I recently had a conversation about my potential future career options. I do not want to be confined to a single career path; I want to keep my options open even though I'm in my thirties. Initially, I aspired to be a doctor, largely because it was something my father wanted and also because my mother tried to push me away from less prestigious yet very necessary professions. However, I did not feel a deep personal desire to pursue the path of medicine. I did not want the stress of someone's life literally depending on me because I quite value life myself. I only realized this during my first or second year of university while studying biology. Although I found the subject interesting and understandable, I did not envision myself using it in a high-stress environment like the ER. I pursued biology out of necessity, trying to satisfy my parents and other social pressures outside of the family about not having a college degree. Let's just say it was a bit of a sunken cost or perhaps cold feet. I didn't know then and I don't know now...

After finishing college, I still felt uncertain about my future. I questioned whether I should continue on the path to becoming a doctor, or enter the health industry some other way, like being a drug rep, go to nursing school, etc. I was privileged enough to have a pseudo-"gap year" where I was working, finished uni, and could still think about what I wanted to do. During this time, I decided to travel to China without any significant reason other than the desire to explore the world. While there, a Chinese-Canadian friend of mine who now lives there informed me that in China, many schools were looking for foreign teachers, and all that was required was a bachelor's degree. I did quite fancy this idea of talking about what I learned a lot, regardless of what topic it was, and teaching would be the perfect match for that pursuit. Right after, I made a career switch from whatever dead-end job I was doing to becoming a teacher.

Was teaching something I truly wanted to do? Yes, it was more appealing to me than becoming a healthcare worker. I took the plunge and tried teaching for a year, expecting to leave after that. However, fast forward eight years, and I am still teaching. Through this experience, I have come to appreciate the idea of teaching and how it can be applied to other areas of my life from the obvious gargantuan amount of social and emotional intelligence needed to do it, to backend "admin" work and doing it productively. With all that said and done, I do one day want to be my own boss and engage in work that does not limit me to merely trading my time for money.

However, being my own boss comes with added responsibilities, such as running a company and hiring new people to delegate tasks. This is something I'm already doing as a senior member of my team of colleagues, though in a de facto manner lols.

Now, what is the point of this article? Well, whenever I express concerns about my career choices or even wanting to make a change, people often remind me of my age, implying that it is too late for a significant change. I had the same talk at 20 something, and again the same thing now, with different people who are close to me saying it. Some of these people suggest that I am too old to make a 180-degree career shift. In reality, I am not looking to make a complete turnaround; rather, I am considering a more gradual change. Let's just call it a 45-degree change?

It is sometimes frustrating to hear people say I am getting old and that it is too late to change paths. If I can move to another country and make an enjoyable life for myself, what makes me "too anything" to do anything in the first place? I have been living a more fulfilling life than my post-graduation days, even if it diverged from my original career intentions. Who is to say that if I change again, I won’t find happiness in a different light? It's really the journey that makes it worth it, not the destination.

Quote I'm Pondering

“That thing the nature of which is totally unknown to you is usually what you need to find, and finding it is a matter of getting lost.” 

– Paul Millerd, resurfaced by Readwise

If you'd like to see what I'm generally up to right now, click here.