-month free electrician training programme at the UVP Schaltschrankbau GMBH in Germany. In the beginning, the idea of working with electrical circuits, learning to fix a socket or assisting during a switch cabinet installation was nothing exciting. But over time, I learned some basics skills and was able to apply them in practice. This idea of applicability gave me a unique sense of self-achievement. I started enjoying it and as time progressed, I got to learn so much more about it.
After that amazing training, I decided to enter a technical university. However, I had to complete a six-month personal training course in mathematics. My whole life changed forever and today, I’m really happy about the decision I took at that time.
My story is nothing special. I know there are many people who have had a similar experience in their life. But why don’t all of us have the courage to consider a career path we have never considered in the past?
I’ve been asking myself this question as well. I cannot say for a fact, because I’m not a psychologist, but I think this hesitation is a kind of unconscious self-defensive mechanism to keep ourselves away from unpredictable situations. In my case, for example, I had some expectations as to what would come after university education or what would happen in my career as a musician.
However, considering a career as an electrical engineer was scary for me because it felt like an unknown territory where it wasn’t possible to predict anything. In addition, I had so many “what ifs” in my head. So, there was a higher chance of getting disappointed in myself if I were to consider an unconventional career.
If you find yourself in a similar situation, I want to share with you a few reasons I believe it’s worthy to consider an unconventional career path:
Discover new talents: We humans are complex beings. We’re not always aware of what we really like or not. In your mind, you might find something attractive, and once you get involved, you fall in love with it. Therefore, it’s always good to try something new.
Personal growth: Knowing your true self and your life goals is very important. However, this is not a terminal point, but rather a process. You shouldn’t necessarily push yourself to fit in some scenario of who you want to be. You must get out of your comfort zone and seek after hidden motivations you might have because in this way, you will ask yourself questions and discover what you really want. From my experience, I can say that such moments determine your personality and your personal growth the most.
Job opportunities: Switching to another career can easily open to you endless job opportunities. And this is great because the more choices you have, the better for you.
Meet new people: Meeting other people with completely different ideas is really exciting. You get to experience the world around you from another perspective and this is amazing. On one hand, this will meet your social needs, but it will also impact your personality.
Exciting career: After all, who doesn’t want to have a wonderful story when they are older? It’s just amazing to think how you can switch from doing one thing to suddenly something completely different, and yet, succeeding in it.