As my flight landed 5 days ago, the man at the immigration desk asked me what I did for a living. I hesitated. I had no choice but to reply, "nothing". He or I would hardly have time to delve into what's been occupying my time over the past months. I suppose the fact that it's the holiday season forgives this rather strange answer. At another time I think he would've asked more questions and perhaps even prevented my entry.
It is interesting how random events take on a special place in one's mind, one's drive for improvement or one's dreams. The next time I get asked that question I would like to say "I am an artist", "I am a published author", "I am a singer", "I am a photographer". I have to start believing it first, and then I will be able to project it onto those around me.
I have thought a lot lately about career and what drives so many of us to enter the corporate world from university. What has got me thinking a lot is why career fairs tend to be so populated with corporate giants and their lavish sales pitch presentations to attract us independence and salary-hungry twenty something year olds. I cannot remember ever visiting a stand with pilots, firefighters, editors, musicians, decorators, designers, craftsmen, olympians... I majored in marketing and minored in 2 foreign languages so I suppose we have such a clear idea at 20 of what or who we want to be as grown-ups that what is staged around us are only the obvious paths. And that is fine. I know I have learned ever so much more in the business environment than from textbooks in college. But really, most people studying business, I think, are there because they are not quite sure they know what else to study, or have no strong vocational desire to be a lawyer, doctor, architect, singer, writer... at least a business office will give them a quick run up the graduate career ladder. So my question to myself is whether I would've lived differently had I developed my extra curricular interests a bit more, had my commencement speech mentioned it's OK not to know what you want and that it's OK to go out and explore...even if it may take you years to find out, had the graduate fair showcased more than the idolised, sleek business-woman running her own team?
I look at my life and admire many of the things I have done and think I wouldn't want it any other way. There are also times when I feel like the system is somehow not quite right and that the western world pushes us towards careers and life habits that do not quite fit the real dreams within, or what our minds and bodies were designed for. Interestingly, all these jobs fuel all the industries arising to relax and de-stress people, to entertain them as quickly and intensely as possible, to drive them to foreign lands for a taste of how the majority of the world live in the space of sometimes less than 10 days. It's a well-oiled ... and a rather disturbing machine somehow. On the other hand, maybe it is there because THAT is the real test of strength; whether once involved, we are able to get off the dizzying ferris wheel with all it's fake bright lights; whether we can land without falling and hurting ourselves; whether we are able to come off overcoming the dizziness and see the world around us and all the opportunities around; whether we can feel free and not overwhelmed at the choice and out potential to grow; whether we can ignore how scared we are when we realise our age and wonder whether we invested our time and efforts wisely throughout the past decade, or two.
