When it gets closer and closer to graduation, I get more and more concerned with ‘what am I going to do when I’m done?’ and when it comes down to it, I’m terrified that what I choose won’t make me any money. But every now and again, I start to think about this video and realize I need to think about what what makes me happy and what I would want to do if money were no object.
And perhaps you won’t think about this right now, but I promise you that eventually your happiness will catch up with your life goals and it’s better to make that decision now before you’re thousands of dollars and years away from when you could have made a change. My freshman year, I thought I’d study to be a translator, but remembering my father’s words that he was fully prepared to have me be the ‘artist’ of the family and not make a lot of money, pushed me to make that final decision that I can do what I like, not what I think will bring me money.
I have a friend who, before graduating, was going to follow the road she had thought she needed to go down to keep herself in money and keep her family happy. And then after a semester in post-graduate school, she realized it wasn’t for her, that she was unhappy and changed her mind and decided to pursue her dream. She may not have all the money that she had hoped for once she was done with school, but she’s happy and isn’t that what matters most? Money doesn’t make us happy, it’s the people and the work we’re involved in.
So, what we need to start doing is to focus on those things that make us happy rather than the things that make us money. Money’s great, but if your heart isn’t into being a heart surgeon, is it better for your patients? Probably not. If you’re absolutely in love with mechanical engineering, good for you, keep going! But if you’d rather ride horses, maybe you should focus on a way to make yourself happy instead. The money will eventually come.
Ask yourself: “What do I desire?”